[Z06] Z06, Mercury Insurance and Selman Chevrolet.
06-07-2009, 08:06 PM
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
Z06, Mercury Insurance and Selman Chevrolet.
I wanted to post our experience here.
My wife was in the parking lot at work when a gal in a BMW ran a stop sign and swiped the right door and fender of our VR 3LZ Z06. The door was hit and the fender was cracked at the cove near the Z06 emblem.
She called the LEO's who said they do not come to private property accidents unless there are injuries. The gal that hit her admitted fault which was noble of her. Both the BMW driver and us have Mercury Insurance.
I was asked to take the Z to a local shop for a repair estimate. I explained to the Mercury adjuster that the damaged fender is carbon fiber and I was planning on making sure everyone was fully aware of the fact that carbon repairs are not done with bondo or fiberglass resin.
I called the shop and asked to speak to the head man. I asked him if he has seen any Z06's and if he was aware of the carbon fiber panels. He had not and was not. I asked him about carbon repairs and he said it would probably be the same as fiberglass. I told him carbon fiber repairs are done with special resins, carbon sheets, and vacuum bagging. Aircraft Spruce carries the resins. After I told him all this he told me he didn't think they should attempt the repairs.
Another concern I had was that any shop who does not regularly see higher horsepower cars may have employees intersted in taking it for a "test drive." My wife never gets on the gas (although I might once or twice when I get to go buy her gas). On the news here in L.A. about a year ago there was a story about a lot boy who was moving a Z06. He decided to take a detour out on the street in front of their shop. He hit the gas, lost control and hit 8 parked cars.
I called Mercury back and they asked me to contact Selman Chevrolet as they have a good reputation. Repairs done by Mercury approved shops carry a lifetime warranty and Selman is approved. I spoke to the body shop manager "Steve" about our car and his response was that GM has issued a bulletin which says fractures of carbon panels that extend through an edge can not be repaired. The panel must be replaced. Bingo..right answer. Also, Selman has moved several Z06's and a handfull of ZR1's, so no one is going to "test drive" ours.
We took the car to Selman. The repair was done in a couple weeks including the wait time for the new fender to show up. Steve also showed me the door where there were fractures through the 90 degree gussetts at the door hindges requiring replacement of the door.
I asked Steve if the door and fender could be painted in the paint booth before installing them on the car to keep the car out of the booth and he said he beat me to it. The quality of the finish and the paint color perfectly match our 10,000 mile beauty. There is no way you can tell it has been touched since the repairs were completed.
Mercury provided my wife with a Mercedes Benz rental car even at the protest of my wife who felt it was a waste of money for them to give her a nice car. They explained to us that their policy was to provide the same quality rental car as the car we insure should we have a problem. We picked it up at The House of Imports MB in Buena Park.
In conclusion, I wanted to let everyone know what a great experience we had. One that was originally cause for panic when she first called to say she had been hit by another car. I also took note of the odometer when we dropped it off at Selman and the car was moved maybe 100 feet during it's stay.
Thanks to Mercury Insurance and Selman Chevrolet in Orange, CA, for a job well done.
RG
.
My wife was in the parking lot at work when a gal in a BMW ran a stop sign and swiped the right door and fender of our VR 3LZ Z06. The door was hit and the fender was cracked at the cove near the Z06 emblem.
She called the LEO's who said they do not come to private property accidents unless there are injuries. The gal that hit her admitted fault which was noble of her. Both the BMW driver and us have Mercury Insurance.
I was asked to take the Z to a local shop for a repair estimate. I explained to the Mercury adjuster that the damaged fender is carbon fiber and I was planning on making sure everyone was fully aware of the fact that carbon repairs are not done with bondo or fiberglass resin.
I called the shop and asked to speak to the head man. I asked him if he has seen any Z06's and if he was aware of the carbon fiber panels. He had not and was not. I asked him about carbon repairs and he said it would probably be the same as fiberglass. I told him carbon fiber repairs are done with special resins, carbon sheets, and vacuum bagging. Aircraft Spruce carries the resins. After I told him all this he told me he didn't think they should attempt the repairs.
Another concern I had was that any shop who does not regularly see higher horsepower cars may have employees intersted in taking it for a "test drive." My wife never gets on the gas (although I might once or twice when I get to go buy her gas). On the news here in L.A. about a year ago there was a story about a lot boy who was moving a Z06. He decided to take a detour out on the street in front of their shop. He hit the gas, lost control and hit 8 parked cars.
I called Mercury back and they asked me to contact Selman Chevrolet as they have a good reputation. Repairs done by Mercury approved shops carry a lifetime warranty and Selman is approved. I spoke to the body shop manager "Steve" about our car and his response was that GM has issued a bulletin which says fractures of carbon panels that extend through an edge can not be repaired. The panel must be replaced. Bingo..right answer. Also, Selman has moved several Z06's and a handfull of ZR1's, so no one is going to "test drive" ours.
We took the car to Selman. The repair was done in a couple weeks including the wait time for the new fender to show up. Steve also showed me the door where there were fractures through the 90 degree gussetts at the door hindges requiring replacement of the door.
I asked Steve if the door and fender could be painted in the paint booth before installing them on the car to keep the car out of the booth and he said he beat me to it. The quality of the finish and the paint color perfectly match our 10,000 mile beauty. There is no way you can tell it has been touched since the repairs were completed.
Mercury provided my wife with a Mercedes Benz rental car even at the protest of my wife who felt it was a waste of money for them to give her a nice car. They explained to us that their policy was to provide the same quality rental car as the car we insure should we have a problem. We picked it up at The House of Imports MB in Buena Park.
In conclusion, I wanted to let everyone know what a great experience we had. One that was originally cause for panic when she first called to say she had been hit by another car. I also took note of the odometer when we dropped it off at Selman and the car was moved maybe 100 feet during it's stay.
Thanks to Mercury Insurance and Selman Chevrolet in Orange, CA, for a job well done.
RG
.
Last edited by Randy G.; 06-07-2009 at 08:13 PM.
06-07-2009, 10:21 PM
#4
Melting Slicks
After so many bad dealer stories it's nice to hear one that exceeded expectations 
06-07-2009, 10:26 PM
#5
Team Owner
Awesome...especially since I have Mercury 
Glad to hear it went well
Glad to hear it went well
06-07-2009, 10:51 PM
#6
Safety Car
Wow! Thats really good to know especially since I live in selmans backyard. I have been in selmans showroom may times over the years but have never bought a car there. My local dealer is the worst I have ever experienced. Thanks for sharing.
06-07-2009, 11:00 PM
#7
Melting Slicks
06-08-2009, 02:30 AM
#8
Instructor
Member Since: Feb 2008
Location: Torrance CA
Posts: 155
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I totally agree with the gent that said we don't hear enough positive stories about GREAT work from dealers and shops with KNOWLEDGE and INTEGRITY.
That's what I love about web forums!
