[Perce]

I need some decent close-up pictures of B5's (98-00) showing the proper spacing of the between the rear fenders and the rear bumper cover and trunk lid. My car was recently rear ended by an uninsured driver. I brought the car to a body shop recommended by my insurance company because they offered an additional work guarantee if the shop could not get the work right. Here's the damage...

I was supposed to pick up the car yesterday but when I inspected it, there were several things wrong. The biggest problems were that the trunk lid was not perfectly flush with the top of the fenders, the bumper cover was not mounted straight, the passenger tail light was misaligned (strange because there was never any damage to that light nor was it crooked when I dropped it off. When using the remote to unlatch the trunk, it makes a new slight popping noise along with the normal noise it makes when it releases. The trunk pinswitch is stuck in the closed position (alarm arms when the trunk is open and the trunk light never comes on). There was noticeable slight paint overspray on various parts of the car. To top it off, they coated my leather, dashboard, and interior paneling with Armor All. :evil: And for some odd reason, the trunk mounted alarm horn now has a cheap "tinny" sound to it when the alarm is armed. Sounds like it's resonating.

The car was far from acceptable and in some case, worse that it was when I dropped it off. They made several attempts to tell me that the body panel alignment was just like it was from the factory. On one side of the car, the bumper cover was nearly pressed against the fender. On the other side, the spacing between the bumper cover and the fender was uneven. The top part of the replacement trunk lid (which they purchased used) did not sit evenly on either side (was either high, low, or varied a bit of both).

I tried to tell them that the panels were very evenly spaced from the factory and he basically asked for proof. I need to show them the way everything is supposed to line up. He also says the alarm horn is perfect sounding. It was perfect sounding when I brought it there and it definitely sounds different now.

Can anyone help me out with some good, close up pictures?[/url]

 

[Jesstzn]

I can give you some of a b5.5 .. if that will help ..

 

[DrivinAJetta]

Do you mean these gaps?

This is what I've got on my computer

 

[JokerPassat]

This is scaring me because I'm going through some of the same problems right now with a bodyshop and my car was rear ended by an uninsured motorist. My damage was far worse then yours but I may be calling on for help as well if I am having the same problems. Sorry to hear what is going on but good luck in your fight to get what you deserve, quality work!

 

[ravimys]

my car had the same damage just like urs.. I got it repared and now, its making some noises in the front .. just under the engine bay.. any idea??
thanks

 

[O22Ripper]

The only thing that I can manage to put some fair input upon is that if they blended the paint, or even touched your trunk the passenger tailight must be removed. The noises dealing with the locking mechanism is obviously caused because of the accident. In order to have a new mechanism, they would have to purchase a new one, and reprogram your key in order for it to work. The alignment issue should definitely be dealt with, seeing as though that is entirely their fault, you should be able to tell if the bumper cover is on correctly by looking at the edge of your trunklid in comparison to the placement of your bumper. If they are a reputable shop, they will fix it.

 

[Perce]

DrivinAJetta, that's perfect! Exactly what I needed. Thanks a ton!!

JokerPassat, good luck with your repairs. I won't accept my car until it's close to perfect. I don't think I can expect them to make it look like nothing ever happened, or is that not asking too much?

ravimys, maybe your exhaust was hit when you were rear ended. The impact might have screwed something connected to the exhaust/downpipe/cat/turbo?

O22Ripper, either the trunk lid or the bumper cover or both are misaligned since they all were hit. I'll use DrivinAJetta's pics to show how straight everything should be. I won't accept a half a$$ job, especially since they're trying to push it on me as being correct. You'd think they'd assume that the owner might know how the car looked before it was hit.

 

[nojevive]

I don't think I can expect them to make it look like nothing ever happened, or is that not asking too much?

Well, with a good body shop, that is not asking too much. You should hardly be able to tell you had damage, especially without looking inside the car.