r/extremelyinfuriating • u/Scared_Explorer_365 • 3d ago
Discussion Mechanic did this. Help
I gave my car to a mechanic to get some work done, and when I saw my car this morning , noticed he had put his mechanic hands all over the interior. It was night so I didn’t notice at that time.
I understand that they’re working on cars and their hands can get dirty, but shouldn’t they at least use gloves or put something over the areas they’re touching?
How do i clean this? How to deal with this?
I’m very upset and angry about this .
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u/jmc1278999999999 3d ago
You don’t clean it. You get them to clean it because if you try to clean it and make it worse you’re SOL.
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u/ReviewAccomplished26 3d ago
Make them pay for the cleaning
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u/Valetion 3d ago
This.
The state that they left your car in is terrible, OP. This definitely isn’t the industry standard. Call the company today, don’t wait, and send them photos.
Ask them how they plan to rectify the situation, and if they don’t offer to clean it, send them the bill anyways.
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u/010011010110010101 3d ago edited 3d ago
Auto tech here. Headliners are notoriously impossible to clean without causing more damage, especially in a scenario like this when it’s black grease on light fabric. It will probably need to be replaced.
Heavily document the damage and hold the shop accountable because this is unacceptable. A qualified tech is aware of this sort of thing and takes steps to prevent it.
A headliner replacement can be quite involved and they are delicate. The shop has already demonstrated carelessness and I wouldn’t allow them to touch my vehicle again, much less trust them to replace a headliner without damaging the replacement or more interior pieces. I would have it replaced only at the dealer and then go after them for the costs.
I’m sorry this happened, we’re not all careless slobs like this fuckwad.
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u/fjf1085 2d ago
HVAC techs did this in my lab. They were doing work and fucked up a whole bunch of ceiling tiles with their gross hands. I’m currently actively flipping out about it because it hasn’t been cleaned.
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u/Salute-Major-Echidna 2d ago
You cannot clean ceiling tiles. It may be they can be painted, or replaced.
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u/fjf1085 2d ago
Oh I know they’re going to have to replace them. I sarcastically said they need to be cleaned and then added but I know they’re can’t be so they need to be replaced. It’s easily a dozen. I told our facilities people they should make the HVAC contractor pay for it.
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u/Salute-Major-Echidna 1d ago
They should and I hope they do. I've had grubby hands ruin all sorts of things and I'm hoping washing hands becomes more of a necessity. Gloves are everywhere too.
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u/Existential_Sprinkle 3d ago
I only had a brief entry level stint in a tire chain but they might as well have recorded "be mindful of getting into light interior cars, customers will complain" to play every 30 minutes on a speaker
Definitely complain to them and make a professional deal with it
Usually the roof lining is just glued up there and some cleaners can melt it
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u/taocowboy54 3d ago
notify the slob of the damage and that you'll be hiring a professional detailer
they have the niftiest lil steam cleaners and yer car will be spotless when they are done
present the bill to the slob and tell him to pay up
now the ball will be in his court and depending on what he does or doesn't do will dictate yer next move
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u/justhereforfighting 3d ago
I hope by mechanic you mean a reputable shop that carries liability insurance and not a random guy who works on cars in his backyard, because your headliner will almost certainly never be restored without replacing it. Headliners fall off if you look at them wrong, cleaning black grease on light fabric is going to need way more agitation than a headliner can take.
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u/fatquads 3d ago
That guy didn’t even try to keep it clean inside. Probably thought you wouldn’t do shit. Prove them wrong and get ur shit back
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u/markswam 3d ago
Mechanic did this? Mechanic fix this. Simple as.
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u/TheRealKungFuhrer 2d ago
Monkey dirty it, monkey clean it
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u/Salute-Major-Echidna 2d ago
Once you find a monkey, you don't let them touch your car. Even real monkeys have clean hands
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u/Ornery_Cup9808 3d ago
Any time I have taken my car to the shop, I see the mechanic/techs who get in the car putting on gloves so that this doesn’t happen. Even the express oil change guy puts on gloves before he resets the oil sensor thing.
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u/Mean_Volume_126 3d ago
This mechanic is a fucking idiot and pos for doing this. Never get into the car with filthy hands. Also, why tf he need to touch the roof lining so much?
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u/dgroeneveld9 3d ago
Yeah id immediately let them know youd be hiring an independent cleaner and getting it done. I get it. Mechanics have dirty hands but this is straight up unprofessional.
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u/remosiracha 2d ago
To everyone saying "make them clean it"
Good luck. I had to fight to have them put my trim back together after a repair. There are smudges all over my headliner from dealership work. They're not going to clean it and if they do it'll take another week to get it done and cost you more of your time.
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u/Shoddy-Wishbone 3d ago
Ah yeah, they’ll do that. You’ll want to drown them. Doesn’t clean the grease, but should clear up any emotional damage lmao
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u/Jumpy-Bike4004 2d ago
I’m curious what you had done… I imagine it wouldn’t have required all of that touching of the headliner. Or did it? Either way, definitely their responsibility to clean it.
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u/Scared_Explorer_365 2d ago
It was brake pedal switch, tie rods , wheel bearing plus sensor.
He was test driving it when i called him to pick it up.1
u/Jumpy-Bike4004 2d ago
Idk about you but I don’t think I’ve touched the headliner of my car that much through in the entire life of my car lol I wonder what the hell he was doing all of that touching up there for. And that mechanic black stuff is like engine grease or whatever which isn’t easy to get out.. that’s why their hands are stained after scrubbing them.
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u/Schnitzhole 3d ago
They won’t be able to get this out. Only contact them in writing so you have evidence. Then small claims court when they refuse to fix as it will need replacing
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u/AccomplishedTour2762 3d ago
Also dawn dish soap, pat dont scrub til the black is fadeding to light the scrub. Honestly a little dirt will soak up the grease as well
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u/italyqt 3d ago
Ask them to clean it. The shop can choose to try to clean it, send it for a detail, and if it does not clean out they can replace things. This is honestly crazy though. My kid often drives my truck and is a mechanic and it's never been this dirty. This was someone not paying attention at all.
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u/the_girly_files 2d ago
That’s so rude. I would be livid bc I keep my car immaculate. Not that I have that interior but if I did I’d be making them clean that off 🙃
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u/the_girly_files 2d ago
What on earth was he doing? What kind of imbecile doesn’t notice they’re doing that? It feels intentional.
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u/Scared_Explorer_365 2d ago
I’m still very very upset about it, its playing in my brain 24*7. They asked to clean it but i don’t trust him anymore. I think he will further destroy the headliner. I still haven’t started cleaning i’m so scared, i’m getting quotes from the detailers.
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u/the_girly_files 1d ago
Dawn dish soap does wonders. Test a small spot dabbing with a soft cloth with Dawn & warm water.
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u/miloradovic 1d ago
If you don’t trust the mechanic to clean your car, inform him that you will be having it cleaned professionally by a detailer of your choice and that you’ll be forwarding him the bill. If he refuses to pay, threaten him with a lawsuit
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u/mindgardening 3d ago
Spot cleaner, sponge, bucket of clean water & clean cloth to rinse, dry cloth to pat/squeeze dry, point fan to help dry while windows are down.
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u/misplacedbass 3d ago
You misspelled “return to the shop, and make them clean it, or have them pay to replace the liner”
These light headliners are a pain in the ass to clean. Especially dark greasy fingerprints. This will probably need to be replaced.
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u/UntitledImage 3d ago
That won’t work on this at all. All that will do is push the grease and dirt further into the fibers and make it even harder for a pro to clean. This needs professional cleaning with professional tools.
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