Repainted Bumper Woes

[Migue]

That being part of the damage ,it should have been repaired properly, and if the body man says that`s as good as they can do then they should have communicated that to the insurance company and that could have gotten you a new bumper . Since the objective was to repair to a pre loss state, and that crack happened during the accident, I`d say the repair needs to be re done then because a pre loss state = no visible crack\tear on bumper.

[PerfectCreature]

The insurance agent contacted me and reviewed the same photos I uploaded here and agreed that they did not appear to repaint the hood or bumper and merely blended the majority of it.
They said they will see what they can do as far as getting things redone, but stated blatantly that I will not be receiving a new bumper.
They also told me that the shop should have reviewed these things prior, and even though they did not do so, it doesn`t matter at this point, because the work was already done, and they will have to be paid for it.
Best case is that the shop covers the bumper and repaint and redoes the hood properly and reblends the fenders. Worst case is they simply spot fix the cracked area and send me on my way.

They indicated they may have to send an adjuster our to correlate my photos as being actual issues present and not issues prior.
They told me they would be contacting the shop and that it is essentially their word against my own.
The agent did not have very much hope that anything will come of this and basically hinted that it is what it is.
It does not look promising....

[GearHead_1]

It has always been my feeling that one should find a bodyshop that they trust as opposed to one recommended by the insurance company. I`m very picky as are most members of this forum. You`ve got to have confidence in the persons/shop making the repair. It shouldn`t be based soley on the fact that the bodyshop and insurance company are in it together, you aren`t required to go to "their" bodyshop. No doubt that they know how one another work and deals are cut.

As far as repairing to pre-accident state. If you can see the crack in the bumper then it has not met that qualification. In the end you may not get what you want but I`d be on them like bees on honey until I had exhausted any recourse I might have. Let them know that you`re OK with them not replacing the bumper but they are responsible to make it look and perform the way it did prior to the accident. That of course means you won`t see it 3 months down the road either.

[Migue]

That`s too bad, sorry to hear that.

There`s always something when trying to get something through insurance companies. Yes you have to accept that pre loss blemishes and damage will not be taken care of, but I find it hard to believe that the body shop did such a poor repair on that bumper crack and are telling you that`s as good as it`ll get.

Good luck with all of this and I hope they are able and willing to re work it and make things look better.

[PerfectCreature]

That`s too bad, sorry to hear that.

There`s always something when trying to get something through insurance companies. Yes you have to accept that pre loss blemishes and damage will not be taken care of, but I find it hard to believe that the body shop did such a poor repair on that bumper crack and are telling you that`s as good as it`ll get.

Good luck with all of this and I hope they are able and willing to re work it and make things look better.

Thank you.
I was able to make contact with the insurance company, and they sent out an adjuster. Upon further inspection we found what made my heart sink even worse.
Not only did they do a poor job on the repair, they did not even do it correctly.
They installed the wrong lower engine bay cover, that while fit (with some extra screws into something that I am not sure) was not OEM, nor a correct fit. There is a major gap which the adjuster indicated would allow plenty of snow and debris into the engine bay to freeze, and thaw.
They also did not appear to even remove the bumper to paint it. There were several plastic clips that were painted over, when if they had been removed, would have not been painted over.
The adjuster advised me that he does not feel the bracket was even replaced, given the gap on the left side where the broken bracket was, and the lack thereof on the right. There is a considerable distance between the left fender and the headlight as well.
The bumper cover had the left half painted slightly, and what he seems to think blended with the right half that was not painted. He indicated that he could tell this by the orange peel effect on the left, and no such effect on the right.
Another indication of a poorly done job.
He indicated that he is very confidant that they did not even remove the bumper, based on the dripping from the road rash area, and the painted over clips and push pins.
He confirmed my fears by indicating that not only is the hood paint going to peel, but the bumper will most likely do the same.
To make things worse, the shop declined any warranty due to previous defects.

After almost 2 hours he decided that this was a very poorly done job, and that unfortunately, by "normal" peoples standards is acceptable work. Typically he indicated, this is something that has presented itself as the norm, because most people would never look this closely at their cars with such a strict eye.

He did say that the shop may have trapped me by telling me they could repair the tab on the headlight instead of replacing it like the insurance company indicated they do.
The adjuster said he is kind of in a rock and a hard place, because where I paid them, and the work was done...he may not be able to do anything.
He also indicated that since I allowed the shop the repair the headlight, rather then fix it, they may use that against me, even though I did so based on their word that they could fix it to be like it was before the accident.

I hope to be able to upload photos at some point showing that this was resolved in my favor and done properly.

I appreciate all the support.

[Ronkh]

I`m surprised at how lax they are about shoddy work. Word will get around if this is an "approved" repairer for the company.

[PerfectCreature]

I`m surprised at how lax they are about shoddy work. Word will get around if this is an "approved" repairer for the company.

The adjuster was quite worked up about it. He couldn`t believe the shop left it like this. He also couldn`t believe that they simply left it in the rain for me to inspect.
My hope is that the shop is willing to come good on this, despite the initial shifting of blame to the insurance company.

We will see, Monday is Labor Day, so I expect to hear from progressive on Tuesday with a proposed solution.

[Ronkh]

The adjuster was quite worked up about it. He couldn`t believe the shop left it like this. He also couldn`t believe that they simply left it in the rain for me to inspect.
My hope is that the shop is willing to come good on this, despite the initial shifting of blame to the insurance company.

We will see, Monday is Labor Day, so I expect to hear from progressive on Tuesday with a proposed solution.

Good luck

[The Driver]

Good luck, other wise I`d...

A. Have the adjuster remove them from the potential shops list... no business ever again (This should entice them more to do the right thing, better to make more money in the long run)
B. Write the nastiest, detailed account of what happened on their yelp an google review. those review DO matter an they potentially can cost thousands in lost business.

I have 2 close friends with top notch body shops so this stuff really sickens me.