shop is finally starting my car

**1MileCrash** · 03-16-2008, 02:23 PM

well as some may know last june there was a MASSIVE hailstorm in my town. stones fallin between 6 and 7 inches in diameter.

well needless to say the camaro took quite a pounding. cracked the windshield, wiper arm broken, took off the passenger side rear mirror, both rear quarters damaged, hood demolished, and roof banged up.

well i got with my body shop guy right after the storm and set it up and he initially said okay yeah we can start in september...that got pushed back to october...that got pushed back to december...come january i was like what the heck so he said bring it out before february and they would get started on it. brought it out the last week of january expecting him to get started but he didn't.

so last nite enough was enough. i went over there and said that if he didn't get started on it by the end of next week that i was going to come and pick it up and take it somewhere else. the look on his face was like "holy shit are you serious...oh my god it can't be..." i also told him that insurance told me that if i don't have the work done by the date that the first check was signed that they won't make any adjustments to make any more payments if (when) the damages come to more than they wrote the initial check for.

so he is going to start fitting the new hood and new front bumper on the car this week. and in the meantime i am going to continue stalking the shop and keeping an eye on things to make sure he gets started.

he also called me late last nite after i had gone home from talking to him to inform me on how much everything was going to cost.

but at least the pressure is on.

**redls1** · 03-16-2008, 03:11 PM

What were his excuses for not starting. You were a paying customer like the rest. I would have taken it someplace else unless he is cutting you a hell of a deal.

**1MileCrash** · 03-16-2008, 03:22 PM

he has done work for me in the past and has done great work...he's been doin bodywork for probably...40 to 50 years. that and i'm paranoid about letting people touch and work on my cars.

he has been really busy which i can understand. he is doing my car on the side in the evenings and on weekends from his regular job at the gmc dealership so his time is more limited and he had some other vehicles to work on on the side as well. it didn't help though that this other guy keeps bringing vehicles into him and because he is a comeback customer (he's a used car dealer) he gets in right away.

**redls1** · 03-16-2008, 03:33 PM

Ahh make a little more sense now. Thought he owned or worked at the body shop, but he is doing this on the side. Still sucks you had to wait so long for it to get done. Id be going crazy.

**1MileCrash** · 03-16-2008, 03:39 PM

yeah. well that's what i told him. he said he's not tryin to put me off but he's been really busy but it's slowin up now. in my mind that means that it's time to start workin on my car so that's why i gave him the one week ultimatum. i told him that if i knew that the car was started on and being worked on that i wouldn't be as antsy and twitchy. and once he gets started on it he said it should only take about 5 or 6 weeks to complete it so mid to late april that's not bad. all the snow will be gone and the roads should be cleaned off of the grime, salt, and sand.

**SeVeReDiStOrTiOn** · 03-16-2008, 03:46 PM

You should've taken it somewhere else a long time ago...you're talking almost a year since the damage first happened. No wonder you insurance company is having a shit fit..

**1MileCrash** · 03-16-2008, 03:49 PM

that's their standard policy.

they said the same thing about home and property damage that they were paying for. repairs had to be done within 12 months of the check being written or they would be void if they had not been cashed or they would not make any additional payments.

it was a stipulation that they implemented because there were thousands of claims made. i made a claim on my car and my duplex (roof). my parents made a claim on their house (roof, siding, window). and we were very common in our claims. some people had more...two or three vehicles damaged plus house, camper, boat, etc...

it was just a way for the insurance to cover their asses so that they wouldn't have to pay out more money if they didn't have to.

if my guy doesn't start on the car within the week i have phone numbers for two other places that are highly recommended by a friend of mine that does body work on occasion and also from my g/f's mother who knows a lady that has a lot of work done at this other place. so i am keeping my options open. i will probably be calling them this coming week just to make some general inquiries.

**yellowv** · 03-16-2008, 04:21 PM

I would have taken it someplace else months ago. Hell, I still would. I can guarantee you, now that you gave him the ultimatum he will start on it and then it will sit there for months and months just like it has been doing while he gives you excuses why he can't finish it.

**1MileCrash** · 03-16-2008, 04:25 PM

i guess we will see. like i said. if he doesn't start it by friday/saturday of the coming week i will be taking it elsewhere and he has given me the timeline of having it finished by mid to late april.

**yellowv** · 03-16-2008, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by 1MileCrash

i guess we will see. like i said. if he doesn't start it by friday/saturday of the coming week i will be taking it elsewhere and he has given me the timeline of having it finished by mid to late april.

Hasn't he already gave you several time lines? I have seen waaay too many guys pull that kind of BS on people. Bottom line is if he has given you 10 different stories about your car getting fixed already it's only going to get worse once he starts it b/c then you are screwed and you really can't take it somewhere else at that point. You said you have had other good reccomendations. I would run away from that guy fast. It should take no more than a week to fix your car and that should have been done long ago. Your "Body shop guy" is jerking you around.

**SeVeReDiStOrTiOn** · 03-16-2008, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by yellowv

Hasn't he already gave you several time lines? I have seen waaay too many guys pull that kind of BS on people. Bottom line is if he has given you 10 different stories about your car getting fixed already it's only going to get worse once he starts it b/c then you are screwed and you really can't take it somewhere else at that point. You said you have had other good reccomendations. I would run away from that guy fast. It should take no more than a week to fix your car and that should have been done long ago. Your "Body shop guy" is jerking you around.

yup

**1MileCrash** · 03-16-2008, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by yellowv

Hasn't he already gave you several time lines? I have seen waaay too many guys pull that kind of BS on people. Bottom line is if he has given you 10 different stories about your car getting fixed already it's only going to get worse once he starts it b/c then you are screwed and you really can't take it somewhere else at that point. You said you have had other good reccomendations. I would run away from that guy fast. It should take no more than a week to fix your car and that should have been done long ago. Your "Body shop guy" is jerking you around.

well and as i've already said several times here he has until friday/saturday to start on it and if he hasn't i'm taking the car somewhere else.

the hood and bumper have to be fitted onto the car, the ground effects put back on the bumper and the dents in the rear quarter are huge...made by a chunk of ice the size of a soft ball...they're deep and have several different angles in them so they aren't going to be a simple "pop out" kind of job. there is some fiberglass work to be done on the spoiler as it is cracked a bit and like i said he works on cars at home in the evenings and weekends AFTER he is done at his regular job at a local gmc dealer so it's not like he can sit down and finish the car in a day or two like he otherwise might be able to if he worked on it all day long.

he has given me a lot of lines before but unlike this time all the other times i just said "okay" instead of putting my foot down and saying that he has a week to get started or i'm takin my business elsewhere.

**JoshieDoom** · 03-16-2008, 09:52 PM

I cant imagine driving and a softball going through my t-top and through my skull...

BTW if the car isnt spotless and every seem isnt aligned perfectly id be PISSED..

**1MileCrash** · 03-16-2008, 09:58 PM

yeah i was cryin until i thought...hey...at least it didn't take out either one of the t-top glass panels...$700 per side give or take from what i've seen.

he has done work for me in the past on my monte carlo and it came out perfect...you couldn't even tell that it had ever been damaged...looked perfect. he does good work...he's just been lax on getting started on this job.

**yellowv** · 03-17-2008, 03:15 PM

You just don't get it man. Even if he starts on it, when will he finish it? He told you he would start on it 7 months ago. He says it will be done in 5 or 6 weeks. What if he's full of it again. So say he does start on it Friday, yet here you will be in another seven months with him somewhere into the job but not ever finished with excuses left and right. If you don't ever want your car back thats up to you, but I would take my car to a reputable shop and let them fix it, and have it back in a week or so, but thats just me. I don't like to leave my damaged vehicle at some dudes house for 7 months while he gives me bullshit stories. Leaving your car sit for 7 months isn't being lax. It's not giving a shit about ever doing the job.

**1MileCrash** · 03-18-2008, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by yellowv

You just don't get it man. Even if he starts on it, when will he finish it? He told you he would start on it 7 months ago. He says it will be done in 5 or 6 weeks. What if he's full of it again. So say he does start on it Friday, yet here you will be in another seven months with him somewhere into the job but not ever finished with excuses left and right. If you don't ever want your car back thats up to you, but I would take my car to a reputable shop and let them fix it, and have it back in a week or so, but thats just me. I don't like to leave my damaged vehicle at some dudes house for 7 months while he gives me bullshit stories. Leaving your car sit for 7 months isn't being lax. It's not giving a shit about ever doing the job.

and you must have shit in your ears or dust on your eyes cause you aren't understanding what i said that if he doesn't start on it i'm takin it elsewhere and that i'm going to be goin over there every couple days to check on the progress basically buggin him till it's done. you can pick fly shit out of the pepper all you want. i've heard your opinion several times now and i'm tellin you what it is that i'm doing and if you don't like it then that's just tough shit.

**yellowv** · 03-18-2008, 02:46 PM

No problem man. Really don't give a shit what you want to do. It's your car and your money. Just trying to save you a headache, but if you don't want to listen thats your decision. I'll check back in on the thread you start in six months bitching about still not having your car back. Good luck.