The paint process at porsche has changed and there's a new paint department. Several of the 991s we've gotten, dealer did not touch it, have come this way. Problem being...at the factory, the paint is compounded and simply polished/glazed. Glazes/certain polishes have fillers in them like glycerin. By the time the car gets here, and after a quick wash or a few days in the sun, the fillers simply wash off and reveal any improper polishing. That's what you're seeing here. We've been specializing in porsches since 2002 and have been in business since 1995. This is the first time ever we've seen these issues on new porsche cars. We some them on the more exclusive 997s such as gt2s and gt3s...but now, more common on all trims of 991. Out of all the 991s we've done so far, I'd say about less than 4-5 had no issues with paint.

 

The phase 1 is complementary since we did a paint correction, nano, and clear film install. A lot of work is done that's why we have clients come back for a follow-up so we can address anything we may have missed. We're always pushing the envelope and we don't know if we've gone too far until we see something that has pushed the limit. Even then, we figure out a solution and push past that point. That's what makes GP unique and dynamic.

 

Doubtlessly, all manufacturers make mistakes, including Porsche. No one doubts that reality. The "brown" or "white" dot business speak to that fact, though it is far from clear if the factory or the shipping is the actual cause, even if Porsche remains responsible. It also makes great sense to protect our car investment by aftermarket road hazard protection. Everyone hates road debris, that first blemish, especially those among us that would rather wipe down the car than read the newspaper or see a movie.
Your observation "how terrible the paint jobs Porsche is producing from the factory" suggests, inaccurately, that Porsche is deliberately indifferent to discerning buyers. If you want applaud Moe's work, great, but to take an unprepped car as the basis for your observation is absurd.

 

Excellent work, I know how difficult black is.

 

Let me clarify for the OP. Porsche paint is one of the most amazing paint jobs. No matter how neglected the paint, with the right products and technical know-how, you can make the paint look as good as the day it left the paint booth. This thread and this 991 is the a perfect example of that.

However, the post-prep of the paint, where there needs to be sanding and/or polishing on the 991, is leaving much to be desired. Problem being the compound/polish being used is "filling" the paint surface and giving the illusion of a proper polishing. As mentioned before, this is due to oil fillers being in the polish. IMHO, that is unacceptable for a $100K+++ vehicle. We see the same on Aston Martin, Ferrari, Maserati, etc. There are issues that compounds this problem, say dealer prep, that is also unacceptable. I think it's great that owners are speaking loudly and notifying their dealers or PCNA...this voice needs to get back to the factory. I've been polishing these cars for almost two decades and have never seen finish work this way. It's not a huge deal...as it can be fixed in the right hands. Porsche just needs to change whatever they're doing when it comes to the finishing step of the paint.

So once again, not a jab at Porsche....it's my bread and butter and I own them as well. Just an FYI that I'm sure is being looked into. It's like going to the fanciest steakhouse in town and having an amazing piece of steak that's the centerpiece of the plate...but the plate ends in front of you with a piece of hair in it. I'm sure the steak is still fine, but the expectations are high and you have every right to be turned off.

 

Now, I'm bewildered. First, not sure what OP is, but, your analogy misses the point. That steakhouse never intended for the steak to be tainted. You are suggesting that Porsche, Ferrari, etc are deliberately, at worst, or recklessly using post-paint polishing compounds that contain "oil fillers" that mar the finish, a condition you are able to fix? That is unbelievable; not that you can make a car sparkle (your fans are many) but that the manufacturers are using wrong products. Why would they do that? Does Rolls also make this "mistake"?

 

OP means Original Poster...the guy who started the thread.

I believe my analogy of the steakhouse was in line with what you're suggesting...it was a mistake/accident that should have been caught before your plate was served to you. Hence why you'd pay top $$$ for a meal. Quality and Service.

As for Porsche "deliberately" doing this....I don't think so. Unfortunately, to truly sand and polish a paint that has left the paint booth, it takes hours. Say Porsche spends an extra hour or two per vehicle paying techs to use a different polish or add a step to truly bring out the brilliance of the paint and making sure it looks that way by the time the end-user gets it and washes it/details it. Multiply that by the # cars produced each year. Do you really think they're going to do that? That would cost them millions. Porsche is not in the business of detailing. They're a business that produces an amazing product at a particular price point. As mentioned before, we did not have these issues with previous generations such as 996 and 997. So I'm not sure what they're doing differently.

The technology of polishers, polishes, pads, is constantly evolving. I'm not using the same products as I did two years ago. Some of the products I use, many outside our industry haven't heard of. The thing you have to remember about manufacturers is they work with other big companies most of the time. I wouldn't be surprised if 3M is the main supplier of polishes and pads to Porsche. I guess I should research that for my own FYI. 3M products are full of fillers. They give you the illusion of a proper polishing.

As for Rolls Royce, their paint is usually flawless from the factory. They go through hours of sanding, more sanding, polishing, and more polishing. But, you're also spending $400-500K per vehicle...that's about 2-4 991s

Unfortunately, these are the facts. You can look through many of my new-car write ups...most of my clients get their cars and directly bring them to our studio giving the dealer strict introductions not to wash/wax the car. There are times the finish is amazing and flawless, and there are times it looks like the 991 in this thread.

My goal, Alpacker01, is to make you guys aware of this issue, how it has happened, and what can be done to fix it. All in all, it's suppose to be a positive process. I didn't mean to take away from what an amazing car Porsche has made. As most will tell you, I'm a huge Porschephille. I truly think Porsche cares about this and will remedy the situation. In the meantime, this is one imperfection that can easily be fixed by a professional for those demanding perfection.

 

Sounds like somebody has a lot to learn about how Porsche does things, and it isn't Moe...
The fact of the matter is, when it comes to today's OEM paintjobs, we are getting less for our money because much has changed in the last few years- with much regards of environmental issues and different, softer paint, etc... BMW, PORSCHE, Mercedes-Benz, etc all have worse paint-jobs on average than they did 5-10 years ago. (for example, can you say Orange peel? That is quite common in many German Finishes now. Then you bring out somebody to wet-sand carefully for a nice price but make the paint look as it should.)

Different paints, more cost-cutting factory techniques due to inflation, etc etc... This is not a happy thing to consider, but it is, however, the truth. Thankfully, when these types of issues crop-up, there are those aftermarket artists like Moe and others, who can really bring out the best of what OEM paint the car has.

 

Alpacker01. I think you are missing the point.

I also just purchased a darker Porsche recently and it also had the marring (not as bad as the OP), but it was still there. The point here is, even without hours and hours of polishing, the vehicles shouldn't come out of the factory that way. Porsche isn't doing this on purpose. I think they, may know the issue, but don't have a resolution and are depending on detailers to fix the issue (Dealer or not) or maybe they just don't care and want to get the product out as fast as possible to make profits.

Either way, in my opinion, it cheapens the quality of the product and it is a shame they had to produce the product like this.

By the way, I have a feeling a lot of new 991s that are coming out have the marring on the paint. It's just a matter of what color you picked for your vehicle to really notice it.

 

I have a black c2s coming in a few weeks and I will be appalled if it looks like this when it comes off the truck. I too am planning on taking the car w/o dealer prep. Maybe Porsche looks at fixing these polish marks at the dealer when they prep the car??

I can speak for myself here with this generalization: As enthusiasts, I think we sometimes forget that our beloved marques are just factories producing a product for consumption. We like to think the factories are mythical fantasy land places that are creating priceless artwork, when in fact they are not. Same with dealerships, (as we all are more familiar with) these cars are nothing more than hunks of metal they sell and fix for profit. It's our obsession and love which makes these cars live up to the dream we believe in (with the assistance of marketers brain washing us)

Either way, no car should leave the factory like this, especially at this price point. But I believe Porsche counts on the dealer to fix/hide these imperfections and frankly most buyers will never notice or care. At the end of the day, we're a small group of obsessive end users and if a company decides to produce a product that is acceptable to this fringe group, they either go broke trying or charge a small fortune for their product. Frankly, I'd rather have a Porsche at $100k and have Moe fix it, than pay $400k for it to come perfect from the factory.

my .02

 

Well said!!

 

For you guys that take the car off the truck directly to the detailer, I assume the dealers are loving you since they are charging you for PDI/ dealer prep and not having to do it?

 

I guess it depends. Do you want the local Home Depot guy doing your detail of your 100k vehicle? These guys are paid to spit out as many cars as they can detail. I've seen their work on previous vehicles, but I guess it depends on dealers and who you get.