SPARTAN VI

While I'm at it, just a quick hello to my fellow 'stang owners, as I'm a frequent visitor, new member.

Anyway, my V6 was barely 3 weeks old, no plates yet, and just broke 1,000 miles.

This alllll started about three weeks ago.... when my coworker, tells me my left rear tire is low. I don't believe the 5'5" 30 year old as he's been playing pranks on me ever since I bought my 05 V6 Mustang 3 weeks ago. But sure enough, when I head for home after work, my left rear tire was low.

I'm a busy guy; I don't have time for anything fun- I work til 4:30PM and start school right at 5:30PM til 10:00PM (got out early today, though). So naturally, I ask my mom to take my beauty to get that tired replaced/fixed, and I take the '94 4Runner home, then to class. When I got out of class that night I give my house a call to check up on my lovely V6, and it's home safe and sound, BUT my tells me, "come home, I have to tell you something."When I get home she starts the "now don't get mad" bit, and tells me one of the worst stories I've ever heard.

At Walmart, after they finished with my tire and my mom was paying, she came outside and witnessed a Walmart employee back a white van into my 'stang. But that's not the worst part, the idiots parked my car next to an iron gate and the impact was big enough to make my car lurch backward and exchange paint with the gate.

Now there's a sizeable bump on my front bumper and 5 or 6 small bumps where the gate's bars were on the back bumper, including a 1' x 6" dent on the left side of the rear bumper.

Walmart promised to pay for the damages and my rental (if only they paid for my time). This morning I went to a body shop and got an estimate; over $1,500 in repairs- ordering brand new front and rear bumpers, paint, etc. and then there's the rental.

Amongst all this, there's actually some good news! The $1,900+ or so I get from Walmart will actually go to a body kit and other accessories. Looking into a dual exhaust system, xenon/roush body kit, and/or some new headers. I've already ordered and recieved my GT grille, and headlight/taillight blackouts, although headlight blackouts are illegal in my city (and probably my state/county) I'll see if I can get away with them long enough.

Here are some nasty night pics I managed to scrape up:





Front bumper damage is nearly impossible to see, even in the day time.

I know I needed a wash... my stupid friend put his fingers all over my rear bumper. It's ok now, I just finished hand washing her today.



And here's the damage..



Not as bad as it was. The dent managed to pop itself back out, but left the wrinkle. Then my dad wiped the dent with some acid solution and the white paint came off. The flash of the camera really reflects the imperfections, including the 5 or 6 grieves where the gate's bars were. But 90% of this stuff isn't normally visible, anyway.

After telling this story to other friends and family, they too had horrible experiences with Walmart. My lesson learned... if I don't have time to work on my baby on my own, I'll make time. This is the last time I let my mother or any other person I trust (except the dad) touch my Mustang. Live and learn.


Now, I've posted this story a few times at a couple sites that I frequent, and every time there's that person that goes nuts telling me that I should be happy about this. I'm telling you now, I'm A-ok with Walmart dropping $2 grand on my lap. So this is an upsetting scenario that turned for the better.

doobs

thats no good...good luck with your car!

SilverR1_04

Damn, that sux!!

Especially when something is brand spankin new.... hard to enjoy it until it'sd fixed

SPARTAN VI

Yeah, I was uber pissed that first night.. then it dawned on me that I'll be recieving a big check. Got an inflated estimate for $1,600.00 at the body shop, only because I told the guy Walmart will be paying for it; so the employee managed to scrape up a big bill.

Dual exhaust/headers is a must, then I'll get back to the bumpers- probably xenon (aggressive).

xRockThePonyx

That sucks, but atleast they're paying for the damages.

I don't know why you took the car to Walmart to begin with though- atleast around here, Walmart employees are idiots. They aren't quite mechanically inclined either. Next time, don't take it to Walmart! lol.

Higgie

Hope your paint matches well !! I don't know about black, but my redfire paint was darker on the rear bumper after a new one was hung. I got backed into at the outlet mall, 4 months after new. I got tired of dealing with it all, and sold the car.

OK, I miss her now.

One word from experience, even with an approved body shop, the area where the rear cover wraps around the side of the car didn't fit perfect. There were little molding lines that always caught wax, and I had to toothbrush the wax out, or the white dried wax looked bad.

Good luck, with mods.

Jim Smyth

Good time to put some GT takeoff bumpers on the front and back. Not too expensive either through Mike at Casco.

old tsteffes

Where I live, you can't even go to the Wallmart. It's scary. My girls and I went there once and after about 1 minute we went tearing for the door. Sorry to hear about your car.

newownerof72

Sorry to hear about your car and I agree, I would never take mine to walmart. I have a few friends who work there and know some about cars but the majority of them don't know anything. I will be working on mine myself with the hubby and maybe my dad, no one else.
AS for getting hit, everything on my car is original from 72, no refabs so if someone hit me I think I would fight.

SPARTAN VI

I didn't personally take it to Walmart, in fact, I told my mother to take it to firestone. Thing is, Walmart is closer, and what does my mother know? She just got jipped $1,500 on car repairs- was talked into getting her timing belt replaced, along with a slew of crap she didn't need.

Live and learn, right?

Higgie, I worry about the paint, too. I'm sure I can get the color code from a Ford dealership and pass it off to a body shop, but it may just come down to how they do their work. And I'll keep that wax problem in mind.

When I told other about my Walmart experience, other Walmart horror stories began to come out of the wood work. Here's one from one of my friends in the coast guard: