paint shop mishap

[jperry1290]

My 66 Mustang was damaged last Aug in a California quake. It has been at the shop ever since getting repaired. Today I drove it home approx 30miles and when I stopped ifo the house the left rear tire fell off causing damage to the fender, tire, and rim. Apparently the shop guy forgot to tighten the lug nuts. The owner said he will buy a new rim and tire and fix the damage. I am really hesitant to return to the shop as the paint job has quite a few flaws and the craftsmanship seemed poor. A coworker said I should use another shop and send the bill to the old shop. What do you guys think?

 

[Pa PITT]

... I kind of agree with the guy who says send the prick a bill.. But then your in for a real fight. So My Real answer is .. Take it back to the old guy see what he fixes .. FOR FREE. THEN TAKE it to a real shop & pay to have the paint issues fixed ..

 

[Slowleak]

Take it back and tell him to do it right. I would be pretty upset if somebody had my car for a year and still did a poor job. Good luck.

 

[jperry1290]

Trust me I've been patient with the owner about the length of the process. It has some small but deep scratches, a big gouge from the window trim being put back on, and the gas cap was broken. I ve been more than polite but this is rediculous. Luckily it didnt happen at 70mph.

 

[Slowleak]

I don't know if your insurance company was involved. If so, they might have some leverage with him. If it was me, and I had paid for it, I would expect him to fix all the problems you described free of charge or provide a reasonable refund. Doesn't sound like you got what you paid for.

 

[Old-Red]

I would take pictures of the flaws and damage from the tire coming off. Take it back to the guy if he is willing to fix it and get in writing that he had the car for over a year and the paint job wasn't done correctly, The tire fell off because the shop or person didn't tighten the lug nuts and make sure you agree on a time frame for all the issues to be fixed. If not done to the agreement and reasonable satisfaction pursue damages in court.

 

[sykanr0ng]

Get estimates from other shops to repair it correctly.
It may exceed the amount for small claims court which would put you in a court with some real enforcement of judgments.

Even if you don't sue it would be useful for leverage.

 

[allenfahey]

I assume it was an insurance estimate from the start back in August? If it wasn't it's all on you to resolve it.
If it was, you have a lot of clout with the insurance company. Especially if the shop is on a DRP (direct repair program) for your insurance company. What happens is the shop gets a concern and they have to take care of it, otherwise they get "in trouble" with the insurance company and they can be bumped down on the list.
You can take it to another shop but if your insurance company doesn't tell you toit might fall back on you for the butchers to pay the new shop. If the shop that butchered it is on the a DRP program they will have to pay it or be kicked off the program. I've worked on many cars other shops have butchered and that is how the game works, at least here in Maryland. You also can call your states insurance commissioner which can get the insurance company to play ball if they don't.

I would call your insurance company and tell them your concerns. If they tell you to again take it back to the original shop tell them you would rather not and take it to a different shop. Have that shop fix the other issues as well as the wheel, tire, and 1/4. That is all on the same comeback. Good luck!

 

[jperry1290]

So 15mos later and three trips to the paint shop and it still is not right. They tried to brush paint over chips and buff them down, but still noticeable. Also areas pointed out that needed to be fixed were not even touched. I think its time for small claims court.

 

[jw0747]

Are you just being too polite to try to appease the situation? Tell the shop owner that you're damn tired of the runaround and the next step is you're going to get your fire breathing lawyer to take over and we're all going to court. You gotta get tough and you should never take your Bronco away from the shop until it's fixed correctly to your satisfaction, not his.

 

[JAFO]

You will never get your money if you have someone else do the work and send them a bill. It just ends up being a fight you never win. Sounds like you were too patient and too nice for your own good. I am probably as bad that way. I don't really like confrontation and by the time I get mad enough, I am too mad, like mad enough to do damage. I think it sounds like you picked the wrong shop. I would probably walk away, find a different shop and get things done right. I use to listen to Dave Ramsey and his saying was, when he wasted money on something he wrote it off as "stupid tax" and tried to learn from it. Never use that shop again and make sure they get really bad reference as much as possible.

 

[doghows72]

You never said if this was an insurance claim? I'm assuming it was not.
You can file a dispute with the state attorney general and they will get involved as a neutral negotiating party. Also file a report with the BBB. Both will contact the business owner and try to help settle the problem before taking it to court. I had to do this once and believe me when they here from the attorney general it's a wake up call.
Now if it was an insurance issue they should have their lawyers on this guys ass ASAP.
Good luck I hope you get it resolved to your satisfaction. I just had my rig redone due to the first guys lack of quality.

 

[jperry1290]

It is an insurance job but they said it was my shop pick and I took it home knowing about imperfections which pretty much stops the claim. I was polite because I figured getting angry would only make things worse. I took photos of every issue along the way and have it well documented. The last time in the shop photos were provided of each issue and I highlighted them with the shops wax pen. I can live with 99% of the car but the interior panels were scratched and they just painted over the scratches, looks horrible.

 

[tommyg]

You will never get your money if you have someone else do the work and send them a bill. It just ends up being a fight you never win. Sounds like you were too patient and too nice for your own good. I am probably as bad that way. I don't really like confrontation and by the time I get mad enough, I am too mad, like mad enough to do damage. I think it sounds like you picked the wrong shop. I would probably walk away, find a different shop and get things done right. I use to listen to Dave Ramsey and his saying was, when he wasted money on something he wrote it off as "stupid tax" and tried to learn from it. Never use that shop again and make sure they get really bad reference as much as possible.

just as a counterpoint...I have actually taken my truck that was "mis-repaired" (not my Bronco) to another shop that repaired it correctly, and the original shop paid the bill.

It does happen.

 

[No Hay]

You will never get your money if you have someone else do the work and send them a bill. It just ends up being a fight you never win. Sounds like you were too patient and too nice for your own good. I am probably as bad that way. I don't really like confrontation and by the time I get mad enough, I am too mad, like mad enough to do damage. I think it sounds like you picked the wrong shop. I would probably walk away, find a different shop and get things done right. I use to listen to Dave Ramsey and his saying was, when he wasted money on something he wrote it off as "stupid tax" and tried to learn from it. Never use that shop again and make sure they get really bad reference as much as possible.

Ha! I have paid plenty of the "stupid tax" over the years. With so many losers out there trying to screw people, it sure adds up!

BUT, sometimes you have to use small claims. It works very well, and it's cheap except for your time. I've used it three times, and in the end, three times it felt pretty damn good.

Although,I did pay a penalty of sorts in one case%). The witnesses I tracked down over a two month period, proved the VERY elderly woman that hit me, with her son (the Chief of Police) in (X town) OR. were lying when she said I hit her car. I decided it might be best if I avoided that town for the next 10 years or so! I sure hope he is retired by now

 

[allenfahey]

just as a counterpoint...I have actually taken my truck that was "mis-repaired" (not my Bronco) to another shop that repaired it correctly, and the original shop paid the bill.

It does happen.

This only happened because you took the vehicle to a DRP (direct repair program) shop your insurance company recommended. They did shoddy work and you took it to another shop. Then your insurance company made the first shop pay it. If they don't pay they get taken off their program.
It's usually best for you NOT to take it to a DRP affiliated shop. There is a huge conflict of interest. Many times the insurance company have agreements on what aftermarket/used parts they use, procedures they will not pay for, among many other things that aren't in your favor.

The OP should not have taken delivery if it wasn't right. They don't collect from the insurance company till you pick up the vehicle. All you have now to fall back on is court. Get an estimate for corrective repairs and sue them.

 

[shaunmcc]

Im assuming you're in Napa? What shop? I want to make sure I stay the hell away from them when I get to the paint part of my project.