your best, worst, or funniest detailing experiences

[jawz101]

- At the FoMoCo dealership where I worked in the summers we would get our share of employees that came and went. All were interesting, of course. We had one guy that would come back from time to time. His name was Troy. He was pretty old, had a sketchy past. He would put quarters in his ears because that's how he hid his money from bullies when he was a kid. We had a mid 90's Towncar come in and I guess Troy thought it needed some paint work. While taking a break in my manager's office my manager suddenly got bug-eyed and his jaw kinda dropped. I turned around to see Troy standing on top of the car with a buffer and he was going to town and kinda dancing and singing to himself. As a finishing touch he came in and grabbed a Sharpie to touchup a scratch on the hood.

- a brand new red 2000 Lincoln Navigator that sat on the corner of the back inventory lot. No one noticed it except for us employees. The problem was that it sat directly under a Stokely highway billboard sign... in the line of fire. Over the course of several hours it was covered, I mean literally covered, in bird stuff. No one did anything until one day I had an idea. After posting a sign that read "***** happens" it was cleaned up within hours.

- found some marijuana seeds in a truck once

- someone at my dad's shop found over $4000 in jewelery once. they locked it up in a safe until the lady got back

- A Bronco II's rear storage area used as a truckbed... for manure

- A Ford Aerostar that was just back from a Labor Day lake trip. They towed a boat and decided that back half of the van can be submerged as they unload the boat on the ramp. The storage bins in the back were filled with water and the tools were all rusted. As I was shampooing the carpets in the back seating area I was told that the actual reason the van was brought in was because one of their kids had an 'accident' in one of the seats. "You mean the one I'm sitting in, right" a rhetorical question judging from the response I got.

[Leadfoot281]

I bought a 401 powered '78 Jeep Wagoneer about 6 years ago. In the backseat I found a box of batter fried cheese curds (I think) and a pencil stuffed into the carburetor.

I bought a "clean" rust-free '94 Thunderbird in La Crosse Wisconsin a few years ago. The owner said it was originally from Nevada. While cleaning the car I found matchbooks from a bar in Missouri in the glovebox, a handfull of glass under the passenger seat, a can cooler from a bar in Las Vegas in the trunk, and some golf balls from a course in Florida under the spare tire.

Under the seat of my '79 Fairmont (aka Fairmont #3) there was two full cans of beer, an ice scraper from a local bar, a broken shot glass in the trunk, and a Uriah Heap cassette. I still have the tape.:)

[BigCars4Ever]

Under the seats and carpet of a '80 Chevy Monza I found a total of 5 .38cal bullets. I would think you would be a little more carefull with those things!

[Mike Poore]

The best story I ever heard was from a Chevy salesman published in C&D several years ago.

It seems an older gentleman was making a trip to Florida and decided he was going to do it in a brand new Corvette. The one on the show room floor suited him just fine and a deal was struck, with the provision that it be serviced,, cleaned up, with a full tank of gas, for delivery and pick-up right after lunch that very day. The salesman agreed, had the car serviced, and took the car to be washed and filled up the gas tank on the way back. Upon making a "spirited" exit from the gas station, he brushed the passenger side of the pump, which resulted in minor, but clearly visible damage to the passenger side door and rear quarter.
Upon returning to the dealership he parked the customer's car tightly along side another car allowing easy entrance to the driver's side, but no room to get between the two cars on the passanger side. The happy gentleman loaded his stuff, thanked everyone, got into the Vette, and started off to Florida.

Fast forward to the next spring. Upon seeing the Corvette enter the dealership's lot, the poor salesman, who had been sweating bullets all winter, waiting to get skinned alive for his little stunt, decided to face the music, and greeted the customer with a big smile, and asked about how the gentlemen liked the Corvette, and hid winter in Florida. It's the damnedest thing, the old fellow replied. I stopped on the way out of town to get a bite, and some bastage sideswiped my new car on the passenger side, and I never noticed it until I filled it up at the first gas stop. :eek:

[pantheroc]

My worst, just bought a new black car. Went to PA and there was some kinda nasty fallout (metalic) dropped straight down (Maybe rail dust carried through air?). Took me two weeks getting it off the car. I should have waxed the car prior to the trip.

[Raudermaster]

My friend bought an '88 Monte SS that was pretty decent looking. We decided to go through it one day and clean the hell out of it. We lifted up the carpet in the trunk to our surprise there was a hole in the frame, and a nest of squirells all dead!

[Paul T. Casey]

Bought a 74 Torino beater back in the day. Got it home, and while cleaning it I turned up $38 cash (bills and coins), 2 cases of oil, 1 case of oil filters, several Hot Wheels cars, booster cables, 2 moving blankets, a little pot (not the kind you cook in), and 2 jugs of Prestone. I paid $350 for the car, sold it for $200 2 years later. I think with the stuff in the car, I actually made money.

[Pops]

Dirty Diapers under the seats.
Rubbers under the back set of local cop cars
A uncooked turkey in the trunk of a Mazda after the christmas party. He had wrecked the car and it was in my body shop and it had a bad smell after a week. Ruined that car!!!!!!
Had to detail a 70 Cyclone that had been repoed after the guy took out his wife in it with a 12 guage. I could go on but think this is enough.

[CRZYBIKER]

My dad bought an old jeep, brought it home and was cleaning it, under the seats found about 20 grenade pins.

[GreekGod]

...The Ford body shop I worked at in the early & mid '70's had two incidents that come to mind.

A customer left their car for some work. It was 2 years old and still had the original window sticker on it. They were (obviously) smokers, and the windows had the heaviest cigarette smoke film on them I have ever seen.

Another customer left their LTD for repair, and we had to get in the trunk. It was 3/4 full of empty cough syrup bottles in their original retail boxes. Should have counted them, there must have been 200 or more.

A common thing to see was hair stuck in the broken rear-view mirror where an unbelted driver hit the windshield in a collision.

[juno]

When my bro was waxing his Corvair back in the late 60's he accidently grabbed the Turtlewax in the old stubby can instead of his beer bottle and took a swig. He was foaming at the mouth in two minutes and we had to rush him to the hospital.

[jawz101]

johnkuhn- I think you won with the 12 guage story. yikes!