Have you ever messed up a customers car?

Wills.WindowsAndWheels

Wills.WindowsAndWheels

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I was just curious, has anyone made a really bad mistake (like say burning thru the paint) on a clients car before? I'm about to get a rotary but I am very nervous about making a bad mistake...ill do my homework and practice at home first of course...but I'm just curious about the biggest mistake anyone has made on a customers car and how you handled it?
 
I didn't really "mess up" a car, but I did plant a big ol' nasty muddy shoe print right in the middle of a floor I was cleaning.
 
Rasky manned up last year and posted on here and MOL about paint wrinkle on plastic bumpers. Most people wouldn't want to show their mistake to the world, but Rasky decided to use his mistake as a learning experience for everyone else.

I have crazy respect for Rasky and anyone else who mans up and says they messed up, even if they are one of the best.

Colin
 
cnfowler said:
Rasky manned up last year and posted on here and MOL about paint wrinkle on plastic bumpers. Most people wouldn't want to show their mistake to the world, but Rasky decided to use his mistake as a learning experience for everyone else.

I have crazy respect for Rasky and anyone else who mans up and says they messed up, even if they are one of the best.

Colin
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Yeah Id respect that too...do you happen to have a link to that post? Im sure most of us on here are usually pretty safe with what we do ...but mistakes do happen...the thought of burnin thru on someones car kind of makes my heart stop lol. Even if you're insured...it would really suck to have to tell the owner that...
 
Over the course of my detailing career i have messed up 4 vehicles in the past decade. 3 minor issues and a major one on a Mustang. there is a good reason to have insurance. The Mustang was repainted and the clear coat did not properly adhere to the base and proceeded to peel off when i used my rotory on it
 
cnfowler said:
Rasky manned up last year and posted on here and MOL about paint wrinkle on plastic bumpers. Most people wouldn't want to show their mistake to the world, but Rasky decided to use his mistake as a learning experience for everyone else.

I have crazy respect for Rasky and anyone else who mans up and says they messed up, even if they are one of the best.

Colin
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MrWillsi3 said:
Yeah Id respect that too...do you happen to have a link to that post? Im sure most of us on here are usually pretty safe with what we do ...but mistakes do happen...the thought of burnin thru on someones car kind of makes my heart stop lol. Even if you're insured...it would really suck to have to tell the owner that...
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07 z-oh-6 said:
What's a paint wrinkle?
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http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...eed-polisher/19766-warning-paint-wrinkle.html
 
:iagree:....very good posts. Good to know about the plastic and paint thing, which really doesnt surprise me that paint doesnt bond to plastic that well. You would think thou that they would have come up with SOMETHING that could do a little better than that...

I will be making a post soon of my 'practice' car if you will...a 96' Taurus...and the back bumper on it has faded to all but nothing, which is not uncommon. I've seen DOZENS of the same model car with the same effect, especially in the hunter green color like this one is. The other thing I notice a lot is Dodge's paint really doesnt seem to be that good, its CRAZY how many dodge ram trucks especially that i see driving around and its usually the hood that is just shot all to hell. And you can tell its not JUST bad maintanance...cause they all have the same exact look...like the paint just flaked off.

That was cool that the owner was so nice with the Honda...I'll BE SURE to tape off edges whenever using a machine...as i noticed that 'wrinkle' was right on the paint edge....where the paint is thinner and im sure bonds even LESS effectively than it would more towards the center.
 
Screwed up some flat black on a center stripe that was aftermarket paint. I paid to have it redone. Client still uses me 7 years later. The only people who never get in trouble for a mis-diagnosis are Doctors they just collect another co pay prescribe more pills - Give you a silly grin and say oh well that didnt work let's try this !
 
Wax Gorilla said:
Screwed up some flat black on a center stripe that was aftermarket paint. I paid to have it redone. Client still uses me 7 years later. The only people who never get in trouble for a mis-diagnosis are Doctors they just collect another co pay prescribe more pills - Give you a silly grin and say oh well that didnt work let's try this !
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haha yeah or they say 'ok well remove the correct testicle this time'
 
I have never damaged a customer's car with a PC or my Makita rotary, however I have done so on my car in one area with the PC. I definately learned the hard way that even a random orbital cannot keep you 100% safe from burning through paint. I am somewhat happy(er) that I found out the perrils of thin paint on my car rather than a customer's but it is never fun either way. That is why if I could go back, I would have started experimenting with scrap body panels.
 
I went through the paint on a car but I told them there was a good chance of it happening. I was told no big deal and that it needs a repaint anyway if it does happen. Well it happened, he shrugged his shoulders and when back to what he was doing. I don't know if that's considered a screw up or not since I had a good feeling that I would go through it.

FYI that was done with a PC, orange pad and M205...
 
Somebody on this thread mentioned of you rotary polish enough cars, eventually you will make a mistake. His advice for rotary novices was, buy a body panel and purposely burn the paint a few times so you get a feel for what to look out for. Even after burning the panel, start on your own car first rather than a customers.
 
Bert31 said:
Somebody on this thread mentioned of you rotary polish enough cars, eventually you will make a mistake. His advice for rotary novices was, buy a body panel and purposely burn the paint a few times so you get a feel for what to look out for. Even after burning the panel, start on your own car first rather than a customers.
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The key to rotary polishing in terms of burning paint is to try and minimize damage by knowing what it feels like to burn paint. I remember feeling a distinct increase in the buffer trying to move across the panel when I lifted it off and found the burn mark (only through to the primer). Knowing what to feel for on a high risk car or high risk areas of any car can keep any possible damage as minimal as possible.
 
Only once but on my own car. The hood had been repainted at the dealership when new due to a greasy fingerprint beneath the clear! The repaint looked exceptional. A year later it needed a polish and I took the paint off of a ridge on the hood. This was with a PC and a white pad at that! Small area but it stuck out like four flat tires to me. Using my skilled hands I touched up the area with touch up paint.........it looked worse than the primer that was showing through initially :laughing:
 
MrWillsi3 said:
.The other thing I notice a lot is Dodge's paint really doesnt seem to be that good, its CRAZY how many dodge ram trucks especially that i see driving around and its usually the hood that is just shot all to hell. And you can tell its not JUST bad maintanance...cause they all have the same exact look...like the paint just flaked off.
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My 97 Dakota started having problems after a detailer (using a rotary from what I can tell) took what little clearcoat and it failed fairly quickly. In highsight, I do not think it was all the detailers fault. It was not a question of IF, just when.
 
Wax Gorilla said:
Screwed up some flat black on a center stripe that was aftermarket paint. I paid to have it redone. Client still uses me 7 years later. The only people who never get in trouble for a mis-diagnosis are Doctors they just collect another co pay prescribe more pills - Give you a silly grin and say oh well that didnt work let's try this !
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That reminds me of a joke. The doctor walks into the room and tells his patient, "I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is we amputated the wrong arm. The good news is we won't have to amputate your other arm after all."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This old man visits his doctor and after a thorough examination, the doctor tells him, "I have good news and bad news, what would you like to hear first?"

Patient: Well, give me the bad news first.

Doctor: You have cancer, I estimate that you have about two years left.

Patient: OH NO! That's awful! In two years, my life will be over! What kind of good news could you possibly tell me, after this???

Doctor: You also have Alzheimer's. In about three months you are going to forget everything I told you.
 
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