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Chrishazle

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
5,419
Location
Nr Ashford, Kent
Car
2008 S204 C220CDI Elegance Estate Auto, 2008 R171 facelift SLK280 Auto.
[FONT=&quot]I first found the detailingworld forum 2 ½ years ago, and have used it (and recommended others to it) many times since. It saddens me that my this post, instead of being a celebration of what I have learnt and achieved as a result, is instead a report of my very bad experience with a “detailer” who I now know is not only a DW forum member and prolific poster, but also a DW Supporter.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]My purpose is to let others learn from my misfortune in sending my 1993 Porsche 968 Cabriolet to this “Professional Detailer”. This is a precis of a 3 page document, if you want further details PM me an email address. I have emails and photos as well.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Wanting some work done on my 968 cabriolet, a Google search found his website and a write-up of a partial restoration he carried out on a 968 coupe in 2010. I took the car to him and agreed a scope of work and price, the work to take about 1 week.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]He had the car for almost 2 weeks, I supplied all the seals and plastic oversill fixings (close to £200 of parts), outcome as follows :[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Paintwork to passenger door, side oversills and door handles done well (done by the paintshop he uses, not by himself).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Rear PU removal, cleaning and reinstallation with new seal done well.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Installation of Promax chip not done – “could not unbolt securing frame”, yet Project Nine did so without problem.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Reinstallation of side oversills with new seals and plastic fixings completely wrong – not all supplied fixings used, seals cut short and ill fitting, held in with electricians tape instead of weatherstrip adhesive, will need to be redone with new seals. £40 of parts, plus labour.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Front PU removal, cleaning and reinstallation with new seals – not done, as “fixings were too rusty and would break”. I did this job myself a couple of weeks later with very little problem![/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Refurbishment of leather seats, steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake handle. Seat squabs and backs are wrong colour (dark navy, not cobalt blue), side bolsters are striped as are the leatherette sides and rears. Again, will have to be redone. Cost will be about £150.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Mop and detail of bodywork – debatable how much had been done, as a mark on the rear of the car that I was told “should polish or sand out” was still there – I removed 90% of it in 5 minutes by hand with scratch remover. Other blemishes still there.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The car went straight from Drive and Shine to Project Nine (independant Porsche specialists) for servicing etc, who found that both door cards had been taken off and very poorly put back (most of the fixing screws were missing) and that all the internal electrics were free hanging instead of properly secured. Bryan’s wife said they would pay to rectify this, but 7 weeks later they have not (cost £122), despite emailing a number of times that they had – with the most recent email stating that they were refunding £350!.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]By this time I had unfortunately paid the full price by bank transfer (he does not take cheques or credit cards, wonder why!).[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I’ve sent countless emails attempting to get things sorted, many without reply. In one of these emails I stated that, without an amicable solution, I would publish my experience, and unfortunately, despite my best efforts, that is what it has now come to.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]There are a lot of body shops and detailers out there, I hope others will not make the same mistake as me! I know I will never again let a car of mine anywhere near Drive and Shine!! Having paid him £1100, I face another £300+ to rectify his mistakes[/FONT]
 
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Blimey, sorry to hear about your bad experience...

I think this is were some detailers are going wrong offering to many services that are passed out to third parties. You can never guarantee that their work is 100%, and then as a whole it's giving the "Detailer's" a bad rep.

Paul
 
Paul, the bit he put out to third party was about the only bit that was right - namely the respraying of the door, handles and oversills. It was the rest of it - which he did - that is wrong!
 
Hi , surely you would only trust a detailer with the paint work and interior detailing, not necceserily removal of door cards fitting seals etc?

ok, agreed he didnt even do the detailing part correctly, but tbh, it should have gone to a bodyshop for the other work.

my 2p worth
 
With the benefit of 20 20 hindsight I fully agree! However, on his website he has a big write-up of a 968 coupe partial restoration he did last year - including removal, respray and refit of front and rear PU's, all oversills, refurb of leather seats etc - all stuff I wanted done, so it looked like a "one stop shop" to get everything done instead of 2 or 3 different places.
 
I'm a detailer and only specialise in Paintwork correction and protection, I would never get involved with the removal of trim and painting parts, I even find it hard to recommend anyone for respray's because all it takes is a bad job and it then looks bad on me.

I think he maybe taking on more than he can chew....

I hope you get this sorted.
 
An update.

He is no longer a DW Supporter - apparently it expired (which I think means he did not pay his subs!).

I've had no contact from him - and no refund, despite the email promises.

DW will not reinstate my thread - or the second one I posted about posting factual accounts of poor service. Their solicitors advice about potential liability is too strong for their taste! However, I escaped being banned!

Quite a few folk (including DW Admin!) have suggested the small claims court - but I've got enough legal stuff on my hands at the moment trying to get our wills sorted (including testamentary trusts, an absolute minefield!), lasting powers of attorney and changing our home ownership from tenants in common to beneficial joint tenants. I'm just going to write it off to experience, and hope that what I've posted will help others to avoid the stupid mistakes I made.
 

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