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This review and accompanying story is long overdue. The blame for its tardiness is all mine. It is a story about a car which would eventually be named Erin, and the four caretakers who cared enough about her welfare to give their best: it is a story about perfection, mishap, and ultimately, redemption.About 6 months before I picked up my '18 991.2 Targa 4 GTS from Porsche Atlanta, I contacted Jean-Claude at Detailed Designs Auto Spa in Conyers, Georgia inquiring about his services. I told him I would be driving my car across the country to the West Coast, and then shipping it back to Honolulu. He provided an estimate (dated 4/7/17) listing the options and also called to answer questions I might have had regarding the differences amongst the various Modesta coatings (e.g., BC-04 vs. BC-05). I eventually went with a full package - a full-body wrap with Modesta coating + the wheel & suspension coating. ATLANTA http://detaileddesignsautospa.com/ The work was exemplary, to say the least. Even before the work commenced, he asked me about the flexibility of the scheduled completion date, given that he might need more time to get things done right. I told him I was of the same mindset regarding quality, and that he should take all the time necessary. His response? “That’s what I wanted to hear.” At the appointed date and time of pickup on October 4, roughly 6 months from time of first contact, JC and his crew were STILL putting finishing touches on my car. I am sure they would still be working on it for another hour or two if I let them. I got to see first-hand JC’s attention to detail and work quality, highly regarded from prior reviews, and from which I based my decision to send my car. More on this perfectionism later. HOUSTON http://www.vive-houston.com/ Before I left Georgia, JC asked if I was going through Houston and Los Angeles. I said I was. He suggested that I stop by at these other detailers in his Modesta network on my way and they would be happy to wash my car, inspect the coating, and provide another layer of M1. I said that would be great, and he offered to let them know that I would be arriving, and he did.Vive left me a voicemail for me the very next day on Oct. 5, and I set up an appt. to come in on the morning of the 6th, just 2 days after leaving Atlanta. The wash and touch-up were only supposed to take an hour. However, a degreaser had been used in washing the car, which was a no-no since the car had yet to fully cure. I think it was just a communication issue, as the crew member who washed the car probably wasn’t made aware of its recent history. Anson’s crew tried to rectify the situation as much as they could given time constraints; it would take a few more hours before I got my car back. I was expected to be in San Antonio that afternoon. Anson notified JC of the issue. I got the impression that if things couldn’t get resolved in Los Angeles, then it would in Hawaii. LOS ANGELES https://www.enviousdetailing.com As an aside, on my way to LA from the Bay Area, one of my friends wanted more time “test” driving my car. However, a significant other strongly suggested he take her child down to Southern California the next day to escape the air quality caused by the fires at that time. So I told him to tell her that he had many errands to run with me, and after he hung up the phone with her, I told him I had just now christened my car Erin – as in “honey, I’ve got a quick Errand to run.” It worked.So now we have Eric, the owner of Envious Detailing, who met me on the morning of 10/19. He too expected only to do a wash and touch up, but after consultation with both Anson & JC, the conclusion was that the car needed more work – a day’s more work to be exact. Eric and his crew of two were very professional and friendly; they retouched the car as much as they could to its original glory without a re-application of Modesta. Although we briefly discussed re-applying, Eric didn’t have BC-05 in stock at the time. Although I didn’t pay anything for the bill, someone had to, and I wasn’t quite sure who until much later… HONOLULU https://www.autoconciergehawaii.com Although I left my car clean in San Diego, I don’t know how long it sat outside the docks, and Erin was dirty when I picked her up outside the Honolulu pier on 11/7/17. I immediately made an appt for Saturday 11/9/17 with Auto Concierge, the only other Modesta dealer network on the island of Oahu. I met Adam Sandler, or rather his alter ego Sergio, the owner, and his crew. I told him of my odyssey on the mainland and he said he would get in touch with JC, Anson, and Eric to find out what happened, and that he would get back to me. He also demonstrated how he wipes his cars down with his cleaner and M2 (i.e., straight lines, no circles or back and forth), and I later (and this is important) did this on my car.On 11/15, Sergio & I spoke and he suggested that I should come in for a reapplication of the Modesta BC-05, at no additional expense to me. On 11/25/17 when my car was re-coated, Erin looked ELEGANT. She was dressed in black, and radiant, quite literally. My car now had that smooth, “oily” feel on the surface as a result of the coating, which wasn’t there for half the cross-country trip. Also, when I did spot touch-ups, I noticed that the liquid immediately repelled off the panels. It didn’t do that just two weeks earlier. CONCLUSION
Again, someone paid for the Modesta re-coating and it wasn’t me. Only a few days ago did I find out that Anson over at Vive in Houston took care of the bills, both in Los Angeles, and in Honolulu. Modesta costs a pretty penny. Although there was a mishap in Houston, Anson stepped up to the plate, owned up, and resolved it, with the assistance of the other Modesta network detailers.Jean-Claude, Eric, Sergio, and Anson especially – their demand for excellence and integrity more than exceeded my expectation of service. It is no surprise that almost everyone had perfect 5-star Yelp ratings. I will leave a shorter review/summary for each of their sites in due time. When you leave your car, whether new or old, to a detailer, you expect nothing less than perfection. The Modesta North America team lives it. I feel their team is similar to the Porsche: the synergy of their close network results in a marvel much greater than the sum of its parts. I apologize for the length of this story; it needed to be told. Thank you for reading.
Dirty Erin. You can tell if you zoom and look at front.
First pic was in ATL right after first Modesta application. 2nd was in SF. I didn't take pics right away after completion of second round in HNL (I should have). I'll try to get some outdoor shots if the weather cooperates, or else a garaged one will have to do. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing your quest, sounds like an epic journey and an awesome finale! I've seen this type of service first hand from our local Modesta coaters. If anyone is looking for something in the Portland, Oregon area, be sure to check out Immaculate Essence – great people!
If your car was with me now we would still be working on it lol! Cars are never perfect and as long as they stay with us we tinker. It's a real problem haha!
Anyways, I will share some of the pics I took before she left as soon as I can find them. Thanks for the great feedback, Hoof Hearted!
12-11-2017, 04:40 PM
Modesta Network Review - an Essay
