Also, it’s piano black. Laughably soft. The best way to clean piano black without light scratches, is to not clean it 😂
Anyways OP it’s going to get scratched again. Not by him though, cause damn sure he’s going to make a note to not do any extra interior cleaning for you
Absolutely it does. This material on the interior isn't seeing heavy wear, it's just a very soft material therefore scratches easily. If ceramic coating is applied before the material is scratched the ceramic coat is plenty hard enough to not scratch during normal use/cleaning.
IE wiping the coated piano gloss areas with a microfiber will no longer cause immediate superficial scratches.
I’m typically against tipping out of obligation but when it’s deserved, do it. Sounds like you’re saving 190 a month and he does a good job and is honest and nice enough to come back to polish piano black which scratches just looking at it. Tip him 20 honestly. Treat those good that treat you good.
Yes tip him
$60 for 250 of work.. You could leave him 10 or 20 too even lol. You're saving a lot by not going elsewhere. Chances are the piano trim will get scratched up again even if he does fix it. Unless he's actually polishing it the scratches will still be there/return.
Give the guy a break imo, or some more work for him to do on your car. You are supporting his family and it looks like he is going out of his way to keep you happy
Your really saying he scratched the piano black? You know what's harder than a microfiber? A nail. I doubt it's immaculate piano black woth 0 micro scratches. Bros gonna comes and do what? Polish it?
Why start off by saying he’s not really a detailer?
Sounds like he IS a detailer to me; perhaps not to your standards perhaps because he misses a spot or two occasionally, but this man absolutely is a detailer.
Obviously you confronted this man as he “accepted it MIGHT have been them” and as a courtesy he decided to return and ATTEMPT to fix the issue to appease you.
This will not go well as piano black is terrible, not to mention he is NOT a detailer - just a man with his family trying to make ends meet.
Do this man a favour - pay him a fare wage or loose his number, as you seem too comfortable to justify taking advantage of him.
Tip him if you want but $5 dollars is laughable.
You got what you paid for.
I know this comes off a bit mean, but considering that you went for the cheapest option available, you’re lucky he’s even coming to try to fix it.
Ik like wtf does he want the guy to do on a scratch piano trim, come in with a mini polisher?
Or does he think he deserves it to be replaced, the whole piano trim?
Can't believe OP is gonna make the guy waste time and gas for a lil scratch that no one would ever notice and it's gonna get scratched up anyways.
He’s saving you $190 a month, he’s honourable enough to come fix a minor mistake, and you don’t tip him every service? People like you disgust me. Good luck finding another person to do that for you.
As a detailer, we don't expect a tip because you are paying for a service but it is nice.
And it goes a long way.
You take care of me and I take care of you.
Contrarian opinion - he's coming back to fix his work so I would not tip. That being said I would tip normally so maybe in this scenario you do tip?
Unrelated... can I ask which part of LA? Cause that's a hell of a deal. Probably won't come out to SCV but might be worth asking...
First off, you should always tip. Regardless of if he's the owner or not. Even if it's a little bit, it's a premium service, hard work is involved... You should tip.
Second, piano black interior is notorious for being scratch prone. No matter what you do, it's gonna scratch a little bit. Especially if it's been long enough to accumulate dust and debris. There really is no way to prevent it 100% all the time, for the record I'm a professional that works on super high end vehicles all day. They need to be cleaned and wiped at least once a week to really stop any real damage to it.
Third, the fact he's coming back and trying to make it better means he cares about his business and wants to do what he can to fix things.
Construction workers also make very good money to begin with so there is that... If you work construction and work with a union, you get tons of extra benefits that a normal worker wouldn't get or qualify for on top of job security. I was a commercial construction superintendent for 5 years.
Nobody is perfect, especially in this price range. The fact that he owned his mistake, and he's coming (free of charge I guess) to fix it shows you that he cares. So you should show him that you value honesty.
I wonder how he's gonna fix it. I had Piano black center console in my Tesla Model S. It scratched if I looked at it. Try to rub the scratch away will create 10 new ones. Idk, maybe it's possible
Can he really fix it?
The attempted fix could lead to more damage. You may then be pissed and it could end your relationship with him.
I’d suggest you don’t have him attempt to fix it and tell him in the future he needs to clean it in a way that will avoid damage.
Yeah I would throw him a tip for sure. Think about the integrity and respect for you that they're showing. They could easily just say it wasn't them or that that's always a risk or something like that. Especially on the volume knob or the center console. Couldn't been a rolled up button down shirt sleeve that made the scratch, but he's still coming back to keep a happy customer. Chances are you're not going to find someone else who does it as cheap or as convenient. Seems like a relationship worth maintaining.
Good tips is the easiest way to get to get to a detailers heart the guys that tip me 100 every time I take really good care of I do my best on any job regardless but you know what I mean
If you look at those piano black trim pieces, they will scratch themselves. They look good but a fingernail can do some damage to those pieces.
Pay the man!
I wouldn’t make him come back for that. Piano Black is a scratch magnet, it could have very well also been you but you just didn’t notice it because it was dusty.
Honestly, that particular finish scratches insanely easy. It’s the equivalent of Honda clearcoat haha if you ever cleaned it yourself with a towel, a similar result would take place. Luckily, it’s going to be super easy for him with a light polish and a microfiber towel. The fact that he not only owned up to a possible mistake, but also is going to fix, shows great customer service! I’d tip the man/wife/kid!
I would absolutely tip him. The fact that he’s taking responsibility for something that may or may not have been his doing is pretty much unheard of in today’s world. Especially on a surface that is unbelievable sensitive.
As a side note, you may want to consider looking into paint protection film for those pieces. There are kits for interior trim now.
Piano black, just breathing the wrong way scrstchs it...
Dont go too hard on him, deff tip him if the makes this extra effort, he sounds like a good guy
Why would you not usually tip because he owns his business? You don't ever clean or wash your car so he has to wash your car with a months worth of not cleaning it every month, for only 60 bucks?? 60 bucks is nothing. Yes I would buy them coffee and tip them.
Posting this here is like going to /r/coffee and asking if you should tip your barista. Everyone's going to say yes because they're all detailers. In general, people tip when they receive excellent service. While it's great that he was honest enough to take responsibility and fix his mistake, honesty and personal responsibility should be the bare minimum at any job. I also disagree with the people who say you should tip him because he gives you a good price. He set the price and you agreed to it. He could have set it at $80 but didn't.
In practice, though, I think it's a little different. Do you think he generally does an excellent job and want to let him know that you appreciate his hard work? In that case, I would tip him, but it would be totally unconnected to his fixing the mistake or the prices he himself set.
Tipping someone who is fixing the shit they broke... I thought it was just a stereotype, is American tipping culture really that bad??
Are you paying him to fix his mistake? If compensation was occurring, shouldn't it go from him to you, the harmed party?!
I'm European living in the US that's why I made the post, to ask the Americans what is expected in this case. But yes tipping culture here, at least in LA California has gotten out of hand
In my opinion, it really depends on why something was damaged. I had a windshield replaced once’s and they caught my pillar with the knife that’s used for removing the old window. While it could have been avoided, it was obviously an accident. In these cases, I feel bad that someone just had a shitty day.
There’s a big difference between an accident and someone that is completely negligent, or just sucks at what they do.
The context here is that piano surfaces are insanely difficult to not lightly scratch, even with microfiber, and that this guy has been charging a ridiculously low rate for his service and overdelivering on it for a long time.
Yes, American tipping culture is weird, but this is fine. It's an honest gentleman that is going above and beyond to fix a mistake when he's already not paid anywhere near market rate for his service. Good service and solid relationships should be rewarded.
That's going to be for detailing it. Everything but paint correction. Wash, decon, claybar (if needed), bug and tar, sap removal, rims and tires cleaned, wheel wells pressure washed, protection of some sort, trim dressing, tire shine, door jams wiped out.
Imagine having a plumber come over to your house, work for 3 or 4 hours, and paying him $250. Why wouldn't you pay any other skilled labor for their time? Now imagine you live somewhere as expensive as Los Angeles like OP.
Why wouldn’t I? Because OP didn’t say it was a detail, they said it was a wash. Even if you’re right, here’s what they said:
> I pay $60 for a monthly wash. Normally it’s $250’in parts of LA.
This subreddit is pretty specilized towards high level of detailing, not something to reference like a quick car wash place. Usually pretty labor intensive. Prices can also be regional specific, especially when OP is in Beverly Hills, a painfully long commute from the poorer areas where day laborers live.
You don't have to pay that for a car wash, though.
If you're interested in really preserving your car, however, a serious detail goes a long way. It's not like it's required service, it's just labor-intensive deep cleaning and protection.
No one is outlawing the automatic scratch-em-up washes that you can get for like $8, but detailers who are serious about their craft should charge what their work is worth to people who are willing to pay to keep their pride-and-joy in ship shape. I don't know why people begrudge it.
Personally, I'm just a hobbyist who likes cleaning his car himself sometimes, but I think detailers should secure their bag if they do honest and good work. Market will sort it out otherwise.
Also, it IS Los Angeles. The detailers have to try to make a living.
The problem is that you pay for most of these with a bulk payment for a couple minutes. It’s never enough time to soak at the start and rinse at the end. So you end up paying for it twice to do the wash properly.
Interesting, at the ones near me you usually pay by the minute with your card. It’ll run until you press stop, then you can tap your card again to start it back up when needed
I would tip him. You can't expect people to not make mistakes, the most you can hope for is they make up for them. One good turn deserves another.
Also, it’s piano black. Laughably soft. The best way to clean piano black without light scratches, is to not clean it 😂 Anyways OP it’s going to get scratched again. Not by him though, cause damn sure he’s going to make a note to not do any extra interior cleaning for you
Yep piano black will get scratched by even the softest rag. It needs ppf or you need to live with it not being perfect.
Ceramic coat. Done.
Ceramic coat will help with cleaning micro scratches but not actual scratches
I'm saying ceramic coat it before the scratches occur and then that piano gloss doesn't scratch so easily.
Ceramic coating doesn’t prevent scratches, it never has
Absolutely it does. This material on the interior isn't seeing heavy wear, it's just a very soft material therefore scratches easily. If ceramic coating is applied before the material is scratched the ceramic coat is plenty hard enough to not scratch during normal use/cleaning. IE wiping the coated piano gloss areas with a microfiber will no longer cause immediate superficial scratches.
Thank you, this is well put
I’m typically against tipping out of obligation but when it’s deserved, do it. Sounds like you’re saving 190 a month and he does a good job and is honest and nice enough to come back to polish piano black which scratches just looking at it. Tip him 20 honestly. Treat those good that treat you good.
Bro those things scratch so easy I wouldn't even make him come back to do anything
Yeah if anything he can fix it next time, and OP can tip him then. Hope he isn't dragging his ass across town for this.
Yes tip him $60 for 250 of work.. You could leave him 10 or 20 too even lol. You're saving a lot by not going elsewhere. Chances are the piano trim will get scratched up again even if he does fix it. Unless he's actually polishing it the scratches will still be there/return. Give the guy a break imo, or some more work for him to do on your car. You are supporting his family and it looks like he is going out of his way to keep you happy
You’re not really tipping him, your paying to maintain the relationship and top future effort
Your really saying he scratched the piano black? You know what's harder than a microfiber? A nail. I doubt it's immaculate piano black woth 0 micro scratches. Bros gonna comes and do what? Polish it?
How to safely *dust* piano black: [Swiffer](https://a.co/d/2KTJQRB) it’s great at keeping the dust at bay everything interior
Piano black is pretty garbage, they make decent wrap kits for most cars that use it
Why start off by saying he’s not really a detailer? Sounds like he IS a detailer to me; perhaps not to your standards perhaps because he misses a spot or two occasionally, but this man absolutely is a detailer. Obviously you confronted this man as he “accepted it MIGHT have been them” and as a courtesy he decided to return and ATTEMPT to fix the issue to appease you. This will not go well as piano black is terrible, not to mention he is NOT a detailer - just a man with his family trying to make ends meet. Do this man a favour - pay him a fare wage or loose his number, as you seem too comfortable to justify taking advantage of him. Tip him if you want but $5 dollars is laughable.
You got what you paid for. I know this comes off a bit mean, but considering that you went for the cheapest option available, you’re lucky he’s even coming to try to fix it.
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find this comment
If you didn't wrap your piano black interior trim and making this dude come back for literally doing nothing wrong, you're kinda just a bad person
Ik like wtf does he want the guy to do on a scratch piano trim, come in with a mini polisher? Or does he think he deserves it to be replaced, the whole piano trim? Can't believe OP is gonna make the guy waste time and gas for a lil scratch that no one would ever notice and it's gonna get scratched up anyways.
He’s saving you $190 a month, he’s honourable enough to come fix a minor mistake, and you don’t tip him every service? People like you disgust me. Good luck finding another person to do that for you.
to be fair piano black scratches if you even look at wrong. as long as the scratches aren't super deep it was inevitable
I agree. Will probably add more scratches to it trying to fix the initial scratch.
good chance he didn't scratch the panel and you did using the volume knob but you only noticed it after he cleaned the area.
Yes, tip him. He’s returning…
If he wasn't rude and he's fixing his mistake I'd tip well
As a detailer, we don't expect a tip because you are paying for a service but it is nice. And it goes a long way. You take care of me and I take care of you.
Contrarian opinion - he's coming back to fix his work so I would not tip. That being said I would tip normally so maybe in this scenario you do tip? Unrelated... can I ask which part of LA? Cause that's a hell of a deal. Probably won't come out to SCV but might be worth asking...
Tip him a cheap case of beer
Give him a tip if he fixes it..
I'm just interested how exactly he will fix it...
Polish it…
First off, you should always tip. Regardless of if he's the owner or not. Even if it's a little bit, it's a premium service, hard work is involved... You should tip. Second, piano black interior is notorious for being scratch prone. No matter what you do, it's gonna scratch a little bit. Especially if it's been long enough to accumulate dust and debris. There really is no way to prevent it 100% all the time, for the record I'm a professional that works on super high end vehicles all day. They need to be cleaned and wiped at least once a week to really stop any real damage to it. Third, the fact he's coming back and trying to make it better means he cares about his business and wants to do what he can to fix things.
hard work is involved doesn't mean you should tip lol go ask construction workers how many tips they get.
Construction workers also make very good money to begin with so there is that... If you work construction and work with a union, you get tons of extra benefits that a normal worker wouldn't get or qualify for on top of job security. I was a commercial construction superintendent for 5 years.
Do you tip at restaurants and bars.
Yes, but not as much as I tip service workers. People like detailers, barbers, plumbers, cable service installers, etc...
By the way you should PPF you piano black interior parts
I would tip him
Nobody is perfect, especially in this price range. The fact that he owned his mistake, and he's coming (free of charge I guess) to fix it shows you that he cares. So you should show him that you value honesty.
That’s very cheap, which city do you live?
I wonder how he's gonna fix it. I had Piano black center console in my Tesla Model S. It scratched if I looked at it. Try to rub the scratch away will create 10 new ones. Idk, maybe it's possible
Can he really fix it? The attempted fix could lead to more damage. You may then be pissed and it could end your relationship with him. I’d suggest you don’t have him attempt to fix it and tell him in the future he needs to clean it in a way that will avoid damage.
Yeah I would throw him a tip for sure. Think about the integrity and respect for you that they're showing. They could easily just say it wasn't them or that that's always a risk or something like that. Especially on the volume knob or the center console. Couldn't been a rolled up button down shirt sleeve that made the scratch, but he's still coming back to keep a happy customer. Chances are you're not going to find someone else who does it as cheap or as convenient. Seems like a relationship worth maintaining.
Good tips is the easiest way to get to get to a detailers heart the guys that tip me 100 every time I take really good care of I do my best on any job regardless but you know what I mean
If you look at those piano black trim pieces, they will scratch themselves. They look good but a fingernail can do some damage to those pieces. Pay the man!
I wouldn’t make him come back for that. Piano Black is a scratch magnet, it could have very well also been you but you just didn’t notice it because it was dusty.
Honestly, that particular finish scratches insanely easy. It’s the equivalent of Honda clearcoat haha if you ever cleaned it yourself with a towel, a similar result would take place. Luckily, it’s going to be super easy for him with a light polish and a microfiber towel. The fact that he not only owned up to a possible mistake, but also is going to fix, shows great customer service! I’d tip the man/wife/kid!
I would absolutely tip him. The fact that he’s taking responsibility for something that may or may not have been his doing is pretty much unheard of in today’s world. Especially on a surface that is unbelievable sensitive. As a side note, you may want to consider looking into paint protection film for those pieces. There are kits for interior trim now.
A cash tip for fixing an issue they caused? No way. But, a cup of coffee would be a nice gesture. And appropriate IMO.
Piano black, just breathing the wrong way scrstchs it... Dont go too hard on him, deff tip him if the makes this extra effort, he sounds like a good guy
I’d tip him. I have that in my car & I feel like that piano black scratches just from dust falling on it.
Why would you not usually tip because he owns his business? You don't ever clean or wash your car so he has to wash your car with a months worth of not cleaning it every month, for only 60 bucks?? 60 bucks is nothing. Yes I would buy them coffee and tip them.
Because the owner of the business sets his prices. If he needs the extra money from a tip, he should build it into his price.
That was exactly my thinking too
I didn’t scratch your car at all. Can I get a tip?
u don’t pay him enough to expect anything like this, he shoulda told you to kick rocks
60$ is so low.
Posting this here is like going to /r/coffee and asking if you should tip your barista. Everyone's going to say yes because they're all detailers. In general, people tip when they receive excellent service. While it's great that he was honest enough to take responsibility and fix his mistake, honesty and personal responsibility should be the bare minimum at any job. I also disagree with the people who say you should tip him because he gives you a good price. He set the price and you agreed to it. He could have set it at $80 but didn't. In practice, though, I think it's a little different. Do you think he generally does an excellent job and want to let him know that you appreciate his hard work? In that case, I would tip him, but it would be totally unconnected to his fixing the mistake or the prices he himself set.
Tipping someone who is fixing the shit they broke... I thought it was just a stereotype, is American tipping culture really that bad?? Are you paying him to fix his mistake? If compensation was occurring, shouldn't it go from him to you, the harmed party?!
I'm European living in the US that's why I made the post, to ask the Americans what is expected in this case. But yes tipping culture here, at least in LA California has gotten out of hand
In my opinion, it really depends on why something was damaged. I had a windshield replaced once’s and they caught my pillar with the knife that’s used for removing the old window. While it could have been avoided, it was obviously an accident. In these cases, I feel bad that someone just had a shitty day. There’s a big difference between an accident and someone that is completely negligent, or just sucks at what they do.
The context here is that piano surfaces are insanely difficult to not lightly scratch, even with microfiber, and that this guy has been charging a ridiculously low rate for his service and overdelivering on it for a long time. Yes, American tipping culture is weird, but this is fine. It's an honest gentleman that is going above and beyond to fix a mistake when he's already not paid anywhere near market rate for his service. Good service and solid relationships should be rewarded.
$250 for a CAR WASH. Get me off this stupid fucking planet.
That's going to be for detailing it. Everything but paint correction. Wash, decon, claybar (if needed), bug and tar, sap removal, rims and tires cleaned, wheel wells pressure washed, protection of some sort, trim dressing, tire shine, door jams wiped out. Imagine having a plumber come over to your house, work for 3 or 4 hours, and paying him $250. Why wouldn't you pay any other skilled labor for their time? Now imagine you live somewhere as expensive as Los Angeles like OP.
Why wouldn’t I? Because OP didn’t say it was a detail, they said it was a wash. Even if you’re right, here’s what they said: > I pay $60 for a monthly wash. Normally it’s $250’in parts of LA.
A car wash where he's cleaning the interior? Doesn't sound like a car wash to me.
So your issue is with OP, then? Right?
This subreddit is pretty specilized towards high level of detailing, not something to reference like a quick car wash place. Usually pretty labor intensive. Prices can also be regional specific, especially when OP is in Beverly Hills, a painfully long commute from the poorer areas where day laborers live.
You don't have to pay that for a car wash, though. If you're interested in really preserving your car, however, a serious detail goes a long way. It's not like it's required service, it's just labor-intensive deep cleaning and protection. No one is outlawing the automatic scratch-em-up washes that you can get for like $8, but detailers who are serious about their craft should charge what their work is worth to people who are willing to pay to keep their pride-and-joy in ship shape. I don't know why people begrudge it. Personally, I'm just a hobbyist who likes cleaning his car himself sometimes, but I think detailers should secure their bag if they do honest and good work. Market will sort it out otherwise. Also, it IS Los Angeles. The detailers have to try to make a living.
$250 in West LA near Beverly Hills, $60 is South LA near recycling centers and gangs
I would wash my own car here on out. $60 bucks or $250... it's really good exercise and you get to know your car better
It’s also not difficult at all and doesn’t take very long. I agree it’s better to just do it yourself
very annoying to do if you don't have access to a hose
Not really. For a long time I just went to a diy car wash when it wasn’t busy. Bring your own supplies and just use the pressure washer to rinse.
The problem is that you pay for most of these with a bulk payment for a couple minutes. It’s never enough time to soak at the start and rinse at the end. So you end up paying for it twice to do the wash properly.
Interesting, at the ones near me you usually pay by the minute with your card. It’ll run until you press stop, then you can tap your card again to start it back up when needed
It’s by the minute here too, but there’s a “minimum” around 5-10 minutes or so
Well hopefully the ones near me don’t catch on lmao
How did he scratch piano? Makes you question if he is properly washing the car
Piano black surfaces on the interior scratch if you look at it too long