Smash repairer debacle

[NX74205]

Let me begin by apologising for a slightly long winded post but I'd like some input from someone who knows how the panel beating industry works regarding my recent bad experience with a smash repairer who shall remain nameless for now.

It began when my car needed repairs after extensive damage that happened when some metal bars fell off the ute in front of me and straight into my car. I had a couple of dents on my bonnet and multiple scratches on my bonnet, windscreen, front passenger door, roof and rear quarter panel. As it was entirely the ute driver's fault, I made a claim with the insurance who determined that I'm not liable for any excess.

I was told that the job would take 8 working days which I thought at the time to be somewhat excessive. It was explained that they will repair the dents on the bonnet and paint the bonnet, front guards, front and rear doors on the passenger side, roof and rear quarter panel, as well as replace the windscreen. I was not expecting to have to leave my car there any more than five days and felt a bit uneasy doing so. Nevertheless, I accepted it without going elsewhere for a damage assessment.

I requested at the time of the assessment, however, that if the windscreen was to be replaced, I want to have exactly the same brand and same style windscreen fitted as the OEM equipment, and not an aftermarket variant even if it is fully functional and fully compatible. I was told that it would depend on what their distributor has, but if a customer has requested something different, is it that hard to find someone else who may have it in stock? Nevertheless I didn't press the issue, as I thought having told them once was enough. Telling them again would be nagging. I ended up getting a different windscreen with no word on whether they tried to source the windscreen I requested.

Long story short, car came back to me in a filthy state. The interior was dusty, there was an imprint of something heavy that was sitting on my back seat, a couple of scratches on the hard plastic driver's seat back, dust everywhere and smelling like a mixture of paint and glue (i.e. not pleasant). I enquired as to the state of the interior (but did not mention the scratches as I cannot be 100% certain that they weren't there before) and was told that they didn't have time to finish vacuuming the car, and that they usually do so. I find that difficult to accept as they have had the car for 8 full working days. What's more, I noticed on the first day that it was left sitting out the front in the car park exactly where I had parked it that morning, with no work seemingly having been done on it.

There was about 1.6km added to my odometer after I dropped it off which I find suspicious. They have another branch just down the road. If the car was taken there I would like to have been consulted before hand.

The exterior looked good upon first inspection, but there was overspray on the LF window and tyres, and shoddy paint finish on the roof, front door and LF guard. Thankfully, the tyres were due to be replaced anyway.

I'm hoping someone with knowledge of the industry can tell me whether I'm being unreasonable in:

1. Expecting it to be done quicker than 8 working days
2. Expecting to have exactly the same brand windscreen as the OEM equipment
3. Expecting not to have more than a few hundred metres added to the odometer
4. Expecting a perfect paint finish without overspray
5. Expecting a clean interior that doesn't smell of a mixture of paint and glue, and not to have my back seat used for storage of heavy items, even if they belong to my car.

I have bought some paint thinner to hopefully resolve the issue with the overspray on the windows. What can be done about the paint drips around the front left repeater light and the front bumper? The last thing I want right now is a complete respray. I have serious trust issues over leaving my car with anyone at the moment, much less the unnamed smash repairer ...

Thanks for your input.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Most panel shops are sausage factories (you can thank the insurance industry for that). You should have done more homework. Trust me if you send it back they will just make a bigger mess of it. 8 days is pretty normal, so is extra Km's as many shops have a few factories not always at the same place. As for storing parts in the car, that's normal too, they are safer there and it ensures your parts don't get mixed up with someone else's.

Genuine Ford windscreens are cheap Chinese rubbish so I would not let that worry you.

[xr6turboford]

Speak to your insurance company. The sooner the better, so that the asessor can check it out and you get it fixed.

[LG17]

I would contact your insurance company immediately and inform them of the condition of the vehicle and the "apparent" sub-standard workmanship.
Make sure you have photos.
Do not try to fix /clean it yourself.
Let your insurance company deal with the repairer.

1. Time frame not an issue.
2. Windscreen not an issue.
3. The mileage could be an issue - no car travels that distance around a workshop and it didn't need a road test.
4. Overspray is not acceptable.
5. Dirty interior (or exterior for that matter) is not acceptable.

[ryeman]

Have to collect the lunch orders...?

[dieseltrain79]

All those paint runs are from rushing it . The fact you didn't want it to take that long may have caused them to rush and cause all the runs .

Speak to your insurance company as most panel shops , have a warranty period on their work .

[BadMax]

Originally Posted by NX74205

1. Expecting it to be done quicker than 8 working days

Not to be rude, but you probably don't understand the process of repairing a car. I'd say 8-10 days for your particular job is more than normal. Your car isn't worked on exclusively.

Originally Posted by NX74205

2. Expecting to have exactly the same brand windscreen as the OEM equipment

Check your insurace PDS, I would suggest it's at thier descretion what is used not yours.

Originally Posted by NX74205

3. Expecting not to have more than a few hundred metres added to the odometer

This is legit, not unless they took it for a wheel alignment.

Originally Posted by NX74205

4. Expecting a perfect paint finish without overspray

A reasonable request, to have your car returned to pre accident condition. Not a restored vehicle as I assure you, your paint was not perfect before the repairs. I have inspected 1.3 million dollar cars with far less than perfect paint.

Originally Posted by NX74205

5. Expecting a clean interior that doesn't smell of a mixture of paint and glue, and not to have my back seat used for storage of heavy items, even if they belong to my car.

Having the interior returned to you in a clean state is expected. Having it smell fresh as a daisy is pretty difficult. The smell with dissipate over a week or so.

Originally Posted by NX74205

I have bought some paint thinner to hopefully resolve the issue with the overspray on the windows. What can be done about the paint drips around the front left repeater light and the front bumper? The last thing I want right now is a complete respray. I have serious trust issues over leaving my car with anyone at the moment, much less the unnamed smash repairer ...

Thinners wont do much good, you'll need a razor blade. Runs are usualy easily removed. If you want it fixed, you have no choice but to leave it with someone and in this case the original repairer has the first right to rectify any issue.

Originally Posted by NX74205

Thanks for your input.

No probs.

Oh lastly and probably the most important question, who are you insured with?

[Silver Ghia]

Time required for repairs is up to the repairer and how busy they are. 8 days seems quite reasonable to me. Regarding any delays that may occur during repair, you just have to go along with them (as long as its reasonable) and not rush them.

Paint imperfections should have been noticed and mentioned to the repairer before picking up the car, now you need to go to your insurer detailing the problems, for them to arrange rectification with the repairer as necessary. Accept the windscreen supplied, the 1.6km to me is also not an issue.

Check the car thoroughly before picking the car up after rectification, for them to attend to. If its only cleaning up, I would do it myself.

Unfortunately when your car is repaired, you need to accept minor issues, as the car never comes back exactly how it was before the damage occurred. After a while you tend to forget about the whole episode.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Most insurers (if not all?) have some sort of satisfaction guarantee for any work done. They will assess your claims and attempt to have them fixed to your satisfaction.

Follow what advice has been already mentioned above in terms of timeframe, screen and km driven.

If it does need to go back to the same mob, take many detailed pics of the car, from all angles, inside and out in case you have further issues with scratches and other blemishes that you can't prove were not there prior.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by BadMax

Not to be rude, but you probably don't understand the process of repairing a car. I'd say 8-10 days for your particular job is more than normal. Your car isn't worked on exclusively.



Check your insurace PDS, I would suggest it's at thier descretion what is used not yours.



This is legit, not unless they took it for a wheel alignment.



A reasonable request, to have your car returned to pre accident condition. Not a restored vehicle as I assure you, your paint was not perfect before the repairs. I have inspected 1.3 million dollar cars with far less than perfect paint.



Having the interior returned to you in a clean state is expected. Having it smell fresh as a daisy is pretty difficult. The smell with dissipate over a week or so.



Thinners wont do much good, you'll need a razor blade. Runs are usualy easily removed. If you want it fixed, you have no choice but to leave it with someone and in this case the original repairer has the first right to rectify any issue.



No probs.

Oh lastly and probably the most important question, who are you insured with?

Listen to this guy he owns a panel shop.

[MNM96]

Originally Posted by xisled

Listen to this guy he owns a panel shop.

And more importantly, given some realy well thought out, and sound advice!

[NX74205]

Thanks for the responses everyone, I truly appreciate it. As the general consensus is that 8 days is quite a reasonable timeframe and that I should accept the windscreen as is, I won't press the issue further.

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Genuine Ford windscreens are cheap Chinese rubbish so I would not let that worry you.

It's not the quality I'm concerned about, it's just me being **** about keeping my car as near as damnit to stock standard as I possibly can. For the entire time I've owned it, I've only used genuine Ford parts.

Originally Posted by BadMax

Not to be rude, but you probably don't understand the process of repairing a car.

You're right, I don't know the process of repairing a car, which is why I'm asking others who have experience in the industry about this.

Originally Posted by BadMax

This is legit, not unless they took it for a wheel alignment.

Why would it need a wheel alignment after repairs? The damage to my car did not include anything to do with the wheels or the steering that I'm aware of.

Originally Posted by BadMax

A reasonable request, to have your car returned to pre accident condition. Not a restored vehicle as I assure you, your paint was not perfect before the repairs. I have inspected 1.3 million dollar cars with far less than perfect paint.

Fair point. It wasn't perfect before repairs - there were scratches and dings on the passenger door before I took the car for repairs, but the least I should be able to expect is that the areas that were damaged and needed a repaint (around the A pillar) should have a perfect finish. It doesn't.

Originally Posted by BadMax

Having the interior returned to you in a clean state is expected. Having it smell fresh as a daisy is pretty difficult. The smell with dissipate over a week or so.

Fair enough. Can you please explain why it always ends up smelling like it does? Is it because the workshop smells like that and if the car is parked there long enough, the smell will penetrate even if all the windows have been left up?

Originally Posted by BadMax

Thinners wont do much good, you'll need a razor blade. Runs are usualy easily removed. If you want it fixed, you have no choice but to leave it with someone and in this case the original repairer has the first right to rectify any issue.

I was going to use the thinners on the overspray on the window only. But I'm not sure how to fix the paint runs on the front guard. If it can be easily removed, can you please explain how? I'm hoping to do it myself if I can.

Originally Posted by BadMax

Oh lastly and probably the most important question, who are you insured with?

RAC.

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Paint imperfections should have been noticed and mentioned to the repairer before picking up the car, now you need to go to your insurer detailing the problems, for them to arrange rectification with the repairer as necessary. Accept the windscreen supplied, the 1.6km to me is also not an issue.

I only did a brief walk around when I got the car. I was so eager to get my car back at last that I wasn't keen on letting it stay a second longer than it absolutely needed to. It was already 50 minutes after the promised time on the promised day, the shop had technically already closed, and I wasn't prepared to let them have it another night.

I did notice the issues the following day, though.

As a bit of a footnote, I have contacted the smash repairer in question and they have offered to fix the issues that I have with the workmanship as well as the pre-existing small dings in the door free of charge as a gesture of goodwill. I'm now considering their offer.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Do NOT even try to fix those runs yourself! I assure you that whatever 'fix' you do will make it look much worse.

[dieseltrain79]

If you don't accept their offer , you have rocks in your head ...

Problem presented , answer supplied !

Come back after they sort it out

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by dieseltrain79

If you don't accept their offer , you have rocks in your head ...

Problem presented , answer supplied !

Come back after they sort it out

Exactly... even thought they should have done a better job the first time around they will know you are on top of them and will make sure you have no reason to complain again (well, thats what I assume). Afterall, any business knows that common knowledge of shoddy work is never a good thing.

[JC]

I'd take them up on their offer - you still have the backing of the insurance company should the repairs not be completed to your satisfaction.

[BadMax]

Please don't attempt any fixes yourself, leave them for the shop to fix. As has been said, if you don't take the offer up the insurance company probably wont take your complaint seriously.
Give them a chance and let them do what it takes in a reasonable time frame.

[FGII-XR6]

their offer seems very reasonable, accept it and move on, your car will be better than before the accident as the extra dings will be fixed too

[LTDHO]

I assume you had called your insurer before posting on here.

They need to know if a repairer is doing poor work. They will also manage the repairs. You can ask that the insurance assessor sights the car before you collect it.

If you haven't done this, then you are taking it into your own hands and have little recourse and major headaches ahead.

[The Yeti]

95% of the above screams of a busy shop

8days seems fair
the km I wouldnt loose sleep over it, Ive droped my car off at for for a service with a full tank for a service and pannel alignment and got it back with the 80km fuel warning, that is casued to be upset, but 1.6km let it go, you would use doign a run arround the block to find a parking spot.

over spray, runs and dust inside on the other hand they should be rectified, I wouldnt expect the car to be detailed, but washed & vac'd and the over spray off the windows is a simple way to ensure the customer dosent come back with the cranks.

thye have offered to make good, I say do it and move on with life

[Nikked]

Insurance companys have been using aftermarket stuff for years...yes, [i]insurance[i/] companys. The panel shop can quote for genuine stuff, only ti have the assesor come along and knock it all back.

NRMA use aftermarket radiators and aircores in cars just over 3 months old...

[Uwish]

No way those repairs take 8 days.
i always use "Sefton Smash" repairs and unless parts aren't available and its nothing too major ( just like this ) it is finished within 5 working days.
Also I would use the insurance company assessor to go right over your car.

NRMA will use genuine where possible. ( My HSV, Corolla, CX7 and 323I BM ) all genuine parts

[GhiaEB]

Originally Posted by ryeman

Have to collect the lunch orders...?

Funny enough, when I was younger and still figuring out what I wanted to do in my life, I worked as a TA for a panelshop and it was my job to get the orders, parts or what ever had to picked up. I would use what ever car was ready to go, then after wash and prep the car for the customers collection. It's a lot more common then you think.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Insurance companys have been using aftermarket stuff for years...yes, [i]insurance[i/] companys. The panel shop can quote for genuine stuff, only ti have the assesor come along and knock it all back.

NRMA use aftermarket radiators and aircores in cars just over 3 months old...

If the car is still in the warranty period, they must use new genuine parts. If they do not use them, go to the ombudsman and get them to replace the parts at no cost.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by xisled

If the car is still in the warranty period, they must use new genuine parts. If they do not use them, go to the ombudsman and get them to replace the parts at no cost.

Nope...


Trust me, I've witnessed our managers go over this with the assessor... After 3 months (sometimes 6), they use aftermarket radiators...no matter how much we tell them that its wrong, its one of their policies...

Much the same with windscreens (i assume)...had a FG ute in for hail...yep...that screen got replaced by a non-genuine screen.


In the smash repair world, its a constant battle between Assessors and the poor blokes who do the quotes, who cop it from both the assessor and customers.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Nope...


Trust me, I've witnessed our managers go over this with the assessor... After 3 months (sometimes 6), they use aftermarket radiators...no matter how much we tell them that its wrong, its one of their policies...

Much the same with windscreens (i assume)...had a FG ute in for hail...yep...that screen got replaced by a non-genuine screen.


In the smash repair world, its a constant battle between Assessors and the poor blokes who do the quotes, who cop it from both the assessor and customers.

Well what would happen if the motor blew a head gasket due to the aftermarket radiator and the dealer denied the warrenty claim because of the after market radiator. The windscreen and windows are a different story, do not see a problem with after market glass.

[NX74205]

Originally Posted by GhiaEB

Funny enough, when I was younger and still figuring out what I wanted to do in my life, I worked as a TA for a panelshop and it was my job to get the orders, parts or what ever had to picked up. I would use what ever car was ready to go, then after wash and prep the car for the customers collection. It's a lot more common then you think.

That ***** me. It really does. If my car was used for a lunch run I'd absolutely lose it with the boss. They can go and get stuffed. I don't care about their lunch. The workers should use their own cars to go and get lunch.

I'm considering installing a GPS tracker before bringing it back in to see if my car has been anywhere other than into the workshop and back out.

[xisled]

Why are you so worried the car had 1.6ks on it. I would think that is normal. The car was probally moved in and out if the shop about 10 times. If they used your car for pick ups, lunch, I would be expecting 10 plus ks.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Well it was there for 8 days. Move it at least twice a day = 16 times... 1.6 km = 100 metres a move... Very plausible!

[NX74205]

Originally Posted by xisled

Why are you so worried the car had 1.6ks on it. I would think that is normal. The car was probally moved in and out if the shop about 10 times. If they used your car for pick ups, lunch, I would be expecting 10 plus ks.

I think it's a matter of principle. If I've left my car somewhere for a job to be done, I would expect that it would not be used for anything other than the job that I have specifically instructed to be done. I'm very protective of my car and I make no apology for that.

That said, I can see your point that 1.6km is not really a lot. Unfortunately, I have no evidence whatsoever to prove that it was used for anything other than what I had left it there for.