detail gone wrong or anal client?

R

rezbmr

New member
hey everyone...so a month and a half ago I did a detail on a black benz...an 02 sl500...I washed, clayed, polished with a PC and xmt 4 and an LC orange pad (on the trouble spots) then followed with a coat of xmt 360 on a white pad, and then topped that with a coat of liquid souverain...the guy paid me 100 bux for the job (was a friend of a friend)...in the end the car looked fantastic...now, a month and a half later he calls me and tells me that he sees some white hazy spot on the hood and that the color of the hood is turning purple...now, i've never seen this happen before (the car is black) and i can't imagine its from something i did to the car...anyone ever have this happen? I don't think he's washed the car since the detail...could it just be in need of a proper wash? I know pics would help, but i have not seen it myself yet...a month and a half just seems like a long time to me...PLEASE HELP!!!! thanks

Oh and he said that in the garage it looks great, but in only direct brite sun he can see the problems....

Ari

Some pics of the detail after it was done 6 weeks ago....
 

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I assume he's not accusing you (being your friend and all) so just take a look at it for him, wash it and give your best diagnosis. nothing you did to that car would cause what he has described.
 
yeah thats what i figured, he's just really particular and i really did a number on it when i did the car the first time...if there was no hazing before, what could of caused it? maybe him rubbing ti with a MF towel all the time? maybe not washing it ever? if there is hazing, can i use xmt 2 or 360 or pinnacle finshing polish to remove it? do i have to clay again?
 
well i forgot about your hazing, i was thinking about the purple going on. it's possible that the ls redried on you and needs to be removed again, wax can come back up on ya, that's most likely what it is.
 
yeah thats what i'm guessing it is...i think i'll wash the car, do a coat of glaze, then rewax the car...i really need to take a look and see what he is talking about...i just hope i don't have to redo the hood...seems to me like he needs to wash his car once in a while properly in order to keep it looking perfectly detailed...just a pain cause he is calling me back a month and a half after he was happy with the job talking about some really odd things that are going on
 
a month and a half later isn't right, if he noticed it like the next day that would most likely be your wax, unless he just didn't look at it. just go over there and look at it.
 
purple makes me think of some sort of oil on the surface. I've seen oxidation look like that, but it is too soon. It could possibly be other contamination that he has picked up somewhere. It's hard to tell without pictures.
 
yeah...i'm gonna go over there after work later on tonite...I just wish i knew what i was dealing with...i mean with the polished and PC i don;t think i could have really damaged anything. just odd that a month and a half went by and all of a sudden...he said it only is visible in the bright sun...so strange...
 
If it is a month and a half later then there isn't any way that you are responsible. That is new contamination that he has picked up somewhere. I've seen this kind of thing from people who park in a parking garage and stuff drips off the celing onto the hood. Six weeks is a long time to pass to blame someone for detailing it. This is something he should be calling you to fix; not to blame it on you.
 
I don't think he is blaming me, but i do think he expects me to come out and fix it...he seems to think that his car got a nice detail and will automatically stay that way till the next detail...he needs to learn to wash his car, and not expect it to stay perfect forever...he def expects me to fix it for free too...pretty lame i think, considering how good the car was when i was done with it...i just want to make sure i didn't do anything to hurt the car, but 6 weeks seems like a long time to me...i mean contamination could have happened after one drive no?
 
If he's not blaming you, why should he expect you to perform another service for free? Maybe give him a discount for a touch-up detail instead of full service?



I think you are onto it though .... he needs to be explained that auto detailing needs periodic maintenance to keep that level of appearance and protection. A lot of factors come into play after 6 weeks IMO.
 
yeah, i think washing is really the most important maintinance, and i know the car has been driven at least a few times and never washed...i think he's too picky, and for the 100 bux he paid me, i should tell him where to stick it...but i take pride in my work, whether it be my detailing hobby or my full time job...so i'll go over and see, i just hate the idea of someone taking advantage of me cause they know i refuse to do a half assed job...
 
If it is attributible to something you did incorrectly 6 weeks ago, then yes, fix it at zero cost and apologize for having missed something at that time.



If it's normal wear and tear due to 6 weeks time, then explain you would be happy to offer your services again and explain your fee schedule to him.



Just be fair, do what's right, and hopefully it should go fine. Good luck.
 
smprince1 said:
If it is attributible to something you did incorrectly 6 weeks ago, then yes, fix it at zero cost and apologize for having missed something at that time.



If it's normal wear and tear due to 6 weeks time, then explain you would be happy to offer your services again and explain your fee schedule to him.



Just be fair, do what's right, and hopefully it should go fine. Good luck.
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Exactly. If it is something that you did wrong then you should fix it. I seriously doubt that is the case though. Evaluate the condition and try to explain what happened. If this guy is going to take advantage of you and blame every piece of dirt from now till the end of time on your inability to keep his car from ever becoming dirty again, well then that isn't the kind of client you want anyway. If it wasn't your fault to begin with then I would quote him a price and fix it only if he is willing to pay for it. You don't owe him anything from what I can tell. Unless this is a client that will prove to be valuable in the future, then I don't see any reason to fix this for free.
 
yeah the big question is...how do i know if it is from something i did or not? I mean the car was spotless when i left the first time (as you can see in the pics) and now 6 weeks later something is awry? how do i know if it was me or not? Its not about the money to me, its just that he is gonna call me back all the time for everything unless i put my foot down...this is not my full time gig or anything, i just do it cause i love it...what could be some things that i could have caused?
 
if youre going to fix it as part of the initial detail and he's holding you for that responsible you need to collect more money from him. it's always the people you do work for nothing that think you owe them the world.
 
anything in particular i should be looking for that could have happened in the first detail? I mean you can see from the pics that the car was shiny as all hell when i left it the first time...what kinda things can happen from a detail 6 weeks later and be considered the detailers fault?
 
the only thing you couldve really missed along the lines of hazing (unless of course you just didn't polish a spot on accident) is possible wax rehazing. he needs to know that you did a lot more work than 100 dollars worth and if he is inquiring about some sort of warranty you need to be properly compensated.
 
thanks...I really didn't think i could have done anything wrong...certainly not on that hard as hell clearcoat...the truth is that this is my hobby and i did it cheap cause i like doing the work, but 6 weeks is along time, and even a pro won't warranty against all contaminations for 6 weeks...i mean thats insane to me...i figure i'll go over and teach the man to fish by showing him how to properly wash and dry his car, and be on my way...i wish i had a pic of what he was talking about...i guess i'll take some later on and keep you posted...
 
Six weeks IS a long time. It almost sounds like you are second guessing yourself though. I really doubt it was anything you did since it has been so long. Take a look at it and if it seems like it is from him wiping the hood or something, then explain it to him and charge to correct it.
 
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