just picked up a 60 plate 1.1 eco active panda on saturday and have been back to the dealers 3 times so far with regards to fallout on the paintwork. i first spotted it when i got the car home on saturday evening and it was like tiny little rust spots on almost every panel. just wondering if anybody knows where i stand with this as some are tiny and some are slightly more visible. i took it back first thing on the sunday to show them and they had a guy come out and clean most of it off, however there is still a fair bit of it in the gaps between the rear window and boot lid. also it was stickered up before i bought it and some fool thought it would be a good idea to remove the stickers with a blade and took 2 chunks out of the drivers side doors.... this is being sorted but how many times can i pester them about the fallout?

That's a very disappointing way to begin your ownership.

Go back to the supplying dealer as many times as is necessary. Any new car is a significant purchase and it should be to your satisfaction.

If that fails, or the dealer is pulling faces, go directly to Fiat UK customer service as they are more sensitive to poor PR.

Good luck

Do the spots look anything like this one?
Apparent rust spots on new Fiats seems to be a recurring theme on here.
This particular spot is on a year old car with a respray. At first I thought the respray was bad, but it turned out to not be rust at all.

yeah thats exactly what they look like. most are not as visible as that but one or two are. apparently the panda they have inside the showroom has the same problem. they have said that most new cars have this problem but with mine being white it is more visible. not really a good excuse.... i just dont want it to get any worse and start eating into the paint. this is my first brand new car and to be honest it is brilliant apart from the paint. i guess asking for a full respray is a bit too much but surely a good detail and buffing will get it out, but this surely isnt down to me to do, which is the impression i am getting from the dealers.

kingy2184, this is a common issue which has been covered a few times on this forum. The contaminants are tiny metal particles which have settled on the top of the paint whilst your car was in transit and have now rusted and bonded to the top of the clearcoat. They are easily removed if you clay the car (my suggestion is BiltHamber Soft Autoclay as you don't need to buy a special lubricant and it won't damage your paint, even in the hands of a novice.)

I actually chose to have my new white Panda delivered uncleaned (ie as it came off the transporter) so that I could do this myself - the car was so contaminated that the whole of the paintwork had a feint orange tinge, but a few hours detailing left me with an immaculate (and unscratched) car.

that sounds like a good idea, just wasnt sure if it was worth asking the dealer to sort it for me. i like to keep my cars looking good so will probably just give it a good going over myself

will the meguiars clay kit in halfords ( http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_253057_langId_-1_categoryId_165527 ) do the job or will it be too harsh on the new paint? or are they all pretty much the same, within reason. i know you can get more harsh clay bars so just wondering where this one rates on the scale

kingy2184 said:

wasnt sure if it was worth asking the dealer to sort it for me. i like to keep my cars looking good so will probably just give it a good going over myself

Click to expand...

Given the dealer's already stabbed your car with a knife, it's probably best to do it yourself...

Ask them to pay for the cleaning equipment IMO.

Here's some pictures I took straight after driving the car home (on trade plates). Click to enlarge if you want a better view.

Tales of removing the stickers with a knife leave me feeling I did the right thing to take it away before the valeting department got their paws on it.

Most of the stickers came off without any real problems but there was one stubborn one on the offside bumper. Autoglym SRP is very useful for removing adhesive residues as the solvent in the polish dissolves them without affecting the paint.

I really can't overstress the importance of claying the car (wash it first!) - it's the only way I know to safely remove the metallic contamination.

Follow up with SRP & your favourite wax & you'll have a car that's far better prepared than the supaeasyguard treatments the dealers would like to charge you a few hundred quid for...

kingy2184 said:

will the meguiars clay kit in halfords ( http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_253057_langId_-1_categoryId_165527 ) do the job or will it be too harsh on the new paint? or are they all pretty much the same, within reason. i know you can get more harsh clay bars so just wondering where this one rates on the scale

Click to expand...

I think Megs would be a lot better than Bilt Hamber. I find Bilt Hamber to be too hard. I've never used Megs, but I would expect it to be softer than Bilt Hamber.

You just need to make sure the car is clean before starting, make sure you use enough lubricant (the spray that comes with the clay) and fold the clay (or bin it) when it is dirty. It should be fine after it has been clayed because the paint is likely to be undamaged. There would be no benefit of a respray, the car is just dirty, not damaged.

Advanced Driver said:

I find Bilt Hamber to be too hard. I've never used Megs, but I would expect it to be softer than Bilt Hamber.

Click to expand...

BiltHamber Autoclay comes in two grades - regular and soft. I'd agree that regular BiltHamber clay is too hard for a novice to use on a new car, but the soft one is IMO just right - about half the price of the Megs + you use plain water as a lubricant.

On a cold day, it's best to warm it up first in a pot of hand-hot water.

jrkitching said:

BiltHamber Autoclay comes in two grades - regular and soft. I'd agree that regular BiltHamber clay is too hard for a novice to use on a new car, but the soft one is IMO just right - about half the price of the Megs + you use plain water as a lubricant.

Click to expand...

I've got both Bilt Hamber clays. I find the white one a bit too hard, and I thought that was the soft one, or have I got them mixed up?

IMHO I'd leave it a few months before you clay there car, this will give the paint time to harden. The paint on your car will be "soft" for a few months after the car is delivered. I had the same on my white 500 and waited 2 months before claying the car and giving it a good wax.

I'd agree it's not advisable to use any kind of aggressive products on factory fresh paint (hence my choice not to allow the dealership to prep the car). However, the bonded contaminants on my new Panda would likely have caused permanent damage to the paint if I'd left them for a few months. I used BH soft clay with plenty of lubricant and can definitely say that no paintwork was harmed in detailing the car, despite it being fresh off the transporter.

306maxi said:

IMHO I'd leave it a few months before you clay there car, this will give the paint time to harden. The paint on your car will be "soft" for a few months after the car is delivered. I had the same on my white 500 and waited 2 months before claying the car and giving it a good wax.

Click to expand...

lol, it'll be fine. I suspect that it was covered in this stuff because it has been sitting in a field somewhere for months. Even if it came straight from the factory then it would still take a couple of weeks to even reach the country.

Advanced Driver said:

lol, it'll be fine. I suspect that it was covered in this stuff because it has been sitting in a field somewhere for months. Even if it came straight from the factory then it would still take a couple of weeks to even reach the country.

Click to expand...

Argh. Another one of your posts that doesn't make sense. Panda's don't "sit in a field somewhere"

Paint takes a while to harden and whilst jrkitching is most probably right and it'll be fine I thought I'd give my little warning anyway.

The buildup is not from sitting in fields, it's from brake dust from the train from Tychy to the ship.

it was sitting outside the dealers for a while too, hence the stickers. i will give the clay bar a shot next time i get chance and always use srp and the high gloss polish afterwards so hopefully that will sort it. the dealers said its not actually a paint defect so isnt covered by the warranty but i am sure if it was to cause any more damage they would be getting the car back

kingy2184 said:

it was sitting outside the dealers for a while too, hence the stickers. i will give the clay bar a shot next time i get chance and always use srp and the high gloss polish afterwards so hopefully that will sort it. the dealers said its not actually a paint defect so isnt covered by the warranty but i am sure if it was to cause any more damage they would be getting the car back

Click to expand...

If it's been sitting outside the dealers for a little while then claying it will be fine

306maxi said:

Argh. Another one of your posts that doesn't make sense. Panda's don't "sit in a field somewhere"

Click to expand...

yes they do eating bamboo.

agree with maxi, paint can still be bit soft.

Personally i'd leave it to garage as if you f*ck it up they will say 'you used so & so product so tough sh*t no warranty'. Its a fault, dealer/fiat should fix end off (once its fixed to your satisfaction & will not re-occur then use halfords jizz juice, bees tears, apricot cream with crushed goats eye lashes or whatever product you use etc)