So I just picked up my '08 C6 from the body shop today. It was having paint work done to repair two scratches, one on the left front fender and one on the driver side door. Both were the result of damage done by roofers.

It was dark when I went to pick it up, but I took a flashlight and examined the panels. Everything looked good. Then I get it home into the garage and see a prominent abrasion in the clear coat on the front bumper, just below the hood seam. It's about 3x1.5 inches in size.

I can't believe it. It's a body shop. Do they not take more care when handling vehicles? Especially when it's a Corvette with only 6K miles on it. Now I have to deal with this, after all the hassle of the roofing company and getting it into the shop in the first place. And something tells me the body shop won't want to fix it. The abrasion won't buff out. I already tried. As I understand it, they'd have to to remove the bumper and completely redo the clear coat.

I am not looking forward to calling these people tomorrow. The gentleman I dealt with at the shop was extremely nice, but still... I realize most people on most cars wouldn't care about something so relatively minor. But this is a Corvette that I'm trying to keep as pristine as I can. Anyone have any constructive thoughts?

I just want to beat my head against a wall. All this inconvenience because other people screwed my car up.

 

Just examined it again. It's not just the clear coat. There are some very fine scratches in the paint as well.

 

Sorry for your problems. I understand your frustration.

Is this a reputable private body shop or at a dealership?

Not all body shops are the same. The body shop I deal with is meticulous. I refer everyone in my area to them and everyone is completely satisfied.

Hope you get it resolved.

 

I feel your pain and frustration brother. Unfortunately poor workmanship and or just plain slopiness is the rule rather than the exception these days. It seems that if someone isn't out to flat out steal your money, they just want you to accept crapy work or service.
Take it back and let them know your customer experience was lousy.

 

Make them do it right and tell them you want a loaner. Dont let the guilties or what appears to be minor get you. Tell them you want it done right,period and tell them you want it in a well lit room to look at before you take it next time. To hell with them. They should have done it correctly the first time.Be calm but very firm and let them know that next time your patience may not be as long.

 

It's the body shop associated with a large dealer network. In fact, the same dealership where I bought the car. The shop came well-recommended, and as I said, the rep I dealt with was extremely helpful. But unfortunately it seems their workmen didn't take the best care.

 

One of the benefits of buying a used car is that I tend to not be as **** with every little blemish. In the past I've bought several new cars and always freaked out when they picked up their first scratches & dings. This time around I bought a previously owned '05 and have saved myself all that drama. Just speaking for myself here. Sorry about your car

 

I bought used also but still, bad paint is bad paint.

After I did the wide booty, I wasn't happy with the results of the paint. I have a paint "guy" who is a one man show. He fixed it. And I've since steered a LOT of work his way.

 

Most times when dealing with a larger dealership, there is no attention to detail. They get you in and shuffle you out.

 

Sorry to hear about your problems with the body shop. The dealership that I patronize is excellent and has a great body shop.

 

It is true. And not just with Corvettes which we think is special but it is with everything. And it is getting worse. I can remember back in the 60s and 70s lots of merchants took pride in their work and paid attention to everything especially something like a Vette. But no more. Quality is something that is sorely missing throughout our society. In fact,I cannot think of any industry as a rule that cares about quality. Perhaps a small independent if you can find one. I just had some security lights installed. The electrician charged me over 4 times the cost of the lights themselves for installation and guess what? They dont work right.Screws and debris left on the yard. Really,it is rediculous. And fast food joints are slow and half the time give you someone elses order. The teenage workforce is terrible. Makes me wonder where it will all end.

 

Stay away from dealers. Pay private body shop. I recently had crash. Took mine to body shop that specialized in exotic cars. Quality work is expected from them. Price about the same.

 

How bad were the 2 scratches you took it in to have fixed? If that was my car they would have to be pretty bad to have me actually have someone go painting on my car.

 

That's as a shame, and if the bump shop let's work like that out the door, they need to make it right. If you're in good with the recommended dealership that send's this guy lot's of business, maybe get him involved. I've been dealing with a local shop for year's, and recently had a pretty bad wreck with my daily Pontiac. Plenty of panel and paint work, and no way could ever tell. He has a computer scan paint matching system, and probably part of it. Keep in mind the time line too. If the paint work is rushed, without proper cure time for the prep work, will normally show through.

 

Your not alone, my first repair was done by a custom shop recommended to me by a Corvette parts dealer. He didnt blend the clear from the rear fascia to the panels and cleared over the Corvette rear lettering which has overspray on it.
Then I had my Sic Z bumper repainted at a different shop who is recognized by the NCRS and has many classics in his shop, and when I picked it up they sanded the bumper and left it at that with fine swirls and scratches. I had to take it back for the final buff/polish.
Unreal...

 

One of them was a fairly deep three-inch scratch on the left front fender. The one on the door was about an inch long. I suppose philosophies vary on this subject. If it had been on my daily driver I may not have worried too much. But on my Corvette, which was previously in pristine condition, I couldn't deal with it. Especially since a roofing company was responsible (and they did foot the bill). I've had a few minor scratches on the clear coat before. Irritating, but I can deal with that. Damage to the paint I have to fix though. I could maybe handle a small, light hairline scratch, or a very small chip, but anything else... It may as well have had a giant arrow on the side pointing to the scatches. Just my personal feeling about it. And this abrasion to the clear coat on the front bumper is pretty substantial. Not something a coat of wax is going to hide.

I just called the body shop and spoke to the rep that took care of my work order. He said to bring it in and they'd get it "taken care of". So I'll see what they say when I take it in this afternoon...

 

Is the roofing company paying for this? I see they did, thats good.

The bumper was probably messed up as they just put it to the side and it got moved around a bit. They thought since it wasnt messed up it wouldnt get messed up laying on the floor or thrown against the wall.

 

I worked in the resturant industry, as did my roommates, in college. part of the reason we don't pay more attention is because people (we learn the type who do and don't) often don't tip, "run" the staff for whatever reason, and our managers don't give a damn about us, just the bottom line. Noone else gives a crap, why should we be the only one's who care?

Then some people get older and take that attitude with them, and you ruin a lot of other industries and it does suck. However, the fault is not all that of the youth. You treat a worker like his job is **** on your shoe, and he will perform like it. Don't expect them to un-learn this the moment they are hired by GM/A body shop/A dealership, etc.

That is part of why I quit my job at the resturant I worked at toward the end of college. I was beginning to fall into that place and I didn't like it one bit. Lots of people don't have that luxury, though. They end up internalizing it 100%.

 

This is very frustrating but, given that you had to see the problem in just the right light, may not be a deliberate attempt to cover up by the painter or by the body shop management. As long as they take care of it promptly ad properly when you point it out, chalk it up to human error we all make from time to time.

 

Is the body shop you took it to independent or a dealer body shop? Body shops that take great care in their work is hard to find. A lot of body guys are rate so they rush through jobs just to get to the next one. Its good for them because they make more money but the quality usually sucks. They could probably do good work but they don't want to take the time to do so. I hate the "good enough" mentality.

I hope your body shop fixes anything they damaged or didn't do right for you.