Help me stay out of jail !!!

Last night I came home and came so close to strangling my landscaper. Let me explain. I'm getting my driveway redone in interlocking bricks as opposed to the current gravel. This means that the landscaper has to dig down 18 inches, fill that with gravel and stamp the gravel to compact it well before putting sand and the pavers. This resulted in my 996 being either out of the garage for a week with nowhere to leave it or to let it sit in thew garage until it's all done. I decided on the latter since I can always use my winter beater for a week. Now I know from experience that when the workers are compacting the gravel it raises a heck of a lot of gravel dust. Soooooooooooo I told my wife to let the landscaper know for sure that the garage door is to remain closed at all time. Well it's been very hot and some dipstick worker of his decided to open the door so that he would have a spot in the shade when it got too hot. Also made for a convenient place to leave their drink. Yeah, you guessed it, the dumb-*** went back to crushing and temping gravel without closing the garage door. I arrived last night at the same time as the contractor was dropping-by to check on the work the guys did during the day. To both of our horror my beloved 40th Ann. was COVERED with crushed stone dust. There was no pebble which landed on the car it was just dust, but lot's of dust. It was so fine it made it's way into the car. That's when I nearly strangled him. I was just freakin'out. The wife got mad at me because I had been somewhat verbally abusive. After I calm down. I open the trunk and vacum the engione to get some dust off. I then hose the car very lightly with very little water pressure to get most of the stuff off the car. I thren added very very slowly more water pressure. Finally I wash the car with loat's of suds but almost no rubbing. I hosed it down repeatedly and I did NOT get the water off with a drying towel. I'm thinking of repating this a few time before I have the nerve to wash it properly. So, aside from not strangling the guy so I avoid the jail trip, what should I do to my car ? Do I need to "clean" the paint before I wax it ??? I've heard of clay bars but not sure how to use them. I'd like to avoid a compound since the car is so new. I didn't see last night any visible damage. LEt me know what you guys are recommending. Thanks for the help. Marc P.S. Sorry about the long long message but it does help to vent. I'm sure you'll be understanding.

How about not being so **** about your car amd simply pressure wash it and then sponge it down with lots of flowing water, and be done with it? Don't make life more difficult than it is.

First things First - CHILL Amigo - Sh^t happens - I would Rinse the Car off, Then Wash It Well - And Then Put a nice coat of wax. Also - Just to be extra safe, I would go ahead and buy a car cover.I experinced a problem like yours last year, prior to the my driveway being repaired, I took the liberty to buy a car cover and protect my baby. I truly know your pain

Hey man, at least ur paint wasn't chipped. Dust isn't THAT big a problem. Is it a PITA? Yes. Is It Better than having to repaint your car? Definitly.

Wow, you would hate parking in my parking garage. Living in NYC, one does not have a whole hell of a lot of options. So, if I leave my car for more than two weeks, it will normally have a good coat of dust on it courtesy of perpetual near by construction and normal city air grit. I would however be pretty annoyed about the dust and such getting into the car. I have become rather adept at cleaning my car in such a state. It just requires a lot of low/no pressure water, LOTS of suds and water of the sponge and light pressure.

I know how you feel. But if everything is ok after you clean the car, I'd say try and forget about it.

Gents, I'd like to point out that I'm not P.O.'ed because my car got dirty...who cares about that. I'm more concern that because it's rock dust it may have had a sandblasting effect and that it might get into the engine since the particles are so fine. Heck if my car is fine I'll probable get a rebat out of the driveway. IF you guys thinks that rock dust is no big deal then it's no big deal. Despite the fact that there was such a coat of ckae that you could not have figure out what color was the car under.

wow.....this is amazing....i love my porsche as much as the next owner, but this is the most hilarious post i have read in ages......buy a new one after it gets dust on it to keep it like new, would be my advice....... amazing....and a good lesson on priorities in life.....for all of us.....lol....

Take it easy there ace...if Porsche tests these cars in the middle of Dubai during sandstorms and all hell and heat, I'm sure this rock dust would be fine...Check your head and keep life in perspective; the guy who was working his *** off in your driveway in the summer heat probably makes half of what your car is worth in one year. No wonder so many people think Porsche drivers are A-holes. Thanks for perpetuating that myth a bit more.

Echo what the board says, wash it , wax it, love it or Work out a deal with the landscaper to discount you the price of the proffessional detailer that needs to come to your house.

Okay guys I get the message, will open a good bottle of wine tonight..maybe two. I guess I got really mad because I had specifically asked them to do something that they didn't do..which is keep the garage door closed. As far as the poor guy suffering from heat I don't feel too bad as I have been letting them use my swimming pool to cool off as well as providing them with a cooler AND buy them drinks to fill it. All I asked in return was a bit of common sens....somehow when I see people lacking common sens it must rub-off by hosmosis and I lose mine. Maybe I should become a Ferrari owner...at least THEY are real A-Hole. Thanks for the attitude adjustment. Criticism well taken...mea culpa

I think you should sell it. Your car will never be the same. If you decicide to sell please let me know, but of course I expect you to discount it heavily because of the dust problem.

Open 2 bottles of wine........this is a stressfull situation.

Bring a cold six pack for the guys who do the driveway at the end of the day, and ask them to please mind the dust and the door.

Excellent point Lee. I just had my driveway redone lately and told them the EXACT same thing about not opening the garage door. But...the most important thing I did was give them some ICE COLD BEER. It's amazing what is accomplished when you treat them with respect and equality instead of flipping out about your car that they could never hope own one day. But.....in the end it appears that the criticism was taken well and mea culpa expressed (and the advice of the wine ). Now, go out there and love that car!

Darn, I DID lend them a cooler filled with pops, water, juice etc...guess I forgot the alcool content. Amazing what beers can do for some people. Including me...We have a radio station in Toronto that nominate a "Tool of the Day"...polite way of saying A-Hole du Jour....guess I'll wear that t-shirt. I'll "try" to love my car...but for a while she just won't be the same...until I get over it.

are you saying the way to a landscapers heart is with BUDWEISER???????????????????

In my neck of the woods it is Corona or Pacifico.

Porsches are meant to be driven alot and hard. You'll get scratches, dings, and stone chips all the time.

I offer $20 more than this poster should you choose to sell becuase of the catastrophic dust damage

I agree with both parties, yeah these cars are meant to be driven hard, a little dust, so what. On the other hand, you asked these guys(who you are employing) to be careful and they covered your car with stone dust, the car will probably be ok or you may end up with some annoying scratches, WTF I'd be a little pissed too , seeing as you are the one who ponied up 90k for the car and not them.

I would be a little pissed, not as much as you, not for the car being dirty, but for the fact they did not respect your wishes on not going in the garage, what i would do is send the car do a good detailer and forward him the bill. Life really is too short to get that pissed, but dont feel bad i know where your coming from..

It's bad enough that my kids, my wife and the dogs don't listen to me...maybe I should take the hint !!

Not That's funny

Since it's already been done I would have asked the owner of the company to pay for the car to get professionally done since it was their employees who did it..... As for the beer move suggested by Lee, "not a bad idea" but make sure it's at the end of the day.... I knew someone who paid their way with a "smoke" for a tatoo..... Well all I have to say is the guy got an "E" instead of the "L" he wanted in his tatoo by "paying" for the work before hand..... -Eli

Culturally dependent too. I had a crew of Tongans out doing some stone work for me. Our street was being paved and they were stuck here during lunch so I fired up the BBQ and served them lunch. That was the end of their respect for me. Go figure...

I guess you can be thankful it wasn't drywall dust. If you found stuff in the interior you might want to pop the air filter and check if it is coated just for piece of mind and replace it if it is.

Hey man, I know how you're feeling. I am totally **** about my car even though I drive it hard. But when it comes to keeping it clean, I spend a lot of time. The car is black which is also a pain. Well, my story is that I had some painters come to the house and as they were spraying the walls, they managed somehow to get overspray through the vents of the garage door which I had told them of course to tape... The bumper, deck lid, wing, quarter panels, everything was white... I had the same feeling you had with your landscaper ... I tried to wax it off, but it just wasn't working... so, I talked to the owner, send him some pictures, and had the car detailed by the best guy in town that the dealer uses. He paid the shop directly. My car was fine, but it was upsetting, overall when the guy said I could have left them the keys and they would have taken the car out for me (meaning it was almost my fault). OK, that's it, I'm getting upset again... Oh, last detail, he accepted to get the car detailed very fast after Porsche quoted him about $8K to repaint the car and change the lights...

If you wash it well (carefully) and vacuum it, you should be totally fine. Wash the engine (carefully) too (and be mindfull of the electronics and air intake). How does the driveway look anyway?

You just forgot one thing: go for a drive! --Pierre

Just vacuum the exterior and hose down the interior - and most importantly... make sure you change the air in all of the tires. Some stone dust could have worked its way in there, too!

mbergeron, what kind of Marine are you son ?....hunt that maggot down...then take your bayonet and.......

The driveway is still not finished, it should look great as I'm going from a straight in/out to a two entry crescent. Took a look at the car again last night, I "think" it's fine. I'll see better in sunlight once I can drive the car out of the driveway. My only hope is that it's only rock dust and that no rock hit the car. The contractor is actually a really nice guy and I think that he was has p.o'ed at his guys as I was. The Alox Corton did a great attitude adjustment last night. Pierre : Can't wait to take her out for a spin. According to my calculations, IF I wear to stop being such a weiner and would use my 996 year-round, I might overtake your car Km-wise by year 2012.

The car is ruined and unrecoverable. It's barely good for salvage due to all of the critters you'll never be able to get out of there (dust mites and dust bunnys). Since I am an expert on this, I can help. I'll give you between $2000 and $3000 for it AS IS. This is a HUGE risk on my part being sight unseen however "I'm a giver". I feel you pain brother and I'm willing to help. In time, you'll get over it and grow to understand my generousity. I don't expect you to now in your time of grief - I forgive you, in advance, for that. Who should I make the check out to?

Pay me 50 bucks and I'll tow it away

When I was in college living in the dorm, my roommate, "borrowed" my car to take his girlfriend home early one morning. Earlier that evening the street crew re-tarred about 3miles of road from the dorm parking lot to the freeway entrance. They neglected to put signs by the dorm parking advising of the detour. My roommate wasn't paying any attention to where he was going so he did 45 MPH both ways on the newly topped road. I didn't get up till 1 in the afternoon and then went outside and saw the sides my car covered in road tar and oil all very dry and completely baked on in 90 degree California sunshine. I learned a great deal about car finishes over the next few weeks. It was a great learning experience for me and I could have killed my roommate, but you know, it was his fault and it wasn't at the same time. You learn hard lessons from stuff like this...Just wash your car...it will be fine...

HAHAHA!... Now, THIS is the right attitude! Cool! Greetings, --Pierre

Dude: it's a car, not a Rembrandt. They get dirty. Ub

And furthermore, I don't know how things work at your house, but if my wife drove a Roller, I would be driving a Carrera GT. Ub

Hmmnn. After a year at war in 140 degrees plus, all I can do is laugh at the entire thread. I think it was put best that "your priorities are out of whack.'" First, wash your car, it won't melt. Then take some anger management classes. What will you do if something IMPORTANT in your life goes wrong, lose your cool? Next, apologize to your contractor for going off. I doubt he did it to spite you. The guy probably works twice as hard as you and can afford a used pickup truck. When you are done whining, send some Soldiers some P-car magazines and brighten their day. Don't mean to sound harsh, but I can't forget my roots.

I live in the United Arab Emirates (plenty dusty) and if it is of any comfort, I can tell you that I can wash and dry my GT3 for hours and 5 minutes later it is covered in a fine dust. I got so sick and tired of it so now I go and get it manually washed at the gas station for approx. $7.- and give the guys a $ or two as a tip. Drive straight home, where the a cover goes on, inspite being indoor parking. Lately found myself only driving to and from the carwash, what a shame! Ciao, Johannes E.

I don't think I could put up with that sort of thing...... I couldn't take Texas dust, I was washing my car there about 3 times a week or every other day..... -Eli