car washing horror stories

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swirlparanoid

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Post detailing/car washing horror stories you have seen over the years that made you cringe. Scrubbing with a brillo pad, dusting with a broom, washing with ajax etc


I used to watch my neighbor wash his black Cadillac DTS with a bath towel as the wash media. he would first fill up his bucket with Dawn and he would put soo much in that there was only 1/4th of the bucket with water in it the rest was suds, he never actually put the towel deep enough into the bucket to reach the water either. then he would throw the towel in it that was never cleaned and start to pre spray his paint with Windex. after he was done washing he would take the remaining water in the bucket and throw it on the car, then rinse and dry with paper towels. after he would apply about the 10th coat of Armor All foaming tire shine to his tires that had never been cleaned.
:bolt:
 
I've had a few that would qualify I think....

Just did a 96 mustang that had sat for 2 years. Live mice, nests, feces, and urine are just some of the things I found.

Then had a customer who spilt what must have been some sort of Chinese food on his dash and never cleaned up the sauce. It baked onto the dash and once I broke the top layer it smelled like death!

And then I get the occasionally vomit....
 
I saw a parking lot detailer washing a black Bentley with an RV brush. I watched him lay the brush on the asphalt, then dip it back in the bucket :)
 
Flash Gordon said:
I saw a parking lot detailer washing a black Bentley with an RV brush. I watched him lay the brush on the asphalt, then dip it back in the bucket :)
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Ok that's bad! Especially since he's a so called detailer...If it was your average joe then maybe...but still!

I have seen people at gas stations take the window squeegee from the community bucket there and do a quick wash of their car in the winter....I just sit back and enjoy the show. No sense in talking to someone like that.
 
A neighbor just got a new suv and about a week later I saw the daughter spray something onto a broom and proceeded to broom off the car and then the mom yelled at her for doing it wrong and told her to spray more stuff on the broom.
 
SeaJay's said:
Ok that's bad! Especially since he's a so called detailer...If it was your average joe then maybe...but still!

I have seen people at gas stations take the window squeegee from the community bucket there and do a quick wash of their car in the winter....I just sit back and enjoy the show. No sense in talking to someone like that.
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I've mentioned this in another thread, but I saw a lady use the window squeegee... on the inside of her windows. She started on the windshield and proceeded to all of the other windows in the car. Grossed me out, just thinking about it.
 
DJ Richard said:
A neighbor just got a new suv and about a week later I saw the daughter spray something onto a broom and proceeded to broom off the car and then the mom yelled at her for doing it wrong and told her to spray more stuff on the broom.
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Mom to the rescue!! Im the MAN
 
DJ Richard said:
A neighbor just got a new suv and about a week later I saw the daughter spray something onto a broom and proceeded to broom off the car and then the mom yelled at her for doing it wrong and told her to spray more stuff on the broom.
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Man that is too funny!
 
i heard this one a few years ago while shopping in a grocery store.

"use the green scotch brite pads, not the brown ones, after they have soaked in water for 24 hours to remove bugs from your paint. if they have soaked for at least 24 hours they will not scratch the paint."

walked away laughing and shaking my head.

some people have their ideas and ways set. attempting to correct them or teach them a better way is only insulting to them.

chris<pixelmonkey>:D
 
My next door neighbors thirds cousins daughter washed the bugs off her car using a brillo pad
 
Few weeks ago I saw a mobile detailer at my neighbors house. I was kinda watching him to see what he was using and he was using paper towels and terry towels on the paint. I just shook my head. I later walked by to check the car out and it barely looked washed.

I also detailed someones Black expedition which had water deposits and spots all over it. It was pretty much rainbow colored because of the well water. This lady tells me over email that it's not that old and it shouldn't be hard or take too long. (Every time someone tells me that it takes me twice as long). So all the trim was faded so bad it was white too.
Well after adding a polish step for free and getting the water spots and staining off for free (extra hour and a half of work, no tip btw) I also used a ton of Ultima trim and tire guard plus on the trim. Well she says "Hey I have a trick" and she proceeds to rub baby oil all over all of the trim I just did. If I knew she was going to do that I would have used something cheaper or not done it at all!
 
Flash Gordon said:
My next door neighbors thirds cousins daughter washed the bugs off her car using a brillo pad
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I remember that HORROR STORY!!! Man you can tell Halloween is getting close...lol...

I visited my Accountant today and she told me that they like to take their SUV through the Swirl-O-Matic that has the carpet strips, because it gets the back of the vehicle clean....:eek:
 
SeaJay's said:
Ok that's bad! Especially since he's a so called detailer...If it was your average joe then maybe...but still!

I have seen people at gas stations take the window squeegee from the community bucket there and do a quick wash of their car in the winter....I just sit back and enjoy the show. No sense in talking to someone like that.
Click to expand...


Ok I have to admit to having used the gas station squeegee to clean off headlights before in winter, but that's it. (and it was 3 cars ago as well)
 
My sister got stuck in the mud at her barn. Being a front wheel drive car when the tires were spinning it slung mud on the hood fenders and upper parts on the front doors. So instead of at least bringing it home for me to take care of it, she goes to a gas station and using the window squeegee scraps the mud off the paint. She asked friends at her college and they said to wax it and they will go away...Anyways I told her I would only fix all those scratches if she paid me(just because I needed to get wet sanding paper and all the supplies to wetsand). Car is still like it to this day.
 
ThirdgenTa said:
Few weeks ago I saw a mobile detailer at my neighbors house. I was kinda watching him to see what he was using and he was using paper towels and terry towels on the paint. I just shook my head. I later walked by to check the car out and it barely looked washed.

I also detailed someones Black expedition which had water deposits and spots all over it. It was pretty much rainbow colored because of the well water. This lady tells me over email that it's not that old and it shouldn't be hard or take too long. (Every time someone tells me that it takes me twice as long). So all the trim was faded so bad it was white too.
Well after adding a polish step for free and getting the water spots and staining off for free (extra hour and a half of work, no tip btw) I also used a ton of Ultima trim and tire guard plus on the trim. Well she says "Hey I have a trick" and she proceeds to rub baby oil all over all of the trim I just did. If I knew she was going to do that I would have used something cheaper or not done it at all!
Click to expand...

Baby Oil!!! FTW...As for taking you a long time to do a vehicle, my customer's appreciate the time I spend on theirs...They use the words "meticulous in his work" when they tell someone about me. I wish everyone was of that mindset and appreciated a job well done over a POS quick job!!!
 
Two Sundays ago I watched the neighbor across the street's GF/wife/whatever washing her new Buick Rendezvous. She started by doing the wheels and tires first, using the same terry cloth rag. She then washed the vehicle in direct sunlight, DRY. Yup, she didn't rinse it first, just went at it as is. Hey at least she rinsed it afterwards. She then dried it with bath towels that had been resting on the sidewalk. Next came the glass inside and out, again using just one rag to wash and one to wipe. The best part was she never did the roof since she's way too short to reach it. :applause:
 
Misterpaul said:
Two Sundays ago I watched the neighbor across the street's GF/wife/whatever washing her new Buick Rendezvous. She started by doing the wheels and tires first, using the same terry cloth rag. She then washed the vehicle in direct sunlight, DRY. Yup, she didn't rinse it first, just went at it as is. Hey at least she rinsed it afterwards. She then dried it with bath towels that had been resting on the sidewalk. Next came the glass inside and out, again using just one rag to wash and one to wipe. The best part was she never did the roof since she's way too short to reach it. :applause:
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Unfortunatley this happens every Sunday all across our great country :(
 
Well the dealership I work for once hired a temp to move along the trucks and cars while I was gone for a week.

Fast forward one week. I arrived and everyone in the body shop says, “Great to have you back!", "Welcome back!" "How was the trip?". I get to asking how was the temp and they just laughed, "HA, you mean how was the hack?!" I asked them to fill me in with the details and they told me this...

The temp guy was fond of using the dealerships automotive tire "sling" dressing on the step-rails on the trucks and SUVs that came in :eek:. This sling dressing comes in a giant 55gallon drum on the service side (to go along with the swirl-o-matic they have) and is an extremely slipper liquid. Well I guess a couple customers, well, slipped on their vehicles rails when they went to get in. No one was hurt, but I was just in disbelief that someone would do that!
 
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