Body Shop dented my car Part II : MORE DAMAGE FOUND!
 

sigh...

Well, if you read the first thread you all know my story about how I took my car to the body shop for minor repairs on my rear bumper and got it back with 2 dents on my rear passenger door.

I picked up the car today (again) and just like the first time... the repair looks great! I was given a lifetime warranty on the repair, so I am not too worried about that.

Because I didn't fully inspect my car the last time I picked it up, I made sure to check every single inch of it this time. (The same adjuster helped me with the second repair and he and I walked every single angle of my car documenting every single little thing before I left the car the second time. We found 2 barely noticeable door dings and one very tiny small scratch. He wrote it on his walk through report.. As I inspected the car today, I found a few new surprises! :(

1) (which I'm not too worried about) Is a weird mark left under the driver headlight which looks like tape residue. I tried to rub it off to see if it would come off and it didn't. I even licked my finger to see if it came off at least a little... and nothing! The same markings are found in 2 or 3 other places along the car. (See pics below) The adjuster calls the detailer over and he says "No Problem, bring it by Monday and I'll detail the car completely." First off yes thank you for the free detail job (which should already be included) but I have a busy schedule to have to be bring it back AGAIN for a 3rd time. I guess this is because it was close to closing time on a Friday.

2) (which I am really mad about) THEY SCRATCHED MY TINT!!! Ughh!! I get into my car... and see it right away! I immediately pointed it out to the detailer who was standing nearby. In a surprised tone he says "No Problem" (again) "I'll tell Rachael (shop owner) and we'll take it to the tint shop to have it re-tinted." They better take it to a good tint shop! I paid over $200 to have my windows tinted with good tint, now they scratched it! (see picture below: passenger's side tint).

At this point I am really frustrated with this shop. Yes, they do good work and they are known for being a good work shop but their employees need to be more careful!! Especially after they already damaged my vehicle once!

I first paid $600 for minor bumper repair (scratches) and a small dent.
... I get my car back with more damages
I then pay $200 more to fix the additional damages...
... I again get my car back with more damages

Anyway, thanks for allowing me to vent. Again, what does everyone think I should do about this? I keep having to take time off work and time without my car because of the carelessness of a few employees at this shop.

They sure as hell lost my business! :icon_tdow

Pictures below: Additional damages and the passenger rear door after repair.
(sorry they are a bit dark. Took them while inside of my garage).

damn sucks doode. but its gonna be hard to show them a second time more damage. they might just think you did it yourself to blame it on them. I'm not saying you did, im only saying that they might just accuse you so u get free work from them. Just annoy the crap out of em. Make it a point to them.

Good luck. Keep us posted!

The marks on your paint are overspray from where the masking wasn't properly sealed.
It will require wet-sanding to remove, but it isn't a big deal for a good detailer.

The scratch is from a careless but common practice where the shop will throw loose parts from your repair inside the car when they move it around the shop.
I once watched in amazement as a bodyman litterally threw the new rear bumper from a car inside the passenger compartment and slammed the door on a brand new Toyota Solara.
The other possibility is that the finisher backed into the window with something sharp in their pocket/belt as they worked on the door.
Typical amatueur/immigrant body work mistake...

Well, that is why I was sure to check EVERYTHING before I left the parking lot this time. I pointed everything out to both the adjuster and the detailer. They said they would take care of it already so if they try to back out on Monday... that will not only be very unprofessional but they will be straight out lying to my face.

As far as the over spray... as long as it comes off, I dont mind.

Another thing I forgot to mention that really annoyed me is that they wiped the inside of my doors with some type of cleaning scented cloth. They must have gotten one of the doors dirty, then cleaned both while they were at it. The smell is really strong and I dont like it. I still have the new car smell and I never clean my interior with any type of scented cleaners because I dont like the smell and they went ahead and did that! :( Its all glossy too, which I also dont like. Forgive me if I am being too picky... but I just want my car back, with no damages and with no fruity weird smells in the interior! Is that too much to ask!?!? :banghead:

Soak a terrycloth rag with some of that orange citrus cleaner and wipe down the affected areas. It will remove the glossyness and abate the smell after a little while.

MazdaManiac, you are a true ass! Immigrant work? What exactly do you mean by that?

Thank you!

I mean exactly that - the type of techniques that bodymen employ in 3rd world countries is quite different than what we consider acceptable here.
In poorer countries, the expectation is to get it done quickly and only be concerned with the job at hand.
The modern expectation level is higher because of QC issues and competitive forces.
I've dealt with this in Europe, Africa and South America. It isn't a racial issue, though I'm sure you would prefer that it were.

Stop trying to be so politically correct - you are only insulting those you strive to protect.

I cannot believe that! That body shop is a joke. Just like someone else said, annoy them and DO NOT PAY for the repairs! That is completely their screw up and if they messed it up again you are/should not be held responsible. Make sure they pay for everything. That is just really unfortunate because I know that it gets frusterating. Make sure the tint film is the right % and try to find out what namebrand film they used from the original tint place. You should even demand that you take it to the tint place of your choice, have it tinted to your satisfaction, then bring them the bill and make the body shop pay for it. Good luck with everything! Keep us updated!

I'm not trying to be PC. And I'm not trying to protect anybody. I'm European. I've lived in Europe and now I'm living in the US. There are butchers everywhere. Don't just assume that immigrants do poor work. I've seen plenty of horrible work done by US workers. Just read all the letters of unsatisfied car owners. Were all those repairs done by immigrantes?
Just an uncalled for remark. I don't want to waste any more time on this.
Clmantis21, sorry, didn't mean to barge in like this but it just ticked me off.

I'm a European immigrant as well. Don't presume. "Horrible" work abounds everywhere. I wasn't referring to "horrible" work. It is a particular ethic that I was alluding to.
Body shops everywhere have two tiers of bodymen. They have to have a level of ability that is commesurate with their position.

Oh believe me!!! I will be there Monday making sure that they fully detail my car and that they have my tint taken care of. I am pretty sure that the brand used was LLUMAR and that it was 20% on the front windows but luckily I still have the receipt (for warranty) in the glove box so I'll double check.

They better not take more than a few hours either... I've been without my car long enough.

The only thing I am a little worried about is the owner thinking I am now just trying to scam her by blaming every blemish on my car on her and her shop. I was sure to quickly show both the adjuster and the detailer what I found and they said they would take care of it... so I am going to take their word for it. If they try to back out or the owner does not want to pay/fix for this.... ALL HELL WILL BREAK LOOSE!

I was patient the first time... I better have my car fixed right away or I will not be as patient anymore. :nono:

Do whatever it takes to get them to fix what they messed up.

Ok, this is the way I would look at this. I'm sure the owner is a nice lady and all, but you have to ask yourself this all the time (I do): would I rather piss off the owner of this shop, who I will never see or talk to again and have my car looking good and exactly the way I want it? or let me shell out the cash for her screw up just because she is a nice lady? The correct one is choice A in my opinion.

that is sort of the way I saw it going into the second repair (the dents they put on my rear door)... but now that this will be the 3rd... I'm not going to be as nice or as patient. I want my car fixed, and I will not pay another penny!

cl, sorry to hear your car is still not right...sounds like its time to wash your hands of this shop after they make your car right

I'd also demand your $200 back. It's obvious from the state of your car after this last repair that the door damage was caused by the shop.

dude, it's pretty obvious that they are careless. If i were you i would speak to the owner and get your money back for your half of the repair. It's painfully obvious that they are causing the mystery damage to your car.

Dont let them get away with it.

I thought the exact same thing after I discovered the second round of damages. I didn't get to speak with the owner after I saw the damages but I was thinking "you see... how these things can and do happen." I know the owner probably (in the back of her head) thought that I was making it all up... but I hope that she now sees that her employees are being quite careless with my car and god knows how many other cars that go through their shop.

I took the car this morning and as I approached the same adjuster that has handled my repairs he said "back for your detail?" (they are detailing my car to get rid of the marks left on my bumper)... I immediately say "Yes... AND to get my tint fixed that you all gashed"... he again looked at me in disbelieve. I am sure that by now they think I am finding any little thing that is wrong with my car and blaming it on them... but I am not. He and I did a complete walk through of my vehicle before I dropped it off the second time so he knows that I am not lying.

They took my car to a local alarm and tint shop. I (without the shop knowing) went to this tint place and asked the guy what type of film they would use and what %. I want to make sure they don't use some cheap crap. I paid very good money for my tint so they better do a great job on replacing it or I will make them do it again. As for the rest of my car, I better not find a single thing wrong with it when I get it back and those mysterious marks on my bumper and body panels better be taken care of.

Am I out of line here? :dunno:


I don't mean to be a PITA... but I just want my car back the way it was when I first dropped it off!!!

I'm almost tempted to print this thread (along with the previous thread about this) and leave it for the owner and employees to read.

talk to the owner and get your money back for the first dent you found. It's painfully obvious that this shop has been careless with your car. Let her know in a nice way that it's been suggested to you that you call the local news company and let them know what's been happening.

If she doesn't do anything, then call the news company, maybe you can get some bad press for the shop. You dont want anyone else getting screwed over now do you?

Update:

I picked up my car today and the markings are gone and they replaced the tint. I drove by the place where they had the window re tinted and it seemed to be a nice place. I talked to the guy who was going to actually replace the tint and he explained which film brand he was going to use and we went over % to make sure they matched.

I didnt find any new surprises this time. I asked the adjuster if the owner was upset about the tint and he said she was. He also said that they knew who did it and that he didnt know what the owner was going to do with him. I guess he will be punished in some way by the owner... I dont know. Glad she knows her employees were being careless at least. I could have mentioned getting my $200 back because there was proof of the mishandling of my car... but I just wanted to finally go home with my car!

I have a clean, dent less, blemish-free car...

...for now :)

Thanks again everyone!!

It might not be a bad idea to do two things.

First, sit down with the owner, thank her for her patience, but explain to her how what started off as a positive experience with her shop turned into a pain. How although she did everything in her power to make things right from her perspective, her employees are causing her problems. People who go in to get their cars detailed usually notice said details. Cheap but careless labor isn't cheap in the long run.

Second, please for the love of god start a thread about this body shop in the postive/negative thread area so other people don't have the same problems you have.

It does depend on the guy doing the work. I have an auto body shop in the family, and it's hard to find good help. Body work is dirty, dusty, they work with cancer causing chemicals, and it's physically hard work that I wouldn't want to do myself. As someone said above, there are two types of guys that do it. Due to that I am no longer living near the shop, I had to use a local shop to fix my wife's Jeep after she hit a deer about a year ago. Unfortunately the guy that does most of the work (and who is also the shop owner) was on vacation that week and the number two guy (and much younger I add) did the work. He tried to pass off a few things, and I refused to accept the Jeep. When the owner returned, he apologized, and fixed it to my satisfaction. He also asked me for my future business, and I'll use him again.

Now this is not a comment to the original poster at all as I feel for him, but then there is dealing with the car's owner. At my family shop, they use to do restoration work, but no longer offer it, unless they know the owner personally. With restoration work, people expect their hunk of junk to look like it did when it rolled off the assembly line. But at the same time they don't want to pay for all the work and tracking down the old parts that it requires. Good body work just costs money.