Detailing Drama!!

[kissfart]

I just got a new 63 Squareback this week and took it to get detailed to make it shiny and beautiful...but when i went to pick it up there were crazy splotches everywhere, some worse and deeper than others. Is it normal for that much oxidized paint to come off??? Ok so the car still had its original paint but am i overreacting to be hella pissed? also does anyone have any suggestions on what to do to fix it?

thanks guys

[E-boyz67]

You said that its the original paint. Then they probably buffed the paint to much. I'd take it back and ask them what they exactly did, and that you're not happy.
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[GjMan]

Are you even supposed to buff old VW paint? Isn't it unhardened enamel? If so, that shop should have known better. I think they owe you a new paint job at least. Maybe more, since they destroyed the car's originality. Don't let these clowns off the hook!

[kissfart]

Ok great im glad it wasnt just me overreacting. I specifically asked if having it buffed would be ok because it was a 41 year old paint job, I was really paranoid due to the fact tht the car was brand new to me.They told me "oh yeah buffing it is the only way to bring out the shine and its gonna look like it did the day it was drove off the lot" I listened to them beacuse I believed them to be a reputable establishment thats been around for 40 years. Its funny because when i went to pick it up I let them know i was upset and the manager went and asked the guy who worked on my car what happened and he replied that he noticed that the paint was too thin as soon as he started but just finished the car anyways. I couldnt believe he told me that. Then he said instead of charging me the $200. original price hed only charge me $60. what a joke...I have intensions to call their corp. headquarters tomorrow but im hoping they are understanding and not difficult. I guess my last question is, if they give me the money for a new paint job should I get it repainted or keep it the og paint... as far as the value is concerned and stuff??? also what should i do about the fact that destroyed my cars originality??

thanks for all your input

[Big Jim]

I'd be inclined to say that the guy who worked on your car could have been 100% correct. Depending on the care the car recieved previously, the paint may have oxidized to almost nothing. You could have checked it out with a paint thickness tool before they started but it is not too likely most detailers would have such a handy device. You may cry loud enough that they do something for you but you can't automatically assign all the blame to them.

[Grifter]

I say they owe you a paint job at the least. If they give you any problems I don't think you would have trouble winning a lawsuit and would probably get more that just a paint job out of it. The technician who buffed it admitted to you that he realized the paint was too thin, he kept going even though he knew he was damaging the car, which is negligence. You could go after them for the difference in value between an all original car and a resprayed car. I don't think the difference in value is Huge as long as you keep the original color...but there is a difference. Personally, I would have it repainted if it looks as bad as it sounds, but only by a real quality shop.
Good luck!
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[Big Jim]

I would not be happy but I sure would steer clear of court. My feeling is that the judge would throw you out on your ear. It's a 40 year old paint job and you likely signed a work order with a full page of warnings and disclaimers on it that said to buff it. If you go to court and loose, you could end up paying his costs and his insurance company will use high priced lawyers.

[kissfart]

well they didnt have me sign anything prior to having the work done...and unfortunatly I was naive to trust that they knew that they were doing. I feel as though they shouldnt have continued the work when they knew it was buffing thru the paint. To be honest i am still shocked the manager even told me that he noticed the paint thinning so much and still continued. anyways I am hoping not to have to go to court.

[GjMan]

I tend to agree with Big Jim about taking formal legal action over this, unless of course your car was one of those one-owner, low-mileage, all-original jewels we all hear about--but seldom see.

I would start, as you have, by contacting people on up the chain of command with the company involved. They may turn out to be reasonable. If not, I would file a complaint with the local office of the Better Business Bureau, which you can locate by calling the nearest Chamber of Commerce. Most businesses intensely dislike having an unresolved complaint on file with the BBB, since potential customers can easily check these records. I have had excellent results with the BBB.

However, there are companies out there that don't seem to give a damn, for whatever reason, about BBB complaints. Such companies usually don't last long.

In that case, especially if the company treated you like crap and you're now mad as hell, you may consider small claims court. Depending upon where you live, you can go to small claims court for damages of around $5,000 or less. Lawyers are not allowed; you represent yourself, and the owner/manager of the company that screwed you represents the company. Again depending upon where you live, you have to pay a filing fee and process serving fee of around a $100 or so. If you win, you may have to pay another fee to get a collection agency to get your money, since most small claims courts don't have the power to order losers to pay up.

Too much trouble? Considering what a decent paint job costs these days, I don't think so.

I look upon small claims court as an adventure. It can be fun. I get to play Perry Mason (am I giving away my age?) Even if the referee (that's what they call the guy who decides your case) doesn't agree with me, I get to denounce and humiliate the crooked company in public. There's just nothing like the feeling I get in the courtroom solemnly reciting the company's sins while the owner sits there squirming and the recorder dutifully records my every word for posterity.

[EverettB]

[kissfart]

I have been to small claims and that what where I intended to take them in the case that they are not reasonable with me.(that way I dont have to end up paying high cort costs) Unfortunatly I believe they used a buffing wheel of some sort...as for the og color its creme and fabulous with only 66,000 original miles original engine and still 6 volt !!!!!!!!! og headliner, carpet, door panels, dash...even the original cargo mat> I love it.
So EveretteB do you think I should cover the paint since its the original paint job? Ill post pictures in a few hours.

[EverettB]

Sounds like the one from Campbell, CA?

If it is, congrats, it looked like a nice car, I only got the "buried in the garage" pictures.
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[kissfart]

here it its..!!!

[EverettB]

Looks like the same car, NICE!!!

You should make a post in the Type 3 section.
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[crofty]

Noice!
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[Major Woody]

I agree with the other suggestions about legal action, but I do have one thing to add.

If the only thing they damaged was the paint that they were working on, their insurance will not be involved and they will have to either send an employee to small claims court or hire a lawyer at their own expense. They will also have the argument that a new paint job would leave you better off than when you took the car to them. Most people outside the hobby would agree that a shiny new repaint is better than old paint.

I still think this may have settlement value though. You need to find your own expert willing to testify for you, or you're wasting your time. I would start with reading the agreement you signed. If it makes it clear that burn throughs happen and they will not be responsible, then you are in a bit worse position. However, such clauses may be unenforceable if you can prove that the damage occurred as a result of the employee's negligence instead of the common side effects of buffing old paint.

[ibjack]

Interior pictures please. I love OG 62-63 seats I'd go down and talk to the guys at the shop and try to work something out. If they are rude or not willing to help find asolution for their mistake then go to plan B.
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[kissfart]

[DurocShark]

Find a resto shop. Take your square to them and ask for a written estimate to bring the car back to the condition it was in before Captain Buffer got to it.

Do this before you go any further with the company so that you're armed with exact and accurate value of the paint.
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