Yesterday I went to pick up my EV from the paint shop. There were a few minor problems. The biggest problem was the way I was handled.

I greeted the tech and went to look at my car. Everything was nice and shiny! He apologized for leaving it outside the bay, where it got pretty dusty; I hadn't expected anything else, since it was ready on Thursday evening and I couldn't actually come fetch it until Monday.

I ran my fingers over it and found it to be nice and smooth. I didn't see any rust anywhere. He pointed out that the glass guy had reused the window gasket; it looks nice on the passenger side, but it's glued down on the driver side and tapers where it's not really supposed to. Not much can be done about that, and it's possible I'm just hallucinating it anyway.

As I walked around, though, I found a few rough spots. The bottom of the passenger's side rear door was really rough, and it looked wrong. Not bad, but wrong. I pointed it out, and the tech said, "Oh, I didn't see that. Well, maybe we can buff it out."

I continued around the car, looking for drips, dents, and splatters. I found another rough spot on the driver's side rear wheel well. At this point the tech said, "Y'know what? I bet that's a water problem. After you put the trim back on, bring it back in and we can respray it from the trim down."

I accepted this and went to pay. My brother was ready to pay over the phone, but the shop requires a fax to authorize a signature on the card. Nathan wasn't anywhere near a fax, so it would have to wait for tomorrow. I promised to fax him and mentioned, "Well, that gives you a day to try and buff it out." The tech didn't answer.

I think I'm going to have to refuse to pay until the job is done right. After all, it's not an insignificant amount. I actually took the car apart to get a good job done. Nathan wouldn't want to spend his money on a bad job. And wouldn't it be easier to paint "from the trim down" if the trim wasn't on it yet?

I hate confrontation, but I'm going to have to insist on this. I'll try to be tactful so I don't cause any hard feelings. If it comes down to it, though, I'm going to have to live with this paint job for a long time. Additionally, I'll be seeing my brother regularly; I may never see that tech again. If somebody's feelings have to be hurt, I'm not going to let the somebody be Nathan.