Ask the painting contractor chickie.

Don't paint the Miata!

Once upon a time, when Mazda Miatas were hot new cars on the market, one of my employees (and I, by default) made a big boo boo. We had prepped a little wooden ranch style house, and the next day Greg and a helper went over there to spray it with grey oil stain.
When spraying a house one has to be careful - the excess spray can drift and sprinkle things - lawn furniture, shrubs, people's cars...if it's a still, dry day and one is using water-based material, it dries in the air and just leaves harmless paint dust. However, if it's breezy, humid, or the material is oil based, it doesn't dry and can stick to things 30 feet away.
Like brand new black Mazda Miatas.
Oops.
On the other side of the hedge, the neighbor's new car sat sparkling in the driveway. Greg didn't see it, and I should have told him to be vigilant. We'd either have people move vehicles, or cover them completely with clean plastic sheeting.)Neighbor came out, saw her car sprinkled with grey oil stain and went ballistic. Understandably so. Greg gave her my number (sometimes it's great to be able to pass the buck) and she called me, very upset. I did have insurance, apologised up one side and down the other, told her I'd pay for having her car buffed, whatever it took. Told her, get estimates, call me back and we'll go from there. She calmed down and we hung up amicably.
Never heard from her again. Isn't that wierd? I didn't even have her phone number (this was before caller ID.) I went by the house and left a note on her door. I also mentioned it to the woman whose house we just painted because I figured, better she hear it from me than a pissed off neighbor!
Not a word. I always wondered, did she die, or total the car the next day, or win the lottery, or what?
So, I lived happily ever after without having to pay for buffing out her car (that stuff wouldn't have just washed off.)
Sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways.

posted by Carina @ 3:03 AM