Last Friday I had StL Mobile Detailing Co, come out to my place of business to detail my car ( I had a coupon). They severally damaged the paint on the hood, fender, and clear bra. Pictures can be seen here http://www.flickr.com/photos/31359684@N08/ The company has not responded to my phone call so I'm guessing they won't take responsibility for the damage, stay way from them.

When my R50 needed to have the hood repainted I noticed that it was such a soft paint that it chipped very easily. Is there a better option than the dealer to have it repainted? Thanks in advance.

Joe

 

Did they clay it? If they did, it looks like something was in the clay! My husband is an expert detailer, I can't imagine anyone doing this to a car & then acting like it didn't happen. I'm sorry to see this happen to you & your MINI. I'm sure the clear bra is permanently damaged & will have to be replaced. I would get estimates from the dealer & perhaps other auto repainting shops. In the long run, you may be better off paying a bit more at the dealer knowing that it will be done right. My Clubman was rear ended shortly after I got it, Autohaus BMW collision did a great job. Will your insurance cover it under comprehensive?

Lois

 

Also, if you belong to our Club you may want to see if the 20% discount applies to body work.

 

Well shoot. I bought one of those coupons too and was really looking forward to using it. That's awful.

 

I am appalled. Did you notice at the time you picked up the car?

What a darned shame.

And by the way my compliments on the even tone of your post - that would be adequate basis for a rant and flame from some folks.

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

They actually came to my work and did it in the parking lot. Great concept, poor execution. There were two of them, one walked me around the car showing me the good things they did, while the other polished the scratched area with a towel so I wouldn't see it. Once on the other side of the car, I signed their paperwork and they tired to make a quick exit, but once there was no towel covering up the damage it was impossible to miss. When called out on it the both denied they did it and said it was there. Like I'd miss that. The sad thing is I tipped them a $20 and they looked me in the eye and said thanks.

The good news is I did hear from a manager and was told to send them two estimates for the damage. I guess we'll see how it turns out. Thanks for your support everyone.

Joe

 

That is really unfortunate Joe! I am not a detail expert, but it sure looks like whatever they used had a sharp edge or stone in it. I can't see any way around having to paint the hood.

You should call Patrick at the body shop. Have him take a look at it.

I am not positive, but I do not believe there is any member discounts at the body shop due to body labor being a lot less then mechanical labor.

It is truly a shame.

Steve

 

if you paid by credit card, and they completly flake, at least contest the charge, or stop the check if its a check. cash.. well, best of luck.

 

That's blood awful! I'm sorry to hear that. I hope they come through for you. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Did you get this discount through a Groupon or something?

 

Thank you all for your kind words. Disputing the CC would have been a good idea, I wish I would have thought abut that a month ago. However the $75 I paid is not what I'm concerned about now. I took it to the body shop and it will cost $1197 to fix. I still have not heard from StL Mobile Detailing Co, so I had to make a claim to my insurance company. It will cost me $250 out of my pocket, plus whatever a rental car goes for these days for the 3 to 4 days they will have the car. Two weeks ago I filed a complaint with the BBB and the company has until today to respond, but I'm not holding my breath. I will just have to find a time to get to Autohaus, who looked very busy with all the hail damage this summer.

I got the coupon from LivingSocial.com, needless to say I'm done with online coupon sites. Lesson learned, want your car to be washed and waxed do it yourself.

Cheers.

 

$1197 to get the bonnet repainted? Ouch!

 

How horrible !! Just last week I called around to get prices on detailers coming to my location. I always think I'm just a little paranoid and after sleeping on it, I decided against it.
Not saying there aren't good mobile detailers but if there's a bad one, that's probably the one I'd get.
Hope everything gets taken care of and best of luck to you.

 

Joe,

Do not go through your insurance. Why make your own rates go up??!!

This is what you should do. Forget about BBB, they cannot make the company do anything. All they can do is mark them a bad grade.

Get a couple body shop estimates, then go to your local court house and file a civil lawsuit for the damages.

I am willing to bet that once they receive the letter, you will get contacted and this taken care of immediately.

PS: Before you every let anyone do work for you, no matter what it is, make sure you check references, business license and ask them to show you proof of liability insurance. Many local "on the road" repairs and detailers do not have insurance, etc.

Don't take a chance. Let us know how you make out.

 

Having just gotten my Mini back from World Wide down off Manchester in Manchester I have to say they do EXCELLENT work. I'd talk to them about getting your Mini's paint fixed. My bumper turned out perfect!

As for detailing, Josh at JML Audio in Valley Park (the best installer for about 4 states) has a guy who comes to his shop and do detailing. I've seen his work on several high end cars including a totally custom Infinity and a 7 Series. They looked showroom quality when he was done. He can also reapply a clear bra for you if you want to go that route again.

 

I sure hope all works out ok. Man that is some tasty looking BBQ ( flickr link). What kind of wood do you use. Oops sorry about changing the subject a little

 

No worries on changing the subject, I'd much rather talk about BBQ over my poor MINI. I've been using a mix of 2/3 apple and 1/3 oak, so far that's worked well for me. The Chubby has been a great smoker and I wish it would cool down a bit because I've got plans for a brisket.

 

I use a treager grill. Briskets are tough to cook properly if you leave it on the gril too long the brisket turns into roast beef it's good but not when you have your mind on brisket. Does your smoker use wood,disc or pellets?

 

I've never done a brisket before and I do understand they can be difficult to do, but it's the challenge that makes it worthwhile. Backwoods Smokers are charcoal fed water smokers. I've been using Royal Oak lump lately and I so far I think I like it the best.

 

I have a gas-fired water smoker, and have turned out quite a number of excellent briskets with it. I use hickory chips - have used apple in the past - and have had very good luck with both. I always use a meat thermometer, and orient the dial so that I can read it by lifting the smoker lid slightly when the cook time is getting near completion. Setting it to Medium Well Beef has yielded the best results. I understand that it's best to do brisket with the fat side up, so the fat drippings can run into the meat and flavor it.

(Yeah, I know... I'm pushing this thread farther afield, but wow, do we love smoked brisket!)

Spridget

 

We may need to start a new thread, StL MINI owners who love to BBQ. I may stop off at Legrand's on the way home from work and pick me a brisket up for the morning. I love using apple on my pork, but hickory is my thinking on beef. Have a great weekend.

 

(Yeah, I know... I'm pushing this thread farther afield, but wow, do we love smoked brisket!)

Spridget[/QUOTE]

I love a good smoked brisket too. When I started doing briskets, no one had heard of such a thing. I started out with an old cheapy charcoal grill, (in the old days..lol) I'd simmer the brisket ahead, on the stove top inside to get lots of juice, would add liquid smoke and then brown it on the grill basting with the smoked broth.
Now it's much easier and still a favorite.

 

Count me as another fan of smoked brisket, but one with a slightly different solution... When I get the urge for it, I tend to find myself standing in line down at Pappy's!!

 

I have a bbq thread now"what did you BBQ today"


Sorry about the hi-jack

 

Holy cow how did they do that much damage? I think you would feel and see that long before it got that big. I am sad to see that happened to your nice looking MINI.