i got in a very minor accident, where i hit a tree stump. i had a minor dent on the rocker and door, and the fender needed to be replaced. so they called me yesterday told me to pick up the car. the rocker panel was about 1 inch away from the fender. the rocker panel had so much paint, it was dripped, and there was dirt spots in the paint in the fender. oh and they put a knick in my door handle.

for the love of god. i told this guy before i brought it in that i wanted it perfect, just like factory. and i confirmed the allstate guarantee that they would fix it until i am satisfied.

 

what state you on? in ny my guy is the god of bodyshop.

 

nj, in princeton

 

you get what you pay for....

 

what is that supposed to mean, the body shop was highly recommended and the insurance company is paying. its not like i went to a maaco or some mickey mouse place. 1300 dollar job for minor body work, its not like i was being cheap...tool

 

Ouch man. I certainly hate having to go in for body work. It can never be restored to factory, only close. But go til your satisfied.

 

if insurance was paying, you shouldve taken it to the dealer.
might take a day or two longer, but that stuff is garuanteed to back to normal and you'll know for sure that they know wat theyre doing on your car and that theyre using OEM parts.

 

i didnt know the dealer could do that work. damn, i wish i knew

 

a little fyi. dealer uses more aftermarket parts than regular body shops.( our biggest customers of aftermarket parts are dealer)... even a step farther,some OEM replacement parts are now being made in tiawan(if you do not believe me look at an OEM box. it will say"made in tiawan"). a dealer is no more qualified than a "good body shop". a bad body man( i just call the parts installers, the last body man died 10 years ago) can work anywhere. when you take your car into a body shop ask WHO will be working on my car!!!!!!!. if the guys says "jimmy, the new guy" or "nun your business" take it somewhere else. if he says "marv out best guy for 15 years" say i will leave in in marv's good hands. joe

 

I wrote an article on bodyshop referral in NJ. Check out:
https://www.rx8club.com/ne-rx-8-forum-29/great-bodyshop-experience-new-jersey-list-55004/.

It pays to do your homework in advance before handing the key off. I went with a "State Farm Recommeded" bodyshop in previous experince on another car. Needless to say, it was a "gigantic" mistake! Nowadays, I trust my own research and words-of-mouth.

Goodluck!

 

Just keep in mind that MANY dealers don't do body work -- they just outsource it to a local body shop. So you could end up having the same shop do the work no matter where you take it. The difference is that the dealership has to guarantee the work if you take it to them, and it might be that they have more to lose (or at least a bigger authority - MNAO - to report to) if the shop doesn't do a good job.

 

i got my car back last night, and it looks amazing. they did a great job the second time. my guess is they got a different guy to do it