Have you ever messed up a customers car?

CH.Detailing said:
Oh yes, I should probably post an intro!

Thanks for the welcome Wills.
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No prob! Send a link to your intro once you put it up...I like to try to get to know and deal with as many cool people on here as possible. I've had good luck so far...MOST people on here are pretty cool:dblthumb2:
 
This is way after the thread was originated but was just wasting some time and figured I'd read through this.

Has anyone every wrote up some sort of agreement that a customer could sign that states if you were to burn through someone's paint due to paint thickness or clear coat failure that you are not liable?

Just a thought. I don't think many people would actually sign it but wanted to know if anyone has tried it and what kind of feed back they have received.

I've personally never made any mistakes with my rotary or PC, but I'm sure it will happen at some point and right now I don't have insurance (currently trying to figure out a way to be able to open up a shop in my area...looking like I may have to get rid of my house 1st).
 
Someone on one of the forums posted a link to their liability waiver. I used theirs and modified it slightly. From now on I'm having all my customers sign it.
 
AeroCleanse said:
Someone on one of the forums posted a link to their liability waiver. I used theirs and modified it slightly. From now on I'm having all my customers sign it.
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Have you had any customer complaints or refusal to sign it?
 
ive never done anything to paint. I screwed up my own taillight once. My rotary got a little dry and hopped, skipped right across my taillight leaving some gnarly marks. I was able to correct them mostly, but thank god it was my car.

Also one time doing my gf's car (THANK GOD AGAIN!) during a headlight restoration the disc that holds the pad. the little plastic piece with adhesive on the back literally just broke apart while i was using it. It left some lines in the head light which i was able to remove. what i wasnt able to remove was the broken plastic pieces that put a gash in my hand and later 4 stitches.


how many of you guys have insurance? I know I do. that was if i screw something up I am covered. In order to get this insurance you actually have to have a tax paying business but thats something you should have if you are doing this full time.


Thats one thing i do want to add. A lot of people are always worried about the car, but we are working with power tools that are spinning things upwards of 6,000rpm. This can be VERY dangerous if on of those pads were to fail and come apart. imagine your DA pad just coming apart and now being a 6,000rpm frisbee of death whirling around the garage. Its scary but ive seen things like that happen. When working in a body shop, i saw a 6" stick-it sanding paper just for some reason come off the DA and fly across the garage like a frisbee. it hit a guy in the arm and he needed 3 stitches.
 
Phinox said:
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
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That sounds like the painter's fault, not yours.
 
AndrewBall said:
ive never done anything to paint. I screwed up my own taillight once. My rotary got a little dry and hopped, skipped right across my taillight leaving some gnarly marks. I was able to correct them mostly, but thank god it was my car.

Also one time doing my gf's car (THANK GOD AGAIN!) during a headlight restoration the disc that holds the pad. the little plastic piece with adhesive on the back literally just broke apart while i was using it. It left some lines in the head light which i was able to remove. what i wasnt able to remove was the broken plastic pieces that put a gash in my hand and later 4 stitches.


how many of you guys have insurance? I know I do. that was if i screw something up I am covered. In order to get this insurance you actually have to have a tax paying business but thats something you should have if you are doing this full time.


Thats one thing i do want to add. A lot of people are always worried about the car, but we are working with power tools that are spinning things upwards of 6,000rpm. This can be VERY dangerous if on of those pads were to fail and come apart. imagine your DA pad just coming apart and now being a 6,000rpm frisbee of death whirling around the garage. Its scary but ive seen things like that happen. When working in a body shop, i saw a 6" stick-it sanding paper just for some reason come off the DA and fly across the garage like a frisbee. it hit a guy in the arm and he needed 3 stitches.
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Wow, frisbee's of death and stitches. Ive never seen/heard of that before, i did see one post on here where i a guys shirt got caught up in a rotary and basically 'pulled him in' and left some NASTY bruises on his shoulder/chest...he was ok but that coulda turned out bad.

It is a good point tho about safety with these things...they are very high speed and very powerful and if you dont use your head..you could lose it. I did have a 4" pad fly off on me one time....I was buffing near tape and the tape came loose, and while trying to move the machine away from the tape i took the face of the pad only about 1/2 way off the surface, but that was enough to send the pad SLINGING across the street...literally....and then it rolled up into the neighbors yard lol...was kinda annoying but funny at the same time...at least it rolled off the asphalt and into the grass before it fell face down...grass was a lot easier to remove than tar/asphalt chips.
 
Wills.WindowsAndWheels said:
haha yeah or they say 'ok well remove the correct testicle this time'
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The difference between "efficient" and "effective":

"Efficient" is when the amputation goes well, clean job, no infection and the patient recovers quickly and thoroughly.

"Effective" is when the correct leg is amputated in the first place. :eek:

TL
 
Ripped the side mirror off a 09 Suburban last week, it was 63k brand new.

Client didnt really care.
 
Grizzly, you've flipped a 98 Jimmy and torn a side mirror off a new car. That's a bummer. Exactly how did the Jimmy get flipped? Just curious :xyxthumbs:

Think the weirdest thing I've ever had happen was I was servicing a car at our detail shop. It was parked literally bumper 1 foot away from the road. I was in front cleaning bugs off the front, WHAM!!! 50 mile-an-hour t-bone wreck right behind me with a customer pulling out of our lot, I got hit by debree. I got lucky, I no longer pull cars close to the road when cleaning. I'm actually surprised I didn't have a car slam into me. :dblthumb2:
 
I had a customer bring me his car after picking it up from the body shop. Just wanted the rest of the car "to be shiny" so that the new paint work didn't seem so obvious. So, most of the day was spent buffing the vehicle and it really looked beautiful.

Customer had apparently spent "his" day arguing with his insurance company over some scratches the body shop had failed to fix thus his demand for compensation from the insurance company. When the customer returned to pick up his car he noticed the scratches were gone & wasn't at all happy with me since the car was going to be inspected by his insurance adjuster the next day.

I think he was just plain embarrassed & didn't know who to be upset with. :confused:

My first detailing gig had me watching my boss show the proper technique in using a rotary buffer & wool pad ........... lol ..... I think it was just about the time he said "these wool pads will heat up really quick .........." that I watched him burn through the paint on the E300 Benz he was working on. I had to turn away to keep from smiling. :awman:
 
Have I ever messed up a customers car.....NEVER!! HA

Believe it or not, I actually painted a customers car the wrong color!! :doh: :doh::dunno::dunno:
 
Those posts on "paint wrinkle" were very eye opening!
 
The only vehicle's paint I ever burned was my own. A 1977 ElCamino Classic, it was a long time ago but I am still glad it was my ride and not a customer's. PS I was still pizzed about.:buffing:
 
Wills.WindowsAndWheels said:
oops...did you talk him/her into liking the new color lol?
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The cars finish was really shot and was sort of a pale yellowish light tan...sort of. I took the numbers off the ID tag under the hood and had the guy in the paint shop look it up and figured; sure, it's the closest. He mixed up a gallon and off I went.

The bodywork and paint job came out really nice but it was a bright YELLOW...:wow:so it did look a lot different. I called the woman and told her what had happened and I was willing to eat the whole job but she wanted to see it first. Believe it or not when she saw the car she said: "I love it"! "I've always wanted a bright yellow cay and this looks wonderful"!

Thank God!! :laughing:
 
BobbyG said:
The cars finish was really shot and was sort of a pale yellowish light tan...sort of. I took the numbers off the ID tag under the hood and had the guy in the paint shop look it up and figured; sure, it's the closest. He mixed up a gallon and off I went.

The bodywork and paint job came out really nice but it was a bright YELLOW...:wow:so it did look a lot different. I called the woman and told her what had happened and I was willing to eat the whole job but she wanted to see it first. Believe it or not when she saw the car she said: "I love it"! "I've always wanted a bright yellow cay and this looks wonderful"!

Thank God!! :laughing:
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haha, sweet...gotta love those 'oops' moments that turn out as a positive :)...so did you have more of a surprised expression when you realized the color was wrong or when the lady said she loved the new paint job :xyxthumbs:
 
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