Annoyed with smash repairers

[Dane VN V8]

I am seriously going insane now, it has been a month of me not driving my ss and I AM really getting frustrated about it. I had an accident in my car and insurance have been taking there sweet ass time fixing my car. The NRMA Assessors took a day to look over it sent it off to the smash repairer on Monday the 9th in the morning. I first called on Tuesday the 10th and they said there is alot of mechanical damage and a little bit of panal damage.

It is now Wednesday the 25th and I am still waiting for my damn car, I called last Wednesday to see what was going on and the boss was not in to tell me what was going on and was told he will call me back. Did he, no he didn't so I had to call again on Monday the 23rd and then they tell me it might be ready by the end of this week. WTF is going. Does it normally take 2-3 weeks to fix a damn car? If it was that much damage why didn't they ride the farkin thing off, I want my car. Im sick of driving my mate's shit box vl that has no power at all and drinks farking more petrol then my ss.

Bloody bludgers im telling you.

[jerrel]

yea they are a bit like that.
my ex smash repairer was a dog too.
i took it in there with only 4 litres in the tank, i got it back with 20 litres, 400km extra on the clock and almost bald tyres.

[Dane VN V8]

yea they are a bit like that.
my ex smash repairer was a dog too.
i took it in there with only 4 litres in the tank, i got it back with 20 litres, 400km extra on the clock and almost bald tyres.

:shock: Don't say that, where my car is at looks kind of dodgy as all hell, owned my middle eastern apperance that don't look to legit. I remeber I had half a tank of petrol though I never wrote down how many k's was on the clock. :eek:

[swingtan]

Not good guys. It's a pain when you have to be separated from your pride and joy, even more so when you know she's been abused !!!! JMK, where was this place you went to ? I certainly want to stay away from there.

I got mine back on Friday after the mirror got put back on and the passenger side door sprayed. All I have to say it Wow !!! Excellent job !!!. They matched the paint so well that they didn't need to blend into the rear door. It was sprayed correctly and baked. They washed the car, waxed it again, and cleaned the interior to a better condition that when I left it with them. They only had the car for a week so I'm one happy camper.

Simon.

[WhiteLion]

I am seriously going insane now, it has been a month of me not driving my ss and I AM really getting frustrated about it. I had an accident in my car and insurance have been taking there sweet ass time fixing my car. The NRMA Assessors took a day to look over it sent it off to the smash repairer on Monday the 9th in the morning. I first called on Tuesday the 10th and they said there is alot of mechanical damage and a little bit of panal damage.

It is now Wednesday the 25th and I am still waiting for my damn car, I called last Wednesday to see what was going on and the boss was not in to tell me what was going on and was told he will call me back. Did he, no he didn't so I had to call again on Monday the 23rd and then they tell me it might be ready by the end of this week. WTF is going. Does it normally take 2-3 weeks to fix a damn car? If it was that much damage why didn't they ride the farkin thing off, I want my car. Im sick of driving my mate's shit box vl that has no power at all and drinks farking more petrol then my ss.

Bloody bludgers im telling you.


How much damage was there?

If you were going on at them over the phone like you are in this post, I'm not suprised they're fobbing you off.

Write the facts down, and calmly contact them again. If you get no joy, contact the NRMA.
Again, talk to them calmly. The person you deal with, no doubt has nothing to do with the delays.
If necessary, lodge an official complaint with the NRMA. Otherwise, the next poor sucker will end up with teh same problem!

Steve

[CrashTestDummy]

mate, i hope they're taking their sweet ass time because they're trying to get it perfect or something... my calais got rear ended a couple years back and it was in the shop for about 6 or 7 weeks with a damage figure of about $10,000.. when i got it back it was full of issues - panel gaps, colour differences, screws missing, etc.. if the damage to your car was significant u should probably look into getting rid of it cos your car will probably never be the same again.

[VYBerlinaV8]

Mother-in-Law bent the door of her TS Astra (55,000km, immaculate), and it got sent off for repair. When my Father-in-Law picked it up, it was running very rough. Took it to Holden who replaced the engine management computer and charged him $1500.00.

Any ideas what a repairer could do to destroy the computer? All they had to do was repair and repaint the door!

[jhchevy]

yeah i had a place up here on the gold cost totally destroy my rear end whilst they were fixing it. I took it in for a front right wheel guard and front bumper replacement, i ended up getting it back with new tailgate, infill panel, exhaust pods and rear window. The only thing is they never told me :vpo: :vpo: :vpo: . They just said it was taking a long time due to blending the paint on the bonnet etc etc. All bullsh_t.. So when i picked it up they still didnt tell me. And to much of my suprise i noticed that my sticker on my rear window was gone... then i noticed everything else.. I was fumming big time and let a bit fly. I got consumer affairs involved so it wouldnt happen to anyone else but my ute will never be the same as it was.

but yeh hopefully they are just doing it right for once mate.. Fingers crossed

[JimmyXR6T04]

i crashed my XR back in april... got my car back late june :confused: i think some f*ck stole my petrol too :confused: i had 1/2 a tank, when i got it back it was right on empty, but only 5kms added to the odo. Not only that, the cat converter was different brand, the paint work wasn't right, and still isn't... i'm still yet to take it back as i've been busy, but i'll take it back so they can fix it properly.

Its bullsh*t. My original repair bill was about $6500, my choice of repairer was honest and said more like 10k as a bare minimum because he didn't know what suspension damage was done... my insurance co. gave it to their people because of the $6500 quote... the final bill?? just under 20k... WTF... needed all new suspension, whole exhaust got replaced, no motor damage, intercooler got replaced, both front 1/4 panels replaced, front bumper, bonnet got repaired, left front door, left rear door, left rear quarter panel, left rear rim replaced...i wish they had just written it off!! it was only insured for 32k... farken pr*cks... now my paint isn't quite right, and its just a pain in the ass...

I know how you feel mate!

[seedyrom]

Dane, nothing personal ... but with the incident surrounding your accident I think you need to calm down, take stock of life, and put up with driver a sh_tter for a while. And with the bald tyres ... maybe you are lucky its being fixed at all ?

Planting a car side on into a gutter isnt going to be pretty, would you prefer them just to straighten the frame, bog the damage, respray then a detail ?
Or take time to ensure its done right and check for underlying structural damage?



Nah, just joshing with ya :jester: ... I reckon its already been stripped and sold for parts :D :D :D



The truth of the matter is, with the NRMA tendering process they are probably the cheapest repairer, who take lots of jobs on, then slowly work their way through them. Easier to organise staff when you've got a heap of jobs on. You're probably just one of many in the least-cost queue. :teach:



Good luck ... don't know how successful rattling them will be. They've got your car, and the NRMA's money (well guarantee of).

[clarky]

I used to own a 95 Statesman V8 many years ago, I had an accident not really bad around 2-3k of damage. Mine took 9 weeks, this was after weekly calls to both the insurance company and the repairer. The only good thing was it was a top notch repair as it should have been for 9 weeks was also not happy, I understand your frustration.

[chillicatqld]

Best advice: GET OUT OF NRMA!
choose where your car goes to get fixed.... my rant!

[mido2k]

:shock: Don't say that, where my car is at looks kind of dodgy as all hell, owned my middle eastern apperance that don't look to legit. I remeber I had half a tank of petrol though I never wrote down how many k's was on the clock. :eek:


If it was towed, the tow truck company at the time of the acco should have put it on the label they affix to the car...
KM's that is....

[jerrel]

Not good guys. It's a pain when you have to be separated from your pride and joy, even more so when you know she's been abused !!!! JMK, where was this place you went to ? I certainly want to stay away from there.

I got mine back on Friday after the mirror got put back on and the passenger side door sprayed. All I have to say it Wow !!! Excellent job !!!. They matched the paint so well that they didn't need to blend into the rear door. It was sprayed correctly and baked. They washed the car, waxed it again, and cleaned the interior to a better condition that when I left it with them. They only had the car for a week so I'm one happy camper.

Simon.

i went to glen waverley panels. i should also mention, they didnt mask it properly too, now there is black paint on the grey bit on the rear bar.

where did u go? i like the sound of it.

[EddieVE06]

I am the expert of car crashes, two in 6 weeks, one worth $9500 and one worth $5000. By the way neither were my fault. First accident car was towed to repairer, got a courtesy car, car fixed in around 3.5 weeks with everything checked, suspension etc etc. Job was done great.

Second accident, i couldn't take it back to the original repairer as it wasn't one of their preferred but I'm thinking that if thats the case why did they allow it to stay there for the first one and get fixed?

So far no courtesy car, had to chase up panel beater....almost 3.5 weeks, no car, half the damage of the first accident.

Careful of certain insurers using new valuation methods on damage costs as they do it over the internet via photos which in my mind doesn't show mechanical damage below the surface. NRMA, RACV

Some insurers almost auction the job off by getting the repairers into their premises line the cars up and its "go for it boys". Lowest quote wins and the repairers are not able to properly evaluate damage by looking underneath or removing panels....AAMI

From what I'm seeing you get what you pay for. The best I've heard are GIO from several people who have made claims......my 2cents worth and a review coming up of my insurers also

Am mor

[swingtan]

i went to glen waverley panels. i should also mention, they didnt mask it properly too, now there is black paint on the grey bit on the rear bar.

where did u go? i like the sound of it.

I went the "Fiddler & Bussey Pannels" in Scoresby. To tell the truth I know the guys there, but I also know their work ethic, because a number of years back I worked for them during school holidays. They had me washing cars and detailing them before they were given back to the customer. Nice guys and they do good work.

This is what the side of my car ended up like after the work was done..... ( sory about the dust )

http://static.flickr.com/85/278828768_b974bd0799_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/42817517@N00/278828768/)

[Toddler78]

My mum was involved in a 5 car pile up (2nd car), she was without a car for 1.5 wks while she had to wait for the insurance company to process her paperwork and get the results of a BAC (she doesnt drink, just the process that's taken). After the insurance company approved the repairs ($9500) she was finally able to get a courtisy car (had to pay for it $55 for the entire period-not overly bad). The car has now to date sat at the repairer for 1.5 weaks while they waited for the ok from the insurance company, and the repairer have been now working on it for 4 weeks and expect to hopfully have it back to her by mid next week.
BTW The first courtisy car she got blew a radiator and cooked the engine, end result had to get the repairer to send up the tow truck to pick it up and delivery her a new car, both had no fuel in them when she got them, the one that broke down had half a tank that she put in, wont see that again. I personally dont have a problem with the repairer nor does my mum, these thinks take time and as far as the curtosy car well these things can happen. The repairer has been professional and helpful at any oportunity, unfortunatly it is a major inconveirnce when you dont have a car to get around.

[spuddamonaro]

Consider youself lucky id didnt happen over the xmas period. i crashed mum car back in early december 2003, did not come back till early feb 2004. Granted it was a very stop start time of the year for work, but still took a hell of a lond time!!:flipoff:

[PSI 364]

Man what a stuff around to get your car fixed I hope you get it back soon!! I am insured with shannons and i get to choose where my car goes for repairs, had some woman run into the side of my old Maloo a few years back and everything was sorted within 2 weeks and the best thing was i got to choose where i wanted it to get fixed .. All i can say is keep away from insurance companies that mainly deal with fleet cars etc ( NRMA GIO the list goes on) It may cost a little more but at the end of the day the peace of mind is well worth it...

[Dug]

Had my Senator at a repairer in melbourne a couple of years ago, when my nose got taken out by a passing car in traffic (long story, my fault). Had the car arrive at the panel beaters on the 17th of November, and returned to me on the 24th of December (Christmas Eve). They took a total of 3 day's to do the repair work, as on the 21st of December when i chased them up, the car had not moved from thier rear parking lot where I dropped it off.

This panelbeaters offered me a courtesy car (at a very reasonable charge) which I declined at the start of the process, having been told my car'd be off the road for about a week. They only got thier arse into gear when on the 21st of December i told them i wanted a courtesy car to drive to queensland on the 26th. Surprise Surprise, they had my car finished 3 day's later.

It went back after my trip to queensland and 4,000km later for a new chrome grill which fell out along the way (where thier urethane didn't hold) and to put the new driving lights, outside air temperature sensor, and badges on. Turns out that in the 4 weeks that it was sitting there, they didn't even order the part's required. I was less than impressed, and told them such. Did it make a difference? Nope. Didn't bother with taking it up with the insurance company though, cause I didn't figure that would help anyone.

One thing I can say, is that apart from being unorganised and slow, the work that they did was exceptional. Panel gap's were better than factory perfect and I would recommend them to anyone who was not in a hurry. They hosed the panelshop dust off the car, but didn't wash it (at my request), and gave the interior a good clean too. Even came back with a full tank of petrol (possibly as a show of good faith as i gave them a lot of grief when i found out they'd not ordered parts after 4 weeks). I know that they didn't drive the car, cause i saw it on a tray truck on it's way for a wheel alignment, which was only 1.2km away, and the ODO changed by less than 100m between dropping off the car, and when i arrived back for the road test (Yes, they had me come along for the first road test and wouldn't take it out without me there, or my permission to go without them).

[Holdendriver]

Best advice: GET OUT OF NRMA!
choose where your car goes to get fixed.... my rant!

Umm... you are aware that the NRMA lets you choose your own repairer if you want to? They recommend their preferred repairers but they can't and won't make you go to a preferred one.
Although they ( and a lot of other insurance companies) tried this the anti-steering committee put the skids under it real quick.

Just posting to let people know what the story is. Urban myths cause a lot of misinformation, cocked up stuff myself because of em...

Cheers,

[muzzavyss]

good luck with your car mate.

i only got my vy ss back a week ago it got hit by a truck while parked at work!!

Took about 4 weeks to fix ( i only had the car bout 2weeks be4 it got hit) got back from a surf trip on the weekend bout 1hr each way trip to find the back towball grard had fallen of some where along the way they didnt do somethin right there!!
Apart from that cant complain yet bit ruff when the jammed the bent screw hold'en the number plate on, back in would think they would just replace it was a prick for me to get the plate of!!

[Growler]

Careful of certain insurers using new valuation methods on damage costs as they do it over the internet via photos which in my mind doesn't show mechanical damage below the surface. NRMA, RACV

Some insurers almost auction the job off by getting the repairers into their premises line the cars up and its "go for it boys". Lowest quote wins and the repairers are not able to properly evaluate damage by looking underneath or removing panels....AAMI

From what I'm seeing you get what you pay for. The best I've heard are GIO from several people who have made claims......my 2cents worth and a review coming up of my insurers also

Am mor
We have a family friend in the Crash repair business here in Adelaide, very reputable and I (and my family) will only go to him. One day while waiting to pivk up my car (one of my many visits to him) i thought i would ask him; from a repairer's point of veiw which insurance company was the best, without hesitating he replied RAA. They don't argue on the quote as long as it falls within the assesors acceptable limits and they pay promtly. And no not always accident damage. I will happily admit i am retentive about my cars and cannot stand dents, scatches and chips:)

[VX2VESS]

on average it seems to take about a month for some decent crash damage to be fixed, some maybe quicker if not many cars in.

they have other cars to fix in before yours etc, dealer cars etc get done before personal ones etc

[brettarmst]

I'm with NRMA, went to their prefered repairer in Canberra who said they would need the car 3 weeks in a months time for bent front suspension and a new bumper. Told them to stick it, went to someone else I had used before. They took photos and put the car up on a hoist the next day and had it booked in for the next week. When I droped the car off the next week they had the sprayed front bumper sitting next to a new front strut. Total repair time from accident 10 days. Overall quality of work 9/10 (paint didn't quite match).

[Dane VN V8]

Well I am pissed, the smash repairers called my mother up the other day as she is doing the insurance claim and the assholes had told her they were putting everything back togeather and realised the front and back struts are fricken bent. WHAT pisses me off, the NRMA Assessors looked over the car, the smash repairers looked over the car and BOTH said there is alot of mechanical damage and they somehow miss that? wtf is going, they are really starting to frustrate me now. IT WAS DAMN OBVIOUS the struts were bent from just looking at the fricken wheels.

[fathershags]

good luck with your car mate.

i only got my vy ss back a week ago it got hit by a truck while parked at work!!

Took about 4 weeks to fix ( i only had the car bout 2weeks be4 it got hit) got back from a surf trip on the weekend bout 1hr each way trip to find the back towball grard had fallen of some where along the way they didnt do somethin right there!!
Apart from that cant complain yet bit ruff when the jammed the bent screw hold'en the number plate on, back in would think they would just replace it was a prick for me to get the plate of!!

Wow i can't even understand what you're saying here..

[Nutter]

Wow i can't even understand what you're saying here..

lol me too???

[LSavvy]

Umm... you are aware that the NRMA lets you choose your own repairer if you want to? They recommend their preferred repairers but they can't and won't make you go to a preferred one.

Cheers,

I think you have to pay about $70-$80 for the choice of repairer option.

NRMA are not what they were years ago (all about members etc), it apears they are only focused on making maximum profit for IAG share holders at there customers expense.

To only pay from i have heard about $30/hr (not much left when you pay staff etc) is a joke, and is proving true with the bad quality and shortcuts on repairs.

Nrma are a barsted company that i would not recommend to anyone to trust them with your pride and joy.

Any insurance company that does not have choice of repairer, I'm not interested in.

[Dane VN V8]

:cussing: OMFG the car is STILL NOT READY, it's seriously been four and a half weeks and there going to have it untill next Tuesday/Wednesday :bawl:.

I called yesterday and they said they were waiting for a part to come in that has came in now, I was like mate seriously its been four weeks could you please hurry about it as I need a car. He then said come in a pick up the courtesy car, a newish corolla that only has 38,000ks on the clock. However I asked him what is going on and he is like mate we had to replace the entire front and back cross-members, suspension, drive-shaft, tail-shaft, pretty much everything :(.

Im then thinking jesus christ they should of just written it off, then he goes ahead and say's we never knew there was that much damage. He said they would replace a couple of things and go and test drive the car and notice more shit needs fixing. I could of blew up about it but I just shut-up and asked nicely if they could please hurry about it. So 7-8 more Days of me waiting for my car, it's only been 6 and a half weeks of me not driving it as I waited 2 weeks before making the claim, to tell you the truth I have lost count of how long it's been :bawl:

I have learnt a very big big lesson.

Dane.

[seedyrom]

Chill dude!!! Seriously!

A guy at work waited over 6 months for his new pulsar to be repaired after thieves stole his radio.

They cut the wiring loom, and it literally took over 6 months for Nissan Australia to get a new complete wiring loom in. Even though they were still producing them new in the factory in Spain.

4 1/2 weeks for a repair isnt that bad in the scheme of things. Yes there is always better stories out there ... but there's a hell of a lot worse.

[Dane VN V8]

Chill dude!!! Seriously!

A guy at work waited over 6 months for his new pulsar to be repaired after thieves stole his radio.

They cut the wiring loom, and it literally took over 6 months for Nissan Australia to get a new complete wiring loom in. Even though they were still producing them new in the factory in Spain.

4 1/2 weeks for a repair isnt that bad in the scheme of things. Yes there is always better stories out there ... but there's a hell of a lot worse.

True that is a long time to wait for a bloody radio I would be mighty pissed considering I am really frustrated over 4 and 1/2 weeks. I always gotta say to my-self I am lucky it's getting fixed or I could of been worse off. Just needed to let it off my chest ;) .

Dane.

[clixanup]

I am the expert of car crashes
Eddie the expert. :lmao: :lmao:

Had a few in my time as well. One or two were even my fault. Any which way, I've always been well looked after by the RACV. The insurance might cost a bit extra, but the service they provide when you have an accident is well and truly worth the price.

[EddieVE06]

Eddie the expert. :lmao: :lmao:

Had a few in my time as well. One or two were even my fault. Any which way, I've always been well looked after by the RACV. The insurance might cost a bit extra, but the service they provide when you have an accident is well and truly worth the price.

They were 1 of the problem insurers with me. they spent cose to $15,000 to repair my missus car only to find 14 faults when we had it independantly inspected. back to repairers 4 times and finally after some ombudsman intervention they forked out $16,000 to write it off. Not a bad sum in total for a Lancer

[ORIGINL]

dont talk to me about dodgy panel beaters :cussing: :cussing: :cussing: :cussing:


took them 23 months to fix my car... after quoting me "3-4 weeks"

[clixanup]

They were 1 of the problem insurers with me.
I've always sent my cars to their H.O. (Cheltenham IIRC) to be fixed as opposed to a local approved repairer. The job is always done properly there.

[Nutter]

Dude didnt you lose it by showing off to some bikers and put yourself in to the gutter??? best way to avoid shit like this is not to stack the car.

Next time you want to impress bikers maybe try a village people costume and a pole dance :whip:


If there where no bikers involved dont mind me I must be thinking of another story.

[Dug]

dont talk to me about dodgy panel beaters :cussing: :cussing: :cussing: :cussing:


took them 23 months to fix my car... after quoting me "3-4 weeks"

OK, this is a story you have to share...

[ORIGINL]

OK, this is a story you have to share...

do a search of threads i have started.....

[Dane VN V8]

dont talk to me about dodgy panel beaters :cussing: :cussing: :cussing: :cussing:


took them 23 months to fix my car... after quoting me "3-4 weeks"

:shock: Now that is bad. Sorry to hear

[bobshere]

if only everyone knew what a mess the smash repair industry is in!! its a lack of skilled tradesmen and ever increasing costs and cars are now more complicated than the first spaceships!! we get paid $31 per hour for repairs and that has to include all consumables,power,wages etc,etc. there are now so many different types of high strength steels in cars that unless you use high power inverter welders your repaired car can look great but its as strong as a wooden cart! most insurance assesors are just paper pushers and dont have a clue what they are looking at,regarding chassis repairs and how to tell if its high strength steel,boron steel,mild steel, or what repair method is required to return it to factory specs ,also i have only talked to a couple of tradesmen who knew or cared about proper repair methods as well.if youre car has had a BIG hit and it is to be repaired check out the shop and ask what equipment they have and always expect double the time you have been quoted to get your car back!

[Dane VN V8]

Give me a gun and I will kill someone. For the 100th time (i am serious) the guy has said once again the car will not be ready for a week.

1) Last week Friday, I called the moron my self, he is like yep mate the car will be ready by Tuesday no doubt about it. Im like mate you have been saying this day and that day for the last four weeks, mate what is going on seriously. He then goes ahead and say's everything mechanical has been checked and is ok, there just waiting for the wheels to come in and detail the car and it will be ready to pick up. Why on earth didn't he get the wheels the first week he had the fricken car is beyond me.

I had a chat with him, he is like the diff, tail-shaft, drive-shaft everything has all been check by specialised, etc then he actually said this to my mum TODAY WHEN HE PROMISED THE CAR WOULD BE READY (my mum is mostly ringing as its under her name and she is doing the claim which is ****ed as the guy is just screwing us around).

1) I just got the wheels sent in and I notice your car doesn't have standard 17" VX SS rims on it, WELL FUKING OBVIOUSLY you moron.

2) I was test driving it today for a HOUR and I started to hear a loud clunking noise that kept growing and growing I think its your diff or tail-shaft.

This guy is a moron and should not own a fricken shop if he can't tell the difference between standard or aftermarket rims. He lies and lies about shit, he doesn't know what is wrong or right with the car he is just a **** wit and I am totally annoyed. Yes fair enough I did the wrong to wreck my car but I sent it to these **** wits because they said 2-3 weeks and its a mechanical and panel beater shop in one and it still takes them 6-8 weeks.

I seriously now wish I had sent it to my recommended repairer but I said nah its okay as the NRMA assessors is like we can send it to this place which is two shops in one, mechanic and panel beater and it should only take 2-3weeks. Well I am still waiting and growing gray hairs, can't sleep at night, its really doing my head in.

[ORIGINL]

why was he testing driving the car for an hour??


Time to collect your car and move to another shop... thats what i did

[Dane VN V8]

why was he testing driving the car for an hour??


Time to collect your car and move to another shop... thats what i did

That is what I am thinking, why a bloody hour, and keeps making up all these stories. He said he be calling tomorrow before lunch time once they put the tail-shaft in (which I am sure he said he done already) and if its all ok I should have my car but still the rim's I have to wait for which I can't get over how he didn't know they were after market rims and not the originals.

[Boom]

Probably not really all that bad. Most of you seem to have got your cars back in reasonable time compared to the 12 weeks it took to repair my bike. Was told it would take around 10. It takes around 12 weeks to order a new one and have it delivered. Go figure.

[TheRogue]

I had a car resprayed back in 2004 after a small completely my fault incident. Early morning, was as hungry as hell, looked down to adjust car mat and bang at around 5km/h. :(

Only minor.

None the less the job I had done was extremely poor.

First time out it had massive paint runs 1/4 up the doors all the way around the car, area's of the car such as the pillars and front bumper had so much orange peel you couldn't see a reflection. I had paid to have all the windows removed only to discover they hadn't and had simply masked them, I had lines around the rear quarters and rear window. Their excuse.. We couldn't get them out, yet they still charged! The paint also had a white burn type mist look to it, the cars colour is black.

The assessor looked at the work done on the front end and had them repaint it, he also suggested they repaint the whole car as it was of extremely poor quality.

I got a windscreen mob in to rip the windows out, cost me an additional $270.

Car all resprayed it does look better but still has a bit of a white mist on it. Got the car home only to discover they hadn't re sanded around near the windows after the windows were pulled out so there were still lines.

They regassed the A/C... The compressor kept locking and turning off. The bloke said the compressor was stuffed.

I took it to another mob who said it was full of water! I took it back they regassed it so thats that problem fix.

The car was running like a bag of shiet.. Popped the bonnet and noticed they hadn't put the carbon canistor back in and the vac lines were sitting there sucking air. They also didn't fit back up the a/c condenser fan.

I later discover a couple of my mates had cars there and exactly the same problems. :( Paint runs & orange peel.

The first spray job they had the car for 2months. The second they had it for 1month. It wasn't a super cheap job, the total repairs *minor* still (was able to reuse std bumper) and spray job came up to 6k.

So please.. If your in SA do do do PM me and grab their name off me as no ones pride and joy deserves to go there. They are simply a pump shop.

I said to the owner, if you couldn't do the job properly why take it on.. His reply was .. Black is a hard colour to paint. bah.

They are a very big place with 2 maybe 3 paint shops around the city.

As I said PM me and grab their name so you know who to avoid.

I honestly almost lost it and punched the prick in the head... Good thing I didn't as my other half has recently gone in to a field of work that required myself to have a deep police check. Should I have had anything of the like against my name it would have bounced us which is quite a bit of income.

I've tried attaching a few pics but unable to do so until I have 10 posts. :P

[ORIGINL]

That is what I am thinking, why a bloody hour, and keeps making up all these stories. He said he be calling tomorrow before lunch time once they put the tail-shaft in (which I am sure he said he done already) and if its all ok I should have my car but still the rim's I have to wait for which I can't get over how he didn't know they were after market rims and not the originals.



how did they test drive it without a tailshaft???

[Dane VN V8]

how did they test drive it without a tailshaft???

Who knows, he said everything was checked over, maybe like the Flinstones and used his feet? And he didn't call today so I will be calling tomorrow after work and having a good word with him.

Dane.

[Dane VN V8]

Okay we called the guy on friday and asked if the car was ready, mind you he was suppose to call on tuesday the week before. He said no so we just raised our tone saying that's it we have had enough of your excuses, your saying the same old story over and over. WE don't care what you have to say, it has been eight weeks this coming monday and if it's not ready on wednesday WE WILL BE coming to get the car and making a complaint about your service.

MANY complaints, 1) He does not keep in contact with you when he say's he will, 2) He lies about everything, saying ALL mechanical damage is done they are just waiting for the wheels and gotta detail the car that was 3 weeks ago 3) He took the car for a one hour test drive, who test drives a car for one hour (could be wrong on this), 4) He promises it will be ready on this day and that day for the last four weeks, 5) We were promised my the NRMA they are good and fast and it has been eight weeks so we will be complaining and all the other complaints we have against him.

Then he starts to freak trying to say something but we did not let him go ahead and lie to us again and told him he has to Wednesday to have the car ready or not as we will be taking it with complaints made towards your company and hanged up on him.

So now the I gotta stuff around and find another shop that hopefully could finish the job off before christmas :( . I want my car I could of bought a new VE SS commodore and got it in 7-8 weeks maybe sooner. I can go and get the wheels my self if the NRMA allows me and IF the diff or tail-shaft is really causing the problem and if I am allow I will take it to someone who is WELL KNOWN and NRMA approved.

So anyone that knows a NRMA approved mechanic store that can fit my car in this thursday to look over the problem and get it sorted out would be great and I will let the NRMA know and take it there staight away. No body damage at all, and I went to shop today and looked threw the window as the pricks were already closed by 12 and seen my car sparkling with the back end up in the air so these people have no clue.

Dane.

[LSavvy]

Thought this thread had died!
Shouldn't you be contacting your insurance company, surley they would have got results by now, rather than you having to deal with the repairer.
Sounds like he has a nice car to pick up lunches and drop off other customers etc, he's probably using it to go away for christmas aswell.

[FatBoy]

Is this the same car you're selling on carsales.com.au by any chance ??

[Dane VN V8]

:woot: I got my car back and god damn after driving a shit box vl for 2 months I realised how much of a good car I have. They recontioned the whole diff for me saying I was lucky and saved 2 grand as the damage to the diff was from wear and tear and it was bad (it was as it was clunking before the accident :D ). The car just looks fantastic and drives so smooth I am finally happy and can now go cruising again :dance: .

The maf mail oder tune I got that makes it kick into second is just now incredible with the recon diff, I have been to scared to put it past the half way point and it still kicks into second nice. I could only imagine it kicking into second now under full accerlation (which will be done at eastern creek next wednesday, going tomorrow to suss it out with my camara).

It's funny how my car was ready the day before we said we would complain if its not ready, and we called on the friday. They can fix it quick when they have a complaint coming there way but take there sweet ass time other wise. He even said if there is any more problems just let him know and he will fix it and come in a months time and leave the car there for half a day so he can look over it and check everything (don't know about that)

:thumbsup: So I am happy and off to go have dinner then go for a cruise.

Cheers.

[Wonky]

Finally!! :dance:

[Pickles]

Yeah, you certainly have to be careful choosing a repairer(if you can choose one), that's for sure. I've had some experience dealing with repairers, through my employment, & some of the shops I've been in, well you just can't believe how anyone would voluntarily send their car there. Filthy, dust covered premises, with cars parked about 1" apart etc!
No accident is ever a pleasant experience, that's for sure, but I, & several of my friends in the HSVOC, have had jobs done by Mr. Gloss in Melbourne, who are FANTASTIC. Their reception area is spotless, every assistance is given with the claims process, & weekly updates are provided with respect to the repairs. And, most important of all, the finished job is always first rate. I remember about 9-10 years ago when I had an almost new VS commodore, & I was hit nearly head-on by a woman in a Land Cruiser coming towards me, who decided she would make a right hand turn directly in my path! The VS suffered severe front end damage-$15k, almost a write off. But it was repaired by Mr Gloss. I always reckoned the car was tighter, & steered better, after the accident & subsequent repairs! I drove the car as my company car for almost 3 years after the accident--no front end problems, no rattles, & no paint problems-in fact no problems at all relating to the repairs. That's how it should be I suppose.
Cheers, Pickles.

[Dane VN V8]

Yeah I know what you mean Pickles this guy is shit and he has a million cars in one work shop, 1 inch from one and another like you say and it is obvious they would have to rub up against your car just to walk around the bloody shop. And I washed my car the other day and found all these new marks along my car. Some marks are from the buffer they had and has pressed to hard along the groves off my car and you can lightly see metal :cussing: . And there are these light black smudge kind of marks that you can hardly see but I can tell they are there I am hoping it will come out with polish. The front body-kit that was suppose to be resprayed has a light mark underneath the front body-kit like he scratched it.

I only got one new 18" rim instead of two as he went ahead and said I was only covered for one :hmmm: and now my back right rim has scratches on each stoke out of five. I can now some times hear my diff clunking a little, only some times so will see how that goes, it suppose to be reconditoned. The steering of my car does not feel the same, seem's a bit heavier then before but maybe I need to get use to it. On the M5 going 120ks the car doesn't seem as steady and still as it use to be and it lightly shudders when slowing down using the brake (it never use to) and sometimes it lightly shudders when I am just slowing down with NO brake.


So my car is not %100 to my standard and know for a fact the marks on my paint work was never ever there before. I wash my car every second weekend, they have my car for 2 months so I wash my yesterday and notice all of these new marks :cussing:. I know three marks on the car that are there but all these other ones were never there. Now I wish I took close up detailed photos of my car before sending it off.

Dane

[ssgirl2]

Sorry to hear about the crap time you've been having :(

If you or anyone you know has a UV filter carport (pref. clear type), park the car under it during the day (obviously!!!) and get down as low as you can and inspect for fisheyes and solvent boil. Hopefully you don't have any of these (keep in mind fisheyes usually come out of factory painting too as BMW for example allow about 7 per panel). Solvent marks are only tiny millimetre sized dots. Once you spot one, you'll know what I'm talking about because all of a sudden you will see 10, then 20, then 30...it goes on. Hopefully you don't have this problem because if you do you'll need a full strip and re-spray.

Have you taken it to the insurance assessing centre to have them inspect it for you because if you think there's a problem and they agree the work is poor they will get the work done again by another repair (and the repairer who did the job won't get paid by the insurance company) under insurance again.

All the best,

SS :)

[SUX350]

if its been repaired through your insurance(nrma) then you should have a life time warranty on the repairs that have been done. so if your not happy with what they have repaired take it up with your insurance company and they should sort it out for you..

[Y2kGoofball]

Have you ever tried to claim against NRMAs lifetime guarantee?

also Dane, have you learnt your lesson on the results of acting stupidly?

The thing we learnt is they quote the panel damage to get the insurance go ahead, then once they start stripping it they find the problems.

Our VS was "just panel damage", insurance gave the go ahead, but once they started to repair the car they found the mechanical issues with the back end. By the end of the job the repair cost wasnt that much less then the agrees value only like $3000 less then the agreed value. But had they mentioned the mechanical aspect insurance would write it off and they miss out on a decent sized job.

Good luck though getting that sort of stuff fixed. When someone collected the 2 or 3 month old Adventra that wasnt even old enough for a scratch they managed to put a massive scrape in the passenger side guard flare. Dad picked the car up and didnt look (good on ya dad) and headed straight for the drivers door.

I noticed as soon as I got home, we enquired, but their argument is we inspected the car when we picked it up and it could easlity happen once it leaves their workshop, proove they did it and they'll fix it. Now the car only went from their workshop to our home which is 3 blocks away and we know they did it, but how do we prove it? We gave up, not worth the fight and ever since its had the massive scrape in the plastic guard. Only like $40 to replace, but still it annoy you on a brand new car that shouldntve been hit in the first place.

Oh ssgirl, you wouldnt happen to work in a Beamer panel shop would ya? :hmmm:

[Tonner]

Some just dont give a stuff, I recently had my guards removed & repainted, which had elbow dints on the top, they repainted the gaurds but left the dents.:mad:
didn't bother to ask if they had reapplied the ming coat.:rolleyes:

[ssgirl2]

Oh ssgirl, you wouldnt happen to work in a Beamer panel shop would ya? :hmmm:

Why do you say that? Because I made a reference to BMW imperfection allowance?

SS :)

[klink]

I feel for you mate having to be away from your pride and joy.

I am lucky i have a good crash repairer and they have always done the right thing and been prompt at fixing my car leaving no stone unturned.

I just rock up with my claim form filled in and hand it to the crash shop and walk away and get a call to pick up my car.

Last time it was in there i called in to get something out of it and they had to remove the plastic that they had covering my car protecting my paint and interior whilst they waited for parts.

But it is hard sometimes when insurance companies want to shaft you and the repairer. ie: replacement bumpers instead of new ones. makes painting sometimes difficult.