Gotta take the highs with the lows…

[Eldorado2k]

Crazy thing happened to me today… I detailed a car for a longtime client of mine and as always I keep it with what I charge him and everyone I detail for, I charge for what I do. I’ve never overcharged anyone just because of the situation or i.e. their level of desperation, it’s just how I am and I believe people deserve honest dealings plain & simple.

So when he brings me this car and tells me to detail it because his nephew is going to get married on Saturday [today] I have a close look at the car and determine that it’s actually in pretty good condition based on the last time I gave it a full detail which included polishing and protection and I decided all it really needed was a proper wash with the added touch that I provide.

So basically a glorified car wash including iron decon & spray sealant etc… I sent him the text and told him it’s going to be $100 dollars, which is much less than what the usual charge is when I do a full detail which of course includes clay & polish, etc. and while I do admit that I did sort of regret not charging him at least a little bit more immediately after I sent that text based on having used almost a half bottle of Megs Ultimate Wheel Cleaner to iron decon the car, I felt ok considering the job was a piece of cake.









So I sent him the text on Thursday letting him know the car was done, expecting him to at the latest pick it up on Friday since the weddings on Sat.
We speak on the phone Fri. afternoon and he says he’ll stop by at about 8:30pm. He never shows up but that’s totally fine with me since we both have the tendency to always be a little late with each other… So this morning I get a knock outside and it’s 2 of his cousins here to pick up the car. I hand them the keys and they hand me the money and he says “aren’t you going to count it”?
I reply “nah it’s ok, I don’t need to count it, I’m confident it’s there” and it’s all smiles and they start getting ready to take off.

But there’s a problem… The car won’t start! I walk back outside to find out what’s going on and we wind up trying our best to figure out what’s wrong while trying to start the car for the next 20min. until the decision is made that it’s likely a bad fuel pump and unfortunately the cars not going to be able to make it to the wedding. Damn that sucks. I felt bad about that. And just to make it even more of a weird feeling, when I get inside I for some reason decide to actually count the wad of cash [it’s actually kind of rare that I even counted the money considering I usually don’t get around to counting the money until days later, that’s just how I am] But when I counted the money I’m absolutely surprised to find out instead of the $100 I charged for the car he threw in $200 extra for a total of $300! That’s by far the biggest tip I’ve ever gotten and was totally not expecting anything, wow.

But the messed up thing is that I feel bad about the car not starting not only for the wedding but because the guy went out of his way to make my day like that and the least he deserved was for this not to happen with the car…

Sorry if that was a super long post, but I just had to tell it to someone and maybe you might find it interesting or maybe you’ve had something similar happen before?

P.s. I told him whenever he decides to come for the car that I can call a tow truck and have it towed to his mechanic or wherever he’d like it taken to free of charge. [I’ll call AAA and use 1 of my free tows] it’s the least I can do.

[Silly Rabbit]

That is a very nice car! Also seems like a great dude.

[Bill D]

That was a really great story!

I recall fondly the time I received my biggest tip. It was similar to yours in today’s money


I feel for the car’s owner. I have a bad fuel pump on my Cadillac. I’m just waiting for the Dry Season to call AAA to have it towed to the mechanic


Let us know how the car owner makes out. It’s a shame it looks like it wont be able to be used in the wedding.

[Eldorado2k]

That was a really great story!

Well hell, thanks! And to think I almost clicked cancel because I thought it was going to be too long and a burden to have to read.lol.

I can’t believe you still haven’t taken your Cadillac to get the fuel pump repaired for that reason. Lol. I mean I’m the same way with other things, but Still.

[2black1s]

You're right with the highs and lows... It's great that you got the extra cash & it sucks that the car wouldn't start.

Reminds me of a Corvette I worked on several years ago (1970s). It was at my shop for a very expensive, custom, candy apple paint job. One day I started the car to move it and it sounded like a spun rod bearing. Scared the sh*t out of me. Turns out that it was just a chunk of carbon that broke loose in the combustion chamber. A quart of ATF poured through the carburetor while running at a high idle speed took care of it.

That's the low.

For the high... Soon after the car was completed, I trailered it to an out-of-state show, and took home a "best paint in show" award.

As for tips, your $200 tip on a $100 job is phenomenal. My best ever tip was $600 (in 1980 dollars) for a Porsche 356 I painted... But that was on a 3 or 4 grand paint job (again, 1980 dollars).

[Eldorado2k]

Great post. It’s always great to hear from you.

[Coatingsarecrack]

You're right with the highs and lows... It's great that you got the extra cash & it sucks that the car wouldn't start.

Reminds me of a Corvette I worked on several years ago (1970s). It was at my shop for a very expensive, custom, candy apple paint job. One day I started the car to move it and it sounded like a spun rod bearing. Scared the sh*t out of me. Turns out that it was just a chunk of carbon that broke loose in the combustion chamber. A quart of ATF poured through the carburetor while running at a high idle speed took care of it.

That's the low.

For the high... Soon after the car was completed, I towed it to an out-of-state show, and took home a "best paint in show" award.

As for tips, your $200 tip on a $100 job is phenomenal. My best ever tip was $600 (in 1980 dollars) for a Porsche 356 I painted... But that was on a 3 or 4 grand paint job (again, 1980 dollars).

If your willing to paint my chevelle for that price I’d leave a much bigger tip!

I was actually on the other end of that with my chevelle. Shop I used for suspension did good work but I could tell the guy up front and head mechanic were owners.

The other guy helping the head mechanic I could tell was an apprentice but with a lot of knowledge on the subject.

When leaving I drop him a hundski for the extra work he had put in. Car dies when I get it home. The alternator couldn’t handle the compressor…


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[2black1s]

If your willing to paint my chevelle for that price I’d leave a much bigger tip!

I was actually on the other end of that with my chevelle. Shop I used for suspension did good work but I could tell the guy up front and head mechanic were owners.

The other guy helping the head mechanic I could tell was an apprentice but with a lot of knowledge on the subject.

When leaving I drop him a hundski for the extra work he had put in. Car dies when I get it home. The alternator couldn’t handle the compressor…


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That 3 or 4 grand would be closer to 15-20 today.

I can't believe what paint costs today. The most expensive gallon of clear (with hardeners and reducers) back then was less than $100. Now it can be $600 plus. And base coats today can cost 10x what they were back then.

And then the labor,,, If I recall correctly, I was charging around $15/hour in the 1980s.

[Coatingsarecrack]

That 3 or 4 grand would be closer to 15-20 today.

I can't believe what paint costs today. The most expensive gallon of clear (with hardeners and reducers) back then was less than $100. Now it can be $600 plus. And base coats today can cost 10x what they were back then.

And then the labor,,, If I recall correctly, I was charging around $15/hour in the 1980s.

Yeah that’s the pricing I’m getting for a paint job. Frame off though and sand blasting. Shitty to think that 15-20k is a good deal but that is our world…


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[briarpatch]

I've not seen an Excalibur in years