Is this really typical of body shops?!?!

Laura

Laura

New member
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
299
Reaction score
0
It was one thing for the deer to destroy part of my car. It didn't know any better, and it lost it's life in the process.

AG2-DeerDamage1.jpg




But I was shocked by the "professionals" who did this -

Holograms.jpg


Driver_Door.jpg


Trunk2.jpg


Back_piller.jpg


Scratch3.jpg


Headlight_Haze.jpg



It looks like they sat their beer cans on the trunk!!!

Circles.jpg




Boy did I ever get a dose of perspective through all of this. The place I took it was one of State Farm's "preferred" collision centers. The work is guaranteed, and the people I dealt with were super nice. I believe they think they did a good job. When I picked it up, I was told not to run it through an auto car wash for a few days until the paint cures a little longer, and I was given a certificate for a free detail.

What I want to do is fix small sample places all over it, take it back to them, show them what it can look like, and give them a copy of Mike's book.

Actually, I came very close to doing that when I was still mad. Here's one of my spots ...

Fixing_it.jpg




However, that probably wouldn't go over very well, so I guess I'll just fix it myself and let go of the resentment......
 
Thats a shame Laura !

But the good news it will polish up very nicely and easily now that the paint is still fresh/soft.

I would still point out the swirls to them and tell them fresh paint shouldnt look like that.
 
My heart sank when I saw those pics, and it's not even my car! I can imagine the sick pit in your stomach you must have felt when you saw that. Why did they have to take the rotary to the rest of the car? So they could bill State Farm for a "blending detail" to get all the paint to match? I guess the "do not wash!" signs aren't just for dealers. Discriminating folks need "Do not buff undamaged panels!" signs for the body shops.

Other than the damage, I'm glad you finally got your car back. She's in good hands now! :buffing:
 
Bodyshops "can" do some pretty spectacular work but depending on the technician the results can be disappointing to say the least. Laura, the photos you posted are awful and I can't imagine any shop would present those examples to the customer.

Typical; No, do they happen? Evidently Yes.....
 
When I was looking for a body shop I was told NOT to use an insurance company preferred body shop due to things like this. I shopped around and the one I used WAS actually preferred by my insurance company. I asked the manager for a "tour" of the facility before making my decision on using his location. I was scared at first but I got lucky and they did a great job.
I would show the pictures of your vehicle to your agent and see what can be done. Maybe they will cut you a check for the cost of a detail, then do it yourself and pocket the money.
 
One of the military cars we do on a regular basis came back from a body shop like that - disturbing to even clean it each month now. I told them to let me fix it, but they wont allot the funds :( - sad -
 
That looks awful however it's a great challenge to make it perfect!
 
I actually know a couple of guys who own a small shop, and I wanted to take it there, but they said it would have been several weeks before they could get to it - they take the time to do excellent work! But, the insurance company said they wouldn't guarantee it and I didn't want to end up having some kind of hassle with State Farm. The nearest "Audi Certified" place was almost 300 miles away, and who knows what that means - certified to jack up the parts price? I have never had to deal with this before, so I was in unchartered waters and tried to make the best decision I could.

When I look at it from the Collision Center's perspective, I can totally understand. Right now, in my car's current condition, I can park it in any parking lot, and it still looks better than 95% of any others there. If the public in general were educated and concerned about their paint, then it would make sense for them to spend the extra time ensuring they returned it to me swirl free. But they are a production shop; they focus on putting the pieces back together, quickly. To spend 20 hours detailing it for an owner to just take it through the auto-wash would be a huge waste of money for them.

I think I was more disappointed that they did recognize up front that mine was different. When they looked out at the lot, I wish they would have noticed something special about my beading; as they were looking at the paint up close, I wish they would have recognized that after 42,000 miles it was still clear. I've kind of lost faith in the belief that if I take it somewhere in pristine condition, it will receive better care, because of any place it's ever been, this was the one where people should have noticed and appreciated the work that went into it.

Oh well, overall I still consider myself lucky. At least I know how to fix it. And really, my hood has always had a strange haze to it. Now I've got more paint on there to play with.

...Just not this weekend, though. My neighbor is selling their black Acura and has asked me to "make it shine" for them. So, for at least another week, I'm going to be another member of the majority; driving my car around proudly displaying swirls and holograms. Heck, I should slap one of those magnets of the stick-figure family on the back and start parking close to entrances!!
 
Laura said:
What I want to do is fix small sample places all over it, take it back to them, show them what it can look like, and give them a copy of Mike's book.
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd do a series of 50/50s and show them the comparison to their work and the way it's supposed to look.

Laura said:
However, that probably wouldn't go over very well, so I guess I'll just fix it myself and let go of the resentment......
Click to expand...

And you care about their opinion... why? Hacks don't realize they're hacks. By highlighting the quality... or lack thereof... that's going out of their shop you're offering some edumacation. If they care they'll want to know and seeing the difference is believing. I'd pick the worst spot and tape off a 50/50 and ask them which side they'd want a sign hanging saying "Repaired by Whoevers Body Shop".

TL
 
TLMitchell said:
Personally, I'd do a series of 50/50s and show them the comparison to their work and the way it's supposed to look.



And you care about their opinion... why? Hacks don't realize they're hacks. By highlighting the quality... or lack thereof... that's going out of their shop you're offering some edumacation. If they care they'll want to know and seeing the difference is believing. I'd pick the worst spot and tape off a 50/50 and ask them which side they'd want a sign hanging saying "Repaired by Whoevers Body Shop".

TL
Click to expand...


I really want to do exactly what you said, but here's the deal - I'm a female, who drives an Audi, in the middle of Alabama. Nobody in a place that is content to turn out work like this is going to listen to a word I say. The manager would try to appease me with some kind of offer just to get me out, and they would all have big laughs about it for days. If I thought they cared, I'd do it. But this place is huge and is locked into contracts with all the major insurance companies - their business model is not built on customer satisfaction. Really, with the insurance companies guaranteeing the work, they make even MORE money when someone brings a car back to them to re-do.

In the end, I decided they are not worth my time. I AM considering driving over to my buddies' shop to show them their competition's quality craftmanship. I felt bad for not taking it there to begin with, so maybe I could help them with some advertising or something...
 
I'm really starting to think most body shops don't know the difference between a swirl and a squirrel...hah.
And I think "preferred" body shops just means they have a great "high volume" relationship with them. And, high-volume usually means less quality from what I've seen. Now that I think of it, I think all the ones my insurance company recommend suck.

Anyway, I think you hit the nail on the head. Their high-volume business model is NOT built on customer satisfaction.
 
Sorry to see this Laura.

wow to think all that damage was the result of just one session with a rotary in the wrong hands. Hope your body lines are ok.
 
Most body shops can do good work. However, most don't put the time into it. Sadly, because yours was an insurance claim and not coming out of your pocket, the quality of the work went down. These large body shops that insurance companies deal with value quantity, not quality. Additionally, your average person wouldn't think anything wrong with the paint. Most people don't know how good cars can look :|
 
Im not really seeing buffing swirls.To me it looks like wash induced swirls and marring .

They may have done a good job and the person they have washing the vehiles is marring the work up.

I still would bring it to their attention(in the sun) so they know !

How does the paint itself look? Any runs? Lots of orange peel ?Color match? Any overspray?

Maybe you got a better job then you think .Honestly you will be surprized how easy for you it will be to polish this out while the paint is soft .Get on it as soon as possible would be my advice!
 
Laura said:
...I'm a female, who drives an Audi, in the middle of Alabama. Nobody in a place that is content to turn out work like this is going to listen to a word I say.
Click to expand...

I think it'd be worth the entertainment value to see the expression on their faces when you ask them if they aren't embarrassed a girl can finish paint better than they can. ;)

TL
 
Laura said:
I actually know a couple of guys who own a small shop, and I wanted to take it there, but they said it would have been several weeks before they could get to it - they take the time to do excellent work! But, the insurance company said they wouldn't guarantee it and I didn't want to end up having some kind of hassle with State Farm. The nearest "Audi Certified" place was almost 300 miles away, and who knows what that means - certified to jack up the parts price? I have never had to deal with this before, so I was in unchartered waters and tried to make the best decision I could.

When I look at it from the Collision Center's perspective, I can totally understand. Right now, in my car's current condition, I can park it in any parking lot, and it still looks better than 95% of any others there. If the public in general were educated and concerned about their paint, then it would make sense for them to spend the extra time ensuring they returned it to me swirl free. But they are a production shop; they focus on putting the pieces back together, quickly. To spend 20 hours detailing it for an owner to just take it through the auto-wash would be a huge waste of money for them.

I think I was more disappointed that they did recognize up front that mine was different. When they looked out at the lot, I wish they would have noticed something special about my beading; as they were looking at the paint up close, I wish they would have recognized that after 42,000 miles it was still clear. I've kind of lost faith in the belief that if I take it somewhere in pristine condition, it will receive better care, because of any place it's ever been, this was the one where people should have noticed and appreciated the work that went into it.

Oh well, overall I still consider myself lucky. At least I know how to fix it. And really, my hood has always had a strange haze to it. Now I've got more paint on there to play with.

...Just not this weekend, though. My neighbor is selling their black Acura and has asked me to "make it shine" for them. So, for at least another week, I'm going to be another member of the majority; driving my car around proudly displaying swirls and holograms. Heck, I should slap one of those magnets of the stick-figure family on the back and start parking close to entrances!!
Click to expand...

That made me laugh.. :laughing:

That's a horrible condition they left it in.
 
I've read your posts and like your writing style and presentation. Was inspired several days ago to post this on the limerick thread, because your POS thread:

I read of a lady with two pails,
determined to finish without fail.
Polished swirls like a pro.
RIDS meeting her deathblow;
at the end- not even a pigtail.



I agree w/ letting it go. Knowledge of your superior skills should suffice.
 
damn that sucks, I remember reading your thread when you hit that deer and it was 3 times better looking than it is now...
your "free detail" they gave you, whatcha gon do with it now lol...instead of getting your car swirl-free, they are giving your cars swirls, free!
 
This is the exact reason why I am so hesitant to get my rear bumper repainted. I literally do not trust any body shop to do it right. All I ever see are horror stories like this.

What I want to know is why do bodyshops even buff the paint in the first place. Why cant they just spray the paint and leave it alone..

Is it because they are sanding out some of the orange peel and then they are removing the sanding marks?

If so, would I be out of line to ask them to not wetsand anything and let me do it myself?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top