Car detail nightmare, need help, pics inside

After seeing how badly they burned down to bare metal in several spots, you gotta wonder exactly how thick the clear is where they didn't burn through. You may want to ask the body shops to do paint thickness readings all over the car. Your remaining paint might be too thin to even safely correct, as well as being prone to clear coat failure.
 
SuperBee364 said:
After seeing how badly they burned down to bare metal in several spots, you gotta wonder exactly how thick the clear is where they didn't burn through. You may want to ask the body shops to do paint thickness readings all over the car. Your remaining paint might be too thin to even safely correct, as well as being prone to clear coat failure.
Click to expand...



Those cars have measured 80-95 microns when I've checked them...ridiculously thin paint!
 
RaskyR1 said:
Those cars have measured 80-95 microns when I've checked them...ridiculously thin paint!
Click to expand...



Ironically enough, my car that was wetsanded through by a detailer was a 2008 G35 sedan....the paint is very thin.
 
Now please don't get me wrong I totally understand the OP not wanting them to touch his car again and I to would be hesitant, however I don't see it as unreasonable that the Detail company would want to fix the problem. I am not trying to create an argument of any kind or in anyway defending the company's actions, just stating that there is always more than one solution to fixing a problem.



Again I'm just thinking without involving the emotional side of the situation



There is no excuse for this to have happened, and retribution must be paid. There is more than one way for this to happen and taking it off to a new third party is not always the best option.



RaskyR1 said:
Nothing wrong with giving your opinion. ;)



I think you may have missed his last post though, specifically this part



Body work is much like detailing work and "cheap" does not belong in the same sentence. The car needs to be fixed correctly, at whatever the cost may be. Given how bad the car was damaged I would not trust any body shop recommendation coming from them, as they likely have the same/similar standards.
Click to expand...



Raski I totally agree Body work and detailing work should never be in the same categories as cheep, but in this day and age everyone is looking for a bargain or to save a dollar yet at the same time are expecting more. It still relates to the age old saying you get what you pay for.



Again I do agree with every thing that has been said but sometimes our emotions over ride our judgment. Just my thoughts



If I read it correctly, the op has taken the car to a body shop of the Detail company's choice for inspection, at which time the detail company has admitted fault and claimed that it is an easy fix then stated they will fix the buffer trails and the body shop will fix the paint damage, there is nothing to say the Body shop wont or can not do a quality job.



mikenap said:
Chad makes a great point here, and I'd like to add one thing...



I find it very unlikely that if this is a shop with a manager and multiple employees that NO ONE else at the shop noticed these issues before it left their care. Either these guys are working with no supervision or final inspection, or they do this on the regular and rarely get called on it. As bad as it is, there's no chance someone didn't notice it on delivery, even if it was heavily glazed. I think they just see it as part of their routine, and I would in no way give them the opportunity to run wild on my paint a second time. :mad2:
Click to expand...



Sorry guys I may have mis read, but I was under the impression that the OP used a mobile service. Whilst the manager is responsible for making sure his employees are up to the task at hand and a certain duty of care is required, he is also relying on his staff to be that final inspection. Clearly in this case none of the above has been done.
 
Its a little different though, he has irreparable damage - and typically you only get 1 shot with high skill types of situations. Its not like buffer trails(which could've been attributed to a product just not responding well on that type of paint) are the only problem.



The guys strike through all the way to the panel material - that's not something that is reparable. Whats further is there is a very high chance now of EVEN MORE damage. I don't blame him at all for taking it third party quickly. Issues like these need swift and stern follow up. That is probably a reason the company ran whatever special through Yelp.
 
This thread should be made a sticky along with the other one about David charging "too much".



The above example should teach most newbies/lurkers that in the detailing industry, you get what you pay for.
 
Just as a reference, to get the think wheels turning and playing my typical "devil's advocate" there are a few guys on here completely undercharge for their work and I would bet could DA polish and interior in like 4 hours because they are speed demons - and while their results are top-tier in my book, their pricing is very low for the results they get; comparable(number wise) to this crappy crap.
 
What escapes me is, why didn't the guy stop when the first bit of damage was done and tell the owner (Ulenie) instead of pressing on making a complete mess?

It would have been obvious the paint was too thin for the rotary.
 
Balthazarr said:
What escapes me is, why didn't the guy stop when the first bit of damage was done and tell the owner (Ulenie) instead of pressing on making a complete mess?

It would have been obvious the paint was too thin for the rotary.
Click to expand...



Hackmo the great was trained to just grab his rotary, wool pad, and "that pink stuff in the bottle over there" and get to work. He probably wasn't even paying close enough attention to see the damage or realize what he'd done/why the damage happened.



These kind of guys are only interested in getting the cars in and out as fast as possible, not stepping back to evaluate the surface or read the finish to determine if they're getting good correction or not (or, in this case, if their "correction" method is causing damage to the vehicle).
 
Balthazarr said:
What escapes me is, why didn't the guy stop when the first bit of damage was done and tell the owner (Ulenie) instead of pressing on making a complete mess?

It would have been obvious the paint was too thin for the rotary.
Click to expand...



That paint was not too thin for "proper" rotary usage. The burns are a result of user having zero clue how to run the tool.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
ulenie said:
Sorry guys, I haven't updated you with the status. I have been busy with work. Thanks everyone for their inputs and will be following your advice.



The damage to my car is way more than I thought. I feel sick to my stomach about it. I don't think I could have done such a bad job at my first attempt at it. I found more spots with paints rubbed off and also my car is covered with buffer swirls all over(was able to notice them in direct sunlight). It looks absolutely terrible in direct sunlight. I have taken pics and want to share with you guys.



Corner spots where the paint is rubbed off.

7AabB.jpg


PyGP3.jpg


Yzl5T.jpg


9VGV7.jpg




Following pics are in direct sunlight and its hideous! Am not sure what to call them other than buffer marks.

udNI6.jpg


a8st8.jpg


Eb0Zc.jpg


xUaPk.jpg


ApE63.jpg




Manager is suppose to come look at my car tomorrow afternoon. I don't think I want them to touch my car anymore. If anyone reading this is in the North County San Diego area, please PM me. Or if you know any one trustable in the area please let me know. Are those buffer marks fixable and how hard would it be to fix them?
Click to expand...



Holy SHIAT! That is horrible. Worst job I've ever seen.
 
Under no circumstances should you let that business or any business they are affiliated with touch your car again. Call your local MB, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari dealers and ask them where they sent their bodywork. If you get 2 or 3 that say the same place, take your car straight there. That's how I found a wonderful bodyshop that did some spectacular work on my last car.
 
F that...before your car was from the factory, un-touched, full of paint and clear. now, it has super thin paint, missing paint, and UN EVEN BODY LINES (where it was burned/shaved a bit) NOTHING SHORT OF A RE-PAINT WOULD SUFFICE IN MY BOOK.



To be honest, I wouldnt even take on that job without measuring the paint, and HOPING a simple two step would work, but with how many touch up areas there will be, whats the point...there is going to be so many un matched areas its going to look like **** no matter what you do.. its going to be spotted like a dalmatian dog in all the areas the guy burned through. I'd also be willing to be you will end up with some strike through trying to rid the paint of the buffer trails where they are the deepest due to the now thinning paint. Even if you were able to get it looking like new, you wont be able to detail the car again with any polishing...



I'd pass on a fix, and demand a repaint! At least then it will be uniform!



I would seriously take a Drive up to DTM autobody up here

DTM Autobody



One of my clients did a complete color change to his M3, door, jambs, under hood and trunk lid and the work was awesome!
 
This makes me feel worse each time I check back.



I agree with the most recent posts - a repaint is the only option right now and keep this company 100 feet away from your car. They absolutely in my book should pay up for every single thing in full. I have absolutely ZERO tolerance for bullsnot like this, derangement of our trade, and serious damage of someone else's car. BBB and Yelp should be notified as well to prevent this company from doing this again.



Doing a bad job is one thing, this is ridiculous.
 
toyotaguy said:
F that...before your car was from the factory, un-touched, full of paint and clear. now, it has super thin paint, missing paint, and UN EVEN BODY LINES (where it was burned/shaved a bit) NOTHING SHORT OF A RE-PAINT WOULD SUFFICE IN MY BOOK.
Click to expand...



Yup, same here. No way I would settle for anything less than a complete re-paint. Unfortunately, that will most likely exceed Small Claims limit.



OP, do you have comprehensive insurance coverage? If so, I'd get in touch with your insurance. Don't know if they will help or not, but it's certainly worth a try.



If you do get it re-painted, let us know. There are several really good Autopia detailers in SoCal (like, say, toyotaguy). Or if you feel like a road trip of 350+ miles, bring it up here. I'll polish it up for ya. ;)
 
SuperBee364 said:
After seeing how badly they burned down to bare metal in several spots, you gotta wonder exactly how thick the clear is where they didn't burn through. You may want to ask the body shops to do paint thickness readings all over the car. Your remaining paint might be too thin to even safely correct, as well as being prone to clear coat failure.
Click to expand...



I was planning to say exactly that as I was reading through. If it were me, I would not allow the shop to touch the car. They have already admitted responsibility. There will be issues with the paint in the future, no matter how good it is made to look now. A total repaint is the only answer. I would pull an Oceans 11 and tell them they can pay for a repaint quietly, or do spot repairs publicly and risk having to pay for the repaint anyway when the repairs are not satisfactory.
 
What have I learned from this thread?

1) You get what you pay for;

2) There's a reason why GOOD detailers take the time to tape off trim and edges;

3) There's a reason why GREAT detailers have a paint thickness gauge(PTG) and take the time to take readings;

3) There's a reason my REPUTABLE detailing services/companies have business insurance;

4) Infinity G35s have notoriously thin paint that is difficult to get perfect without proper tools, polishes, and techniques and experience;

5) We ALL want to know what the final outcome of this fiascal to the Original Poster's (OP) car will be.



The cost of going to court in time and effort in an attempt to return the OP's car to it's original state will long be remembered by that person and there is no guarantee that he will recoupe those costs. Most courts will side with a REGISTERED (IE, a company/business/person that pays its State and Federal income, Social Security,and FICA taxes) enterprise to some degree and a "partial" judgment may be the outcome. (No appeals in small claims). Now if it's a fly-by-night-cash-only company, the OP has a much better chance in court.



Thanks to the OP for taking the time to post photo's of his black (Ebony?) Infinity G35. Those photos are truly worth the proverbial "thousand words". I've seen "hack jobs" but this one is one of the worst I have EVER seen on what is/was (and WILL BE again) a beautiful car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top