So I finally got my 1995 M3 and it was a total disaster. First off, I paid $300 extra for a closed carrier shipment from New Jersey. The owner in NJ said they picked up the car from his house in an open carrier. When I got to the towing company in Golden Valley, MN, they said the car was sitting outside for only one day, but the rain spots and a check of the delivery date shows it's been out there since 12/29/05 and NO one called me to inform me of this. I was pretty pissed because I paid extra to ensure that this car would NOT see the outside, and they messed that up on both ends.

Now it gets worse. When I arrived at the towing company we inspected the car and found this:

http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Car-Pickup/1-6-2006-24.jpg
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Car-Pickup/1-6-2006-13.jpg
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Car-Pickup/1-6-2006-15.jpg
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Car-Pickup/1-6-2006-23.jpg
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Car-Pickup/1-6-2006-16.jpg

Needless to say, I was PISSED. When we asked about wtf that crap was, they simply said, "We don't know anything about it". I was so pissed off I couldn't think straight. I just wanted to get the hell out of there and try to clean it up.

We quickly got in touch with a friend who is a car detailer and who told us to try a coin-op car wash and some dish soap. After a long time of scrubbing things were not looking much better. I was scared that my paint would be destroyed because we couldn't get what ever this was off the car.

Friday morning I took my car to his shop and he started to work his magic. Within a matter of minutes the car was in so much better shape. He continued with a buff and wax job that restored everything to it's original beauty.

http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC05013.JPG
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC05012.JPG
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC05010.JPG
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC05006.JPG
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC05003.JPG
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC05002.JPG
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC04999.JPG
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC04998.JPG
http://nate.nullpacket.net/m3/95-m3/Tim-Wax/2nd-set/DSC04996.JPG

I was so stressed out that the paint was damaged and I would have to repaint the whole thing. Luckily this guy is amazing at his work. He pays great attention to detail but is always careful of anything that may be too risky.

If anyone needs detailing done in the Minneapolis area, be sure and contact him!

Tim Spencer - (612) 384-0966

no disrespect to your friend, but I would never use dishsoap on a car.

and if you have the contract where you specified that you wanted a close carrier, I would follow up. See if the seller will testify that the was picked up by an open carrier. Also see what the towing company will say as to when it came (document day you were informed vs day it actually came in, and how it reached (open v closed)) . I would not stop with the first answer you get - chances are the towing company will be "I have no idea" - talk to management and keep pestering until you get to the top.

At the very least you ought to get the detailing services taken care of. Since they voided the contract, you really should not have to pay for anything - however, that might be a stretch. Look at the cost of open transport - which is what you ought to be charged, and try and get them down.

You may also look into small claims court.

Just my $0.02.

Hope things work out.

Yeah that's my plan. Ask for a refund of the prices of Closed VS Open and then a reimbursement for the price of the clean up. I know the owner will testify that it was open and I'm sure I can get more from the towing company if I can reach someone higher up. I plan to start these dealings today at work. I'm just glad the car is in good condition now.

Is it possible that one small open carrier picked up the car and went to a local hub and moved it to a second covered trailer? All the shit on your car was likely leaking from the car above it i.e. oil, power steering fl, etc. I would be willing to bet if you look closely at your contract it says that they are not liable for acts of God, nor for damage done by other cars leaking. If that is the case they probably won't do anything for you. Furthermore if you already paid them you might as well write it off because that company took thier broker fee and the trucker got the rest. That trucker could care less about any of us. Don't get me wrong I'm on your side I just bought a car from Ohio to MN and I already went through this. Godspeed :(

Werd up peeps. Don't just say F it. GO to those you dealt with to get the vehicle here, and BITCH. Threaten them with a lawsuit, no one should have to put up with that shit (literally it so seems) when taking delivery of a car. Geesh, "customer service" is such a BS term these days, no seems to do the job they promise to anymore. The delivery company should put in their clause "we promise to deliver the vehicle, but it might have a bunch of crap on it, and in that case it's not our fault." :rolleyes

Glad you got that Turbo M3. I recall you were trying to get it a while back and never heard if you did or not.

Damn....those pickup pictures do look nasty!!! Glad your friend was able to get her all shiny again. Looks good now!!!