[Tim Greer]

Yeah, that's the thing, I don't know if the guy just used compound and tried to buff out the scratches, or if he actually color sanded before buffing (at least depending on the depth of the scratch). I don't mind doing some of this myself, but I shouldn't have to fix the work left by them, when I paid them for a new paint job. It indeed could be (at least partially) a matter of the guy not using the right buffing compound, or he just sucks... and someone else could potentially remedy the problem for the most part with the swirls and smaller/lighter scratches.

But, I just worry the clear is getting pretty burned through by the fourth buffing session, especially with the swirls I saw -- which worry me that this guy is just camping out on one spot while the buffer is rotating, and it's sitting there burning through the clear, instead of removing light scratches. This whole mess makes me sick. There are some scratches that are pronounced enough, that I do believe I can catch it with my fingernail. Again, my understanding is that 3 coats of clear is pretty much the max without risking cracks later down the road, and that should be enough (maybe not for these guys though. :-) Had I known this would potentially come up (them storing the car in a dusty area, not covering it to protect THEIR hard work), I'd have gotten involved and made time to prep the damn car in the first place (I can do that), let alone to protect the paint job.

Now it might be in a situation where it's going to need to be re-shot, and if so, they should realize it was their responsibility and take the time to re-do it on their dime. Maybe they will? But I doubt they'll be so receptive. I'm unsure what they fail to understand that you pay for a new paint job, it should be new, and not need so many buffs or polishes to try and cover things (because I understand that could easily prove to be a temporary solution and it could start showing again -- depending, I understand that depends on some variables, too).

Part of this seems simple and obvious to me and I could do a better job myself, but other aspects and I'd be in over my head at this time -- and I paid them to do this job with quality, so I don't plan on learning to fix their poor workmanship after the fact. They will have to remedy it, and I do hope I'm exaggerating the significance of the scratches and depth in my mind and it'll not be so bad. I'll have to see what my dad says about that, and remind him it's been buffed three times already, with a fourth time impending, which has got to say something. I don't know what base (wax, silicone, etc.) that the compound they are using even is, so there's a lot of things to consider. I wish I knew more about this, but if I had, I'd probably not have hired someone. Thanks for the replies!