HELP! Body Work Advice Needed ASAP
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 13,281
Likes: 2,509
From: Bluffton SC via Canton Oh
HELP! Body Work Advice Needed ASAP
I took my C5 to the local Chevy dealer for some minor work. Apparently they needed to jack the car up. In doing so they used a floor jack on the front cradle which, you already guessed, slipped and hit to bottom of the radiator. The radiator and shroud broke pushing the air intake into the hood cracking the hood.
I checked the car out tonight and am to meet with the body shop manager tomorrow and expect he'll do whatever I want, they are sick over what happened.
My question is do I want a new hood or repair the old?
There is a 4 or 5 inch crack visible in the center of the hood and at least one 2 to 3 inch crack to the side of the center.
I'm being advised if I go with a new hood they will paint the entire front of the car including the fenders. The car is Torch BTW. The guy who was at the shop tonight said that if they spot in the repair he does not feel that I will be satisfied.
Please give me your opinion as I need to decide this Friday morning.
Thanks
I checked the car out tonight and am to meet with the body shop manager tomorrow and expect he'll do whatever I want, they are sick over what happened.
My question is do I want a new hood or repair the old?
There is a 4 or 5 inch crack visible in the center of the hood and at least one 2 to 3 inch crack to the side of the center.
I'm being advised if I go with a new hood they will paint the entire front of the car including the fenders. The car is Torch BTW. The guy who was at the shop tonight said that if they spot in the repair he does not feel that I will be satisfied.
Please give me your opinion as I need to decide this Friday morning.
Thanks
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 21,532
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From: Cincinnati Ohio
Cruise-In Veteran VII
Cruise-In Veteran VIII
"Slower Azz Dog"
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09
When you took it in, the hood was in one piece with no "Fixes"
I would say you should settle for a new hood and nothing less.
hate to hear about what happened to you. Hope it works out
I would say you should settle for a new hood and nothing less.
hate to hear about what happened to you. Hope it works out
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 11,308
Likes: 1
From: The Beautiful Greater Bay Area California
Originally Posted by KonaVette
I would want a new hood and then the front painted. Seems like they are going to be accomadating and are sorry for their mistake. Hope it all works out for you.
Geesuzz! Don't settle for less!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 822
Likes: 0
From: Grafton Ohio
Torch red = tintable match. If their painter is halfway decent, they should be able to tint that color to a panel match. If they cant, make them cut you a check for the total amt of a new hood and all applicable labor costs then find a good painter/body shop to do the work for you.
Jer.
Jer.
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Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 302
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
Geez I just hate to read this kind of stuff... A freakin Chevy service dept. that doesn't know how to lift a Vette????? And yet they wonder why we don't bring our cars in for thier "Goodwrench" expert service & hose jobs..... As far as I'm concerned the cost of this repair should come out of the guilty "technician's" pocket, and then he should be fired!! He can always get a job at Jiffy Lube - they use a pit in the floor instead of jacking.......
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,208
Likes: 2
From: Long Beach CA
we're all human.....crap happens----sounds like they are willing to do the right thing....Just think if it was at a little repair shop do you think they would give him the option of a new hood or a cheap repair. I've been working at a dealer for over 11 years, couple months ago, while working on a new full size crew cab truck on the lift it slips and falls on its side....does that make me incompent....cut us techs some slack, we are not by no means PERFECT. Sorry for venting but it seems like everyone in the forum bashes all dealers and there techs....Believe it or not CSI is always the first issue at our meetings. We do want to fix your car correctly the first time.....but remember we have to go by GM's rules and guidelines.
Last edited by 99FewteRC5; Oct 21, 2005 at 03:38 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,275
Likes: 6
From: Lake Oswego, Near Portland Oregon
I would opt for a new hood. The SMC fiberglass is harder to repair than traditional polyester/glass fiber. Repair of SMC fiberglass panels requires epoxy resin only, and special epoxy body fillers for final contours. A really good tech can grind down the cracked area, and rebuild the thickness with epoxy and glassfiber, but the labor and materialls would likely come out a wash with the cost of a new hood, especailly at internal dealer costs.
As far as paint, your color is easily tinted to exact match, and very often today, panel is painted... with a blend spray run over on to existing color on surrounding panels. This makes it nearly impossible to detect when done well.
Good luck,
Jennifer
As far as paint, your color is easily tinted to exact match, and very often today, panel is painted... with a blend spray run over on to existing color on surrounding panels. This makes it nearly impossible to detect when done well.
Good luck,
Jennifer
Last edited by FiberglassFan; Oct 21, 2005 at 03:45 AM.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 13,281
Likes: 2,509
From: Bluffton SC via Canton Oh
Well after my visit with the shop manager yesterday he recommended that after they pull off the hoodliner and look underneath that they will be able to determine if a new hood is needed. He said he could not be certain if the paint was cracked or the fiberglass. I told him that I was expecting a perfect job and would not accept anything less and told him to do what he though best. He said whatever they do he would give me a written lifetime guarantee that there would not be a problem.
Everyone at the shop is sick about this. The manager says in his 11 years nothing like this has happened and of course it had to be on a Corvette. To compound the problems the hoodliner was painted, the radiator cowl is painted from Auto Buffs and it has or had a ram air box from Corvette Concepts, all of which need replaced. So it will be maybe 2 weeks before the parts come in and we'll see what they do.
Funny thing is like most of us I did a lot of research on where to take the car. I had hit a racoon several years ago and there were just a couple of gouges under the front end that no one could see exept me. In retrospect I shoould of touched them up myself but no issue now.
Thanks for the help and suggestions, I guess I am glad it's torch red.
Everyone at the shop is sick about this. The manager says in his 11 years nothing like this has happened and of course it had to be on a Corvette. To compound the problems the hoodliner was painted, the radiator cowl is painted from Auto Buffs and it has or had a ram air box from Corvette Concepts, all of which need replaced. So it will be maybe 2 weeks before the parts come in and we'll see what they do.
Funny thing is like most of us I did a lot of research on where to take the car. I had hit a racoon several years ago and there were just a couple of gouges under the front end that no one could see exept me. In retrospect I shoould of touched them up myself but no issue now.
Thanks for the help and suggestions, I guess I am glad it's torch red.