[PSM20VT]

Just got my car back after it had been in the repair shop for 7 1/2 weeks (only had it a day before the accident), just had to book it in again for them to re do most of the repairs again as they made such a sh#t job 1st time round.

The original accident damage was to the drivers side rear, from edge of drivers door to back quarter panel and also needed a new rear passenger side alloy wheel as it was smashed by the kerb when the lorry hit me.

My list of stuff that is wrong or needs re doing is:

1. Dent in drivers door not sorted, although door was resprayed and new bump strip put on.
2. Drips in paint on both drivers door and passenger door.
3. Trim around passenger window fitted wrong.
4. Bottom bump strip on passenger door not fitted properly, is now loose.
5. scuffing on passenger door paint work, even though brand new.
6. several scratches appeared the full length of the car on the passenger side (looks like someone has dragged a box with staples in along it), they tried to say it was like that when i brought it in, so i showed them the pictures i took of the whole car after the accident and it clearly showed no damage to passenger side.
7. Interior door trim not fitted correctly.
8. Big greasy hand marks all over the interior trim.
9. Told by insurers that the car would be fully valetted before it was returned to me. (it was fully valleted the day before the accident, so was a s clean aas could be), found the interior thick with dust, drivers pedals and footwell covered in mud.
10. drivers seatbelt does not retract properly now.
11. replaced the broken alloy but didnt bother getting the other 3 cleaned up, so car looks odd as one wheel is brand spanking new and bright and clean and the other 3 are as they would be from being on the car for 6 years.
12. Got them to spray and fit a rear spoiler while they had it. They have left big lumps of black adhesive oozing out of the joins between spoiler and boot lid.

And to finish it off, i noticed a loud rattle coming from the engine when i was driving it home, got home and looked under the bonnet and found that the VW badge from the engine cover had been prised off and it was rattling away on the heatshield, not sure what they have been upto with my car as there was no need to go near the engine.

When i picked it up from them it was the worse weather possible, raining heavy and very dull, so the car looked ok, next day sun was out and found the above list. took it back to the repair shop and the shop manager agreed with all the points i raised and said he couldn't believe they had done such a sh#t job, i guess no one does any quality checks on the work before its released back to the customer.

So now they want the car back for another 3 days to rectify the work and its got to be done by the same guy who did it originally and he wont get paid for the time it takes him (the same guy who couldn't find the locking wheel nut key in the wheel brace bag, even though i told him 3 times on the phone where it was, ended up driving over to them and showing the twat), so i don't hold out much hope of all the points i raised being sorted.

Sorry to go on guys, just very p#ssed off.

Thanks for listening

Peter

 

[HamrWebDesign]

I'd be extremely pissed off. That's ridiculous and it amazes me places like that stay in business.

 

[PSM20VT]

I'd be extremely pissed off. That's ridiculous and it amazes me places like that stay in business.

Its my insurance companies nominated repair shop for where i live, doesn't help the fact that its a vauxhall garage (General Motors in US i think), so when they were having problems with the door locks a few weeks ago they had to keep phoning the VW dealer for advice.

Needless to say, when i renew my insurance i will first ask them who their nominated repairers are, and find one that uses a VW dealer.

 

[PSM20VT]

Oh missed 2 off my list:

13. Thick line of paint overspray on rear passenger door frame.
14. Paint overspray on other body panels that makes them look dull, bodyshop twat tried to tell me it was from a previous repair, so showed him pictures of my car before they had it, and it showed the paintwork in all its glossy just valetted glory.

 

[MolotovKocktail]

Do yourself a huge favor and trade it in (if you can). The same shit happened to me when my '01 GTI was in the shop for about 7 weeks. The car never rode or looked the same. It was only 3 months old before someone whacked it, too. When I got it back, there was small hairs in the clear coat, paint drips all over the bumper, greasey hand prints all over the headliner, etc, etc. I traded it in for my Passat have no regrets.

 

[PSM20VT]

Well if its not sorted this time i am going to write to the local papers so all the garages customers in the area can see what a sh#t job they do and complain to the insurance company and get them to send the car to a VW dealer to sort.

 

[Mil]

Well if its not sorted this time i am going to write to the local papers so all the garages customers in the area can see what a sh#t job they do and complain to the insurance company and get them to send the car to a VW dealer to sort.

Hey bro,

I know your pain. Similar experience. But don't be fooled!!!!!!! NOT ALL Authorized VW repair centers are great!!! My Passat is a 2001 New Body Style. I've driven it for 2yrs and kept it in pristine shape (very clean and brand new condition) til i got rear ended from some Shit head! had Rear qt. replaced. Make long story short. It was in the stealership for 4months. The day i got it back i noticed the car was completely FUBAR. I brought it in for a exterior damage. then got it back w/ a shit load of cosmetic defects and extra paint damage that weren't there before. (both exterior and interior was ruined), paint scratches and paint over sprays that wort polished out.. interior with shit loads of shop dust and hand smudges.. resin dripped and ruined my carpet.. I was patient with them Very patient and my car was eventually almost back in like new condition. I was in and out of the shop for nearly close to 8 months to nearly a year!!!!!! w/ them paying for my rentals and a loaner car when available.. going back in fourth as I discover problems with my repair.. One problem being the greatest is a mystery water leak .. to which i had to point out to them their mistake in welding and replacing the body panel in the rear. They eventually sorted out the issues.. however , I'm never going back to that dealership.. both there body shop and the service advisors at the service end are morons. If from maryland .. and you're reading this.. Dont' set foot or even think of driving your VW to Congressional Mazda/VW at Rockville Pike to expect quality service
for any MAJOR repairs w/ the collision shop.. The service end for mechanical repairs.. they're sketchy!! or kinda shady!! Over all rating from Better Business Bureau POOR!!!!!

 

[PSM20VT]

Sorry to hear your problems 'MIL'.

Yeh i know you cannot rely on VW dealers either but i would feel more confident with them doing the repairs, as at least they would have the knowledge of how to repair door locks and where to find locking wheel nut removers.

Trouble is the insurers give the repair contracts to the bodyshops that put in the lowest quotes for work, so they can maximise profits, so you end up with a repair shop thats working to a tight budget, so pays lower wages or allows less time than it should to complete jobs, so they employ staff with less qualifications to do the job, so in the end you may be lucky and get a satisfactory job done and you may not.

I know the repair shop was desperate for the work, as they only get paid by the insurance company for cars they repair, so if they go and collect a car and then quote for the repair and then the insurers turn round and write the car off as its above the economical to repair scale, they dont get paid a penny, and the repair shop manager said when i took mine in that he hoped it wasn't going to be a write off as they were below budget that month and they had allready had too many write offs that month.

Its all a lottery whether you get a good repairers or not.

One lesson to be learned though is to make sure you grab a camera and take as many pictures as possible of the condition of your car, inside and out, before you take it in to be serviced or repaired, then at least you have some evidence that any new damage when you get the car back has happened in their care.