Painters got paint on my bike

Xios

Hey guys, legal questions.
So lookin at my bike i noticed loads of white specs all over the saddle, fuel tank, windscreen and handle bars. I park my bike in the bike area of my college next to one of the entrances and before the new semester begins they're repainting the outside of the buildings. I park the bike next to the building so it can avoid rain and bad weather, irony i guess.

I noticed the same white specs on a windowsil right next to where i park my bike, so it's definatly from them.

The damage.
It's not huge blobs, but noticable white specs all over the bike, it takes a lot away from the image of the bike and will affect it's value. (as it looks like the paint is chipping)

What do i do?
Should i go confront the painters on the campus while they're still working, or should i contact their company? Or should i just ignore it and clean it off myself, i'd imagine white spirits would work, but would that destroy the paint already on my bike?

I'm pretty peeved at this, but i guess people are human and the thought of drops falling hadn't crossed their minds. But then again, if this was someones car, there'd be a storm kicked up.

listermint

Contact the Campus Managment.

And do it now. Leave it longer and they probably wont address the situation.

cantdecide

Try to be proactive but try not to get upset if you get nowhere. IME, it's not unusual for people in your position to never get satisfaction without a truckload of hassle.

I hope you're the exception. Good luck.

Owen

If it's not a Motorbike space you're parking in, they may say this to you when you confront them. However, it's not the end of the world. The paint on the seat should just crack off if you put your nail on it, and the stuff on the bodywork should come off with a light rubbing compound.

I'd be asking them to valet the bike for you.

Xios

Got onto the campus caretaker, he advised i approach the painters, and failing that i should contact student services. i'm gonna take a bunch of photos when i'm at the location in the morning. They're an outside contractor that's doing the painting.

Once i make contact with the contractor, should i got get a quote from a dealer/mechanic on the costs of cleaning it? I'm not gonna be a scabby bastard and claim it needs to be resprayed, unless it has to of course.

Xios

PaintDoctor wrote: »

I'd be asking them to valet the bike for you.

? Clean it for me?

mathepac

cantdecide wrote: »

Try to be proactive ...

Too late, the paint is on the bike. OP is reacting to the circumstances.

To be proactive OP would have to have anticipated the arrival of the painters and taken some action (parking elsewhere, covering the bike) to avoid having his bike ruined with paint spots.

I agree about contacting campus management, but have you any way of showing the "pre-painter" condition of the bike (undamaged, not paint-spotted) vs.the way it is now?

Xios

mathepac wrote: »

Too late, the paint is on the bike. OP is reacting to the circumstances.

To be proactive OP would have to have anticipated the arrival of the painters and taken some action (parking elsewhere, covering the bike) to avoid having his bike ruined with paint spots.

I agree about contacting campus management, but have you any way of showing the "pre-painter" condition of the bike (undamaged, not paint-spotted) vs.the way it is now?

The only way i could prove that it was the paint is that i recently got the fuel tank changed and resprayed to match my bike as the original one had a hole in it and was leaking. But this goes back to march or april, so i don't think so.

But comparing the white specs on the bike and on the windowsil, they're the same, so would this not be evidence enough? There's usually a bunch of bikes in this area, so i'll check them tomorrow if they've got paint on them too.

Owen

Xios wrote: »

? Clean it for me?

Yup, clean it. It's paint, it needs to be cleaned off with rubbing compound. It's not like it's metal that's been welded on, it can be removed by a good valeter.

Tigger

What are you; some kind of paint doctor or something?

Nodster

clean it off yourself and get over it :P

besides no better time to give the bike a good clean before the autumn sets in and give the bike a good once over for wear n' tear, whilst lubing cables, stands etc.

Cuddlesworth

I worked as a painter before. We were liable for any cars, bike etc in the area which were affected by spray. We would cover what we could and leave warning notices the day before for anything that was too large.

Sounds like you have encountered some cowboys. Don't go to the painter, go to the person who hired the painter. They are the ones who are ultimately responsible.

Nodster

Xios - sounds like you only noticed the paint spray after you left the 'scene of the crime', but as cuddlesworth said - no harm mentioning this to whoevers responsiple for tendering the job

Papa_Bear

This happened to me back 4 yrs ago right outside my own house. Some cowboys got yellow sunflower spots all over my yamaha majesty that I had at the time. I complained to the house owner and they were genuinely sorry so I didn't seek any compensation although they did offer.

I used Holtz tar and spot remover (from consort) to get the paint off. It worked very well but don't leave it on for more than 10 sec or so at a time. It shouldn't take any longer than this to soften the spots of paint anyway. Just do an area of say a few sq inches at a time and be sure to wash off the area with mild soapy water. Be a bit more speedy/lean when it comes to the leather seat.

Hope this helps.

Xios

Nodster wrote: »

clean it off yourself and get over it :P

besides no better time to give the bike a good clean before the autumn sets in and give the bike a good once over for wear n' tear, whilst lubing cables, stands etc.

Screw it, i'm not bothered going through all this hassle, just gonna do this instead, the bike needs a good wash anyway. Gonna try the advice on this thread.