Body Shop Repair, Hack Job

[etnops]

Hi,

Our brand new vehicle was T-Boned a few weeks ago (on the way to Detail Fest, actually). With only 1700 miles on the clock, and a fresh coat of Gloss Coat, I knew not to expect perfection after repair.

Anyway, after rejecting the vehicle the first time the shop tried to pass it off...we got the vehicle back this week. Won`t go over the issues that still remain, except one issue that has directly to do with paint.
Damage was done to the rear quarter and rear door.
After scratching my head, doubting my eyes, and trying to get good light on it - I`ve finally confirmed the shop actually wet-sanded (perhaps dry sanded) a small section on the FRONT door (that wasn`t damaged). After sanding, they took a rotary to the door, scratched it all up, and didn`t even take out the sanding marks.

Now, I`m left in a strange position. For starters, clearly the shop damaged the door and tried to fix it. This was NOT damage from the accident. Further evidence of their incompetence includes them putting a dent between the A and B pillars...which they tried to PDR, unsuccessfully. That`s for another time....
The strange position part - How shall I approach the shop, KNOWING they are incompetent and do not have the wherewithal to properly repair the damage they inflicted? Normally, I`d buff this out, but this whole things calls into question if they went through the clear, or if there`s enough of it, left to safely buff. Secondly, this is a lease - and upon return of the vehicle, I don`t want to be liable for THEIR damage (the vehicle was repaired where it was leased).

Does anyone have experience with this type of situation? Half of me says to try and repair it. The other half of me says to hold their feet to the fire, and make this right...even if it means they have to repaint that door.
Keep in mind, that this will technically be the third time I take it back there...and may quality for Lemon Law if this isn`t set right.
I need to be reasonable, and accept their limitations...but at the same time, damnit, this is WRONG.

Help, guidance and thoughts are appreciated.

Pictures of the carnage, below:

[rlmccarty2000]

Call the insurance company and let them talk to the body shop. That`s their job. It`s better for you to stay out of it and keep turning it down if it does not look new again. It can be done. My wife`s car was hit in the side and I expected the worse. They made a few errors but I kept taking it back until it was right. The insurance company shouldn`t cut them a check until you are happy.

[Ronkh]

Call the insurance company and let them talk to the body shop. That`s their job. It`s better for you to stay out of it and keep turning it down if it does not look new again. It can be done. My wife`s car was hit in the side and I expected the worse. They made a few errors but I kept taking it back until it was right. The insurance company shouldn`t cut them a check until you are happy.

Sorry you`re going through this........ Adds insult to injury.

Follow what is said in the quote, the insurance co should help. I had a time where a car wasn`t done right and the insurance co would not pay till it was right.

[512detail]

too bad you`re not my insured, I love letting the body shops have a piece of my Autopian mind

I don`t think shoddy insurance repairs apply for lemon laws though but I have been wrong before.

[etnops]

Thanks for your support, guys. One issue, is the insurance has already paid the body shop - as I took delivery of the vehicle, and didn`t notice this for a couple of days. Should I still go thru the insurance company, even though their "hands are clean" at this stage?

Initial thought was to go back to the dealership/body shop to complain. However, if going thru the insurance company is better - than I`ll do that.

Thanks!

[512detail]

Thanks for your support, guys. One issue, is the insurance has already paid the body shop - as I took delivery of the vehicle, and didn`t notice this for a couple of days. Should I still go thru the insurance company, even though their "hands are clean" at this stage?

Initial thought was to go back to the dealership/body shop to complain. However, if going thru the insurance company is better - than I`ll do that.

Thanks!

It depends on if the insurance company is yours or the company of the car that hit you and if that shop is warrantied by said insurance company or if all reworked needs to be addressed directly with the body shop.

[The Driver]

I would contact the insurance company, let them know the car is no where near the condition it should be in.

Where are you located?

[etnops]

We were hit, and the other driver was at fault. As such, their insurance (Geico) has been handling the claim.
Based on your input, I just sent an email to the Geico adjuster.

Geico tried to get me to use their "preferred" shop...which is simply their cheapest shop. I went to the Toyota dealer where we bought the car, so that I could get Toyota corporate on my side, should need be...and for the fact that we`re leasing, and they are technically repairing their own car. Clearly, they couldn`t give two craps.

We`re in Florida.

[rlmccarty2000]

Don`t bet on the corporate offices of any car company to help with much of anything. If the dealership did the repairs to your leased vehicle raising a little hell at the dealership might do some good. Best bet is still contacting Geico and if that doesn`t work contact your insurance company and tell them to contact Geico. Did you get any warranty paperwork with your repairwork? After my wife`s accident we got a lifetime warranty on paintwork. I had to take the car back to them for some minor adjustments, but my body shop guy is easy to work with. I try to stay away from dealerships for anything but scheduled services and I`m not sure they are the best places for that. Sorry you are having to go through all of this. Having an accident is crappy enough without all the pain that comes afterwards.

[RaskyR1]

Are you sure they didn`t blend into the door and the wet sanding mark you see is just from de-nibbing the paint? It`s very common to blend into adjacent panels for color match.

[512detail]

We were hit, and the other driver was at fault. As such, their insurance (Geico) has been handling the claim.
Based on your input, I just sent an email to the Geico adjuster.

Geico tried to get me to use their "preferred" shop...which is simply their cheapest shop. I went to the Toyota dealer where we bought the car, so that I could get Toyota corporate on my side, should need be...and for the fact that we`re leasing, and they are technically repairing their own car. Clearly, they couldn`t give two craps.

We`re in Florida.

the preferred shops are the shops that the insurance companies have the best working relationships with. most of them also guarantee the work through said preferred shops thus Geico has a duty to pay any supplements your preferred shop may have once submitted, even for rework....BUT they don`t have any leverage per say against the shop since it`s not in their preferred network so they don`t have much of a leg to stand on for you...plus you`re a claimant so you already get the cold shoulder most likely from them anyways

I`m an automobile claims adjuster for a day job, I used to have geico and hated their claims process so badly when I had my own claim that I immediately left them afterwards

[JustJesus]

... Geico tried to get me to use their "preferred" shop...which is simply their cheapest shop. I went to the Toyota dealer where we bought the car...

I would be surprised if Geico did anything more to help you. They offered their own shop, but you declined and went to another. If you had chosen Geico`s, then, depending on state law, Geico would have to warrant their work (or have the shop warrant the work).

Hope it works out for you

[Lonnie]

.....
Keep in mind, that this will technically be the third time I take it back there...and may quality for Lemon Law if this isn`t set right.
I need to be reasonable, and accept their limitations...but at the same time, damnit, this is WRONG.

Help, guidance and thoughts are appreciated.

Sorry, this repair does not qualify a "Lemon Law" defect because it was not an original equipment of manufacturer`s (OEM or car maker) defect from their "bad" design , manufacturing, or assembly process. It`s your accident that is cause of this, regardless of which driver is at fault (unfortunately).

Depending on the state you live in, you may have a consumer arbitrator group/panel or third-party that will listen to both the business`s and customer`s view points in contested cases such as this, rather than going through a lawyer and local court case. This is the preferred method for three reasons:
1) It does not tie up local court resources and is less expensive to the municipality or county (IE, court cost) to judicate such cases.
2) Lawyers are NOT involved, so it is less expensive to you.
3) Arbitration is done by an unbiased and neutral-interest group mix of business owners, legal representatives, and consumers.
The hard part is getting a business (more correctly the owner or owners) to agree to settle the dispute through an arbitration group.

The caveat to consumer arbitration is that the decision is BINDING on BOTH parties involved. So you may loose entirely and assume the financial responsibility for remediation of the dispute (you pay to have the repairs done properly) OR you may split the cost for remediation of the dispute, OR you may win and have the business assume the financial liability to remediate the dispute.
Again , depending on the state, you may OR may NOT, forfeit your right to have this dispute settled in a court of law. You would have to check with the state you are in. Most states you forfeit that right because you are going though the arbitration system to avoid the court of law in the first place, but there are many factors which will allow a case to arbitrated at all; amount of money involved in the dispute or life-and-death situations, as examples

[etnops]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies!

I was mistaken, and based on Lonnie`s post above - this doesn`t qualify for the Lemon Law.

The adjacent panel perhaps was de-nibbed, and this was the fallout from it. I can`t imagine blending that far into the door, and only 1 area that needed to be wet-sanded. But I`ve been wrong before (and will be again). Still doesn`t excuse what was left.
We cannot expect the shop will take out the rotary holograms, so that will have to be done by myself. No idea how deep they sanded into the clear.

After an email to Geico, they are unwilling to help. Not surprised, since they cut the check and their hands are cleans of this claim.

So, now we`ve basically got two options: Go back to the dealership and complain. Or, try to polish out the sanding marks and holograms myself. If there`s not enough clear left, I could run into trouble quickly. But on the other hand, it`s possible I can repair the panel 100%. There`s a risk in going back to the dealer, as they will just put the same amount of energy into the repair as they did the previous 2 times.

What`s everyone`s opinion? Take a risk and try to repair myself? Or go back to the fools that hacked this up, in the first place, and perhaps get a repaint?


Thanks in advance, everyone.

[Bill D]

I guess I`ll never get Geico insurance. I`d go back and complain. Let us know how you make out