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I need some suggestions for dealing with unacceptable body work at dealer

2K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  1.8tmk4doorjetta 
#1 ·
Hi, I've been a lurker over on the Sportwagen page since I bought my car. I'm sorry to bombard you with photos on my first post, but I'm hoping for some advice on how to deal with unacceptable body work. If the dealer body shop won't fix the problem, is it appropriate to file a complaint with VW?

While it was parked in the parking lot at work, my car was hit by a hit and run driver. There was a lot of damage to the left rear quarter and door frame and the whole side panel had to be replaced. Because my car was only 5 months old and had only 7800 miles on it, I (mistakenly) thought going right to the VW dealer where I bought it would be my best bet for getting it back still looking like the new car it is. They are not one of the "preferred" shops for my insurance company, so I'm on my own to get this resolved.

They had my car for 3 weeks. When I picked it up, no one reviewed the repairs with me, the car was outside and it was getting dark, so I didn't have a chance to get a good look at it then. Once I did get to take a close look, I was pissed. I called the body shop and spoke to the manager, who basically told me that he didn't think there was anything wrong and he didn't understand what my problem was. I told him I had photos I'd like him to look at and asked for his email. I copied the sales manager who sold me the car in my message with the photos. When I hadn't heard back by the next afternoon, I called and asked if the body shop mgr had a chance to review the photos. His response was, "Yeah, I got them. You're going to have to make an appointment and we'll see if anything needs to be done". I asked if he at least looked at them and if he agreed that there were some serious problems. He just said, "Like I said, you'll have to make an appointment".

Now, I have to take time off from work so he can decide if he's going to fix the problems his shop has created. I also have a paralyzed dog who uses a wheelchair and needs to come to work with me every day (which is one of the reasons I bought the wagon - it has plenty of room for all of his equipment). My insurance company paid for the rental while my car was "repaired" the first time and Enterprise allows pets in rentals. I can't afford to rent a car for this.

I have 20 photos of problems I found (paint damage, at least 5 places where there is contamination under new paint, adhesive on my seat & steering wheel, bumper misaligned, etc.) but I've just included some representative photos here.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!













 
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#2 ·
They didn't do it right. They got paid so they could be jerks and ignore you.

Start documenting names and times of conversations. Make that appointment with the Bodyshop manager. Make sure your insurance company is aware. They paid for services that haven't been completed and should be notified. That could/should be considered insurance fraud. If the Manager can't get it done go over his head. My dear has multiple locations and brands so they have a "Customer Service Group" and they take their jobs relatively seriously. Contact the corporate level and if needed the owner.

Meanwhile you have names, dates and times of each conversation and a summary of what they think can be accomplished.

Send these pictures to your insurance company. As I said, the work isn't done right and needs finishing. They have a lot to say about how much of their money is spent at that bodyshop. If they are blacklisted that could put a serious dent in their workload.

Finally, maybe your car was damaged worse than initially thought. Perhaps frame or other damage was more serious and was missed by the bodyshop and your insurance company's adjuster.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks for the reply.

I met with the body shop manager and he minimized all of my concerns (and actually laughed at one of the paint problems I pointed out). As far as the bumper, his response was, "well, it's a plastic part. It's made to flex. Maybe one of the brackets got bent". Ummm, well, I'd kind of think that making sure the bumper was not reinstalled on a bent bracket would be part of repairing it correctly the first time. His response to everything else was, "we can buff that out". Seriously. That's what he said to contaminants under the paint, hazing, deep scratches, roof line. Everything.

I'm not at all happy with his response or attitude, even if all the problems do get fixed this time. I told him I'm concerned with the corrosion protection that will no longer exist after they "buff it out" and he laughed and said that they apply clear coat much thicker than the factory, so it's not a problem since they won't go through the clear coat. So I'm still wondering about the at least 8 (I keep noticing more) places where there is lint or something under the paint itself.

I'm frustrated and annoyed and I hate being spoken to like I'm an idiot. No, I'm not a body work guru, but I am a customer and they did inexcusably ****ty work that they need to make right and he continues to act like this is some really inconvenient problem that I've created. :mad: Sorry, venting.

Thanks again for your reply.
 
#4 ·
U need to raise hell with ur insurance co. They r the ones to hold the shop accountable for the sh*ty work. Also u should refuse to go back to that shop. Insurance should cover everything all over again including rental. Then bill the first shop for the repairs.


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#5 ·
I called my insurance company as soon as I noticed the first problem, fully expecting that they would help. They told me that, since I chose to go to a shop that is not one of their preferred shops, there's nothing more they can, or will, do and I'm on my own to deal with the body shop. I was told that if I had selected one of their preferred shops, they would guarantee the work and would take care of all of this, but since I didn't, they consider it my responsibility to resolve any disputes. They will not provide any additional rental coverage for this claim and they won't pay for anything more, unless I can prove that something was missed by the appraiser and additional repairs (not corrections to the f'ed up original ones) need to be made as a direct result of the hit and run.

I tried to make an appointment with the body shop for this week, but the manager is on vacation and they told me he needs to be there for the re-repairs. I'm going to try and get something for next week.

I just have **** luck with cars. I have never had an accident in my life, but this is the 5th vehicle I've owned and it's the 5th vehicle that has been hit while parked (yes, all have been parked legally). I had a brand new 2001 Golf that got hit a month after I bought it by a drunk who turned into the wrong driveway. I got it back from the body shop and, 6 days later, a woman backed right into the side of it, despite it being bright red and the only other car in a large parking lot.
 
#7 ·
Contact Billy Walkowaik or one of his associates at Collision Safety Consultants out of North Carolina they have a large network of post repair inspection facilities they work with and can help you in dealing with not only you inept insurance adjusters/company who most likely feels they've financed enough into this repair and have bowed out there responsibility early with that fake bs reason but can also help get you in touch with a proper and certified shop that does quality repairs the first time. Also they can give you some advice on setting up a deminishd value claim on your car. collisionsafteyconsultants.com
 
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