Am I expecting too much??

[sparkplug]

Hey I have just received my car back from a repairer and over all they have done a pretty good job but there are just a few things annoying me....

First off they polished every panel on the car bar the boot and the roof??? Why would they do that for?

Second the sealant they put in the engine bay over the seams was quite rough and they didnt seal around the top of the suspension(within the engine bay).

Will the missing seal cause rusting in the long run?? Is expecting 2 more panels to be polished too much?

Steve.

[ssgirl2]

First off they polished every panel on the car bar the boot and the roof??? Why would they do that for?

...Is expecting 2 more panels to be polished too much?

Very strange to get the car back polished on even one panel I would think. Usually it's just a quick wash to get all the dust off before it's handed back. I'd be very annoyed if someone polished my car (or partially polished in your case) without my permission, but that's just me.


Second the sealant they put in the engine bay over the seams was quite rough and they didnt seal around the top of the suspension(within the engine bay).

Will the missing seal cause rusting in the long run??

Can't help with this one :D

[sparkplug]

Very strange to get the car back polished on even one panel I would think. Usually it's just a quick wash to get all the dust off before it's handed back. I'd be very annoyed if someone polished my car (or partially polished in your case) without my permission, but that's just me.



Can't help with this one :D

Well I would have been really pissed if it wasnt polished at all. I had some nice front end damage and required a new bonet so new paint there, a front guard needed to be repaired and repainted, a dent was taken out of the front passenger door and a scratch touched up on the rear. So the car would have looked quite interesting with faded red paint in between all this new paint work. The boot and roof stand out enough as it is...

Also one more thing the bloke claimed.... The clear coat on the rear spoiler has a missing little patch and is lifting off. This was not like this when I gave it to them and they are claiming that it is not their fault but in fact is the fault of the original paint. Something about being painted seperate to the rest of the car using clear coat n shit which has eventually become crap. As I know pretty much nothing about the paints used on the cars I didn't really have anything to say.

[OPTIMUS]

Sounds very strange, on the bright side be thankful it wasnt holden polishing your car!

[Caprice270]

Sounds very strange, on the bright side be thankful it wasnt holden polishing your car!

Yeah my Caprice's black finish in the sun looked like swirl central when I went to pick it up from the stealership. I'd take my car to a reputable detailer and have any issues rectified. I don't see it as a major issue.

[sparkplug]

Yeah not a major issue although I am concearned about the missing sealant in the engine bay..... I just dont know if I am worrying about nothing. I'll try get some pics up tonight and see what you reckon.

Steve.

[mac06]

If the damage was covered by insurance then the insurance company would only pay for the repairs that were caused by the accident and no more. The repairer doesn't get paid for any extra's that the owner would like done. Perhaps the repairer should have asked whether you'd like the whole car polished for $X extra? You can't always get something for nothing.

Can't comment on the clear coat lifting off, other than to say that my wife's previous car was red and faded badly. The clear coat had gone in some areas. If your car is also faded like you said, then there is a good chance the clear coat will have patches missing. It's only natural.

With regard to the sealer, they won't get it looking the same as the manufacturer as it is applied by hand as opposed to robotically. However if there is supposed to be sealer in the areas you mentioned then take it back and get it fixed otherwise there is a good chance it will rust.

[ssgirl2]

Yeah not a major issue although I am concearned about the missing sealant in the engine bay..... I just dont know if I am worrying about nothing. I'll try get some pics up tonight and see what you reckon.

Steve.

If the area is covered by insurance, send the photos to the insurance assessor or ask him to take a look at it.

[kart_racer]

If it's insurance, I don't think they can touch undamaged parts of the car unless you request it and pay the extra.

When I had a car repaired through an NRMA repairer they did a great job, but told me they wish the bonnet had been damaged as well so that they could have given it a respray! (Very bad stone chips).

So yes, you are expecting too much.

[BLACK 346]

Very strange to get the car back polished on even one panel I would think. Usually it's just a quick wash to get all the dust off before it's handed back. I'd be very annoyed if someone polished my car (or partially polished in your case) without my permission, but that's just me.

Nah, it is not just you, I would be furious as well. The Crash Repairer
that repaired my car a couple of years ago polished the whole side of
the car that the repairs were done on, I was still polishing swirl marks
out a year later. Thank god they stopped when they did. Amazing that
professionals that do this for a living cant even polish their own product
successfully. When I spat the dummy, they simply said, it is normal
for black paint to look that bad.

[sparkplug]

If the damage was covered by insurance then the insurance company would only pay for the repairs that were caused by the accident and no more. The repairer doesn't get paid for any extra's that the owner would like done. Perhaps the repairer should have asked whether you'd like the whole car polished for $X extra? You can't always get something for nothing.

Can't comment on the clear coat lifting off, other than to say that my wife's previous car was red and faded badly. The clear coat had gone in some areas. If your car is also faded like you said, then there is a good chance the clear coat will have patches missing. It's only natural.

With regard to the sealer, they won't get it looking the same as the manufacturer as it is applied by hand as opposed to robotically. However if there is supposed to be sealer in the areas you mentioned then take it back and get it fixed otherwise there is a good chance it will rust.


Good point, didn't even think about the fact that they only fix what's damaged but I would have thought that if they were polishing the whole front, rear and both sides of the car then they would just polish that last bit. I am actually suprised that they wouldn't as was an ex beater/painter I know.

As for the fading, it is not too bad but in comparison with freshly painted panels along with freshly polished ones it looks obvious.

Alright well that's all I needed to know, if it would have a chance of rusting then I will be taking it back for a touch up.... They would need to re-paint the engine bay after fixing up the seal would they?? Otherwise that will also be sticking out pretty bad. Actually some touch up paint would prob be fine in this case.

[planetdavo]

Explaining a lot better WHAT parts of the car were repaired would make answering the polishing question a whole lot easier. They will usually polish enough of the car to better blend in the appearance of the repaired area.
Also, to all the comments about black paint swirl issues, WHY DO YOU ALL BUY BLACK CARS IN AUSTRALIA?????
Obviously looks will be the answer, but is an utter b@stard of a colour to prevent swirling, and makes cars fiercely hot.

[sparkplug]

Explaining a lot better WHAT parts of the car were repaired would make answering the polishing question a whole lot easier. They will usually polish enough of the car to better blend in the appearance of the repaired area.
Also, to all the comments about black paint swirl issues, WHY DO YOU ALL BUY BLACK CARS IN AUSTRALIA?????
Obviously looks will be the answer, but is an utter b@stard of a colour to prevent swirling, and makes cars fiercely hot.

Well the bonnet damaged so fresh paint, new front bar, left front guard damaged so repainted, right guard polished, front passenger door had a dent repaired not sure if fresh paint or just popped out and polished, rear left door and panel scratch touched up and polished, right side polished to match polished front and back.... Only the roof and boot left...

[planetdavo]

Well the bonnet damaged so fresh paint, new front bar, left front guard damaged so repainted, right guard polished, front passenger door had a dent repaired not sure if fresh paint or just popped out and polished, rear left door and panel scratch touched up and polished, right side polished to match polished front and back.... Only the roof and boot left...
That makes sense now. Only polished what was needed to, to blend everything in, which is all they would normally do. The rest will just get the usual wash and chamois.

[whitels1ss]

[QUOTE=sparkplug;1070438] the car would have looked quite interesting with faded red paint in between all this new paint work. The boot and roof stand out enough as it is...

Sounds as though you have answered your own question.
You can't be too hard on them for what they were not paid to repair.
They have done a couple of repairs to a couple of panels as quoted on a faded red car(as you say), they have not been asked to respray the entire car and they have tried to make your faded old red paint on the panels you did not ask, or pay them to repair not stand out, so they have tried to make your car look nice by polishing the rest of the faded paint.
Unfortunately you get that with red, it does oxidise badly.

[sparkplug]

Yep that's all fine I was trying to find out, as the title states, if it would be expected or not...

Found another very minor thing.... My new side blinker is now clear. Well the plastic was always clear but when it flashes it is just white and not yellow. Is that just a globe that I need???

[whitels1ss]

Yep that's all fine I was trying to find out, as the title states, if it would be expected or not...

Found another very minor thing.... My new side blinker is now clear. Well the plastic was always clear but when it flashes it is just white and not yellow. Is that just a globe that I need???

They are supposed to have coloured globes in some of the clear indicator lamps.

[planetdavo]

Well the plastic was always clear but when it flashes it is just white and not yellow. Is that just a globe that I need???
Sounds like they put in a clear globe rather than an amber one.

[sparkplug]

Well I am not letting this go now.... I havn't bothered going back for one issue although now more and more are popping up. I got a hot warning pop up so I checked the radiator which took another 2.5Lt of water with no sign of any coolant in there even after draining... looked like they just half filled it with water and called it done so I had to change it which is not too bad but annoying. I bought some amber globes to change the clear one they put in the blinker and they have either glued the blinker back on or they have attached it while the paint was wet because it will not slide off. There is also the problem with my car not wanting to start which has only happened twice(only after they had it), once being this morning hence my frustration. I do not know what the hell is going on with that one though.

[sparkplug]

More bloody problems keep popping up because of this mob. The front left section of the chasis which they replaced is still a little bit stuffed (not sure why though this is my mechanics info), The sealant problem which I was meant to book in to have fixed, the radiator was half empty but now i find out there is a bit of a leak from both the upper and lower hoses which will need to be replaced.

Does anyone know of a GOOD smash repairer in Sydney that is NRMA authorised? I can take it to a different shop as long as it is NRMA approved to have these issues fixed right?? I do not want to give my car back to these people.

[mmm]

i've had similar issues with a Sydney repairer.....you're not talking about one in Taren Point are you?

[sparkplug]

i've had similar issues with a Sydney repairer.....you're not talking about one in Taren Point are you?

haha nah smithfield. I thought they were good untill i got the car back..... lol
I think that the general idea tends to be that any smash repairer around these days are just crap. I cannot manage to find anyone who could reccomend a repairer for me.

The question on whether or not I can take this car to another nrma approved repairer and have it fixed up for nothing still stands... I really dont want to have to return my car to this mob just so that they can give it back to me still not right.

[Micks]

haha nah smithfield. I thought they were good untill i got the car back..... lol
I think that the general idea tends to be that any smash repairer around these days are just crap. I cannot manage to find anyone who could reccomend a repairer for me.

The question on whether or not I can take this car to another nrma approved repairer and have it fixed up for nothing still stands... I really dont want to have to return my car to this mob just so that they can give it back to me still not right.

Get all the facts down on paper & send em a letter. On the buffing polishing issue, if there done that & caused another problem in the process under duty of care they would have to fix it. Otherwise they should have halted works & reported for approval etc etc.

Oh & btw whoever said black was a shit of a colour fade, swirls etc etc what a lot of BS. All colours are a pain.

Cheers
VYT

[sparkplug]

Get all the facts down on paper & send em a letter. On the buffing polishing issue, if there done that & caused another problem in the process under duty of care they would have to fix it. Otherwise they should have halted works & reported for approval etc etc.

Oh & btw whoever said black was a shit of a colour fade, swirls etc etc what a lot of BS. All colours are a pain.

Cheers
VYT

The buffing is not really an issue I was just amazed to see the car come back with all but 2 panels polished. I have since had it detailed anyway. Wouldn't writing down the facts and sending a letter to them just make them call me and ask me to bring the car back?? I'd rather have someone else have a go at it. I heard recently that if I took my car to another NRMA approved repairer then they would inspect it and then send through the results to both NRMA and my previous repairer. Then the original repairer would have to pay for the new place to repair it. It's called something like a 'rectifying process' aparantly. This is what I am trying to work out.

[ssgirl2]

Has an NRMA Assessor taken a look at your car and noted/photographed all of the problems yet? If not, I strongly suggest you make an appointment with them - today. This is the BEST way to deal with this situation.

You may need to play 'pin the tail on the donkey' with a list of Sydney NRMA Approved Repairers and cross your fingers (and toes) - hopefully this time it will work out for you :)

EDIT: Too slow

Just found this>>> http://www.nrma.com.au/pub/nrma/claims/careandrepaircenters.shtml

[Haze]

Does anyone know of a GOOD smash repairer in Sydney that is NRMA authorised?

I recently took my car to Gordon Tyler Smash Repairs at Toongabbie. I don't know if they are NRMA Approved.

They did some repair work for me and one of my mates had a big repair job done (car was nearly written off) and they did a great job on both cars.

Google the name and you will get thier contact details.

[sparkplug]

Has an NRMA Assessor taken a look at your car and noted/photographed all of the problems yet? If not, I strongly suggest you make an appointment with them - today. This is the BEST way to deal with this situation.

You may need to play 'pin the tail on the donkey' with a list of Sydney NRMA Approved Repairers and cross your fingers (and toes) - hopefully this time it will work out for you :)

EDIT: Too slow

Just found this>>> http://www.nrma.com.au/pub/nrma/claims/careandrepaircenters.shtml

Cheers Kirsten. Well you can check out these issues first hand as you currently have my car for my new clutch. BTW I havnt got a call yet today... will she be ready to pick up this arvo?? and what price did it all end up coming to?

Yeah I know there is a care n repair at Riverwood which is just down the road from mine. I might have to pay them a visit very soon.


I recently took my car to Gordon Tyler Smash Repairs at Toongabbie. I don't know if they are NRMA Approved.

They did some repair work for me and one of my mates had a big repair job done (car was nearly written off) and they did a great job on both cars.

Google the name and you will get thier contact details.

thanks mate... I'll check them out.

[ssgirl2]

Cheers Kirsten. Well you can check out these issues first hand as you currently have my car for my new clutch. BTW I havnt got a call yet today... will she be ready to pick up this arvo?? and what price did it all end up coming to?

Yeah I know there is a care n repair at Riverwood which is just down the road from mine. I might have to pay them a visit very soon.

:yup: Steve, I helped bleed the clutch yesterday :D

I'm not in the office today, but you will receive a call from Murat shortly ;);)

The Assessors will sort it out, but the sooner the better...

[sparkplug]

:yup: Steve, I helped bleed the clutch yesterday :D

I'm not in the office today, but you will receive a call from Murat shortly ;);)

The Assessors will sort it out, but the sooner the better...

I just got through to them and it's ready :) nearly time to go drive on my first ever brand new clutch:smilesandbanana:

Haha all hands on deck for the 6 banger...:rofl: Well thanks for your help Kirsten.

It sounded like poor Sonny was going through hell trying to work out what to do with my fly wheel. Aparantly the first time he has seen that setup on a VX...

[mmm]

i got the ute back from a busy panel shop with things not perfect

- replacement SS badge on side panel rotated so doesn't look right
- windscreen washer barely enough pressure to hit windscreen
- plastic panel visible under bonnet near wipers appears too small (not original part??)

just little things that I notice but others might not
at the time I couldn't be bothered with the hassle but it bothers me still

[sparkplug]

i got the ute back from a busy panel shop with things not perfect

- replacement SS badge on side panel rotated so doesn't look right
- windscreen washer barely enough pressure to hit windscreen
- plastic panel visible under bonnet near wipers appears too small (not original part??)

just little things that I notice but others might not
at the time I couldn't be bothered with the hassle but it bothers me still

Yeah it is BS aint it. It is like they really couldn't give a toss how good of a job they do. Why would you not try and promote your business by doing a good job?? Or is it purely cost cutting? Give the job to some young bloke who is getting paid 13 bux an hour instead of the senior bloke getting paid 3 or 4 times that.

This is not the first time I have been screwed by a smash repairer either. Try getting a car back when the front door wont even open the full way with a bonnet that was off centre and crooked, sitting up on one corner(the old car).