good luck with it...
What should they do?!!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
What should they do?!!
I have an 07 coupe I just picked up and noticed that the door is sagging a bit on so I call a locally reccomended body shop and let them know I'm coming. I show up and the guy said "let me try something really quick". He runs inside and gets a little door hinge tweaking tool (the kind you shut your door on to bend the hinge) and after the first few pulls I hear a light sandy/cracky noise that I dismiss as dirt on a body panell sound. after he stops I didn't see anything right away and let him know that the door was mostly fiberglass and he thought it was metal! So I get the car back to my work and look closer, and the hinge he was prying on actually cracked the door where it meets! I called back and told him what happened and he just said "well I didn't charge you anything!". Where so I go from here? Would you have him try and repair the cracked fiberglass, or demand the whole door get replaced/painted?!!! What a nightmare!!!!!!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 46
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the crack is on the bottom hinge, it's on the interior verticle edge of the hinge, the first part you would touch with your finger. From what I can see it's about 2" long and you can just barely feel a edge with your fingernail but it's there none the less! I'd bet you could somehow epoxy/sand then paint it as you really cant see it unless your standing on your head in the floor compartment. I just dont know if it'd be strong enough! So what do you guys think? Be nice requesting it be repaired free or laywer right off the bat?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 46
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I'm just worried that if I don't do anything with it the door will sag worse and make the crack bigger. On the other hand I don't want to have a 2000$ repair bill forced down the throat of a repair shop that really didn't need to be done! What to do. hmmmm.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 515
Likes: 1
From: South of I-64 Illinois
Don't call a lawyer right away. Go in person and have a civilized conversation with the guy, explaining the situation and requesting a satisfactory resolution. Threatening with lawyers only puts people on the defensive and you don't want it to come to lawyers anyway.
Others can chime in on the level of damage and how or if it can be repaired. If the door isn't falling off, it's probably ok but not ideal.
There's a right way and a wrong way to adjust a door. If it had been me, I'd have asked him what he was going to do before he did it, instead of standing there watching him. Not piling on you, but you had a chance to stop him before he did anything. Best to ask questions first, always.
Others can chime in on the level of damage and how or if it can be repaired. If the door isn't falling off, it's probably ok but not ideal.
There's a right way and a wrong way to adjust a door. If it had been me, I'd have asked him what he was going to do before he did it, instead of standing there watching him. Not piling on you, but you had a chance to stop him before he did anything. Best to ask questions first, always.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 46
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I definitly understanfd that, but the ONLY reason I let him do it was due to a friends reccomendation of the guy and knowing that he has worked on alot of vettes in the past for people. And beings that I am not a body man, how was I supposed to know that it wouldn't have worked? Trust=broken doors.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 940
Likes: 1
From: Long Island NY
I definitly understanfd that, but the ONLY reason I let him do it was due to a friends reccomendation of the guy and knowing that he has worked on alot of vettes in the past for people. And beings that I am not a body man, how was I supposed to know that it wouldn't have worked? Trust=broken doors.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
if he works on a lot of Vettes, didn't know the door wasn't metal, and cracked something near the hinge, I wouldn't return to him. your friends are wrong; he doesn't work on Vettes. now go find the best body shop that does work on Vettes. call a Corvette club prez and ask, maybe even join.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 377
Likes: 1
From: OH
Man, I would go talk to him and tell him your going to go get an estimate and will send him the bill. You may even offer to split it beings something was obviously wrong in the first place and he was trying to help you out; but ultimately his negligence made a situation way worse. I agree with previous poster though, don't take it back to a guy who didn't know Vette doors weren't metal. That tells me he's done 0 body work on Vettes.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,327
Likes: 166
From: Summerton SC
Tech Contributor
It should be a really simple "fill & touchup" at A DIFFERENT bodyshop. Just get an estimate, then decide whether to re-approach the klutz "who didn't know vettes were fiberglass?" ... 
CF Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,313
Likes: 25
From: Tucson Arizona
Don't call a lawyer right away. Go in person and have a civilized conversation with the guy, explaining the situation and requesting a satisfactory resolution. Threatening with lawyers only puts people on the defensive and you don't want it to come to lawyers anyway.
Others can chime in on the level of damage and how or if it can be repaired. If the door isn't falling off, it's probably ok but not ideal.
There's a right way and a wrong way to adjust a door. If it had been me, I'd have asked him what he was going to do before he did it, instead of standing there watching him. Not piling on you, but you had a chance to stop him before he did anything. Best to ask questions first, always.
Others can chime in on the level of damage and how or if it can be repaired. If the door isn't falling off, it's probably ok but not ideal.
There's a right way and a wrong way to adjust a door. If it had been me, I'd have asked him what he was going to do before he did it, instead of standing there watching him. Not piling on you, but you had a chance to stop him before he did anything. Best to ask questions first, always.
Take the car to a body shop with experience working on Corvettes....see what they say needs to be done. Then, go back to the first body shop and see if they'll make it right and what they propose to do. See if what they want to do jives with what the 'Corvette experienced' body shop said. From the guy's remark (about not charging you) I'm guessing he won't volunteer to make it right. Don't get angry....stay cool. It might not hurt to record the conversation (just for accuracy in case you need to see a lawyer). If the first shop won't make it right then see a lawyer if the repair cost warrants. See what the lawyer says but I'd have a experienced shop fix the damage then file an action to recover costs from the shop that caused the damage.
In the future, always go to a shop with experience working on Corvettes. The Chevy dealership I use has an excellent body shop. Using a wedge and leverage (slamming a door) is not the way I'd first try to rack a door. Good luck!
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,194
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From: Lake Havasu City Arizona
SoCal Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor '12
Clear negligence on the part of the first body shop but it does sound like he was trying to do you a favor and tried a simple fix that might work on metal bodied cars. How he was not aware your car was not metal...I dont know. If you expect him to pay for the damage, he should be allowed to make the repair but i would not want him touching MY car. Best of luck to you. Tough situation.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Thanks for the advise. It looks like it can be filled though. I'll see if he can do it when I go back in friday. But anyways, people here say that there is a right way and a wrong way to bring the rear of the door up alittle... I know bending the hinge is bad now, how about shimming the bottom hinge? the striker hits the lower part of the catch alittle. The striker looks like it needs to be about 1/8 inch higher to be perfect...
Last edited by vetteboy07; Nov 15, 2011 at 12:09 PM. Reason: more info
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 462
From: Southern Utah
The hinges are bolted on to both the frame and the door so adjustment is very easy. Loosen, just a little, the bolts on the lower hinge that go into the frame and then raise the end of the door just a bit with a floor jack when the door is near being closed. Then tighten the hinge back up...the bolts are even really easy to get to on the Vette, much easier than many other cars. Its a bit of trial and error and usually requires going a little past where it needs to be so that the door will sag back into the correct spot. I remember on older GM cars, there was a curved box wrench that was needed to get to these bolts...these are right there and easy.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
that's odd you say that because that body guy said you don't want to loosen the bolts on the frame, only the door for adjustment. I'm really beginning to doubt this guy who has been working there for 20+years... I can probably do that myself!