I take it all back!!!:r

[vee93]

Well, I'll just be friggin' pee-o'ed!!!
Give me some advice here Vette-buds!

As some of you know, my '93 got clipped, but good, back on 2/23/03 by some fool in a mid-sized U-Haul type truck.

So the insurance company's "preferred" pro-body shop gets my baby back to me approximately 3 months later. I praised their work.

HOWEVER..., turns out, there were some minor things to be corrected. Namely, realigning the hood PROPERLY! No joke here, but how many mechanics does it take to realign a hood?!

This place's work is guaranteed for the life of the car. Took the car to them on Tuesday. At business close today (Wednesday)-no word from them.

I just happened by the "preferred" pro-body shop tonight. And what do I see? My car-not only parked in their back lot (between two severely wrecked pick-ups) BUT, whoever parked it RAN THE NOSE OF MY CAR UP ON THE SUPPORT BEAM OF A WROUGHT IRON FENCE!!!! Now what kinda s*** is that?!!!!

License plate filler is dented and front bumper is scratched and missing paint!!!! I nearly wrecked my other car I was so shocked. I finally parked, got out and just stared.

Now I ask all of you...
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

I think it's a good thing they were closed!ad

Thanks for listening.

 

[JonM]

First thing I would do is get pictures...BEFORE they move it.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Ditto.

Pictures before they move it, develop them PRONTO and take them in immediately. Be civil, no yelling or name-calling.
Contact the insurance company and let them know what you think about their "preferred" body shop.
Heidi

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

aloha,
that about covers it.oh man i would be fired up,
later,Todd.

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

Keep a lid on your temper. My Granddaddy always said, ¨ Never argue with an idiot in public, an innocent passer by might not know which is which.¨

Regardless of how pi$$ed off you get. DO NOT lose it. He who yells first loses.

Get the photos quick, get the most senior person you can find at the insurance company on the phone and ask him to go with you to see the Owner of the shop.

Forget any middle man. As a business owner, I can assure you that the Owner of that shop will make things right. Not for you but because he wants to keep the insurance company’s business.

Unless he is giving the insurance man a kickback, in which case you’re screwed.

 

[Robertwav1]

That's a shame Vee! Just hold tight for awhile, things will get straightened out. They will have to make good for it! Be cool...calm...and deal with it like a pro. Keep us informed!

 

[Vettart]

Photos, several copies of each, lawyer, TV station, there are all kinds of alternatives. Just stay cool. If I saw two guys yelling at each other, I wouldn't know which one was the idiot.

 

[vee93]

I take it back (UPDATE)

Well, talked with the owner/manager this a.m. I was shooting images at first light. I'm a photojournalist for a statewide newspaper here in the Southeast, so that wasn't a problem. Using digital cameras makes everything quick and easy.

My head was cool. My thoughts collected. My voice was conversational, but firm.

The pro-shop owner was not happy-'course neither was I. Okay then, we've got something in common. Promises were made. Time will tell if the promises are kept.

Here are 2 images.

Later folks and thanks for the feedback.

 

[vee93]

Vee3's other image

Forgot the other image-
here it is.

 

[Corvette-Pilot]

You managed to cage the beast

 

[Rain]

Glad ya got pics man. Sorry that the garage did this to your car. Its really sad that a garage will do that to ANY car.
I dropped my UAV (ugly ass van) off last year to a mechanic to do trans work, ignition, tie rod, etc and when I picked it up, 2 nice new dents were in the rear panels. Obviously had been hit by or hit another vehicle while being put in and out.
Of course they said the dents were there before they got it since no one in their shop reported hitting anything in my van.
Typical - SO very glad you got pics!

good luck
Rain

 

[Rogue]

You gotta be REAL careful when taking your car to a repair shop. Don't TRUST anyone, especially when you're dealing with Corvettes.

When I was dropping my Corvette off at the body shop, there was a "High Performance" Shop/Garage right next to the body shop. I was talking to the body shop owner and I noticed a beautiful blue C4 being worked on by a mechanic at the HP Garage. A few minutes past then I heard a loud screech coming out of the garage. I watched as the mechanic who was working on the C4 peeled out of the garage for a "test drive", and he proceeded to peel out again as he made a right turn into the main road, obviously driving that customer's car aggressively.

Another time, when I told my old friend about my purchase of a 1991 Corvette, he admitted to me that he had driven one. Knowing that this guy has NEVER owned a 'Vette, I asked him when he drove one. He said one of his High School buddies who owns a repair shop took a customer's C4 Corvette for a "test drive" to see how fast it could go!

Bastards!

 

[Blade]

I see that you are a photojournalist, If the above ideas don't get you anywhere fast; then time to share your situation with your reporter freinds. You have an advantage over normal consumers in that you have inside access to the media. If you know a local consumer complaint reporter, time to buy their lunch.

Take that camera and get pictures!



Our cars' hearts go out to your car

 

[tyrel]

When I lived in San Francisco, I had the best mechanic in the world. It was a general auto repair shop, but the manager owned Corvettes and had another Corvette restoration business. When I brought my car in for servicing, he wouldn't let anyone else in the garage touch it. Then I would come in at the end of the day to pick it up and it would be in a special parking space, waiting for me, far from any other cars. Now that's the kind of mechanic you really want. He became a friend of mine and I helped them with some tax work, I also sold him one of my Corvettes and bought another one from him. It really helps to get to know your mechanic.

 

[JonM]

Giving the benefit of the doubt…the front end of these cars are very hard to judge if you are not used to them. When he makes good on his promise…no harm done.

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

Giving the benefit of the doubt…the front end of these cars are very hard to judge if you are not used to them. When he makes good on his promise…no harm done.

if in doubt about how long the front is,pull up short. i might also request a new license plate cover.
good job Todd

 

[Lingmieux]

Yes, great that you took those pictures. I saw your first thread on this, and I thought that you would be too late to take pics. Hope they keep the promises now, and do a good job.

Rogue, exactly those kind of stories am I afraid of when I turn in my baby to a new garage. Maybe you've seen something similar in US, but I saw on German TV how a TV team took a BMW 320, that was maybe 10 years old. They faked an engine damage, think it was a valve they "disconnected", so it made a knocking sound.

Now, this problem should be quite easy to locate and fix, for an experienced mechanic according to them (can't say I'm one). They installed 2 hidden cameras with mics, one in the engine compartment (started to record as soon as someone opened the hood), and the other one inside the car (which went on when the car started).
Then they went out to 5, or 6 different local garages in the Berlin area to see how & what would happen. Could they fix the problem, what price, which timeframe, and did they use the car private? All of them were general garages, they were not related to a specific car brand, like BMW.

Only ONE of them could say the exact problem, AND give you a "fair", and "right" price. This company was connected to a chain, so this one was the most serious one.
All the other ones could fix the problem, but also said that they had to change "this and that", or just gave a total overprice...
One of them used the car during lunch, and also in the evening to meet with his buddies. Don't know what I would have done if I saw my baby in town, and a stranger behind the wheel...

But, it was quite fun to see the reactions when the TV team showed them the tapes later on... Some of their excuses where just ridiculous.

Good commersial for the serious company, but not for the others...

 

[rrubel]

A US-based magazine did something similar maybe 10 years ago. Took a car with out-of-state license plates around to a number of mechanics, with a simple problem. Again, maybe one place was honest and trustworthy. And that one place, thinking the owners were really not local, did the work for free, made sure all the fluids and everything were full, and that the car was ready for its drive home. That's a classy establishment...

[RICHR]

 

[78SilvAnniv]

You gotta be REAL careful when taking your car to a repair shop. Don't TRUST anyone, especially when you're dealing with Corvettes.

...peeled out of the garage for a "test drive", and he proceeded to peel out again as he made a right turn into the main road, obviously driving that customer's car aggressively.

...took a customer's C4 Corvette for a "test drive" to see how fast it could go!

Bastards!

I know there are devises that parents can put in their cars that monitor how their children are driving them. (distance, speed) What about something like this for when it is at the mechanic's?
Heidi