Did you by chance get his insurance info before you let him start so that you know he can cover the expense of making it right in the event that it turns out as it has.
93 Airstream 35' Dp
5.9 230 uprated to 300 HP
Allison MD 3060
Dutchess and Shadow Golden's Daktari Cavalier King Charles (fur Bearing Children)
Tinner....for a quick fix that should help they appearance for a short duration...spray it with Pledge, rub it on and then wipe off. Dry gelcoats will absorb the Pledge and give some luster.
Don & Mary
2005 Monaco Diplomat 36SKT
400 Cummins
2012 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ CrewCab 4WD
2013 Polaris RZR 800 LE
If all else fails in your negotiations with this guy, you can always file a claim with your own insurance company. They may elect to repair the damage for you and then they will subrogate against the detailer and his insurance to recover their money.
2004 National Tropi-Cal T-350, Class A, Triple slide, 330 HP Cat DP. 2006 Dodge Dakota 4x4 or
2002 Harley FLSTF Fat Boy on a Trailer or
2004 Polaris Quad on the Trailer
Over the years my father and I have detailed hundreds of cars, trucks and MH's. Never a problem. Enter his 2003 HR Vacationer with Gel coat sides. They keep it very clean and we decided to polish it. It had been done when it was newer(3 years old or so) with no issues. We started working on it and didn't notice until the light hit it in a certain way or we stood at a certain angle that all was not right. We have tried everything and we can't get it to look good. We were polishing by hand, no buffer. In certain light conditions, you can even see the green tint from the original polish we used. It looks like it stained the siding. Nothing will clean it either. The end caps (fiberglass) are fine. Very disapointing.
I am in no way defending shoddy workmanship. I posted this mostly as a warning for those with gel coat that you might want to check a small area before you attack the whole side. I have to wonder if in that time frame 2003,2004 the gel coats had issues, or if we are finding out the weakness of the product over time.
2007 Damon Daybreak 3276
2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara
Even Brake
XM Radio
Direct TV crank up dish
Firestone air bags
Blue Ox Alladin tow bar
Hankook Tires
Came home from a trip a couple years ago and the truck and trailer were pretty yucky. I knew it would be a time consuming job to wash both truck and trailer, and was "stewing" about it all the way home. Well, we passed a strip-mall area about 2 miles from home and in the parking lot the local High School Cheerleaders were hosting a car wash, and they had a pretty good line of cars and LOT of people working.
I thought, "Why not? What more can they say but 'No'." So, I pulled up, asked how much they'd charge to wash the truck and trailer. The going rate for a car was $5.00. They said, $5.00 for the truck and $10.00 for the trailer. I said, "Wonderful!"
They got to work. Must have had 20 girls washing away, climbing ladders, crawling all over everything ... soap, water, splashes, ... Those girls were having a fantastic time.
They got the truck and trailer done in about 15 minutes, dried, buffed, and everything. I was so pleased, I gave them $75! (of course it also went to a good cause too ...)
So ... next time you see a bunch of kids hosting a car wash ... consider supporting their cause! And YOU don't have to do the work! And, THEY won't screw up your paint with just buckets and water and sponges!
DutchmenSport
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo
Century Truck Cap Commercial /Toolboxes
Northeast Outfitters Canoe
Tinner Briman wrote: I had a detailer come out and look at my RV and give me a quote of $10 per foot for a full buff and wax. My RV is 38 foot long give or take a ladder. It has seen it's fair share of sun on the passenger side which is where my concern was, along with the faded stickers. He left me with alot of confidence that it could be cleaned and that it would shine up great. I left it with him for three full days and you should see the results. It utterly looks like a 15 year old came at his first time! It looks worse than when I brought it in, there is still wax on it that they never took off after applying it. They buffed the clear coat off of the storage compartment handles and the lower half that is painted now looks all splotchy. The real kicker is he said that it was harder than he thought and he was going to charge me $13 a foot. It is so bad that I'm not even really angry... I'm depressed! He let me take it without payment only because I asked to talk with the owner of the bussiness and I think he doesn't want that. The problem is even if he doesn't charge me it is going to cost me to fix what he has done. I almost think it needs paint work now. This is by far the worst service of any sort that I have ever received. I'm leaving for a trip tomorrow at lunch and I'm embarrassed to be seen in my RV... DANG IT ANY WAY!!!
Go to your Small Claims Court. He had a duty to perform a workmanlike job. It sounds as though he did not. Take photo's of before and after. Closeups of the splotching etc. Small Claims is a court requiring no attorney and usually resolve these matters equitably.
A novice or uncaring operator holding a powered buffer and compound is a bad combo as you have found...
Hope they will work with you, I would not pay them.
As it stands they should pay you.
Al C
Tinner Briman wrote: I had a detailer come out and look at my RV and give me a quote of $10 per foot for a full buff and wax. My RV is 38 foot long give or take a ladder. It has seen it's fair share of sun on the passenger side which is where my concern was, along with the faded stickers. He left me with alot of confidence that it could be cleaned and that it would shine up great. I left it with him for three full days and you should see the results. It utterly looks like a 15 year old came at his first time! It looks worse than when I brought it in, there is still wax on it that they never took off after applying it. They buffed the clear coat off of the storage compartment handles and the lower half that is painted now looks all splotchy. The real kicker is he said that it was harder than he thought and he was going to charge me $13 a foot. It is so bad that I'm not even really angry... I'm depressed! He let me take it without payment only because I asked to talk with the owner of the bussiness and I think he doesn't want that. The problem is even if he doesn't charge me it is going to cost me to fix what he has done. I almost think it needs paint work now. This is by far the worst service of any sort that I have ever received. I'm leaving for a trip tomorrow at lunch and I'm embarrassed to be seen in my RV... DANG IT ANY WAY!!!
Tinner,
If you can, might I suggest posting some pics of some of the trouble areas here. There are some very knowledgeable paint & body guys here on this forum that may have some helpful suggestions (Unfortunately, I'm not one of them ).
Mark & Cherie (& Chloe)
2002 Newmar Dutch Star DP 3872, Cummins 350 ISC, Spartan Chassis
You're probably right - it was a kid doing his first job.
I learned how to polish on my boats, and my 10 year old MH which had never been polished before.
Your painted lower section - probably the paint it too worn and won't polish.
Gelcoated and fiberglass areas WILL polish, done right.
I'd take it to a REAL professional, have it done properly - and send them the bill.
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