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Is this rail dust or something else?

ListedGuru

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Picked up my 25 Hybrid AWD Maverick on Thursday. Looked it over good at the dealer (at least I thought I did). Drove it home from the dealer (15 min drive) and once I parked it in my garage and turned on the over head lights I noticed what I think might be rail dust? It's definitely sitting on top of the clear coat but doesn't want to come off easy and I don't want to scrub on it and scratch the paint. Also there is this strange white round circular outline towards the lower center of the hood. It almost looks like someone set down a bottle of cleaner on the hood but that doesn't want to come off either. Last but not least there is this strange white stuff on a lot of the black trim of the truck - almost like something splatted all over it. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to want to come off either. I plan on taking it to the dealer and seeing what they say but I'm not optimistic. I will post some pictures below but it's kind of hard to capture in a pic. Shame on me for not noticing this at the dealership:(

Ford Maverick Is this rail dust or something else? PXL_20250526_235231456
Ford Maverick Is this rail dust or something else? 8217604267850856446
Ford Maverick Is this rail dust or something else? -1469020212087590555
Ford Maverick Is this rail dust or something else? -191004837152406100
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Dave O

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Thats very unfortunate this is definitely something they should have caught during checkout and prep before you took deliver. Hopefully they stand up and take responsibility I would probably ask to see the inspection documentation (checklist) and talk to the dealership employee responsible for the miss…
 

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Personally I would claybar it myself no telling what kind of incompetent shop boys they may have working there.

I clayed my Maverick even though it didn't need it when I first got it literally took me an hour in my garage
 
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Personally I would claybar it myself no telling what kind of incompetent shop boys they may have working there.

I clayed my Maverick even though it didn't need it when I first got it literally took me an hour in my garage
I've never done any claybar myself but was thinking of having that done to the Maverick before I discovered this mess. I paid a professional to paint correct my Mustang (including claybar) and then ceramic coat it and they did a fantastic job. I agree with you and I'm more than a little hesitant to bring it back to the dealership because like you mentioned who knows what they'll do to it then. I will contact my salesperson who we've dealt with for years and see what he has to say to as least get it on the record so to speak. Again shame on me for not catching this before I left the dealership:(

Hopefully this can be fixed to my satisfaction as so far I'm loving this truck.
 

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Thats very unfortunate this is definitely something they should have caught during checkout and prep before you took deliver. Hopefully they stand up and take responsibility I would probably ask to see the inspection documentation (checklist) and talk to the dealership employee responsible for the miss…
I'm going to talk to my long time salesperson that sold me the truck hopefully sometime this week and see what he says. Hopefully someone can get this stuff removed safely whatever it is.
 

Buggy Man

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Personally I would claybar it myself no telling what kind of incompetent shop boys they may have working there.

I clayed my Maverick even though it didn't need it when I first got it literally took me an hour in my garage
I'm with Todd, clay bar.
They will probably blame it on your trip home.
If the dealer is going to do it be sure to watch them.
I hope it turns out OK for you.
 

lajlmt

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Personally I would claybar it myself no telling what kind of incompetent shop boys they may have working there.

I clayed my Maverick even though it didn't need it when I first got it literally took me an hour in my garage
Exactly- they wipe a dry car with a dry vloth and ruin it! Experienced it with our mazda6
 

Maverick123

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You want to hit the rail dust a few times with Iron-X or a similar iron remover BEFORE claying it. Hit it until it stops running purple after a few minutes.

Once the iron is removed, then you clay it to remove whatever's left
 
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Took the truck back to the dealer today and my longtime salesperson looked at and so did the vehicle prep manager. They are calling it industrial fallout and not rail dust per se I guess. I did send these pictures to a trusted detailer I have worked with in the past and he said he doesn't think it's rail dust either. I guess industrial fallout is a fancy word meaning they don't know what it is.

Anyway my dealer said it needs to go to the body shop so they are working on getting me an appointment at the body shop. The strange thing is the white stuff that can be seen in the picture I posted of the black plastic trim pieces. It looks different both in size and pattern compared to the flecks that can be seen on the hood. Honestly I'm not sure what the heck is all over my new Maverick but it's pretty frustrating. Also the flecks on the mental hood I posted are pretty much all over the metal panels on the truck (all the sides, doors, and even the roof). I just hope they can get this fixed to my satisfaction as I am loving the truck so far.
 
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Toddman45

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Hopefully, they can get it taken care of without making it any worse.
 

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I've never done any claybar myself but was thinking of having that done to the Maverick before I discovered this mess. I paid a professional to paint correct my Mustang (including claybar) and then ceramic coat it and they did a fantastic job. I agree with you and I'm more than a little hesitant to bring it back to the dealership because like you mentioned who knows what they'll do to it then. I will contact my salesperson who we've dealt with for years and see what he has to say to as least get it on the record so to speak. Again shame on me for not catching this before I left the dealership:(

Hopefully this can be fixed to my satisfaction as so far I'm loving this truck.
Don't beat up on yourself so much, I can see how much it bothers you as it would any of us, but one thing at a time, I hope they can fix it.
 

Jah.

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Good luck . buff out and new clear coat on metal surfaces . plastic not sure ?
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