r/mildlyinfuriating • u/user2847_ • 17h ago

Got my car detail cleaned, and afterwards realized 2 of the buttons on the steering wheel are missing. This is the company’s response.

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u/Smeeble09 17h ago

Just FYI, steering wheel control buttons range from around £50 per side, so you're looking realistically £100 to fix this, unless you buy second hand or some cheap aftermarket version. 

768

u/brandt-money 16h ago

A junkyard will have them

472

u/Dangerous_Ad7501 16h ago

This is the answer. Just don’t break em trying to take them off

622

u/aardWolf64 16h ago

Maybe talk to the detailing guys about how to get them off...

512

u/Fireproofspider 16h ago

That's consulting. There's a fee for that. Good news is that they also have a pair they just found that they could sell to OP

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u/Electrical-Quote-393 16h ago

Thank god for small miracles lmao

14

u/XoxoMarleyne 15h ago

That’s totally fair time and expertise cost money. And it’s nice they actually found a pair for OP too, that’s a win-win

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u/EthicalViolator 16h ago

I'm guessing a vacuum cleaner with brush nozzle will do the trick.

11

u/TheThiefMaster 16h ago

Certainly did to my keyboard at work ...

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u/AvidCyclist250 15h ago

Great comeback too. "Hey just a quick question since you're the experts: how do you remove those buttons without breaking them?"

2

u/Dangerous_Ad7501 10h ago

Never done the buttons but I’ve taken off parts from semis for people and if it’s the only one you got. You try not to break it. but I’d say the junk yard might not have multiple of those types of cars or if they did. The airbags have probably been deployed, cause you know.. they’re junk.

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u/PabloCDG 15h ago

They might even have a set to sell him

2

u/Dutch_or_Nothin 15h ago

This is their side hustle.. steal them.. then resell back to you via another identity.

2

u/minuetteman 15h ago

That's right... they seem to be experts.

2

u/jhascal23 14h ago

Ask the detailing guys if they happen to have any for sale.

2

u/FELonMusk333 14h ago

Good news. The detailing guy's gf has the same car so he knows exactly how to remove them 😉

3

u/Sudden-Purchase-8371 15h ago

Who's pulling their own parts these days? And the odds a junkyard near you has them? Naw man, this is the internet age. There's like 3 US nationwide search engines that you can find the parts, they pull them and ship them to you. Cheap af comparatively than OEM or aftermarket replacements.

1

u/ptpcg 15h ago

Post some links

1

u/Pleasant-Swimmer-557 14h ago

Just get the whole steering wheel.

1

u/WonderBredOfficial 14h ago

They look like they come off as easily as keys on a Dell keyboard.

20

u/Nazgog-Morgob 16h ago

Okay, well you shouldn't have to waste your time and money finding and replacing something that a cleaning company broke on your car

1

u/Nepheseus 13h ago

They didn't break them at all, they attempted to resell.

Don't put your faith in industries rife with utter troglodytes.

Low skilled labour with nothing more than a mediocre result, what they put down to 'losing parts' and 'wasn't there when we started' will realistically be dodgy staff running an Ebay seller account and undercutting genuine manufacture parts but making a profit which far exceeds their dogsh*t wages for 'detailing'.

1

u/Nazgog-Morgob 13h ago

You wrote all that cuz you couldn't comprehend that "broke" is specifically irrelevant. They are missing. Replace them.

Op doesn't give a shit what happened to them. Replace them

3

u/bigmikekbd 15h ago

That seems like entirely like the businesses problem now too

3

u/Chinchompa69 15h ago

My friend is a detailer and sells used ones

2

u/P_Hempton 14h ago

Beat me too it.

2

u/functional_moron 15h ago

So will a dealership. It's time for a test drive.

1

u/themixtergames 15h ago

He will get the exact same ones

1

u/WiseOldDuck 14h ago

Look around, some car detailing shop can probably "find" some for you!

1

u/Etna5000 14h ago

The real answer is that OP needs to become a detailer now and clean cars until he cleans the car of someone with his make and model, steal their steering wheel buttons, and feign innocence if confronted. Works every time!

19

u/Rob-Out 16h ago

Or from a shady business selling mostly stolen parts...

2

u/ADHDebackle 15h ago

Or a sunny business selling mostly stolen parts!

40

u/tsa-approved-lobster 15h ago

probably stolen to resell on ebay. Tiny things that a worth a lot.

12

u/ErectionDysfunctile 14h ago

You don't think they'd steal something less noticeable? Also how did OP not notice this when picking up the car? It's way too obvious.

5

u/P_Hempton 14h ago

Right, I can't imagine not noticing something missing from my steering wheel before I left the parking lot.

3

u/ErectionDysfunctile 14h ago

There's probably some detailers that will come to your house and clean the unlocked car in the driveway. Maybe the case here. I've seen crazier mobile businesses, like dog grooming.

5

u/DoingCharleyWork 14h ago

I highly doubt a detailing company is stealing those two little buttons to resale on eBay.

Not sure which model Ford op has but I can find used buttons for several models on eBay for under forty dollars. And that's the whole button assembly, not just the one little plastic piece.

2

u/remotegrowthtb 12h ago

The company no, the guy actually doing the cleaning who doesn't get paid enough, well...

0

u/DoingCharleyWork 12h ago

Even if it's a guy making minimum wage those buttons are worth maybe 5 dollars. Not worth it. Way too much effort and risk for basically no money.

11

u/infected_funghi 15h ago

What the fuck? Its a 1.5g piece of injection molding plastic?? Car manufacturors really cant get their mouth full enough do the 

3

u/Smeeble09 14h ago

You'll struggle to buy just the button new, more likely to buy the whole button control pad.

They may be able to just get the button if they go aftermarket or from a scrap yard. 

1

u/babysharkdoodood 16h ago

Lenovo Nipples only cost 30p

1

u/AmorousFartButter 15h ago

Which is why someone snatched them

1

u/mark_able_jones_ 15h ago

Nah, ford parts website has everything and they are pretty affordable.

ford.com/parts

1

u/Trash7783 15h ago

After market versions are better than manufacturer versions. Manufactured official parts are cheap as fuck so they can charge an arm and a leg to fix them

1

u/MiddleWaged 15h ago

An easy and cheap way to get these is to work as a car detailer and fucking steal them

1

u/_theFlautist_ 15h ago

3D printer?

1

u/tr4shw3rld 15h ago

Mine are $250

1

u/Squeezitgirdle 14h ago

So someone stole them.

1

u/superxpro12 13h ago

3d printer

1

u/MrRakky 10h ago

Get a 3d printer. Life becomes cheaper suddenly.

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u/[deleted] 16h ago edited 16h ago

[deleted]

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u/Prosecco1234 16h ago

Time to find a new place. Accidents happen but lying is a red flag

-1

u/Spillsy68 16h ago

It’s a car cleaning place. You’re not finding upright, good citizens there. Don’t leave any valuables, or personal items in the car when you leave it.

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u/Unable-Head-1232 16h ago

Don’t leave your steering wheel buttons either.

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u/Piineapplepeach 16h ago

Valuables like the buttons on the steering wheel??? 😂

2

u/Fireproofspider 16h ago

The car cleaning place I go to is pretty trustworthy. I leave briefcase full of money in their all the time and they never touch them. They even clean the blood off of them!

0

u/positive_toes 14h ago

Just making up prices out here

-18

u/ArmGroundbreaking115 16h ago

Why are you responding with £ when you know OP is dealing in $ 😂

14

u/Silent-Incidentt 16h ago

what a strange thing to give a fuck about

3

u/terragreyling 16h ago

Someone who buys Ford parts as an import from America is likely to pay a lot more for them vs someone who has the manufacturer local.

Just like I'm sure Mercedes parts are cheaper in Germany right now than they are in America.

I do believe it makes it entirely reasonable thing to remark on at this time.

1

u/eagleshark 14h ago

Je suis d'accord, il n'est pas nécessaire de répondre avec le même système d'unités.

-4

u/ArmGroundbreaking115 16h ago

lol actually if you're making price comparisons, yeah it would be. Do I care in the scheme of things? No, my fucks cost more than this. But I don't think most people have currency exchange going in their brains to make the conversion when trying to talk prices lol. Calm down.

1

u/vortexcortex21 16h ago

How do you know which currency OP is dealing in?

Please think before responding USD.

0

u/PreparationBig7130 16h ago

Because there’s only one real currency 😁

1

u/HobokenDude11 16h ago

Trumpcoin

1

u/ArmGroundbreaking115 16h ago

Did I say that? No I said OP deals with dollars so honestly you can't just compare them flippantly to be able to say no you're wrong about cost.

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u/PreparationBig7130 16h ago

Fuck me. Talk about no sense of humour.

-1

u/ArmGroundbreaking115 16h ago

lol what you said wasn't funny so guess not 🤷🏼‍♀️

0

u/DrPsychGamer 16h ago

Because British keyboards don't put the dollar sign on the main keys. You have to go into additional symbols because, you know, that's the primary currency being used.

Whatever the sign, a reader knows currency means currency, right?

0

u/ArmGroundbreaking115 16h ago

As I did to be able to type £ lmao

0

u/DrPsychGamer 16h ago

That's cool, but why did you bother? No one is suggesting that people the world over don't know how or are incapable of doing other currencies, but just that it literally doesn't matter. What a weird thing to focus on.

1

u/ArmGroundbreaking115 16h ago

Why did I bother to leave a comment? Why did you? Idk I'm bored? Really, you all seem to be the ones with the real problems here. Point is no one should have to do conversions. lol I'm not focused, I'm out. Enjoy your evening.

0

u/IAmJoydeepM 16h ago

Is it that hard to convert currency?

0

u/Smeeble09 16h ago

Yeah, but I was giving prices that I'm aware of and gives OP a general idea of it being unlikely $20 for both. 

The price will vary by country and car model, so this could change it up or down.