What you NEED to Know About
Auto Body Repair Shops
Why am I writing this?
So you don’t fall into the
same situation I did, and to remind myself of the pitfalls I had during my
latest and hopefully last repair service I will ever need from an auto body
shop.
Things to Remember!!!!
Auto Body shops are not in
business to repair your car; they are in business to make money. They do so by
repairing cars.
Insurance Companies are not
in business to provide insurance; they are in business to make money. They do
so by selling you insurance.
The only businesses that are
in business to provide a service and not make money are Non-Profits. Remember
this in all transactions, not just in dealing with auto body shops and
insurance companies.
Last thing to remember, the
shop is always your best friend until there is an issue with their work. When
you bring your car in, they tell you how good they will take care of it. When
you go to pick it up and find an issue, boy does their attitude change.
What a shop will tell you
when you go for an estimate.
Free estimates
“We can not write an estimate
until we take it apart to see all the damage.”
This guarantees they get the
work, what do think they are going to do once it is apart and you don’t like
the estimate? Put it back together for free?
Not likely.
Referring to the insurance
companies “Estimate of Record” written by the insurance company appraiser.
“It’s close, real close”
I have had 3 accidents in the
last 200K Miles some my fault, some not, but the insurance adjuster is always
real close.
“If we find it is off we will
work with the insurance company”
This one is a tough one, yes
and no, but what ever the outcome if the negotiation, it may not be in your
best interest. Remember, they are in business to make money; they are not going
to go out of their way to do something for nothing. What happens when the
insurance company says no additional funds will be paid?
One shop I went to years ago
informed me the repair was $1000 more than the Estimate of Record and wanted me
to give them $1000 in addition to my $500 deductible to repair the car
correctly because the insurance company would not. They stated the car would
not be safe if I did not. What happened? I did not give in, neither did the
insurance company. The shop fixed my car for what the insurance company was
willing to pay and my $500 deductible. Was my car fixed correctly? I don’t know
I am not an auto body tech. Fit and finish looked good at the time, but the
paint showed little resistance to chipping after about a year, did they cut
corners on the paint to make up for the difference, I don’t know, I do know
that the same model car in the same color, original hood and the same number of
miles does not have the same paint chipping issue.
Used Parts
I have no problems with used
parts, I cruise the junkyards when I need parts, HOWEVER, does the shop take
the same care in sourcing the used parts that I would. The insurance company
specified Like Kind and Quality, again, no problem here. Where I do have an
issue is with Quality. Does the shop check or do they just use it, do they even
care?
The shop that that repaired
my car, changed the lower seat padding (the issue was with the back seat frame,
which still needs to be corrected also). It was the wrong padding to start with
and I had to take it apart to do the repair correctly. In addition to being the
wrong part, it has black mold growing on it. Click HERE
for a picture.
Use EXTREME CAUTION if used
parts are to be used.
Things to do to protect
your self and make sure your car is fixed correctly.
First and foremost, BE THERE.
Be there when the insurance
company appraiser comes to look at the car.
Be there if the body shop
needs to have the adjuster come in for a supplement. You need to know what the
issue is and how it is being corrected, not being there, you will only get half
the story, the half that benefits the one telling you.
So, BE THERE!
(I learned this with the in
the situation above, and did not follow it in the latest incident and I am now
paying for it)
Take pictures; take lots of
pictures before the car goes to the shop. You want to have a record of the
condition before it went to the shop. In my latest incident, the shop replaced
a piece that did not need to be replaced, and not the part that did. They claim
the part that was replaced is the part that was in the car when I brought it
in. What is it? It is the driver’s seat bottom. It was the seat back that was
bent from the impact. Why is this an issue? The bent seat back is still in my
car, and now I need to find a seat bottom also as the padding in the one they
installed is all worn out. They claim it is the original because it has the
same fabric pattern. (so was the fabric 4 door seat they originally installed
in my 2 door car, it was not my original seat either). The other issue I am having is the bumper
cover is not lined up correctly on the left side, it is better than the first 2
times they had attempted to line it up, but not as good as it was before the
accident, or even after the accident (the impact force was focused on the right
side, everything on the left was still lined up).
I don’t have pictures of post
accident, pre body shop. Another mistake I made.
So, Take Pictures!
What to do if there are
issues?
This is a very good
question….. and I do not have a fool proof answer.
From my experience, if the
issues from the repair can not be fixed on the first attempt to go back and
correct them, pay them and get your car out of there. Letting they try a third
time, will most likely get you no further, just delay the return of your car, a
substandard repair or any or all of the above.
Going back to the insurance
company will not help, unless they sent you to that specific shop. The
insurance company will continually remind you, that YOU picked the shop. If they
do step in, don’t expect to much help, the insurance appraiser will need to
work with this shop again in the future, and will most likely never see you
again, expect the appraiser to agree with every thing the shop states. He wants
to close the claim and not have issues with the shop in the future.
If you need to go to another
shop to get the repairs completed, the insurance company will not pay for the
additional repair work. According to the
New Hampshire Insurance Department, you will need to pay for the work the
second shop does then file a small claims suit with the original shop to
recover your money.
The other solution is to live
with the issues; this may be why there are so many bad body shops still in
business.
How can you help others?
Let me know if you have had a
good experience with a shop so I can let others know there are good shops out
there. Please be prepared to back up your claims. I do not want shops tooting
their own horn here. Read some of the reviews of shops on the web, they sound
like an ad for the shop.
Have a Bill from the shop
that I can at least look at, or better let me post on line (I will remove
personal data).
Let me know when I can look
at the car to see the work and possibly take some pictures.
Email: LRRS@Juno.com
Other Resources:
Pictures of the bad work
performed on my car
http://rochestercenter.com/neon/neon1.htm
Excellent site with tons of
information
http://www.consumersautodetective.com
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Consumer/story?id=3673581&page=1
MSNBC Today
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24141844/ns/today_technology_and_money-10_%20tips/
Eopinions
http://www.epinions.com/auto-Topics-12
Good Post
http://www.epinions.com/auto-review-217A-5C5EBF1-3958380C-prod1
Better Business Bureau ( BBB
) SEE NOTE BELOW
http://www.bbb.org/
A cautionary note
about the BBB’s ratings.
