dilemma with body shop and car..(long read) but any advice appreciated?
07-07-2004, 03:04 PM
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dilemma with body shop and car..(long read) but any advice appreciated?
For those of you that my remember I haven't exactly been having the best of bad luck with my car. Some of it due to my fault, others due to the fact that bad sh*t just happens. Well in my attempt to finally fix all things wrong I brought my car to a body shop.
The exact things that I needed to get fixed was the C-pillar (bed frame fell on my car), rear bumper (scuffed like non-other, and side skirts (last body mod ever). Since I was/am pretty strapped for cash, I didn't want to go to a premium shop to get the work done. This was pretty much my first mistake. My second mistake was not really shopping around for a body shop. Instead I took the recommendation of one of my co-workers and took it to "his" body shop. He had taken his car as well as a bunch of other friends and families cars to this shop. When I initially arrived at the shop, I didn't really get a good vibe but I figured I'd at least give it the benefit of the doubt and hear the quote. Well the quote was amazing, ~$960.00 for all the work - fixing the c-pillar dents (2), repainted and filling in the entire rear bumper, and painting S4 sides. But I'd soon realize that you get what you pay for.
However I had some homework before I jumping on board. Another co-worker had the same shop do work on his 350Z. I waited till it was done and inspected the work. The paint job was decent (again considering the price he paid) but I did notice a few minor imperfections in the paint. The biggest thing I noticed was that the paint had an orange peel effect throughout it. However, when I compared it with the rest of the 350Z's paint, it seemed like it all had some bit of an orange peel. So I figured the orange peel from the paint job was just minor artifact.
So after this I decided to use that shop. I took my car there and a week went by. They probably would have finished a bit earlier had the dealer not given me an one incorrect side skirt requiring a trip back to the dealer. When I finally inspected the final product there were flaws aplenty. Firstly they had not blended the place where they began painting and where the old paint was. In addition, along the edges (where the trunk meets the rear fender) there was a thick crust of paint creating a sharp corner. In addition there were a few bits of sand stuck within the paint and few divets from what I'm guessing was the filler. Then of course there was an incredible amount of orange peel. Well obviously I complained about this. The bumper and sides were actually done pretty well, but this could have been due to the fact that they were free floating pieces. Fortunately they agreed and fixed all the damages that I noticed (minus orange peel) w/o any complaints.
I go back later in the day to pick her up. The damages were pretty much gone. One or two minor divents, a rough edge along the c-pillar/windshield. But now the orange peel stood out. As I must've looked not too satisfied, one of the guys in the shop said that if I am unhappy with the job, I could came back and have them repaint it. So with that, I somewhat reluctantly accept the car and start driving her home.
On way back home, I notice that the windshield is kinda foggy. I get out at a gas station and realize the entire front of the car had basically been oversprayed! I begin looking around some more and see that my rims look like they had been washed using a really rough brush/sponge.
Finally I it is this afternoon. I brought the car back to the shop to show them the overspray and the wheels. They somewhat reluctantly accept the overspray on the front of the car. (Despite the fact that the owner even tried to say that it was an expected fact when painting a car!)
With the wheels, they immediately deny ever washing any of the wheels. One guy starts to point out how the rim is dirty and whatnot, but I obviously don't buy it b/c I had driven it to home, work and back. But he still adamently denies having washed the wheels. At this point I really didn't know what to do. I thought back and I had washed the rims only a day or two b4 I took the car to the shop, but I highly doubt I would scratched my own wheels up like that.
So now here I am wondering what to do. I'm going back to the shop tomorrow so they can remove all the overspray. Firstly is it possible to majorly scratched up the wheels with a dish washer sponge (the yellow and green kind)? If not, should I take some type of legal action/stronger tone (keep in mind, my coworker has a friendly relationship with the shop)? Finally aside from getting the rims re-finished, what can I do to fix them or at least cover up the scratches?
With the orange peel, should I have them re-do the c-pillar paint? Or take it as it and cut my losses less they screw it up some more? If I do take it back I'd be car-less (which I need to get to work).
So in closing, I realize with body shops you definitely get what you pay for. Having previously only dealt with premium bodyshops I can say that they charge a premium for a perfection. I also acknowledge and know that I brought this on myself. So trust me, I've beaten myself up over of this plenty already so say what you may, but I only looking for a solution to the problem now.
The exact things that I needed to get fixed was the C-pillar (bed frame fell on my car), rear bumper (scuffed like non-other, and side skirts (last body mod ever). Since I was/am pretty strapped for cash, I didn't want to go to a premium shop to get the work done. This was pretty much my first mistake. My second mistake was not really shopping around for a body shop. Instead I took the recommendation of one of my co-workers and took it to "his" body shop. He had taken his car as well as a bunch of other friends and families cars to this shop. When I initially arrived at the shop, I didn't really get a good vibe but I figured I'd at least give it the benefit of the doubt and hear the quote. Well the quote was amazing, ~$960.00 for all the work - fixing the c-pillar dents (2), repainted and filling in the entire rear bumper, and painting S4 sides. But I'd soon realize that you get what you pay for.
However I had some homework before I jumping on board. Another co-worker had the same shop do work on his 350Z. I waited till it was done and inspected the work. The paint job was decent (again considering the price he paid) but I did notice a few minor imperfections in the paint. The biggest thing I noticed was that the paint had an orange peel effect throughout it. However, when I compared it with the rest of the 350Z's paint, it seemed like it all had some bit of an orange peel. So I figured the orange peel from the paint job was just minor artifact.
So after this I decided to use that shop. I took my car there and a week went by. They probably would have finished a bit earlier had the dealer not given me an one incorrect side skirt requiring a trip back to the dealer. When I finally inspected the final product there were flaws aplenty. Firstly they had not blended the place where they began painting and where the old paint was. In addition, along the edges (where the trunk meets the rear fender) there was a thick crust of paint creating a sharp corner. In addition there were a few bits of sand stuck within the paint and few divets from what I'm guessing was the filler. Then of course there was an incredible amount of orange peel. Well obviously I complained about this. The bumper and sides were actually done pretty well, but this could have been due to the fact that they were free floating pieces. Fortunately they agreed and fixed all the damages that I noticed (minus orange peel) w/o any complaints.
I go back later in the day to pick her up. The damages were pretty much gone. One or two minor divents, a rough edge along the c-pillar/windshield. But now the orange peel stood out. As I must've looked not too satisfied, one of the guys in the shop said that if I am unhappy with the job, I could came back and have them repaint it. So with that, I somewhat reluctantly accept the car and start driving her home.
On way back home, I notice that the windshield is kinda foggy. I get out at a gas station and realize the entire front of the car had basically been oversprayed! I begin looking around some more and see that my rims look like they had been washed using a really rough brush/sponge.
Finally I it is this afternoon. I brought the car back to the shop to show them the overspray and the wheels. They somewhat reluctantly accept the overspray on the front of the car. (Despite the fact that the owner even tried to say that it was an expected fact when painting a car!)
With the wheels, they immediately deny ever washing any of the wheels. One guy starts to point out how the rim is dirty and whatnot, but I obviously don't buy it b/c I had driven it to home, work and back. But he still adamently denies having washed the wheels. At this point I really didn't know what to do. I thought back and I had washed the rims only a day or two b4 I took the car to the shop, but I highly doubt I would scratched my own wheels up like that.
So now here I am wondering what to do. I'm going back to the shop tomorrow so they can remove all the overspray. Firstly is it possible to majorly scratched up the wheels with a dish washer sponge (the yellow and green kind)? If not, should I take some type of legal action/stronger tone (keep in mind, my coworker has a friendly relationship with the shop)? Finally aside from getting the rims re-finished, what can I do to fix them or at least cover up the scratches?
With the orange peel, should I have them re-do the c-pillar paint? Or take it as it and cut my losses less they screw it up some more? If I do take it back I'd be car-less (which I need to get to work).
So in closing, I realize with body shops you definitely get what you pay for. Having previously only dealt with premium bodyshops I can say that they charge a premium for a perfection. I also acknowledge and know that I brought this on myself. So trust me, I've beaten myself up over of this plenty already so say what you may, but I only looking for a solution to the problem now.
07-07-2004, 03:30 PM
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damn dude...my friend would have done all that work for 1/2 that price....
he painted Lumas & SuperMarios'(bumper, BBR sides, rear valence & install) for roughly about $450. I'd have that shop fix it again until they get it right. Good luck Rob
07-07-2004, 03:31 PM
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Depending on the sponge you used, yes, you could have damaged the wheels yourself.
The orange peel can usually be corrected by wet sanding. It's not terribly hard to smooth it out, but it is quite easy to sand through the clear on the high spots if you're not careful. You have to follow with a compound and polish on the wetsanded areas to make the clearcoat clear again. The overspray should come out with a claybar.
If you've been unhappy with them, and don't trust them, don't bring it back. As you've learned, for every problem they will fix, they may create 2 new ones. It's too time consuming and frustrating. If it were me, I would deal with the rest DIY.
If you've been unhappy with them, and don't trust them, don't bring it back. As you've learned, for every problem they will fix, they may create 2 new ones. It's too time consuming and frustrating. If it were me, I would deal with the rest DIY.
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07-07-2004, 03:38 PM
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is it yellow green with the green an abrasive? the green part will take off paint on wheels i know.
for the wrong reasons..
but that was 3 years ago..
if the car was properly taped off or prepped there would never be any overspray..
but that was 3 years ago..if the car was properly taped off or prepped there would never be any overspray..
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