Need advice on bad bodyshop work...

[qh187]

Hi guys. I figured that some of you probably know more about this than me so I thought I'd ask...

Here's my story first:

I got into an accident in May (not my fault) and the whole drivers side was damaged. It was mostly body damage so the insurance company cut me a check to go have the car fixed. I took my car to what I thought was a reputable dealer for them to fix the damage. When I recieved the car back the newly painted panels were darker and had a purplish tinge to them(the car is a winning blue mazda 3). In addition to that, I noticed some paint runs, tape lines, scratches, and places where they painted overtop of the old paint. I then brought it back and they were supposed to fix it but all they did was blend it into the surroundings. So at this point i'm tired of it and pissed.

Now for my questions:

1) Can you "tint" a darker paint into a lighter color? My color is similar to a WRX blue which has no purple in it. The dealer said they would "tint" the paint.

2)Painting over top of old paint is never a good thing correct? From what I've read, too thick of a paint layer will lead to cracking of the paint. Also when they sand and resand and refinish my paint, the thickness is no longer uniform? I don't know much about auto painting so any knowledge you can give would just give me more ammo for argument.

Any advice from anybody who's been in a similar situation would be very useful. This is the first time I've dealt with a bodyshop and an insurance claim so I'm learing quite a bit. I already made a few mistakes so any advice or suggestions you guys can provide would go a long way.

Thanks in advance. This forum is the best!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Need advice on bad bodyshop work...

Originally posted by qh187
Now for my questions:

1) Can you "tint" a darker paint into a lighter color? My color is similar to a WRX blue which has no purple in it. The dealer said they would "tint" the paint.

No, the honest way to fix miss-matched paint is to repaint either the panel, or the entire car. It might be kind of fun to watch them try however. Be sure to photograph the car before and after exceedingly well and have lots of witnesses plus print this thread out and show it to the owner/manager of the body shop, make sure they know the world is watching.

2)Painting over top of old paint is never a good thing correct? From what I've read, too thick of a paint layer will lead to cracking of the paint. Also when they sand and re-sand and refinish my paint, the thickness is no longer uniform? I don't know much about auto painting so any knowledge you can give would just give me more ammo for argument.

All of the above can be done, but it's fraught with the potential for all kinds of problems. The honest fix is to stop where things are at and re-paint the entire car if the goal is a uniform appearance over the entire car.

Any advice from anybody who's been in a similar situation would be very useful. This is the first time I've dealt with a body shop and an insurance claim so I'm learning quite a bit. I already made a few mistakes so any advice or suggestions you guys can provide would go a long way.

Thanks in advance. This forum is the best!

Keep a level head, be professional, take pictures and also take your parents/friends, (I don't know how old you are but I'm guessing young?), and stand up for your rights as a paying customer. Escalate the problem to the top if you're not getting anywhere with the manager. Start by documenting the problems as best as you can, this way if you have to go to small claims court you have hard evidence and hard evidence usually wins over no evidence and bolsters your side of the story.

[jfelbab]

Many insurance companies have a 100% assurance program. I'd speak with your agent and tell him you are not satisfied with the repair.

I had a vehicle that was rear-ended at a red light. The State Farm agent provided a list of shops that were on their approved list. The work done was shoddy. I met with a State Farm estimator at another repair shop and they approved the re-repair on the spot. This time the work was impeccable.

[steveo3002]

hey there
sorry to hear you got a bad job...i have worked in a paint shop for the past 16 years

the paint could have been tinted at the time when the car was ready to paint...the painter should have sprayed out some test cards to offer up to the car and then ajust the shade slightly accordingly...dont accept any B.S , these days the paint comapny will send out a rep if the painter is having problems matching the paint, they have a high tech machine that can read your paint and make a formula to match if your is off shade or faded

while its true that painting over bare metal is best in some cases like a restoration on a old car thats been painted alot, you shouldnt have concerns with them painting over your sound factory finish

keep records and witnesses of every complaint /converstaion with them