Warranty on paint work?

C. Charles Hahn

C. Charles Hahn

CCH Auto Appearance, LLC
Yesterday I was doing some work on my "shop truck," a 2002 GMC Envoy, and I discovered something that got me rather upset.

About a year ago, I was rear-ended, and as a result the truck went into the body shop. While there, I also had them fix some bad paint that had been sprayed on before I bought the truck, so it ended up with one whole side, and both the front and rear bumpers refinished.

Yesterday as I was polishing, I came across two spots on the back bumper, and two on the front bumper where the paint is starting to crack.

So my question is this -- to what extent do most body shops honor a warranty on their work? I know I haven't hit anything with the truck, and I also know that it's been kept waxed (aside from the 90 day waiting period for it to cure). What are my chances of the body shop refinishing these bumpers again without my having to pay for it?

I feel like it's got to be their fault, whether it was bad prep work, or not enough flex agent added into the paint, but I'm just curious what lengths they will try going to to blame me for it. I did have to do my own touch-up with an airbrush on one corner of the front bumper after a semi tire blew out and smacked it while on the highway, but that repair is nowhere near the cracking, and my repair still looks/blends fine with the rest of the bumper (and no, I didn't clear the whole thing, just the repair area).

Ideally I want to walk into the body shop, tell them to fix the bumpers and "make it right," and make them give me a comparable loaner while they've got my truck. I just don't know if that's reasonable of me or not...:hmmm:
 
I would think that in the "about a year ago" timeframe, that any respectable body shop would (and should) warranty their work. Just my opinion. I don't think you'd be out of line going to them and explaining it like you did here. Just be upfrnt and honest with them.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Ideally I want to walk into the body shop, tell them to fix the bumpers and "make it right," and make them give me a comparable loaner while they've got my truck. I just don't know if that's reasonable of me or not...:hmmm:
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I just called my friends that have a body shop to get their feelings.
1. They have never had a problem where someone came back with peeling or cracking paint, but did feel that if one of their customers had your problem, they would fix it at no charge.
2. If you walked in and "told them to fix the bumpers and make it right and told them they had to give you a loaner", they would probably show you the door.
3. If you walked in and showed them the problem in a courteous manner, they would take care of it.
4. They would not supply you with a loaner.

Charles
 
CharlesW said:
1. They have never had a problem where someone came back with peeling or cracking paint, but did feel that if one of their customers had your problem, they would fix it at no charge.
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OK.... good....

2. If you walked in and "told them to fix the bumpers and make it right and told them they had to give you a loaner", they would probably show you the door.
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Well, obviously the way I would state it to the actual business I'm dealing with wouldn't be quite so blunt. Perhaps I should say that I would request and "strongly suggest" what I would like the course of action to be.

4. They would not supply you with a loaner.

Charles
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Might I inquire as to why not? I guess that to me, since my insurance paid for a rental when the truck was in the shop the first time, and it's the shop's fault (not insurance's, or mine personally) that the condition exists, they should supply me with the same level of service that my insurance provided in the first place. I wasn't without a vehicle for the duration of the original incident, and I shouldn't have to be without a vehicle now, either (since the vehicle wouldn't need to be in the shop if the paint weren't now cracking).

Does that make sense? :thanks
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Might I inquire as to why not? I guess that to me, since my insurance paid for a rental when the truck was in the shop the first time, and it's the shop's fault (not insurance's, or mine personally) that the condition exists, they should supply me with the same level of service that my insurance provided in the first place. I wasn't without a vehicle for the duration of the original incident, and I shouldn't have to be without a vehicle now, either (since the vehicle wouldn't need to be in the shop if the paint weren't now cracking).

Does that make sense? :thanks
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What your shop would do may be quite different from what my friends would do. I didn't go into detail with them about the loaner thing, but their comment was that they didn't do loaners.
I can see a couple of reasons why it might not happen though.
1. The insurance could be a problem. Regular business insurance probably wouldn't cover them supplying you or anyone else with a vehicle that the insurance company would have no idea as to the insurability of the driver.
2. The body shop I'm talking to would feel that their responsibility is/was to give you a quality body repair. That's what they were trying to do the first time and the supply of a loaner was between you and your insurance company. If you were to bring your vehicle to my friends shop for a repair that you were paying for, you still wouldn't get a loaner. :)
I can see your point, but I doubt that the loaner will be part of the package.

Charles
 
Some shops have a one year warranty some have a lifetime warranty. Find your paperwork or give them a call and inquire.
 
8 months ago I had a door repainted. The clear was peeling. , so I took it back , and they repaired it no problem.They said that they will repair it free for a year.
 
CharlesW said:
What your shop would do may be quite different from what my friends would do. I didn't go into detail with them about the loaner thing, but their comment was that they didn't do loaners.
I can see a couple of reasons why it might not happen though.
1. The insurance could be a problem. Regular business insurance probably wouldn't cover them supplying you or anyone else with a vehicle that the insurance company would have no idea as to the insurability of the driver.

Charles
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Thanks for the insight, Charles. I don't think the insurance issue would be much of a problem, since this body shop is at a GM dealership, which is also where I bought the truck in the first place. If nothing else, I'd go talk to my salesman and see if he could do anything to make a difference in how the situation was handled.

And the paperwork I have doesn't expressly talk about the warranty on body work, though I do remember being told there was a workmanship warranty when I picked the truck up.


The only other thing I've thought about is that since we're talking about just bumper covers here, I wonder if the body shop would be ammenable to removing the covers, and me driving the vehicle for a day or two until the refinishing is completed, and then taking it back for them to re-assemble. That's obviously NOT an ideal solution, but another possible way to handle it...
 
I would think that they would gladly redo the paintwork if they were any kind of respectable body shop.

However, I would think the loaner car (or truck) would be pushing it. Usually, your insurance covers the 'rental car' as a service provided to you as long as it is included in your insurance package. So I can't imagine that the body shop would lend you a rental. Now, if you talk to your insurance company they might be able to work something out with you.

Personally...I'd leave the bumpers with the body shop and drive without them for a week or two until they're fixed.

Good luck on it!
 
I'd suspect that they'd fix it if you went in with a good attitude and explained what happened politely. I only get pushy if the polite route doesn't work.
 
They might fix it for free, but then again it depends on the manager of the shop. There's no way they are giving you a rental unless it's the dealerships policy to supply rentals, so do some don't. They will probably refer you to a place like Enterprise RAC that has shop rates while the truck is being repaired. They will not let you drive without the bumpers, if they do they are nuts and are open to law suits if you hit something without them on the vehicle. Good luck, go with a good attitude and if they give you a hard time go talk to the owner of the dealership ;)
 
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