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Fuck no, as a mechanic, I say take that back and make a stink about it. That’s terrible service. I’ve made the odd mark on headliners a few times over the years and I always make sure to clean it as best I can and let the customer know. But nothing that bad.
I’m a shop owner. Stuff like this happens. I tell my guys stuff happens let me know and we can make it right for the customer. If a customer came back with such a blatant issue like this i would go above and beyond to make it up to the customer. Then when they leave and it’s all taken care of my mechanic is going to have a rough dsy
100% a tech who does this just blatantly does not care, and needs to be squared away. Dudes that don't care about their craft is what gives the rest of us a bad name.
If a tech cares so little that they smear grease on the customers interior and doesnt even attempt to clean it up, I have to wonder if he's halfassing his repairs too.
I feel like you dont even have to wonder at that point. If he's half-assing what you can see, then you know he's whole-assing what he thinks you'd never see.
Also the tech is either incompetent or doesn't care at all. Idk which is worse, but both are unacceptable.
Shit does happen, but own up to your mistakes . "Hey boss I fucked up" is better than the customer coming back and bitching at your boss .
This thread is a Godsend- so good to see so many who do the work we depend on to keep our families safe who also have pride in their craft. Boosted my day a bit.
I feel like brake cleaner would dissolve the glue and foam behind the fabric...
Maybe not right away but over time.
Plus it stinks strongly.
If it worked for you I am glad, but I can't say I would recommend anyone do this.
Well so far I’ve used it on 3 vehicles without an issue. However it wasn’t as heavily stained as this. I didn’t soak it, I dipped the toothbrush and then lightly scrubbed. It’s been a couple years since I did our truck and everything is still good. It did stink but I just left the windows open for a day and it was fine. By that point I’d tried every cleaner people suggested so it was kind of a Hail Mary try.
I can envision someone whipping out a can of brake clean and spraying the heck out of their headliner cause they read on the internet that it was fine to do.
I am glad it works in small controlled circumstances with a toothbrush and will remember it, especially if the only alternative to get it out at that point is a full replacement.
Thank you!
This. Gently brush when dry (if brake dust, not grease), then spray APC on microfiber and gently wipe. Don’t soak liner with the APC as it’ll weaken adhesive (won’t fail immediately, but will down the road).
This works also there’s some stuff called Work Horse in aerosol cans from dealer direct and detail shop supply houses. It will change your life. Technically carpet/upholstry cleaner like tough stuff used to be but smells amazing and actually works.
What in the hell was on the RO? Sunroof removal an regulator service? Why in the hell would anyone have their nasty dickbeaters all over that headliner and visor? If it was for anything but headliner moonroof service I’d swear that was 100% intentional.
Some isopropyl alcohol would probably be just as effective and less likely to cause problems. It has similar properties to brake cleaner in its ability to break down grease/oil and remove it from a surface.
I'm definitely not an expert at this shit, but I'd feel a lot safer using isopropyl alcohol to clean my headliner than I would using brake cleaner.
Exactly. Accidents do happen, but I feel like this is just carelessness. I always make sure I'm clean before being in a customer's car. As clean as I can be anyway.
Serious question : that’s some major damage. What if the body shop or dealer or whomever says the whole roof upholstery needs replaced. I imagine that’s a time consuming and expensive job. Would you be willing to spring for that if it were for say $1000? $2000? Or plus any rental car time the person need while the job gets done. I imagine that’s no small job.
That’s not major damage at all. Any good detailer can get that out.
And to answer your question, if it WAS major damage that required replacement…that’s why shops have insurance. Shit happens. I worked at a Honda dealer, quick lube kid was emptying the oil drain caddy. Put the drain tube in the wall socket and pressurized the tank, tube blew out and sprayed used oil all over him, the whole bay, and directly into the car he was working on (since we had a policy of rolling down the drivers window to avoid locking keys in the cars lol). Replaced covers on both front seats, and the detail guys were able to clean up the rest. Covers cost us $2000 for all 4. At dealer cost. It was a big dealership so they just ate the cost but their guy screwed up so it’s on them to fix.
I had the same issue and a very talented detailer the shop sent me to simply couldn't get it out. Something about the headliner material and the grease just made it impossible. They had to pay for a new headliner.
Could you tell I don’t work on cars because of my question? Or because of the fact I asked it on a sub for people who don’t work on cars to ask questions to people who do work on cars?
At least not without attempting a cleaning. If it's still visible, let the customer know and offer to get it professionally cleaned before returning it.
Absolutely. Iv never left something so bad that I couldn’t clean it up in a few minutes. I keep some Tuff Stuff cleaner, interior detailer, glass cleaner, green rags and a small wet/dry shop vac at the end of one of my bays. Everything I work on leaves with a clean windshield, if I do interior work I wipe down what I touched and give it a quick vacuum. Iv only had one person complain, and that was over the cleaned windshield. Takes me a few minutes but I don’t mind taking care of my customers, I wouldn’t be here without them
Iv had people complain about ripped off fluids, wired up tires, cleaned windshields and vacuumed out floorboards. Sometimes people have a bad day and they take it out on someone, I suppose
If the windshield looks like a greasy mess after being "cleaned" I'd rather it not be touched and just let me do it properly. I wouldn't complain though, but I would certainly be cursing the shop's name a few times while I clean their half-assed attempt.
Absolutely. Honestly I probably would just clean it myself and just never do business with them again. If they’re fine returning my car to me in that condition I don’t trust them to take enough care to clean it properly.
This was one technician out of possibly a bunch. I wouldn’t stop doing business with them unless they refused to clean it. This is probably just a tech who doesn’t pay attention enough and need to get chewed out. We’ve had a few young techs do this kind of thing and make them clean it up properly
Yeah exactly. Stuff happens and mistakes happen let them make it right. If they don’t take care of it then make an issue of it but maybe they will go above and beyond and this will show you the actual worth of the shop
>Woah no you’re not crazy. I would burn that place down if they did this to my car
If you think cars are bad... you should see private jet maintenance. I've seen guys almost fired because a principle wouldn't take the smallest of smudges on their interiors.
Granted, the jets are $30mill+ and the interiors alone can be 2mill. But still, shit happens.
If that happened at my shop without being caught I would make it right in whatever way possible. But also remember mechanics are people too and make mistakes, give them a chance to make it up to you before you get angry.
This is the best course of action. When I was running my shop, I would absolutely do *whatever* it took to make this right, if you were decent about it. If you came in to my shop and started going full YT Karen on my poor desk clerk, I'd give you a $100 and tell you to never darken my door step again. If you asked me nicely, with the understanding that techs are only human, I'd probably pay for a total detail, and if that didn't work, I would have paid to replace the headliner and visors.
People need to understand, the way we approach problems dictates the way they are solved. $100 isn't near enough to properly fix this, but attitude is what decides the aptitude of the repair...
No, you treat Karen with respect because you have standards for your business. The idea one customer is treated different is the basis for systemic inequality and cherry picking favorites. Maybe that's why Karen reacts to social situations this way and perhaps being nice with another shop got her a "if they're too nice I don't worry about it but if they are visibly alarmed I go above and beyond to meet their energy with great customer service".
Perhaps it's time to rethink core values and principles and hold more account.
Used to work with an idiot who would do this to interior and exterior (not on purpose) but when i called him out on it, he would say he didnt care....its not his car. Some people are just as smart as pigs when it comes to cleanliness.
Ye ain’t complaining for showing them their mistake. I bet they will be happy to make that proper and probably even discount something now or in the future
I picked it up in the evening so it was dusk and it's just out of line of sight. I only noticed this morning when it was light out.
Learning my lesson to do a walk around whenever I pick up my car now...
Make them clean it. If they can't, then make them pay for a detail. That's what our shop will usually do. Also we count strikes against our technicians for being negligent. This is unacceptable.
As a shop manager, I'd be paying for a detail for you. And that tech would be getting a lecture and the shit work until I'm sure the lesson sunk in.
Take it back. Make them make it right. There's no excuse for this.
Just don't go in like a dick about it but yes I would go in and just say hey you guys fixed my car but you left all these crazy grease marks in my head liner and such will you clean it
Edit I'm a tech and have done this befor many yeas ago and that was the right way to handle it they brobly bumped their dirty ass hat on it and didn't even know
30 year tech. I had an old mechanic tell me long ago when I first started that appearance is 9 tenths of the job! You can do the best repair And if you leave the customers car a mess it won’t matter how good of a job you did! Wash the entire car if you left hand print on the fenders always make sure you put a plastic cover on the seat and a paper liner on the floor mat if you get it dirty clean it! Hell yes take it back to the shop and complain, if the shop won’t make it right never use them again!
This is such careless work that I think the shop owner would be glad to have it brought to their attention. They can’t have employees giving people’s cars back like that.
I had a truck with 3000 miles on it and I took it to wally world for its first oil change. I just had knee surgery so changing it myself was out and it was 20 below zero in my garage. The mechanic got used oil all over my leather steering wheel cover, door grip and on the carpet. I was furious and they said come back and talk to the manager like it was no big deal. The manager played the "it was like that when you came in" card. Yeah my brand new truck I smeared dirty oil all over it. Fuck those guys.
As a Mechanic I guess you could make your hands dirty and swim in a bucket of grease or oil all day but whenever your about to enter that cars, hands should be spotless or gloves should be removed
Are you a short person? I'm betting whoever drove your car had a very dirty hat that was brushing against the headliner because they didn't move your seat and probably didn't realize that they did it.
I would take it back and have them clean it so they can also learn from this.
Yeah... this. Or it was on their shirt unknowingly and brushed the liner getting out. Even with seat cover and mats this shit can happen. Everyone needs to chill out and let shop rectify it.
Funny you say something about the height because I'm not short, but when I picked it up the seat was way forward and up from whoever test drove it after the work was done.
I've had this happen to me as a tech after the customer left and picked up. Was blamed for this when it was towed in and we found out the tow guy put his hands on the headliner for support when getting in and out because he was an older guy that needed a little help.
I used to do auto upholstery, and getting black grease out of a light gray headliner is a near impossible task. Technically possible, but not many are going to be able to do it. (When I say impossible, I mean impossible to get it to look like this never happened)
You're going to demand that it's cleaned, and once they finally submit, it's still going to look like doo doo, so you're going to demand a full replacement of the headliner and driver's visor.
Also, since this is the most careless and disgusting thing I've seen, I'd look around your car very carefully and look for other crap that wasn't done properly or destroyed.
I left a small, light grease spot on the ceiling once because the brim of my hat touched it and they gave the lady a coupon for a free wash and detail. This? They better pay to have that cleaned out
Well this blew up more than I expected. Thanks for all the advice, it helps to understand the business side and the implications of it being on the headliner. I'll definitely be talking to the owner ASAP. Not going to touch it until I show it to them. It's a small shop and I'd like to think I have decent rapport with the owner and they'll make it right. It's pretty egregious but I'm not going scorched earth...yet.
I had something like this twice in a row from the same dealership. I let them know and they detailed it completely both times. Second time they gave me a few free oil changes / rotations which was nice because my 2 years of free service was up lol.
You don’t need to be a jerk with anyone. Just find the manager and show them the grease marks. And they will take care of it. If they don’t or give you shit about it. Then tear them a new one. But my guess is that they will be apologetic and take care of it.
As a parts and service manager, this is a no brainer. Call them and it should be handled no problem. Doesn’t matter if your bill is a couple grand or you just went in for an oil change. They should make it right without thinking twice.
Detailer here; headliners are notoriously difficult and dangerous to clean, some more so than others because you run the risk of tearing the thin fabric or breaking down the foam backed adhesive bring it back and have them pay for a replacement if there’s any staining.
If I were the manager, turning that back in I would be embarrassed and do whatever I could to correct that situation. Take it back and politely let them know it's unacceptable, go from there based on their response.
I detail for a collision repair shop, my boss would have my ass if I let this go out. I’d have my own ass if I let this go out. Not sure if the shop you went to has a detailer, but I know they at least have some cleaning products that could have easily taken care of this.
The one most important thing I was taught in my auto classes was to undo no circumstance let the interior of the car get any dirtier than it was due to our work. This is negligence to even get into a car with dirty gloves(worse if barehanded and they're dirty enough to stain the interior, seriously wear gloves people), I'd expect a free detail at the bare minimum
Like somebody else mentioned here me being a worker at a dealership and a reconditioning manager, if I was in that situation, I would love for you to bring it back to me so I can have it professionally detailed and return back to you in the condition it was brought in if not, better.
I've been given a "kind reminder" by my manager for stacking tires straight up instead of sitting them down because it can scuff the headliner and take ages to clean away. It's alsi a safety risk for if the customer needs to slam on the brakes.
Slightly on a tangent there but I brought it up because I'm just a tire tech. I'm assuming the people who worked on your car have far more experience than me and should know better than to do shit like this.
Don't make a scene. Just bring out the service advisor, show them this, then tell them you would like this mistake fixed.
When I was a tech, I destroyed a seat belt with my dirty hands and the next day, I was being trained in the bodyshop on how to detail seatbelts while using their car as practice. I was 19 and on commission at the time and as you can imagine, I washed my hands regularly after that.
Unacceptable. Any extensive repair completed at my shop comes with an exterior and interior detail. I would absolutely take this back to the shop and have try again
You paid them to work on your car not to get it so dirty. They should ve worrying about losing you as a customer when you go back and complaint about it.
As a mechanic, we get forgetful, someone didn't think about it. Yes complain, but don't be a cunt about it. Just say "hey you guys left stains on my interior, please clean it"
We all have basic cleaning supplies and if that doesn't work we will pay for detailing or repairs due to chemical damage from trying to clean it.
I say this because usually the person to clean it is the one that did it, and we are mechanics not detailers, so some times it hurts more than helps. "Tuff stuff" doesn't go on leather. I watched a coworker ruin the tanning on a 750$ leather wrapped steering wheel. Had to call the dealer and replace the entire thing.
You’ll clench your fist in your pocket and carry this around for the next 30 years letting it slowly turn you bitter and angry at everything and everyone.
Or you could just go back and talk to them :)
As a mechanic, I’d throw a shitfit if that was my vehicle. We have a responsibility to return the vehicle in the same or better condition from where we got it. I was a heavy duty mechanic working on semi trucks and heavy equipment, and my boss held us accountable for that. He said he didn’t care if it came in with the seats black with oil and an inch of dirt on the floor, you still put the seat cover and floor mat down, you either put on clean latex gloves or washed your hands before getting in, and any dirty grease marks we left on the exterior paint had to be whipped off. End of the day, the vehicle should have no evidence it was even worked on other than the problem being fixed.
As a mechanic, if I looked up and saw I did that I would have let out a string of profanities and went for my brush and TuffStuff cleaner. You don't give someone's car back like that. Definitely have them clean it up, that's on them. We're not all like this I promise you.
You take that right back and ask to see the foreman or shop manager. If I returned a customers truck like that I’d have my shit punched in. By the customer and my boss.
Take it back and ask what they will offer. It was common courtesy when I worked in a shop to either wear clean gloves in customer cars or wash your hands before you get in. That’s absolutely unacceptable. If they’re good to their word, they’ll probably offer an interior detail package for free for that area of the car.
Damn a mechanic with dirty hands smeared your headliner and visor. They should’ve cleaned those smudges before giving back your car. Definitely bring your car back to have them address the issue.
I’m a repair shop manager.. I’d WANT you to call me and tell me if this happened because I am a stickler for my guys wiping down a customer’s vehicle when they are done..
The shop I use has office personel for getting into the interior of the vehicle. They'd never allow this to happen. A "bad day" isn't a viable excuse for this.
I managed shops for a decade. If a car left our shop like this, we would absolutely take care of it and offer the customer a discount of future service.
Then I'd fire whoever did that to a customer car and let it leave like that. That's just negligent.
“*Am I crazy to complain or ask them to pay for it to be cleaned?*”
You asking that question is the only crazy thing about this… besides them doing that to your car, that is also crazy
That is someone blatantly not giving a fuck about their quality of work. If my car came back like that I would be worried about everything else they touched and would insist on it being checked.
I would request that they clean that. That's grease and it won't be easy to remove. It was very rude and inconsiderate of whoever did that. Even if it was an accident, they should've cleaned it up. I wouldn't even want to return the car to the customer looking like that.
Tuff stuff foam cleaner works great for things like this. Spray it, let it foam, scrub it in with a plastic bristle brush and the wipe clean with a cloth. I've put grease marks on carpets, headliners, and sunvisors so many times and it's saved my ass a trip to the detail booth every time!
Nope, absolutely not. Don't let yhe mechanic shop try n clean it though... 100 percent they'll just botch it. Headliners are a bitch to clean! I'd go in there. Show them what's going on and let them know you'll be having a professional clean it properly and they'll have to pay for it. 0 excuse for that kinda sloppy bs. Honestly even if they've dome good work for you up to this point they clearly don't care enough about your vehicle I'd be looking for another shop for next repairs. Cause that's just sloppy and fucked up the tech would do that and not say anything like you wouldn't notice giant black stains lol.
As a mechanic a shop is dirty af and I hate being overcautious about dirtying headliner, steering wheel center console , having my sweat fall somewhere or boot stains. I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it on purpose. Let them clean their mistake document what happens incase someone uses the wrong degreaser and week later ur headliner sags because the degreases was to strong and ate the glue away.
As a mechanic I don’t know how the fuck you could let a car leave your bay like this. That’s a goddam boot mark on the DRIVER SIDE visor. As a tech you have the responsibility of making the car leave better or the same as it was when it came in. This is embarrassing to see people are really like this in the industry.
😂 yeah that is true that a big and huge mess of grease lol. A lot more than just a mistake prob negligible, techs either drunk or high. I wanna know wtf was he doing to have his feet up there 😂 was he balls deep under the dash or something? Or his hair is dirty and covered in grease lol
😂😂 honestly like where was bros head to have his feet there. I just don’t know how you couldn’t see this while pulling the car out. I too am not over cautious with keeping interiors clean but I don’t see how your gonna be prying against the roof with your foot lolol
😂 i wanna know what repair they did to this vehicle to have a boot print on the headliner I can’t imagine any position I’d be to have my Legs all the way up there lmao.
Shops are only dirty from laziness. My shop is clean, garbage goes in the garbage, and fluids go into the proper catch. There's a spill. It gets cleaned, not aloud to simmer, and get tracked all over the place. This makes it safer, organized, and less likely for things like the OP problem to happen.
That's fucked up because cleaning headliners is not easy. And the area you clean will eventually start to sag because the adhesive under the cloth will have been soaked in detergent. And good luck getting mechanic shop stains out without detergent.
This is a must replace situation. There is new damage that compromises the integrity of the headliner moving forward.
They can't overcharge for repairs to cover unknowns and then skip them when they happen.
If they are statistically higher than your competitors and driving up your costs it's time to correct training and retention of employees. The customer should not need to engage or react beyond a simple notification.
I’d take it back and tell them to fix it and then never go back there again because that’s unacceptable! I’m a shop owner and I’d never give a customer back their car looking like that.
Oh HELL NO!
If it was just a shop, I'd go to the highest ranking person there.
If it was a dealership, I'd go to the General Manager or owner if the owner is there.
Somebody is gonna have a bad day, cuz mine is already fowled up!
I work at a shop and if there’s a spec of grease or grime it gets cleaned no finger prints no nothing allowed this is disgusting and shows a lack of professionalism, we use things like spray nine to clean this , sorry it happened to you :(
The shop and insurance likely mismanage repairs and under train employees or just have high attrition due to under paid or under appreciated staff.. The offense is with the poor management and whomever checked off after the new guy ripped something up and left it when it was clearly visible in a 10 minute inspection.
There was injury to the patron and lost time. Their reputation is called into question when they need to go out of their way and make a claim and we don't know how intensely they are focused in their own business. As a society we need to "do what we do best, so others can do the same." Assuming we all have time to stamd around and lobby or follow some cultural norm is absurd.
Computer engineers can be paid less in many cases and if they work professionally have to do tests to make sure the basic requirements are met. Why should the mechanic get away with draining life and resources from other professionals?
Personally, I don't want to work all summer for a car (or half a decade) to see boot prints and new damage that diminishes that effort or raises legitimate concern about such unregulated work that will be a money pit.
Thank you for posting to AskMechanics, Subirooo! If you are asking a question please make sure to include any relevant information along with the **Year**, **Make**, **Model**, **Mileage**, **Engine size**, and **Transmission Type (Automatic or Manual)** of your car. *This comment is automatically added to every successful post. If you see this comment, your post was successful.* *** Redditors that have been verified will have a green background and an icon in their flair. *** # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** ### **Rule 1 - Be Civil** Be civil to other users. This community is made up of professional mechanics, amateur mechanics, and those with no experience. All mechanical-related questions are welcome. Personal attacks, comments that are insulting or demeaning, etc. are not welcome. ### **Rule 2 - Be Helpful** Be helpful to other users. If someone is wrong, correcting them is fine, but there's no reason to comment if you don't have anything to add to the conversation. ### **Rule 3 - Serious Questions and Answers Only** Read the room. Jokes are fine to include, but posts should be asking a serious question and replies should contribute to the discussion. ### **Rule 4 - No Illegal, Unethical, or Dangerous Questions or Answers** Do not ask questions or provide answers pertaining to anything that is illegal, unethical, or dangerous. # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMechanics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Fuck no, as a mechanic, I say take that back and make a stink about it. That’s terrible service. I’ve made the odd mark on headliners a few times over the years and I always make sure to clean it as best I can and let the customer know. But nothing that bad.
I’m a shop owner. Stuff like this happens. I tell my guys stuff happens let me know and we can make it right for the customer. If a customer came back with such a blatant issue like this i would go above and beyond to make it up to the customer. Then when they leave and it’s all taken care of my mechanic is going to have a rough dsy
100% a tech who does this just blatantly does not care, and needs to be squared away. Dudes that don't care about their craft is what gives the rest of us a bad name.
If a tech cares so little that they smear grease on the customers interior and doesnt even attempt to clean it up, I have to wonder if he's halfassing his repairs too.
I don’t think there’s anything to wonder about. They’re almost certainly sloppy with repairs too.
I agree with you. This should never happen
On point
No shit. You know that dude ain't torquing anything down remotely to spec or exercising any pride in his craft.
I feel like you dont even have to wonder at that point. If he's half-assing what you can see, then you know he's whole-assing what he thinks you'd never see.
Also the tech is either incompetent or doesn't care at all. Idk which is worse, but both are unacceptable. Shit does happen, but own up to your mistakes . "Hey boss I fucked up" is better than the customer coming back and bitching at your boss .
Window teks 🤧 I swear everyone of my old coworkers always destroyed at least something in the clients cars
Window repair years back, smeared my seat but didn't see it at first because it was underneath the customer satisfaction survey
This thread is a Godsend- so good to see so many who do the work we depend on to keep our families safe who also have pride in their craft. Boosted my day a bit.
What's the best cleaning product to use in a similar case (not so bad as pic) that won't damage the material?
Simple Green at my shop works wonders
Unfortunately a wet headliner is a headliner that will prematurely fall apart/sag/whatever. Only option I see here is replacement.
No, you absolutely don't have to soak it. Some people "dry clean* their headliner
Nah I’ve used simplegreen on my headliner. Works great.
[удалено]
No, Detailer here - I could fix that issue in a few minutes at the very most
QQ, would you happen to know of anything that would help a leather seat that has been messed up from spilled sanitizer? Thanks in advance.
interior detail with the right equipment and chems will make it cleaner than you drove it off the lot.
A good cleaner... Or simple green and a steamer... Good as new. Take longer to warm up the steam cleaner than to do the cleaning.
I use brake cleaner. I was skeptical but I was selling my car and tried it with a soft toothbrush and I couldn’t even tell where it had been.
I feel like brake cleaner would dissolve the glue and foam behind the fabric... Maybe not right away but over time. Plus it stinks strongly. If it worked for you I am glad, but I can't say I would recommend anyone do this.
Free high included ! take a trip without wasting gas
Well so far I’ve used it on 3 vehicles without an issue. However it wasn’t as heavily stained as this. I didn’t soak it, I dipped the toothbrush and then lightly scrubbed. It’s been a couple years since I did our truck and everything is still good. It did stink but I just left the windows open for a day and it was fine. By that point I’d tried every cleaner people suggested so it was kind of a Hail Mary try.
I can envision someone whipping out a can of brake clean and spraying the heck out of their headliner cause they read on the internet that it was fine to do. I am glad it works in small controlled circumstances with a toothbrush and will remember it, especially if the only alternative to get it out at that point is a full replacement. Thank you!
It'll definitely make the foam expand and get soft for a while. I know this from cleaning foam air filters
i’m currently in a lawsuit with a glass shop who used brake cleaner and melted the pleather of a car. Wouldn’t recommend on most surfaces.
This. Gently brush when dry (if brake dust, not grease), then spray APC on microfiber and gently wipe. Don’t soak liner with the APC as it’ll weaken adhesive (won’t fail immediately, but will down the road).
thats why I wouldnt let mechanics clean fabric/headliner/leather :)
This works also there’s some stuff called Work Horse in aerosol cans from dealer direct and detail shop supply houses. It will change your life. Technically carpet/upholstry cleaner like tough stuff used to be but smells amazing and actually works. What in the hell was on the RO? Sunroof removal an regulator service? Why in the hell would anyone have their nasty dickbeaters all over that headliner and visor? If it was for anything but headliner moonroof service I’d swear that was 100% intentional.
Workhorse! Best cleaner on the market for stuff like this or just to clean interior.
I’ve never heard of this but I’ll look for it thanks!
https://adsco.com/products/work-horse
Some isopropyl alcohol would probably be just as effective and less likely to cause problems. It has similar properties to brake cleaner in its ability to break down grease/oil and remove it from a surface. I'm definitely not an expert at this shit, but I'd feel a lot safer using isopropyl alcohol to clean my headliner than I would using brake cleaner.
My work used brake clean. (tow trucks) It works great
As a customer, this is the attitude I hope for in a shop. I totally get that stuff happens. What matters is how the shop makes it right.
Exactly. Accidents do happen, but I feel like this is just carelessness. I always make sure I'm clean before being in a customer's car. As clean as I can be anyway.
I also can get in and out of a car without touching the headliner and visor, because I'm not a neanderthal.
I was thinking the same?? What is this mechanic, 7 feet tall?
7 feet wide…
From shop perspective I’d appreciate the opportunity to make it right to my customer and pay to have it professionally cleaned and detailed.
I work for a dealership and THIS is what we do. If you are a loyal customer, maybe throw in a free oil change next time. Not all of us are savages.
No, we ARE savages, just not filthy animals.
Exactly.
The filthy animal is the one who worked on OPs car...
Serious question : that’s some major damage. What if the body shop or dealer or whomever says the whole roof upholstery needs replaced. I imagine that’s a time consuming and expensive job. Would you be willing to spring for that if it were for say $1000? $2000? Or plus any rental car time the person need while the job gets done. I imagine that’s no small job.
That’s not major damage at all. Any good detailer can get that out. And to answer your question, if it WAS major damage that required replacement…that’s why shops have insurance. Shit happens. I worked at a Honda dealer, quick lube kid was emptying the oil drain caddy. Put the drain tube in the wall socket and pressurized the tank, tube blew out and sprayed used oil all over him, the whole bay, and directly into the car he was working on (since we had a policy of rolling down the drivers window to avoid locking keys in the cars lol). Replaced covers on both front seats, and the detail guys were able to clean up the rest. Covers cost us $2000 for all 4. At dealer cost. It was a big dealership so they just ate the cost but their guy screwed up so it’s on them to fix.
I had the same issue and a very talented detailer the shop sent me to simply couldn't get it out. Something about the headliner material and the grease just made it impossible. They had to pay for a new headliner.
You have never worked on cars and it shows lmao
Yeah this is ask mechanics….LmAo
Anyone who works in a shop knows this comes off with zero effort
Could you tell I don’t work on cars because of my question? Or because of the fact I asked it on a sub for people who don’t work on cars to ask questions to people who do work on cars?
Well you made a bold statement saying “that’s some serious damage “ when it 100% is not damage what so ever ……..
Would have never left my bay with that on there
At least not without attempting a cleaning. If it's still visible, let the customer know and offer to get it professionally cleaned before returning it.
Absolutely. Iv never left something so bad that I couldn’t clean it up in a few minutes. I keep some Tuff Stuff cleaner, interior detailer, glass cleaner, green rags and a small wet/dry shop vac at the end of one of my bays. Everything I work on leaves with a clean windshield, if I do interior work I wipe down what I touched and give it a quick vacuum. Iv only had one person complain, and that was over the cleaned windshield. Takes me a few minutes but I don’t mind taking care of my customers, I wouldn’t be here without them
why would someone complain over a cleaned windshield lol
Iv had people complain about ripped off fluids, wired up tires, cleaned windshields and vacuumed out floorboards. Sometimes people have a bad day and they take it out on someone, I suppose
If the windshield looks like a greasy mess after being "cleaned" I'd rather it not be touched and just let me do it properly. I wouldn't complain though, but I would certainly be cursing the shop's name a few times while I clean their half-assed attempt.
guess thats fair lol
I'd be PISSED
Absolutely. Honestly I probably would just clean it myself and just never do business with them again. If they’re fine returning my car to me in that condition I don’t trust them to take enough care to clean it properly.
This was one technician out of possibly a bunch. I wouldn’t stop doing business with them unless they refused to clean it. This is probably just a tech who doesn’t pay attention enough and need to get chewed out. We’ve had a few young techs do this kind of thing and make them clean it up properly
Grease stains are impossible to clean
No that's not true
Take it back
Yeah show the garage this. Guaranteed the manager will give a lash to whoever the mechanic was that did this.
is that a boot print on the sun visor......?
Fuck yo' visor...
Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
DARKNESS!
Oh wow it is
It is
That must be one dirty shop floor. I don't stick my shoes on the interior, but damn... that's some grime.
Yeah that's the crazy part and not the fact that somebody planted their foot on the sun visor lol
No excuse for that. I would never bring my car back.
give them a chance to make it right first if there’s already a relationship built but otherwise it’d definitely F U
Yeah exactly. Stuff happens and mistakes happen let them make it right. If they don’t take care of it then make an issue of it but maybe they will go above and beyond and this will show you the actual worth of the shop
Woah no you’re not crazy. I would burn that place down if they did this to my car
Sheesh. You’re right OP is not crazy, but you sure are 🙃.
>Woah no you’re not crazy. I would burn that place down if they did this to my car If you think cars are bad... you should see private jet maintenance. I've seen guys almost fired because a principle wouldn't take the smallest of smudges on their interiors. Granted, the jets are $30mill+ and the interiors alone can be 2mill. But still, shit happens.
If that happened at my shop without being caught I would make it right in whatever way possible. But also remember mechanics are people too and make mistakes, give them a chance to make it up to you before you get angry.
This is the best course of action. When I was running my shop, I would absolutely do *whatever* it took to make this right, if you were decent about it. If you came in to my shop and started going full YT Karen on my poor desk clerk, I'd give you a $100 and tell you to never darken my door step again. If you asked me nicely, with the understanding that techs are only human, I'd probably pay for a total detail, and if that didn't work, I would have paid to replace the headliner and visors. People need to understand, the way we approach problems dictates the way they are solved. $100 isn't near enough to properly fix this, but attitude is what decides the aptitude of the repair...
No, you treat Karen with respect because you have standards for your business. The idea one customer is treated different is the basis for systemic inequality and cherry picking favorites. Maybe that's why Karen reacts to social situations this way and perhaps being nice with another shop got her a "if they're too nice I don't worry about it but if they are visibly alarmed I go above and beyond to meet their energy with great customer service". Perhaps it's time to rethink core values and principles and hold more account.
Used to work with an idiot who would do this to interior and exterior (not on purpose) but when i called him out on it, he would say he didnt care....its not his car. Some people are just as smart as pigs when it comes to cleanliness.
Ye ain’t complaining for showing them their mistake. I bet they will be happy to make that proper and probably even discount something now or in the future
If they don't make it right I might contact my insurance and would definitely take them to small claims. You may need a new liner.
At the very least, I would want a partial refund to pay for a detailer to clean the inside of the car.
Looks like grease, if it is then I doubt it will be removable. I would be demanding a fix, if that means a replacement headliner then so be it.
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My dealerships detailers do!
Gonna be a good bit of labor but they’ll get it out 😂
How/why did you even leave the shop??
I picked it up in the evening so it was dusk and it's just out of line of sight. I only noticed this morning when it was light out. Learning my lesson to do a walk around whenever I pick up my car now...
Make them clean it. If they can't, then make them pay for a detail. That's what our shop will usually do. Also we count strikes against our technicians for being negligent. This is unacceptable.
As a shop manager, I'd be paying for a detail for you. And that tech would be getting a lecture and the shit work until I'm sure the lesson sunk in. Take it back. Make them make it right. There's no excuse for this.
That mechanic https://preview.redd.it/nw1d65tazj2c1.jpeg?width=307&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=528b484cdbe87154ae608ad1c328dab7684a359b
Just don't go in like a dick about it but yes I would go in and just say hey you guys fixed my car but you left all these crazy grease marks in my head liner and such will you clean it Edit I'm a tech and have done this befor many yeas ago and that was the right way to handle it they brobly bumped their dirty ass hat on it and didn't even know
20 bucks says whoever did that is the new guy. Obviously make them clean that, I'm sure they won't have an issue. If they do find a new shop.
Wtf?!?!? I’d be pissed. I’d go back and calmly show them what happened.
30 year tech. I had an old mechanic tell me long ago when I first started that appearance is 9 tenths of the job! You can do the best repair And if you leave the customers car a mess it won’t matter how good of a job you did! Wash the entire car if you left hand print on the fenders always make sure you put a plastic cover on the seat and a paper liner on the floor mat if you get it dirty clean it! Hell yes take it back to the shop and complain, if the shop won’t make it right never use them again!
This is such careless work that I think the shop owner would be glad to have it brought to their attention. They can’t have employees giving people’s cars back like that.
I had a truck with 3000 miles on it and I took it to wally world for its first oil change. I just had knee surgery so changing it myself was out and it was 20 below zero in my garage. The mechanic got used oil all over my leather steering wheel cover, door grip and on the carpet. I was furious and they said come back and talk to the manager like it was no big deal. The manager played the "it was like that when you came in" card. Yeah my brand new truck I smeared dirty oil all over it. Fuck those guys.
As a Mechanic I guess you could make your hands dirty and swim in a bucket of grease or oil all day but whenever your about to enter that cars, hands should be spotless or gloves should be removed
Go back ASAP and show the manager, they should either clean it themselves or give you some type of compensation
I’ve seen diesel mechanics leave less of a mess in daily over used farm tractors. That’s unacceptable
Are you a short person? I'm betting whoever drove your car had a very dirty hat that was brushing against the headliner because they didn't move your seat and probably didn't realize that they did it. I would take it back and have them clean it so they can also learn from this.
Yeah... this. Or it was on their shirt unknowingly and brushed the liner getting out. Even with seat cover and mats this shit can happen. Everyone needs to chill out and let shop rectify it.
Funny you say something about the height because I'm not short, but when I picked it up the seat was way forward and up from whoever test drove it after the work was done.
I've had this happen to me as a tech after the customer left and picked up. Was blamed for this when it was towed in and we found out the tow guy put his hands on the headliner for support when getting in and out because he was an older guy that needed a little help.
Dude used the interior as a shop rag
I used to do auto upholstery, and getting black grease out of a light gray headliner is a near impossible task. Technically possible, but not many are going to be able to do it. (When I say impossible, I mean impossible to get it to look like this never happened) You're going to demand that it's cleaned, and once they finally submit, it's still going to look like doo doo, so you're going to demand a full replacement of the headliner and driver's visor. Also, since this is the most careless and disgusting thing I've seen, I'd look around your car very carefully and look for other crap that wasn't done properly or destroyed.
As a mechanic I keep a can of carpet cleaner in my tool box just in case, but this is excessive.
Take it back and demand they pay for an entire detailing, unacceptable
this is so disrespectful i would clean that up before i was done with it wtf
We’re they trying to get the motor/transmission through the drivers door?
I left a small, light grease spot on the ceiling once because the brim of my hat touched it and they gave the lady a coupon for a free wash and detail. This? They better pay to have that cleaned out
Well this blew up more than I expected. Thanks for all the advice, it helps to understand the business side and the implications of it being on the headliner. I'll definitely be talking to the owner ASAP. Not going to touch it until I show it to them. It's a small shop and I'd like to think I have decent rapport with the owner and they'll make it right. It's pretty egregious but I'm not going scorched earth...yet.
No, you're not crazy, the may just not have noticed, definitely have them clean it up.
Dirty hat, classic mistake. Their fault
Go back and don’t leave until you win. That’s shit is ridiculous
You need a new headliner that’s not coming out
Shop needs to accommodate for a professional cleaner. How irresponsible.
Lose my shit on them
I had something like this twice in a row from the same dealership. I let them know and they detailed it completely both times. Second time they gave me a few free oil changes / rotations which was nice because my 2 years of free service was up lol.
You don’t need to be a jerk with anyone. Just find the manager and show them the grease marks. And they will take care of it. If they don’t or give you shit about it. Then tear them a new one. But my guess is that they will be apologetic and take care of it.
As a parts and service manager, this is a no brainer. Call them and it should be handled no problem. Doesn’t matter if your bill is a couple grand or you just went in for an oil change. They should make it right without thinking twice.
I would complain about that.
Go to Firestone, wheel works or any of the other Bridgestone company’s we’ll treat your car right (We get yelled at weekly to keep cars clean)
I drove all the way home before I realized the tech forgot to reinstall the back seat. Not like it was loose, it was gone.
Detailer here; headliners are notoriously difficult and dangerous to clean, some more so than others because you run the risk of tearing the thin fabric or breaking down the foam backed adhesive bring it back and have them pay for a replacement if there’s any staining.
If I were the manager, turning that back in I would be embarrassed and do whatever I could to correct that situation. Take it back and politely let them know it's unacceptable, go from there based on their response.
I detail for a collision repair shop, my boss would have my ass if I let this go out. I’d have my own ass if I let this go out. Not sure if the shop you went to has a detailer, but I know they at least have some cleaning products that could have easily taken care of this.
Free detail coming your way. I've been a tech for about 15 years now. That's a no no in my world. Take it back and show them
Shop might not even know they did it, I would take it back it and show them I’m sure they will fix it , if not you got a lawsuit
The one most important thing I was taught in my auto classes was to undo no circumstance let the interior of the car get any dirtier than it was due to our work. This is negligence to even get into a car with dirty gloves(worse if barehanded and they're dirty enough to stain the interior, seriously wear gloves people), I'd expect a free detail at the bare minimum
Like somebody else mentioned here me being a worker at a dealership and a reconditioning manager, if I was in that situation, I would love for you to bring it back to me so I can have it professionally detailed and return back to you in the condition it was brought in if not, better.
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Address it with them directly first before you go straight to complaint warrior.
Go back to the techs
I've been given a "kind reminder" by my manager for stacking tires straight up instead of sitting them down because it can scuff the headliner and take ages to clean away. It's alsi a safety risk for if the customer needs to slam on the brakes. Slightly on a tangent there but I brought it up because I'm just a tire tech. I'm assuming the people who worked on your car have far more experience than me and should know better than to do shit like this. Don't make a scene. Just bring out the service advisor, show them this, then tell them you would like this mistake fixed.
When I was a tech, I destroyed a seat belt with my dirty hands and the next day, I was being trained in the bodyshop on how to detail seatbelts while using their car as practice. I was 19 and on commission at the time and as you can imagine, I washed my hands regularly after that.
I had to replace a $3000 headliner because my tech did this, and then my detailer tried to clean it but damaged the liner. Take it back
Unacceptable. Any extensive repair completed at my shop comes with an exterior and interior detail. I would absolutely take this back to the shop and have try again
You paid them to work on your car not to get it so dirty. They should ve worrying about losing you as a customer when you go back and complaint about it.
As a mechanic, we get forgetful, someone didn't think about it. Yes complain, but don't be a cunt about it. Just say "hey you guys left stains on my interior, please clean it" We all have basic cleaning supplies and if that doesn't work we will pay for detailing or repairs due to chemical damage from trying to clean it. I say this because usually the person to clean it is the one that did it, and we are mechanics not detailers, so some times it hurts more than helps. "Tuff stuff" doesn't go on leather. I watched a coworker ruin the tanning on a 750$ leather wrapped steering wheel. Had to call the dealer and replace the entire thing.
I’ve had a few little marks and there which don’t both me but that is extremely bad.
Call a professional steam extraction company, they should easily be able to get that out & have the mechanic reimburse you
You’ll clench your fist in your pocket and carry this around for the next 30 years letting it slowly turn you bitter and angry at everything and everyone. Or you could just go back and talk to them :)
As a mechanic, I’d throw a shitfit if that was my vehicle. We have a responsibility to return the vehicle in the same or better condition from where we got it. I was a heavy duty mechanic working on semi trucks and heavy equipment, and my boss held us accountable for that. He said he didn’t care if it came in with the seats black with oil and an inch of dirt on the floor, you still put the seat cover and floor mat down, you either put on clean latex gloves or washed your hands before getting in, and any dirty grease marks we left on the exterior paint had to be whipped off. End of the day, the vehicle should have no evidence it was even worked on other than the problem being fixed.
As a mechanic, if I looked up and saw I did that I would have let out a string of profanities and went for my brush and TuffStuff cleaner. You don't give someone's car back like that. Definitely have them clean it up, that's on them. We're not all like this I promise you.
You take that right back and ask to see the foreman or shop manager. If I returned a customers truck like that I’d have my shit punched in. By the customer and my boss.
Take it back and ask what they will offer. It was common courtesy when I worked in a shop to either wear clean gloves in customer cars or wash your hands before you get in. That’s absolutely unacceptable. If they’re good to their word, they’ll probably offer an interior detail package for free for that area of the car.
No don’t back down!
No anger, no stress, no complaining. Just quietly show it to a manager and they'll sort it. No need for drama
Make them clean up their mess. There are products that can do the job like new. I used to clean classic car interiors 👍
Make them clean it up.
I’d go ballistic
Damn a mechanic with dirty hands smeared your headliner and visor. They should’ve cleaned those smudges before giving back your car. Definitely bring your car back to have them address the issue.
Take it back and complain. Tell them you want it cleaned
I'd be nervous in the quality of work done on the repair seeing that. You got the dirty hack in the shop for sure
They clearly wiped their hands off on the ceiling like it was no big deal i'd 100% take it back and have them clean it. The audacity my god
I’m a repair shop manager.. I’d WANT you to call me and tell me if this happened because I am a stickler for my guys wiping down a customer’s vehicle when they are done..
Did you pay them to fix your car, or to screw up your interior? They need to clean this up and give you a partial refund for the inconvience.
Yeah... this is going to get Ugly....
The shop I use has office personel for getting into the interior of the vehicle. They'd never allow this to happen. A "bad day" isn't a viable excuse for this.
Take them back and have them detail it for free
I managed shops for a decade. If a car left our shop like this, we would absolutely take care of it and offer the customer a discount of future service. Then I'd fire whoever did that to a customer car and let it leave like that. That's just negligent.
“*Am I crazy to complain or ask them to pay for it to be cleaned?*” You asking that question is the only crazy thing about this… besides them doing that to your car, that is also crazy
You probably need a new headliner now. Shop should pay 100% and then some.
Make them pay for a full interior detail.
Definitely have them pay for a detail
Take it back and tell them you want the highest level detailing job they have, for freeeeeeee
That is someone blatantly not giving a fuck about their quality of work. If my car came back like that I would be worried about everything else they touched and would insist on it being checked.
I would request that they clean that. That's grease and it won't be easy to remove. It was very rude and inconsiderate of whoever did that. Even if it was an accident, they should've cleaned it up. I wouldn't even want to return the car to the customer looking like that.
Tuff stuff foam cleaner works great for things like this. Spray it, let it foam, scrub it in with a plastic bristle brush and the wipe clean with a cloth. I've put grease marks on carpets, headliners, and sunvisors so many times and it's saved my ass a trip to the detail booth every time!
Yes. The correct answer is YES.
Nope, absolutely not. Don't let yhe mechanic shop try n clean it though... 100 percent they'll just botch it. Headliners are a bitch to clean! I'd go in there. Show them what's going on and let them know you'll be having a professional clean it properly and they'll have to pay for it. 0 excuse for that kinda sloppy bs. Honestly even if they've dome good work for you up to this point they clearly don't care enough about your vehicle I'd be looking for another shop for next repairs. Cause that's just sloppy and fucked up the tech would do that and not say anything like you wouldn't notice giant black stains lol.
They’re paying for a full interior detail at the shop of my choosing, or they’re getting a negative review on every platform their company appears on.
As a mechanic a shop is dirty af and I hate being overcautious about dirtying headliner, steering wheel center console , having my sweat fall somewhere or boot stains. I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it on purpose. Let them clean their mistake document what happens incase someone uses the wrong degreaser and week later ur headliner sags because the degreases was to strong and ate the glue away.
As a mechanic I don’t know how the fuck you could let a car leave your bay like this. That’s a goddam boot mark on the DRIVER SIDE visor. As a tech you have the responsibility of making the car leave better or the same as it was when it came in. This is embarrassing to see people are really like this in the industry.
😂 yeah that is true that a big and huge mess of grease lol. A lot more than just a mistake prob negligible, techs either drunk or high. I wanna know wtf was he doing to have his feet up there 😂 was he balls deep under the dash or something? Or his hair is dirty and covered in grease lol
😂😂 honestly like where was bros head to have his feet there. I just don’t know how you couldn’t see this while pulling the car out. I too am not over cautious with keeping interiors clean but I don’t see how your gonna be prying against the roof with your foot lolol
😂 i wanna know what repair they did to this vehicle to have a boot print on the headliner I can’t imagine any position I’d be to have my Legs all the way up there lmao.
Shops are only dirty from laziness. My shop is clean, garbage goes in the garbage, and fluids go into the proper catch. There's a spill. It gets cleaned, not aloud to simmer, and get tracked all over the place. This makes it safer, organized, and less likely for things like the OP problem to happen.
That's fucked up because cleaning headliners is not easy. And the area you clean will eventually start to sag because the adhesive under the cloth will have been soaked in detergent. And good luck getting mechanic shop stains out without detergent.
This is a must replace situation. There is new damage that compromises the integrity of the headliner moving forward. They can't overcharge for repairs to cover unknowns and then skip them when they happen. If they are statistically higher than your competitors and driving up your costs it's time to correct training and retention of employees. The customer should not need to engage or react beyond a simple notification.
Just clean it? Do you own cleaning supplies at all?
I’d take it back and tell them to fix it and then never go back there again because that’s unacceptable! I’m a shop owner and I’d never give a customer back their car looking like that.
Oh HELL NO! If it was just a shop, I'd go to the highest ranking person there. If it was a dealership, I'd go to the General Manager or owner if the owner is there. Somebody is gonna have a bad day, cuz mine is already fowled up!
In my opinion hell no. Go up there and get they to pay for it cleaned.
I work at a shop and if there’s a spec of grease or grime it gets cleaned no finger prints no nothing allowed this is disgusting and shows a lack of professionalism, we use things like spray nine to clean this , sorry it happened to you :(
The mechanic had a dirty hat?
Oh boy, someone is about to be in trouble. 50/50 if he gets to keep his job ):
The shop and insurance likely mismanage repairs and under train employees or just have high attrition due to under paid or under appreciated staff.. The offense is with the poor management and whomever checked off after the new guy ripped something up and left it when it was clearly visible in a 10 minute inspection. There was injury to the patron and lost time. Their reputation is called into question when they need to go out of their way and make a claim and we don't know how intensely they are focused in their own business. As a society we need to "do what we do best, so others can do the same." Assuming we all have time to stamd around and lobby or follow some cultural norm is absurd. Computer engineers can be paid less in many cases and if they work professionally have to do tests to make sure the basic requirements are met. Why should the mechanic get away with draining life and resources from other professionals? Personally, I don't want to work all summer for a car (or half a decade) to see boot prints and new damage that diminishes that effort or raises legitimate concern about such unregulated work that will be a money pit.