body shop work--am i being unreasonable?
05-09-2006, 01:42 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 18
body shop work--am i being unreasonable?
with all the knowledge on this forum, i thought i'd ask you guys
i posted in the new member area a couple of weeks ago and described how some punk kids damaged our new 06 GT with eggs before we even made it home from the dealership...we found a ford dealer body shop in the DFW area who seemed to have the experience we need..they say they'll blend the small area rather than paint the whole front panel
they call, tell us it isn't perfect yet and want another day...we gladly say ok...they take 2 more days, we go to pick it up
he pulls it up...it's dirty...from 10 feet away, i can see they've painted the whole panel--the color matches, the texture doesn't, not well at all...there is considerably more orange peel in their work than the rest of the car, and the contrast between the front panel and door is striking...i point that out, and i'm first told that there's no way to prevent it because they can't paint at a 90 degree angle like the robots at the factory paint--then i'm told that they can buff it out but i should keep in mind that they can take the orange peel out, but they can't put it back on...i look up and say "what did you say?" he says that if they buff it out and it's flatter than the factory job, then it won't match and they can't put any more orange peel back on...i think he's insinuating that he won't paint it again if he buffs it too thin...i let this go and move on to my next gripe
there is considerable damage around and below the headlamp--marks left by tools, scuffs and scratches...upon inspection, these marks trail all the way across the top of the front bumber, random scratches in the clear coat, very visible...he says that will buff out, again i ignore it...
there is buffing compound left around the edges and in between the panels on the fender panel...there are a LOT of swirl marks, so much so that the panel sticks out even worse because of it...there is a scratch on top of the hood, and there is a ding in the fender--neither of which were there when it was dropped off
am i being unreasonable to expect that a good body shop can match the texture of the paint reasonably well, that the car should be clean when presented, that someone should look over the work and spot obvious damage caused by carelessness during the process? that i shouldn't be expect to "buff out" all the scratches they put in our vehicle while working on it?
i remained very calm and politely pointed out all defects in the job...i told him that i wasn't looking for a reason to bring it back, but neither was i going to overlook something that my eye picks up from 10 feet away...they took another day to make it right, my wife called this morning to offer them even another day or days so that they won't feel rushed and can do the job right...i'm concerned now whether they CAN do the job right--i mean, no one even looked at this car before they called us, this stuff was glaring
am i unreasonable to expect they would have blended the paint like they promised, cleaned up the car, taken better precaution against damage, and repaired any damage they did leave during the job before calling it finished?
i posted in the new member area a couple of weeks ago and described how some punk kids damaged our new 06 GT with eggs before we even made it home from the dealership...we found a ford dealer body shop in the DFW area who seemed to have the experience we need..they say they'll blend the small area rather than paint the whole front panel
they call, tell us it isn't perfect yet and want another day...we gladly say ok...they take 2 more days, we go to pick it up
he pulls it up...it's dirty...from 10 feet away, i can see they've painted the whole panel--the color matches, the texture doesn't, not well at all...there is considerably more orange peel in their work than the rest of the car, and the contrast between the front panel and door is striking...i point that out, and i'm first told that there's no way to prevent it because they can't paint at a 90 degree angle like the robots at the factory paint--then i'm told that they can buff it out but i should keep in mind that they can take the orange peel out, but they can't put it back on...i look up and say "what did you say?" he says that if they buff it out and it's flatter than the factory job, then it won't match and they can't put any more orange peel back on...i think he's insinuating that he won't paint it again if he buffs it too thin...i let this go and move on to my next gripe
there is considerable damage around and below the headlamp--marks left by tools, scuffs and scratches...upon inspection, these marks trail all the way across the top of the front bumber, random scratches in the clear coat, very visible...he says that will buff out, again i ignore it...
there is buffing compound left around the edges and in between the panels on the fender panel...there are a LOT of swirl marks, so much so that the panel sticks out even worse because of it...there is a scratch on top of the hood, and there is a ding in the fender--neither of which were there when it was dropped off
am i being unreasonable to expect that a good body shop can match the texture of the paint reasonably well, that the car should be clean when presented, that someone should look over the work and spot obvious damage caused by carelessness during the process? that i shouldn't be expect to "buff out" all the scratches they put in our vehicle while working on it?
i remained very calm and politely pointed out all defects in the job...i told him that i wasn't looking for a reason to bring it back, but neither was i going to overlook something that my eye picks up from 10 feet away...they took another day to make it right, my wife called this morning to offer them even another day or days so that they won't feel rushed and can do the job right...i'm concerned now whether they CAN do the job right--i mean, no one even looked at this car before they called us, this stuff was glaring
am i unreasonable to expect they would have blended the paint like they promised, cleaned up the car, taken better precaution against damage, and repaired any damage they did leave during the job before calling it finished?
05-09-2006, 03:17 PM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location:
Posts: 1,907
RE: body shop work--am i being unreasonable?
id be pretty pissed myself, thats not unreasonable at all of you. its a new car, hell even if it was used and in rough shape they should have protected the bumper from tools and such. its common courtesy to clean the car after, well at least any left over buffing compound. dont let up until its perfect, and make sure they dont try to charge you for this extra time because they are the ones who screwed up the first time.
05-09-2006, 03:41 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 18
RE: body shop work--am i being unreasonable?
thanks for the replies, fellas--i know it's hard to comment without seeing the car...i'm trying to remain optimistic that they'll do the job right this time, but it's not easy
it's one of those things that isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of life, but at the same time, i feel really bad for my wife for having to experience this kind of thing on top of the damage...she's just due some good luck, and i wish i could make that happen for her...
it's one of those things that isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of life, but at the same time, i feel really bad for my wife for having to experience this kind of thing on top of the damage...she's just due some good luck, and i wish i could make that happen for her...
05-10-2006, 01:06 AM
#5
RE: body shop work--am i being unreasonable?
What they are doing isnt right, you paid for a service, they said that they could do the job for you and make it new agian and its not. They should also present you with a clean car.
Your going to have to ask them their paint stages so the paint doesnt come off a couple years down the road. They need to use the original factory primer, original factory paint and clear coat. To me all that orange peel sounds like they used a single stage paint and painted over your fender, I would get concerned really fast about this. If they did that then they need to do it right because thats just an "Earl Scheib" cover up job. People use to beat Macco alot about their paint jobs but I have been seeing great work from them (When not the econo paint) and have respected their work, all Earl Scheib paintjobs that I have seen are pure crap and they refuse to use a real clear coat. ES does their paint and body in the same booth and contaminate the paint badly, this knowledge is from personal experiance with the ES on Sunrise Blvd in Rancho Cordove (Sacramento) Ca. The manager told me that all ES's are the same.
You should ask for some sort of discount when all this is over if they did the job correctly and not just some single stage BS.
Good luck on your problem with them, and dont let them dick you around, its a new car and has never had a problem, you have a dealership full of Sales reps that can vouch that.
-Eric-
Your going to have to ask them their paint stages so the paint doesnt come off a couple years down the road. They need to use the original factory primer, original factory paint and clear coat. To me all that orange peel sounds like they used a single stage paint and painted over your fender, I would get concerned really fast about this. If they did that then they need to do it right because thats just an "Earl Scheib" cover up job. People use to beat Macco alot about their paint jobs but I have been seeing great work from them (When not the econo paint) and have respected their work, all Earl Scheib paintjobs that I have seen are pure crap and they refuse to use a real clear coat. ES does their paint and body in the same booth and contaminate the paint badly, this knowledge is from personal experiance with the ES on Sunrise Blvd in Rancho Cordove (Sacramento) Ca. The manager told me that all ES's are the same.
You should ask for some sort of discount when all this is over if they did the job correctly and not just some single stage BS.
Good luck on your problem with them, and dont let them dick you around, its a new car and has never had a problem, you have a dealership full of Sales reps that can vouch that.
-Eric-
05-10-2006, 11:29 AM
#8
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location:
Posts: 258
RE: body shop work--am i being unreasonable?
Sounds like typical dealer crap. It is a warranty item so they are probably not getting paid..who knows. They are jerks. I HATE DEALERS!!!! Add them to doctors, dentists, lawyers, and any other bunch that never wants to owe up to their ineffiencies. It's a new car. I would have to call EMS to get it out of that guys ***!
05-11-2006, 01:58 AM
#10
Yukon Cornelius
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: deep in the heart of dixie GEORGIA
Posts: 11,808
RE: body shop work--am i being unreasonable?
1st rule of collision repair protect the good finish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for the orange peel issue the can buff the whole side of the car to make it looks the same!!!!!!!!! then it will all match!! the swirl marks come with the buffing but should not be over powering! if they did any at all! 3m has a new 3000grit paper for the closest thing to a swirl free shin u can get! ask do speak to the general manager if u cant get it resolved thru the body shop manager!