Hey guys,

Wanted your opinions on what is your experience. Several weeks back, I lowered my vette on the stock bolts. I made an appointment at a dealership to have them do a 4 wheel alignment since many of the local Goodyears, National Tire & Batteries, etc. did not think they could get the car on the ramp for the Hunter alignment machine.

I brought it to a dealer (a local one, not the one I bought mine from since mine was bought used from a NY Audi dealer w/1000 miles). Anyways, the certified vette master technician at this particular local dealer does not do piddly stuff like alignments and wasn't working this past Saturday so another tech did the alignment.

He had no problems getting it on the ramp and doing the alignment. I paid the cashier, he backs the car off and I walk out to find him next to the front driver quarter panel/rocker panel on the driver's side?? I see he is using a socket to tighten the bolt that holds the bottom part of the piece which I will call the front quarter/rocker panel (goes all the way over the front wheel well, but wraps under the car right behind the front wheels. He told me that he caught the head of the bolt on the ramp coming down, but only on the driver's side? Does that make sense even? How come only on that side if he came down straight, unless he turned or the ramp was not all the way down on the driver's side?

He tells the service advisor and they say they will do whatever I want, repaint, affix the panel with a larger washer/bolt, etc. I tell them I will think about it and see them Mon. Later that day, I also see that the panel that goes under the driver's door (I'll call this the rocker panel/sill area) is starting to flake off a little of the paint in the area of the "seam" between the front quarter/rocker panel and door!!!

The question I have now for all of you is...do I ask them to repaint and risk that 1) The new panel fits and 2) The paint matches the rest of the car?

OR

should I ask them to affix the panel with a better washer/bolt and maybe I should touch up the area that is flaking paint off?

Ideas? Most vette friends I've asked said that you cannot see either the damage on the front quarter/rocker panel OR the rocker panel/sill area from the side. They tell me since you have to look under the area to see any damage (scraped paint, cracked corner of panel), they insist it's best to leave it and just make sure the dealer documents it for the future. Many say that any painting done post factory may not match the finish and color? My car is still practically new and the paint looks great. Would color matching be hard?

PLEASE HELP!!!

Here are a few pictures...

Side view of front quarter/rocker panel and the panel which is underneath which I call the rocker panel/sill area.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/phot...cat/500/page/1

Underneath close up view.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/phot...cat/500/page/1

I saw this item as well in Eckler's: http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...44FPJAVTPA9R91

Thanks,
Ron

 

The links come up with a security error??

The pictures should tell the story.

 

Need to log in to view pics
It's true, you can't see under there...but it's there! Since you lowered the car, chances are, you'll scrape on a speed bump or something now anyway...ask for lifetime oil changes maybe
Mine got scraped, had it re-painted, but have since scraped again No moral to this story.

 

working now?

 

Probably only caught the driver's side because of the extra weight with him in car when he backed it off the ramp.

BTW, the links still didn't work when I tried 'em.

Good luck with the repair

 

It doesn't matter how old the car is....matching paint is not as simple as some think. Many factors at play. If you can't see the damage, why mess with the chance that they screw something up trying to paint it?

 

Can't see the pictures but if you're looking at that Eckler's repair kit, you've got some serious problems.

He's broken the body where it attaches to the frame.

Do NOT attach it with a big bolt and washer.

Find out a body shop in your area that specializes in Corvettes and take it to them for an estimate.

Get back to dealer and get a check for the repair.

I wouldn't let the dealer do a repair on mine. They treat Corvettes the same way they treat Cavaliers.

 

AGREE!
My son has his turbo Supra lowered also. Be advised, most tow trucks will not tow, and most garages will not lift vehicle without a signed damage waiver. Now you know why.

Next time, volunteer to drive the car onto the lift. If they will not let you, find another dealer, IMO.

 

No way would I get into repainting for such a minor problem.Keep it simple and just reattach it with a big washer or the Ekler's kit.Things like that happen in a shop.A Corvette is an unusually low car.Not the mechanics fault.Get into painting and your opening a can of worms.Every time a car goes in a shop is another chance for something to get screwed up.

 

Uploaded pics onto forum server. Hopefully you'll be able to see them soon. I actually left it at the body shop. They specialize in vettes and will be calling me with an idea. The estimator said they'll probably sand off any of the scrape and paint just that edge so that it won't be showing the white of the scraped fiberglass (as far as the door sill panel area is concerned). The front piece that is held by the bolt, well... we'll see. I don't want them to have to repaint either panel at this point.

PS. BTW, the body shop is owned by the dealership as it is next door to the dealer. Really, this particular dealer is good with vettes usually, so I'm thinking things will be good after.

Is someone is willing to host the pics temporarily, please let me know.

 

Good work. Wait on that estimate.

I really would like to see the pics of this damage though.

 

Can anyone view from this link?

http://community.webshots.com/user/ronnysasso

 

You need to get that fixed properly before you have larger issues later. No way would I put a larger washer/ bolt and call it good

 

Ahh, finally. A free web hosting place that should work.

Side & underbody.

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...der_id=1331840

 

The front quarter panel/rocker panel will be cleaned up. It appears that only a small portion - slightly smaller than 1/8 inch in length was broken off so the bolt can still be used. Using a larger washer will allow more of the force to contact a larger area on the panel so this should be fine.


The portion adjacent which I called rocker panel/door sill will be cleaned up, filled, and smoothed. It will be painted (blended) and since it is 99% underneath the car, this area will not be able to be noticeable. I ask them to be sure not to get any overspray onto the sides at all and NOT to clean up my car since I don't want to have to redo Zaino all over the car again (i.e. Dawn wash to strip any waxes or crap from cheap car wash soap).

Since they had it in the shop, they also had a leather repair come out and patch a small tear in my driver's bolster that happened when my targa glass slipped and fell.

Thanks for your help.

 

No.

 

Pictures are available both on my villagephotos.com acct and also in the forum gallery photos (my corvette photos).

As a good will gesture, they are going to cover a small leather repair I had taken care of since it was there. The tear was about 1/8 " in length in the driver's side bolster. The cost would have been $100, so at least this was taken care of in lieu of the problems that happened from the scraping.

 

Don't deal with the dealership for painting, find the best paint shop in town and stick the dealership wit the bill. They damaged it, they should pay for it.