Neighbour's builder has damaged six month old car with cement - advise needed please!
Hi all
Our neighbour has been having an extension. A week or so ago the builder decided to mix concrete on the drive about a foot away from our six month old Audi and ended up flicking bits of concrete plus the dust/sand from it. As soon as we noticed we pointed it out to them, but they said it'll be fine, they'll hose it down afterwards.
They hosed it down, but it had left patches on it. I took it to a car wash and explained to them, asked them to give it a good jet spray down first before cleaning it. However, it still has patches all over it, and we think the whole body now looks lightly scuffed and scratched when you look at the sun reflecting on it. I have since jet washed it myself twice, but there are still marks all over, and I am reluctant to just wash it again as so far it's not taken it off and is likely to be abrasive and cause more damage.
When I phoned Audi the lady on the switch board said they don't have a body shop so recommended the two nearest, and also said I had to use one of those as they are Audi approved and it would affect my warranty.
The builder has been awkward about it, very argumentative and quite aggressive, but has agreed to pay for a full polish and valet, but not with the company Audi referred me to, which will cost around £260, whereas he said it can be done for half that with another non-Audi approved company and doesn't want to pay an Audi premium for using them.
He says that it doesn't matter who does it does it, it won't affect the warranty. He said that you wouldn't be able to clean your car yourself if that was the case.
My argument is that it's not just a normal clean and polish; the cement and sand has scratched the finish so as far as I understand if those scratches are being polished out it will be taking a thin layer off and potentially affecting the long term life of the paint work.
What should we do? I have called Audi to ask for advice on warranties, but the person who can advice me isn't in and they've asked them to call me when they're back in, but I thought it worth asking advice from you knowledgeable folks.
Our neighbour has been having an extension. A week or so ago the builder decided to mix concrete on the drive about a foot away from our six month old Audi and ended up flicking bits of concrete plus the dust/sand from it. As soon as we noticed we pointed it out to them, but they said it'll be fine, they'll hose it down afterwards.
They hosed it down, but it had left patches on it. I took it to a car wash and explained to them, asked them to give it a good jet spray down first before cleaning it. However, it still has patches all over it, and we think the whole body now looks lightly scuffed and scratched when you look at the sun reflecting on it. I have since jet washed it myself twice, but there are still marks all over, and I am reluctant to just wash it again as so far it's not taken it off and is likely to be abrasive and cause more damage.
When I phoned Audi the lady on the switch board said they don't have a body shop so recommended the two nearest, and also said I had to use one of those as they are Audi approved and it would affect my warranty.
The builder has been awkward about it, very argumentative and quite aggressive, but has agreed to pay for a full polish and valet, but not with the company Audi referred me to, which will cost around £260, whereas he said it can be done for half that with another non-Audi approved company and doesn't want to pay an Audi premium for using them.
He says that it doesn't matter who does it does it, it won't affect the warranty. He said that you wouldn't be able to clean your car yourself if that was the case.
My argument is that it's not just a normal clean and polish; the cement and sand has scratched the finish so as far as I understand if those scratches are being polished out it will be taking a thin layer off and potentially affecting the long term life of the paint work.
What should we do? I have called Audi to ask for advice on warranties, but the person who can advice me isn't in and they've asked them to call me when they're back in, but I thought it worth asking advice from you knowledgeable folks.
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Comments
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Ask the builder for his insurance details and claim from the policy.0
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Ask for the name of his insurer ....0
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The best person to deal with the paintwork would be a good detailer.
Should be both cheaper and better than your average bodyshop / spray painter from Audi when it comes to paintwork aftercareAll your base are belong to us.0 -
Thanks guys.
Audi called me back and clarified that it doesn't need to be Audi approved unless there is paint work to be done (ie spraying if it's chipped, etc), so I can use a non-Audi company.
So do I need detailing? Or just a machine polish? What should I be googling...?! I'd never heard of 'detailing' I heard it mentioned a few months ago!0 -
Detailers are generally people who specialise in paint restoration and protection. A lot of good detailers can improve the paintwork finish on a car fresh out of the showroom.
Any good detailer will have a lot of experience with a machine polisher as well.
If you tell them what's happened and show them some pictures they will normally be able to gauge what needs done and any prices involved.All your base are belong to us.0 -
I'd say your attempts to remove it have scratched the paint finish. There are products available to safely remove dried cement from car bodywork. Also getting your car's bodywork professionally corrected wont adversely affect it's long term life if done correctly. Forget Audi, the best place to get it it done is a decent car detailer.My argument is that it's not just a normal clean and polish; the cement and sand has scratched the finish so as far as I understand if those scratches are being polished out it will be taking a thin layer off and potentially affecting the long term life of the paint work
Might be worth asking about recommended detailers on the forums at http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/index.php0 -
I'd say your attempts to remove it have scratched the paint finish.
Surely you aren't suggesting it's the OP's fault? How was he to know how washing cement off a car would affect the paintwork?Thanks guys.
Audi called me back and clarified that it doesn't need to be Audi approved unless there is paint work to be done (ie spraying if it's chipped, etc), so I can use a non-Audi company.
So do I need detailing? Or just a machine polish? What should I be googling...?! I'd never heard of 'detailing' I heard it mentioned a few months ago!
I don't think you should be doing anything until you've got the details of the builder's insurer. He must have some sort of liability insurance.
If your car was on your property, surely they should cover any damage they caused.0
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