I had the misfortune of someone in attempting to avoid an undertaking moped swerve and plant the corner of their car into my bumper. Fortunately neither of us were going that fast and it was only slight contact. There wasn't too much damage to my 6 month old car but a new bumper was required and the bonnet had a crease that had to be ironed out. The car was duly taken to a suitable bodyshop and I went off on hols knowing I'd be collecting my car when I got back.
So I collected it and my car had clearly been outside for a while it was quite dirty. The paintshop manager mentioned something about the difficulty about getting panels to match and some difficulty at getting the bumper mounts straightened out which distracted me from my inspection of the car. My cursory squint at the car was too brief and I was much too close to look at it. To be honest, I didn't really have much of clue what I was looking for.
He then said, he'd hose the car down for me to get the muck off. It looked ok covered in water so I drove it to work and thought nothing of it. I've been commuting into London the last couple of days and I've left the car in the garage. I got back early yesterday and thought about washing it.
Oh dear. Whilst I was washing it, the panel fit was terrible, the bumper is recessed about 5mm to far in leaving the front wings and bonnet tips sticking out. So I carried on and chammied it down.
The end result made my heart sink, the paint finish was actually quite bad, I could see where they hadn't really blended in the new paint to the existing paint, the bonnet blending was really bad that I could see where the new paint and old paint ended and the bumper is a different colour, also no attempt was made to even blend in the wings. Then I noticed the blank for the towing eye in the bumper, it was the original blank and the colour difference was quite pronounced, they hadn't bothered to respray it.
So I rang the insurance company, they've offshored their call centre, wonderful. I can almost hear the 'if this happens then this happens' kind of logic happening. I got quite short shrift but the insurance company said they will sent a engineer out to have a look at the car, if they agree with my point of view then they will pay to get the work rectified. I don't want it to go back to their approved garage I want my dealer bodyshop to take on the work.
At least I would hope for some attempt to get the repair finished to a decent standard. At least get the bumper fitted correctly and the new paint blended in.
Have I missed the boat here and should I have rejected it at the garage? I've read the long running Polo saga and it fills me with dread, anyone had similar experience with this kind of thing?
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I had a very similar thing a few years ago. Slight ding on the front so it went to the insurers bodyshop. The end result was awfull, the paint looked speckled and terrible.
Contacted the insurance company and told them the car would not go back to the monkeys at the first bodyshop. The insurance company sent someone down to have a look and the next week it was in at the local MB dealers bieng sorted.
I suppose it depends on the insurance company but it sounds like youve got a right to complain.
Good luck
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You're not related to Pologirl are you 3500S?!
Seriously, I hope you get it sorted to your satisfaction.
PP
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I have lots of sympathy because I\'ve never been totally happy with any body work that I have had done whether at an Approved Repairer, Back Street Garage, Main Dealer etc. etc.
You can take the car to have it done where ever you want. Ignore the carp about \'you have to take it to where we tell you\'.
Having said that I insisted in taking mine to a local Peugeout garage with a good reputation and the panel fit on mine too was shocking. I was told that \'you get that with mass produced cars\'. I rang the insurance company and told them not to pay up until I rang them to give them the OK. Pillocks completely ignored me and paid up. the car still isn\'t right but I\'ll just have to put up with it until it\'s time to sell.
In your case any future buyer worth his salt will be put off straight away. Something isn\'t right if the bumper does\'t fit and all furtehr damaged parts need removing.
Stick up for your self and reject the job.
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3500S,
Gutting on a nice new car like yours. There is no way you can accept this, it should be impossible to see it has been repaired at all.
I use a local bodyshop that know I understand I want a good job, whatever the age of the car, and their work is superb.
Years ago though I had a main VW agent turn out the sort of job you've had, on a 3mth old Jetta. They'd fitted a new panel the wrong side of the flange it attached to producing a huge gap differential between the existing and repaired wing....plus the red was far too orange. I was lucky enough to spot it in the workshop and put on a Victor Meldrew display of madness come despair. Got it back three days later absolutely spot on....so why did they ever think I would accept the first job on a new car I wonder?
Stick to your guns and good luck.
M.M
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Unfortunatly bodyshops do seem to be staffed by visually impaired people, maybe its a qualification for the job, but they can always recite chapter and verse from \'The Big Book of Bodyshop Excuses\' and try to fob you off with a gruesome repair. If you don\'t know what you are looking at pay the AA for an inspection, they will really make the bodyshop do the job properly. If you can get the repair done at a MB owned or approved bodyshop, the ones that i have seen really do turn out first class work, no masking around handles and locks
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You have to give them chance to remedy before you go elsewhere.
If you don't mind paying, get an independant accessor to do a report before the next repair, it may come in handy, and you can claim it back later.
Before letting them do it again, have a list in writing of what they are going to do, and make sure you both agree on the steps...
For starters, I would insist on a new genuine bonnet, not a bent one, get new parts rather than repaired existing ones..
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Thanks some very useful tips there. The insurance engineer is having a look on Monday, I don't think I have anything to worry about unless he's colourblind, you'd have to be, it's very obvious in this autumn light.
I think I will give them a chance, the bodyshop is VBRA registered and I think they will give it a better shot. The insurance company did agree that if I wasn't satisfied the next time (they will send another engineer to look) then I can go to one of the manufacturer's bodyshops and get it done there. Fair enough.
I really pored over it this morning and made a mental note of everything and it was a depressingly long list. The colour match is terrible they should have a photographic paint mixer according to a friend in the trade so there is no excuse for the poor match. Also spraying the car with water prior to acceptance is also one of the oldest tricks in the book for hiding a poor match.
Overspray, runs in the paint, even a drip mark on the bumper. The piece de resistance is they used the old blank for the towing eye on the bumper and as they removed it from the old bumper they bent one of the retaining clips so it doesn't even stay in place properly and it's also a different shade of paint.
Basically there's not a lot of 'metallic' in the paint which gives it a very flat appearence.
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Brief update and I thought some of this might be useful.........
The engineer showed up today and I ran though the bits and pieces, he agreed with everyone. He was surprised they sprayed it with water before I accepted the work.
He admitted the fit of the bumper was a shocker, the bonnet wasn't flush to the wings and the colour was wrong. He then went off to get the job sheet from the paintshop office.
I was dreading the next bit but this was the most surprising bit.
The job sheet showed work not done, a wing was replaced apparently but no wing was damaged, other bits and pieces showed up that weren't done, even the £10 towing eye blank was down as replaced and it wasn't.
The paintshop manager suitably chastised and knowing the insurance company agent scented blood. He ran off checked the colour on their ICI database, there are two variants for Moonstone Green, a flat green and one with extra 'blue'.
It was clear that mine was darker; the one with extra blue tint. The engineer knew his onions and said that even with pearlescent paint (which is hard to match) a better match than that is possible.
So the upshot is, it's booked for two weeks time, they are allocating plenty of time to it and they also might get ICI down there to do a custom tint as well if the stock paint doesn't give a good match. It seems that paint colour sets after a few days which might explain being unable to spot it first time.
So a result, the insurance company engineer let me go with the car and stayed behind, clearly to have a few words.
If this gives no joy, he's aware of the new SMC (MGR main dealer) bodyshop in the area (I told him) it probably will end up there if this is no good.
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