Bike Cleaning, Detailing?

[Niggz]

Ok so the fire restoration guys are absolutely incompetent. Without going into too much detail about the bullshit I'm dealing with I'll just get to the point.

I want my bike cleaned. Properly. These idiots have obviously never dealt with cleaning a high end bike before. I was told at the beginning everything that was going to be restored and will come out better than new. Bullshit.

The first time it came back half the bike was still covered in soot. The spokes weren't even touched, and the rims were covered in oil. Apparently after they clean metal they coat it in wd40 for some reason WD40!!!!! NOT GOOD!

Second time I get it back, the forks still have soot on them. This time the disc rotors are covered in OIL!! I might as well take that as a threat on my life! They also have managed to remove the black back colour on the double track labels on my rear wheel. I'm just getting picky now but I was told it would look better than new, not worse than before the fire.

Anyways, is there any place anywhere that will professionally clean my bike?
I'm in Vancouver now till new years so local is good. Price is pretty much not a big deal till we get into the price of a new bike (it's a .243) I am picky when I clean it myself. I could of done it better than these guys in an hour. I want to see spoke nipples individually cleaned by a tooth brush. I want these insurance scumbags to pay through the nose.

[mattj]

Sorry to hear you had a fire but why is it so important that the restorations are as expensive as possible?


-m

[Niggz]

Oh I don't necessarily want it to be a tonne of money. I just want it done properly and cleaned as well as it was before the fire. The price thing is mostly in spite, these insurance people are really pushing me around considering my house burned down.
After the unsalvageable stuff is replaced I should have at least a couple grand left in coverage and I wouldn't mind having these assholes paying as close to the maximum coverage amount as possible.

[DaveM]

Why let the fire restoration company deal with a specialized product? Get a quote from your bike shop to do a complete clean and service, this will likely include new brake pads, rotors, maybe grips, seat, and anything else that shouldn't get any oil on the surface. Give the quote to your insurance company and demand they do it right. Fire restoration companies general use WD-40 or Goof-off to clean anything made of metal, which will explain the decals on your rims. Make the insurance company do it right.

[Midas]

ill clean it. 100 bucks.

[Loopie]

The fire/flood restoration guys aren't trained in that. So if the employee has no personal experience to draw from...they have no business doing it. Tell your insurance place that they'll have to pay someone who's qualified.

[corey@nsmb.com]

..is there even such a thing as being "qualified" to clean a bike?

Ask for some cash to cover the parts damaged by oil, and do the rest yourself and thank your lucky stars you still have it.

[Incorrigible]

I know from experience that these insurance people can be chintzy as hell, and very annoying at that, but I agree with Corey again. All I can say is "I'm sorry", both for your fire and agreeing with Mr. Know it All. I don't know what else to say.

[Emmens]

Most people, after a fire, or something like that, sit back and think reflect on things, maybe gain a new, or altered perspect on the world, and people around us. Hell, they might even think; 'gee, isn't it kind of lucky I wasn't in my house when it burned down?' Or, 'Boy am I sure glad my precious bike didn't get burned in the fire.' But those are just the crazy ones. Some people might even relish the fact they have to clean their bikes, and do it lovingly with care, after all, if you're on this site you don't think of a bike as 'just a bike'.

The insurance company certainly didn't cause the fire, and getting all huffy and puffy at them just because you decided to send your bike to some idiot in rubber gloves and a tin of goof off is a little silly, if you ask me. Clean your bike yourself, give them a bill for the parts that need replacing, or *gasp* buy a 2 dollar bottle of isopropanol and soak the pads, and count your lucky stars.

-StuKen

P.S. Fires suck, I know, but your common sense didn't burn away with it.

[ES-OH-ES]

I'd say that if the insurance is paying for it, chuck the rotors and pads, even if you clean the hell out of them, there is a good chance that it will squeal and lose significant power. Use axiom bike wash to clean everything else, just be careful around any bearings even sealed bearings, it will strip the grease out and rally your bearings.

[superman_4]

bahahaha is this guy for real??

[Oldfart]

I'd say that if the insurance is paying for it, chuck the rotors and pads, even if you clean the hell out of them, there is a good chance that it will squeal and lose significant power. Use axiom bike wash to clean everything else, just be careful around any bearings even sealed bearings, it will strip the grease out and rally your bearings.

OK doorknobs. Who pays for that insurance? You do when you pay the premium. HMMMM I think I'll inflate my claim so that Insurance company pays more to me for my loss. Hmmm Insurance is a business. They pay out more to you and make up for that by charging even higher premium to YOU. Ain't you smart. PS. Since I am an adjuster I know what I'm talking about. I don't know of any Insurance companies who own their own Restoration companies. Separate independant company. If you have a legitimate beef with the restoration co, fine. Make sure you tell your insurer that through the adjuster. There is also this thing called a duty to mitigate. You have a duty after a loss to do whatever is reasonable to keep the loss from getting worse. Best advice to give some one with a loss, act as if you have no insurance. What would you have done with no insurance.

Now, I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure it is devastating. But remember you only lost things. Things can be replaced, people can't. Be thankful you were insured. Insurance is there to put you back in the same position you were in before but for the loss, no more, no less.

Now I also have many complaints on how some insurers handle things and some adjusters too. Personaly, if I were adjusting your loss, I would have sent the bike to a bike shop. It is special equipment like jewelry or electronics. It's a bike though. What is soot going to harm. All it needs is a cleaning and how hard could that be. You probably have bigger things to worry about than cleaning a bike right now . That restoration company does not sound like they can deal with it properly.

[Dude]

Why wouldn't you just bring your bike to a good shop, instruct them to completely pull it appart, clean every part in a suitable solvent, dry them off, re-grease, oil, then put the bike back together, replacing what needs to be replaced? This way you know it's done right, and with loving care.

Because the fire restoration guys know nothing about bikes doesn't make them incompetent. If anything, it looks bad on you, knowing full well you have specialized equipment.

[Niggz]

It wasn't my decision at all to send or not send the bike to a shop. The restoration guy comes into the place and everything valued at $100+ is his decision whether he cleans it or trashes it and I get it replaced. I've basically had very little say in this whole ordeal.

No, the incompetence comment isn't based only on the bike incident. At the beginning I said I wouldn't get into the details. These guys have done a real slackassed job overall and have ruined a number of very simple to clean items. As a "professional" restoration company, my experience with them overall has been less than my opinion of professional.

I'm taking my bike in to be properly cleaned by a bike shop today.

[Oldfart]

It wasn't my decision at all to send or not send the bike to a shop. The restoration guy comes into the place and everything valued at $100+ is his decision whether he cleans it or trashes it and I get it replaced. I've basically had very little say in this whole ordeal.

No, the incompetence comment isn't based only on the bike incident. At the beginning I said I wouldn't get into the details. These guys have done a real slackassed job overall and have ruined a number of very simple to clean items. As a "professional" restoration company, my experience with them overall has been less than my opinion of professional.

I'm taking my bike in to be properly cleaned by a bike shop today.

Make surew that not only is the adjuster aware of it, but your insurance broker and the insurer. If the restoration company is doing a bad job, you are perfectly entitled to bitch about it and I think you should complain.

[ratherberiding]

i'll clean it for 50 bucks

[LeeLau]

Nigel - ratherbriding/ earl would do a fantastic job and lives close to you.