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Rail Dust in My Paint

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Folks I need to vent here. I picked up my Maverick in the rain on October 30th 2021. It looked great. Water was beading up all over it, brand spanking new. I took it on a road trip on November 2nd which included some gravel roads. The fender wells got a little dirty and the truck got dusty. I washed it on November4th and felt something gritty in the paint on the hood. While towel drying the truck I became aware that there was something in the clear coat on the hood. I found that this substance was in and on the paint over a lot of the truck. The hood was the worst, it looked like somebody spewed sand in the clear coat while it was drying. I took it back to the dealership and they sent me to their body shop manager. He took one look at it and called it rail dust and that it probably occurred during rail transport. The clear coat had little white blotches in it, some pock marks and the gritty stuff looked like rust. I left my truck with the body shop and started a claim with Ford. The body shop manager said they would try to clay bar it and buff it out but maybe the whole truck would have to be repainted.
I picked it up today and it does look good. What ever they did removed the rail dust without any sanding or repainting. My concern is did this polishing shorten the longevity of the factory finish? I paid for a new truck, would this remedy be acceptable to you? I know its not the dealerships fault but I sure feel like I have been taken advantage of.
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Strobe

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It is pretty common for detailers to clay and polish even brand new cars, especially if they are about to ceramic coat or PPF a car. Most "new" cars have been sitting outside for a while or have just like you mentioned, rail dust on them. I wouldn't worry about a clay and polish job. I'd only be worried if they needed to do some heavy compounding or wet sanding.
 

jwilson

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I've read suggestions of using an iron remover (spray that turns purple, then rinse) the moment you receive the vehicle because of iron dust picked up during initial transport. I will be doing just that. But as Strobe said, clay bar & polish is no big deal, I'd think you're fine.
 

Grey Ghost

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Dealers have been dealing with rail dust since cars started being made.
This is why high end cars have a plastic sheet on them to keep the dust off. It is a easy fix, clay bar will remove it. When I was a young lad I did this for the dealer I worked at while in high school.
 

vezpa

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The holding lot for the dealership I worked at for years was directly under the L-train in Chicago. Our two detail shops were constantly removing rail dust. It is a pain in the a$$ but is fairly straightforward with a clay bar. Any detail shop can do it. You can also do it youself. Remember to do the glass and trim too.
 

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Decayed

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Dealers have been dealing with rail dust since cars started being made.
This is why high end cars have a plastic sheet on them to keep the dust off. It is a easy fix, clay bar will remove it. When I was a young lad I did this for the dealer I worked at while in high school.
I thought they did the removable plastic wrap thing on everything? I guess it costs too much.
 

rognus

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I wonder if it's worse if the paint hasn't cured? And if this the case maybe the hybrids that have been sitting might not have as big a problem?
 

HPR

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I live just under a mile from a railyard, you can look at the cars parked in the apartment complex lot and find plenty of rail dust. My white van that was parked outside 24/7 was covered.
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