I have a friend who runs his own body shop since 2001, and he had a great team. He does charge considerably more than other body shops, but the quality of workmanship was really up there for the first few years of operation and, at least to me, the additional cost was worth the results. Whenever I needed any paintwork or body work, he was my first stop. Over the years, I recommended his services to many of my friends, family, etc. and they were very pleased as well.
Three months ago, a friend of mine had his BMW 540i in to get the front bumper and hood painted because I recommended this shop. He later took his wife's Nissan Pathfinder as well to get his spare wheel cover painted, after it was scratched up.
I saw my friend this evening, and fine hairline cracks started appearing on his bumper. The finish on the hood has also started to look dull. To make matters worse, the paint actually cracked on the Nissan's spare wheel cover. When he took the Nissan back, he was told the cover was previously repaired 'incorrectly' following a collision, which is what caused the cracks. Soon after, he took it elsewhere and it's been two months now and no cracks. But he left the BMW as is, and I feel like an idiot having recommended the shop. It was so embarrassing hearing all this.
On another note, last month my Montero was due for some detailing, something I do every 3 months to keep the paintwork in top shape. Having worked as a detailer when I was a student, I detailed all sorts of cars and thoroughly enjoyed it. So it's something I do as a hobby. But because I had surgery last month, I couldn't do it and decided I would pay to have it done instead. It's not an easy job to professionally detail an SUV, and the surgery wasn't going to make it any easier. So I went to my buddy early in the morning when he had just opened, taking all my detailing supplies with me:
- Sonax Gloss Shampoo
- Meguiar's Clay Kit
- Sonax Paintwork Cleaner
- Mothers Professional Rubbing Compound
- 3M Scratch Remover
- Meguiar's #20 Polymer Sealant
- Liqui-Moly Hart-Wachs Carnauba Wax
I also provided microfibre washing sponge and towels, and took the time to explain how I wanted the detailing to be done. He did this for me twice before, when I was unable to do it myself, so I expected similar results. To make it more convenient for him, I even removed the spare tire and mounting assembly on the rear gate. I should have also removed my factory grille guard up front, but that wasn't something I could physically do at the time.
When I went to pick up my vehicle a few days later, something didn't look quite right. The finish on the rear gate and roof were not as smooth and shiny as the rest of the vehicle, and there was a tin bucket lying there with dirty, muddy water and 1,200 grit sandpaper in it. Then when I opened my rear gate, I found out nothing I provided was even touched. There was a bit of sand on my paintwork, especially the front fenders and hood, and I found out they wet sanded those parts as opposed to claying the whole vehicle. This really ticked me off, because I know for sure my paintwork did not require any wet sanding. To make matters worse, my grille guard covers part of my fenders. Even though they wet sanded the fenders and the areas covered by the guard, they didn't apply any rubbing compound or wax there, because their buffer would not fit! So the area surrounding my parking lights looked horrible. I also found out they used some no-name rubbing compound and some no-name wax, then called it a day.
When I asked about the area covered by the guard, I was told that area was too small for the buffer. Considering I provided all the supplies and paid $250 in labour (extremely high for this kind of work in this country, average is $100 for the most expensive shop), you would think they would take the time to remove the guard. Afterwards, I asked why the rear gate and roof were untouched and the response was "nobody sees them"! The whole point of detailing is to protect the factory paint for as long as possible, not only so it looks good. Needless to say, I haven't gone back.
Although I sorted out my problem, I feel so embarrassed about the situation I put my friend in. Seems you just cannot trust anyone these days. I was taking my Grand Marquis for a bare metal respray, but now I'm definitely going to find a more competent shop!
Three months ago, a friend of mine had his BMW 540i in to get the front bumper and hood painted because I recommended this shop. He later took his wife's Nissan Pathfinder as well to get his spare wheel cover painted, after it was scratched up.
I saw my friend this evening, and fine hairline cracks started appearing on his bumper. The finish on the hood has also started to look dull. To make matters worse, the paint actually cracked on the Nissan's spare wheel cover. When he took the Nissan back, he was told the cover was previously repaired 'incorrectly' following a collision, which is what caused the cracks. Soon after, he took it elsewhere and it's been two months now and no cracks. But he left the BMW as is, and I feel like an idiot having recommended the shop. It was so embarrassing hearing all this.
On another note, last month my Montero was due for some detailing, something I do every 3 months to keep the paintwork in top shape. Having worked as a detailer when I was a student, I detailed all sorts of cars and thoroughly enjoyed it. So it's something I do as a hobby. But because I had surgery last month, I couldn't do it and decided I would pay to have it done instead. It's not an easy job to professionally detail an SUV, and the surgery wasn't going to make it any easier. So I went to my buddy early in the morning when he had just opened, taking all my detailing supplies with me:
- Sonax Gloss Shampoo
- Meguiar's Clay Kit
- Sonax Paintwork Cleaner
- Mothers Professional Rubbing Compound
- 3M Scratch Remover
- Meguiar's #20 Polymer Sealant
- Liqui-Moly Hart-Wachs Carnauba Wax
I also provided microfibre washing sponge and towels, and took the time to explain how I wanted the detailing to be done. He did this for me twice before, when I was unable to do it myself, so I expected similar results. To make it more convenient for him, I even removed the spare tire and mounting assembly on the rear gate. I should have also removed my factory grille guard up front, but that wasn't something I could physically do at the time.
When I went to pick up my vehicle a few days later, something didn't look quite right. The finish on the rear gate and roof were not as smooth and shiny as the rest of the vehicle, and there was a tin bucket lying there with dirty, muddy water and 1,200 grit sandpaper in it. Then when I opened my rear gate, I found out nothing I provided was even touched. There was a bit of sand on my paintwork, especially the front fenders and hood, and I found out they wet sanded those parts as opposed to claying the whole vehicle. This really ticked me off, because I know for sure my paintwork did not require any wet sanding. To make matters worse, my grille guard covers part of my fenders. Even though they wet sanded the fenders and the areas covered by the guard, they didn't apply any rubbing compound or wax there, because their buffer would not fit! So the area surrounding my parking lights looked horrible. I also found out they used some no-name rubbing compound and some no-name wax, then called it a day.
When I asked about the area covered by the guard, I was told that area was too small for the buffer. Considering I provided all the supplies and paid $250 in labour (extremely high for this kind of work in this country, average is $100 for the most expensive shop), you would think they would take the time to remove the guard. Afterwards, I asked why the rear gate and roof were untouched and the response was "nobody sees them"! The whole point of detailing is to protect the factory paint for as long as possible, not only so it looks good. Needless to say, I haven't gone back.
Although I sorted out my problem, I feel so embarrassed about the situation I put my friend in. Seems you just cannot trust anyone these days. I was taking my Grand Marquis for a bare metal respray, but now I'm definitely going to find a more competent shop!
