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="]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="]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="]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="]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="]Paintwork to passenger door, side oversills and door handles done well (done by the paintshop he uses, not by himself).[/FONT]
[FONT="]Rear PU removal, cleaning and reinstallation with new seal done well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Installation of Promax chip not done – “could not unbolt securing frame”, yet Project Nine did so without problem.[/FONT]
[FONT="]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="]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="]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="]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="]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="]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="]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="]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]
[FONT="]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="]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="]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="]Paintwork to passenger door, side oversills and door handles done well (done by the paintshop he uses, not by himself).[/FONT]
[FONT="]Rear PU removal, cleaning and reinstallation with new seal done well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Installation of Promax chip not done – “could not unbolt securing frame”, yet Project Nine did so without problem.[/FONT]
[FONT="]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="]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="]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="]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="]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="]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="]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="]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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