I just got the car back from the painter , needless to say, I learned my lesson. It was a custom paint shop, which had Very Nice work displayed. The actual paint job is pretty much flawless, the only major problems now are the fact that he either didnt put some parts back on, or some of the things he put back together are all messed up. Keep in mind, I had replaced the entire interior before sending it to paint.

What he did right:
Paint job.

What he did wrong:
Everything else.

Missing both inside door lock switches (the black with red/orange that cover the slider)
I had bought an "interior screw kit" and most of the screws that came back looked like he had pulled them out of his tire and forced them to go where they obviously didn't want to.
Missing both sides upper door lock pillar upper trim (which GM discontinued, and that is not something that should ever have to be replaced so no one sells it)
My new sill protectors are scratched to hell from him getting in and out and not being careful.
Had the passenger door changed and the audio system didn't work because the speaker wasn't wired in correctly (fixed it the day I got the car back, I cannot stand not having a radio)
The glass in the new (used from a junker) door I wanted replaced with my old glass because the new glass had blue tint on it... I got the old door back and was gutting it, when I noticed pieces of glass still in the mounts that hold the window in. He failed to tell me until I confronted him about it that it broke when he was taking it out. So all he did was scrape the tint off the other window (which has an 8" long semi deep scratch in it).
Broke the drivers side headlight housing so it had to be taped shut to drive home. (replaced it)
When putting the headlight covers back on, he used wood screws instead of the screws he removed the first time, and I have to go back and get the chips fixed.

As well as the biggest problem- Interior Lights. Somehow, they aren't turning off when you close the doors. When I push in the inner jamb button in (on both sides) I can hear the drivers side make a click noise under the dash, but the passenger side does not do the same. I also noticed near the latch/striker itself is another small button and I do not know if that is tied in to the lights. I had to pull all the bulbs to get the battery to stop draining over night.

Which is now my biggest problem. I can deal with a dark car at night when I get in, but the problems got to be fixed sometime. Any ideas on that? Is there any way I can bypass the passenger side?

The only reason the car came back like this is because I was out to sea when it was finished, and my wife paid and picked it up trying to surprise me for when I got back.
All in all, I paid $3500 for a new top installed, color change paint job, some custom paint on the hood and doors; and my passenger door, and rear qtr changed. I think that if the above problem would not have occurred it would have been a great deal, but I think all I got now is a deal.

 

Wow, what an ordeal...

Well I'm glad your through most of it, and after u fix this interior light problem, plz post some mean pics

color?

 

You know...sometimes violence really IS the answer. How much did you pay this assclown?

 

The car was maroon/burgundy with a tan top and tan interior, changed it to black, with a black top, and black and red interior. Coming up the hood and down the doors is real fire flames with a light green candy over them. If someone can post pics for me, that would be great, if not I'll try to figure out a photo host site later tonight.

My wife paid him the full $3500, which I'm pretty irritated about, but the guy has written an agreement to pay half of the cost to fix a couple of the bigger problems.
I hate haggling over something that should've just been done right in the first place.

So, anyone have any clue as to how the interior lights can be fixed? Thanks!

 

I hate to hear that. I've had four different vehicles fixed at body shops and NONE of them have ever done it right (independent and dealer) so this doesn't surprise me at all. My '94 gave me trouble with the driver's side switch and I had to take it apart and shim it, so you might look at that, but if you're pushing it in with your finger on the pass. side and it still doesn't shut the light off then you need to check the switch with a DVOM and see if it's not operating correctly. Good luck with it.

 

It sounds to me as though your passenger side door switch is not opening the circuit when you close the door.

Be well,

SJW

 

The thing I'm not seeing is how to actually get to the switch. It seems that the wires would be behind where the blower motor is located, and the rest of the door wiring is inside the rubber boot in the jamb. Is there a shortcut way to get to the wires I need to get to?

Btw, whats a DVOM? Thanks.

 

You may want to check E-Bay for any missing parts. When I move to another state and area, the first thing I do is look up a paint and body person. There are plenty of ways to find a good one that is honest.

These guys are worth their weight in gold.
Boaman

 

Checked for the door pillar trim on ebay and all the major vette vendors, nobody has it. Found almost everything else though. The pillar trim is the piece above your shoulder when youre sitting in either seat that is black molded plastic. Its right around where the top of the seat belt bolts in and where the edge of the bottom of the window closes near/on. Anyone know of these and where I can get them? Thanks.

 

A digital voltmeter, use it to check if switch is opening and closing.

 

Try Contemporary Corvette (link on my site) for some of those missing parts; they vend new & used parts.

To adress the lighting issue, try manually depressing each switch to see if the lights will go out in 30sec or so.

If either works, you will need to replace that switch or paste a thin plate onto the front of the door to help depress the switch when the door is closed.

 

Thanks 65Z01. Tried pressing them both for a couple mins. today. Nothing happened. Any idea how to get to the wiring for these things?

 

Well your lights probably think a door isn't shutting all the way, or a door really isn't shutting all the way.

If you pulled the bulbs, you should know where the wiring is?
The wiring for the doors are just inside the panel next to the windshield wiper connection. Just remove the door panel and follow the wire.

Something you could try would be to get a new bulb, new wire, and re-wire the entire connection on one side and see if it stays on. If it does, it has nothing to do with the individual connections and rather a sensor problem.

You might want to grab one of those ECM checks to hook up under the steering wheel and see if your computer reports anything about the lights that you might be able to look up.

If all else fails, I suggest you just kick all of your lights until they decide to start working normally. And this is why I get in to a dark car every day.

Good luck.