My detailing debacle - Indianapolis (Compromise "In Progress")

"Firewrx234" (firewrx234) 09/10/2013 at 14:18 • Filed to: Detailing Debacle

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Ok, I was going to hold off on posting this until it had come to some sort of conclusion (pleasing or otherwise) and it seems we have just about reached that point.

I originally had plans to post about how nice my car looked after detailing and to give them credit for the nice job however, after receiving the car, plans changed.

FYI: TL;DR at bottom

The backstory:
I took my car to get detailed last Friday at a detailing shop (Will be disclosed if it doesn't turn out). It was a gift Groupon from my then fiance, now wife. And I finally got a chance to bring in my 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP.

Now, I realize that my car is not perfect nor do I claim that it is. HOWEVER, if I bring my car to you in a state that is intact and functional, I expect functional parts to remain functional. This unfortunately was not the case.

The issue:
Although small in comparison to many things that could have happened, this is quite important to me in my normal every day lifestyle. The cupholder in my car was brutally murdered by a bumbling oaf of a detailer. My cupholder in my car is a flip-out version that is made of plastic and built into the console itself (See pic, same part but not my car). Now I know this piece is part of GM's beautiful handywork during the late 90's, but it has worked perfectly until now. I use this cupholder daily for holding my phone and for holding drinks (as you would expect). Unfortunately, the cupholder in my car now is only being held by one side and is broken in multiple parts of the whole. When placing anything on the cupholder, I now must be concerned about a) Whether my phone will fall into the functionless abyss that is the console or b) Whether the cupholder can even support drinks without collapsing into the console.

The aftermath:
So after picking up my car after hours (remember, Groupon paid for) and having my father-in-law drive it back, things seemed nice. A few minor spots here and there where the detailer missed some bird poop (in his defense it was caked on there and alcohol didn't help), a missed portion of the windshield, or road tar on the hood. I figured I'll just take care of those if that's the worst of it.

The next day, I go to put my iPhone in the cupholder and tragedy strikes. It opens up like a pop-up birthday card, plastic pieces unfolding in multiple directions and other pieces sinking into the console. At this point, I'm a little upset but figure that it's probably just out of its socket and needs popped back in. I attempt to no avail

I call up the detailers on Monday and they tell me to make the 30-minute trek up so that they can have a look. So I do make the trek and point out the cupholder and bird poop and missed sections for waxing.

He looks and pokes and prods and agrees that "Yes, that cupholder is broken".

"Hooray", I think, rejoicing in the upcoming solution.

He then tells me, "If I go ask the guy that worked on this, I know he'll just tell me, 'It was already like that', so I'll talk to the owner and see what we can do for you."

At this point, I'm a little upset that he had doubted me but he seemed like a nice enough guy and honestly I have no problem with him.

He calls up the owner, they talk for about 5 minutes and come to a solution. I'm going to have a dealer look at it, give me a quote to replace it and give them the part number and price. Ok, fair enough.

So I make the trek to my local GM dealership and they look into it. They tell me that it appears as though my console may be broken as well as the cupholder. They look up the prices and tell me as follows:

Cupholder - $178.50 + $65.00 in labor

Console - Not Available for Purchase (No longer produced)

So I call up the detailers and let them know, he calls me back today and tells me that the owner has decided my car is "too old" and that he will give me "30 or 40 bucks" to get it from a junkyard. Now, I'm no fool but "30 or 40 bucks" isn't what we talked about.

I tell the nice fellow that this is displeasing and unfortunate and he tells me "Yeah, I completely understand. When the owner told me to tell you that, my jaw dropped."

At this point, I've realized the owner is a douche and I have a decent guy on my side. I tell him that I was going to get tinting done at this establishment but now knowing that things will be broken in my car with little to no replacement, that I can no longer do that. He agreed and understood. But now I came up with a counter-offer: they could tint my car for free and they could forget about the cupholder. The nice guy on the phone said he would offer it up to the owner and see what he thinks.

As of right now, I'm waiting for a response...anyone else dealt with crap like this before?

TL;DR - Got car detailed, they broke something, they said they'd pay to get it fixed, found out breaking things is expensive, changed their minds and offered 1/6th off the quote. I counter-offered for a free tint job and now I'm waiting to hear back.

getFuckedHerb > Firewrx234 09/10/2013 at 14:24

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Seems fair. They've got likely $50 into the tint then just time. Wouldn't be surprised if they come up with an offer that takes out cost of tint so they loose only time.

Casper > Firewrx234 09/10/2013 at 14:34

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There really isn't an easy villain in a situation like this simply because of what is broken and what it broke on. It could be that the guy broke the holder and tried to hide it, or it could have simply been the natural end of it's life and he was the unlucky one to be fiddling with it when it broke. Likewise, there is only so much money that can be justifiably spend to fix a car that has a total value of under $5000 and only spent a small amount at the business. It sounds like a rather questionable detailing all around though. I can understand a charity car wash missing spots, but a professional should at least get the outside clean.

I feel your pain. These little gadgets that seemed like a neat idea over 10 years ago turn into nightmares later on. The slide out cup holder on our VW was the same kind of issue, fortunately it was able to fixed independent of the rest of the dash when it died. I'm glad my wife's BRZ doesn't have any parts like this to deal with. They got smart and went back to using drop in cup holder units that just fit into the center console "stuff" area.

Good luck at Pick A Part.

deekster_caddy > Firewrx234 09/10/2013 at 14:38

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Sounds somewhat reasonable. The local guy sounds like he's doing what he can to make you satisfied.

Are you familiar with Morad parts company? They part out a lot of GP/GTPs and can probably get a good clean used replacement console and cupholder for you.

Firewrx234 > deekster_caddy 09/10/2013 at 14:43

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Can't say that I am, I'll check it out. Thanks

Firewrx234 > Casper 09/10/2013 at 14:45

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The part itself was hidden because it wasn't just a little tab that broke. It was about 4 tabs and the spindle that holds it in place. As well as it could be that the console's slot was destroyed as well.

The guy definitely ruined it.

Meatcoma > Firewrx234 09/10/2013 at 15:38

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My guess is someone leaned on it and broke it, then closed it hoping no one would notice, I had a friend do that to my 94 Eldorado console.

Sounds like they are at least trying to work with you. When I was 19 I took my car to one of those vac and wash places and when it came out the other side my wipers were stuck together in an A shape. I was told it came in that way. I started yelling, the manager started yelling telling me he would call the cops because I was driving business off, which I was purposely doing at this point. I made him call the cops they came out, told me there was no way to prove that it had or had not come in that way and there was nothing they could do but ask me to leave his property, other than taking him to small claims court for 30 bucks. That was the last time I have ever run any of my cars through a car wash where someone else or a machine washed my car.

Firewrx234 > Meatcoma 09/10/2013 at 15:42

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Yeah it seems like they're only working with me because of the nice guy. I think if the owner had been the one I talked to originally, I would've never gotten anything.

Bummer about the wipers though.

Meatcoma > Firewrx234 09/10/2013 at 15:44

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Yea ended up having to replace one of the arms because the gear had stripped the inside out, better that than the whole wiper linkage though.

Firewrx234 > Meatcoma 09/10/2013 at 15:49

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Yeah, definitely could've been worse.

That's what I keep telling myself as well but I almost feel guilty because my wife is now somewhat upset at the gift she spent some decent money on. I mean when you get back and the car is shiny but still covered in some bird crap and tar and the cupholder is broken, I see where she's upset and I have to play both sides. I have to tell her that her gift was great but it's just the people that sucked without her getting offended because she chose them through which to get me a gift. Either way I appreciate the thought but the practice was maligned.