On my 1 year anniversary of owning my 2014 White Z51 I was sideswiped on the passenger side. Needless to say I was completely heartbroken, I take considerable pride in keeping by baby pristine and I knew she would never be the same. I took her to a forum dealer, I figured since they sell more than anyone they should be most capable of repairing them. Boy was I mistaken. What was initially minor rear fender damage and side view mirror damage turned into my worst nightmare. The dealer repaired the fender when it should have been replaced, replaced the door skin where a very minor buff job would have done the trick and removed and repainted the front fender after I told them that the minor paint nick from mirror glass was acceptable. I am now facing more paint and panel fitment issues from the dealership repairing my car than what I started with. I am not sure what I should do from here as I am afraid that the dealer will just cause more damage while trying to repair the issues. Completely disgusted at this time and just looking for some opinions on what I should do.

 

I don't have any advice for your besides doing some research on here and elsewhere on where to take it. That is horrible though.

I was suggested a body shop from here on my area that specializes in vettes. They did an ok job, but I wasn't fully satisfied. I think I would take it to a collector quality body shop after learning my lesson. The ones that restore cars and repaint them for a living...

 

That's awful...I'm sorry you're dealing with poor workmanship.

 

Too bad you are so far from PA. Check out County Corvette at www.countycorvette.com.
My 2006 Z51 was 9 months old (with about 2000 miles on the odometer) when I was hit by a truck which did $15,000 worth of damage. They repaired it to factory specs. I owned the car for another 8 years and never had one complaint with the results. It had 30,000 miles on it when I sold it to a friend. It is not unusual for owners who live hundeds of miles from this company to take their "baby" there for expert repairs.

 

If it is a forum dealer as you state, then contact the salesperson who posts here and see if he/she is willing to help or get involved... worth a shot.

 

I'm really sorry to hear about your troubles! It's a shame the repairs escalated for the worse. You're unfortunately in a tight spot cost wise. Since getting the repairs fixed elsewhere will most likely have to come out of pocket, instead of insurance.

I see you're quite a ways from West Chester, PA. However, we'd be more than happy to completely take care of your C7 and restore it to its original OE condition. Corvette restorations, bodywork, fiberglass repair, painting, etc is what we specialize in! All of the work is performed in house with some of the best technicians in the industry. You won't be disappointed.

We often receive Corvettes in need of repairs from all over the country. A few years ago a bunch of vettes came from Louisiana after hurricane Sandy to be completely restored. Even with endless body/water damage, it was amazing how our technicians were able to bring these cars back to the road.

If you need help figuring out transportation for your Corvette to our facility, please feel free to give us a call or send me a PM with a good number to reach you at. We're constantly working with auto transportation companies and can do some of the leg work of figuring out who you can trust and for the best price.

Hope to hear from you!

-Shane


Thanks for the referral KOMCZYK! Always appreciated.

Give me a shout if you plan on visiting the shop anytime in the future!

-Shane

 

I, like many, have had repairs done to my Corvettes over the years. Some good some not so good.
What I have found is that you need to assert your feelings about an inadequate job to the body shop manager. And then to the GM of the dealership. Be cordial and explain exactly what the problems are and what you expect.
Dealerships make a lot of money from body work and paint, if they develop a poor reputation it hurts them in the pocket book. I have never had a body shop not repair the damage in an acceptable degree after " bitching" to management.
Everyone wants their car to be perfect so stand over them like a sheep herder, let them know that you are not happy. But, be nice and don't get nasty, that becomes counterproductive.
Best of luck.
R.

 

Glad you are in my backyard. Only about 40 minutes away. I hope I don't get my 15 damaged but if I do, I know where to go now. Thanks Shane.

 

Brandon, that's one of the sad stories no one likes to experience. I've a question re: insurance. I'm assuming you used your insurance who probably filed a claim with the other person's insurance. If that's the case then wouldn't you have some rights to dispute the quality of the repair and maybe even have it fixed at another facility?

I may be all wet in that thought but maybe it's worth looking into. Someone with insurance expertise could probably add to or discredit that thought.

 

I really appreciate the advice guys. I am going to address these issues with the GM and body shop manager today to see where that gets me. This really ruined my Christmas and New Years!

 

If ever needed, we have your back

Don't forget we're a fully equipped speed shop as well. With an in house DynoJet 224. We can take care of your performance needs

-Shane


bgautreau,

Smart approach. I would do the same in your situation. Hope things work out for you and your C7!

-Shane

 

Bad enough having an accident with your brand new Vette, but then to have a repair shop botch the repairs is terrible. Wish you the best of luck and hope you can get your car re-done so it will be as good as the day you picked it up!

KOMCZYK: Thanks for posting the info. for County Corvette in PA. It is extremely difficult to find a good body shop these days, especially for Vettes. I'm in NY and wouldn't mind taking my car to someone like CC if the need should arise.

 

Sorry to hear about your mishap.

I had a similar experience a long time ago with a recommended body shop (non vette related) and regretted ever taking the car off the lot.

Since then I will not sign any paperwork until I have inspected the car with a fine toothed comb and I will not accept the car until it's made right. If the repairs involve paint matching I take my wife along as her ability to discern subtle color differences is nothing short of amazing. If it's OK with her it's OK with me. I check panel alignment, door and body gaps etc, listen for squeaks and rattles. If something isn't right I tell them to fix it first and leave. I think some people know how much you miss the car and, if it's a DD they feel like they have you over a barrel and feel they can get away with poor quality work because of it. They don't get one red cent until it's fixed to my satisfaction. I've seen some truly stunned looks on people faces when they realize that I'm willing to leave without the car and they're going to have to start over and do it right anyway.

IMO, take it back and tell them to do it right, that you will not accept sub-standard work. No ifs, ands or buts.

Everett

 

First I am sorry to hear the hell your going through with your baby. Not a good way to start off your New Year. Second, nothing against you but not sure why the body shop handled this in this direction. Usually they inform you on what exactly they will do to repair the damage. Not just repair it without keeping you in the loop. Third, did you accept the car after they were finished? I would not of if you were not happy with the work. The issue I see with talking to the body shop manager is he will want to try to fix it again. If they did that bad of a job the first time, why go through this again? I assume you went through insurance? If so, call then and let them know how unhappy and sick you are knowing how bad of a job they did and see if they will allow you to bring it elsewhere to have it fixed the correct way. Some insurance carriers will work with you and understand the headache your going through. Either way, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

What a nightmare. You might want to keep your insurance company in the loop as at some point your uninsured / under-insured coverage may come into play in getting the repair "right".

For those members in the Central Florida area I can highly recommend Burke Corvettes http://www.burkecorvettes.com

These guys are Corvette owners and meticulous craftsmen. Their body and paint work is phenomenal.

 

There aren't too many Louisiana dealers on here and the only one I've dealt with is Ross Downing. But what I'd do if you can't get satisfaction and a satisfactory job done at the dealer is to talk with your area Corvette clubs as to what shop their members use. While your car doesn't qualify for the old restoration group, NCRS, they do have a chapter prez that may know of an indie (independent) shop in your area (Joan Burnett joanieburnett@gmail.com). I'd bet at least a few members of your local Corvette club also belong to NCRS. Good luck with it.

 

Some insurance companies guarantee their work. I'd get them involved.

 

Move to Florida!!!!

 

That shoddy work would make sick also brother. Just thinking out loud here, but maybe you can get your insurance adjuster to meet you at the dealership. I'm sure you're hesitant to let this dealer touch your car again. Hopefully you can work out an agreement to take your baby to a competent body man. Good luck.

 

I would suggest NOT authorizing work to begin until the repair facility representative (advisor if it's a large facility like a dealership or the owner if it's a smaller facility) goes over the work order and explains exactly what the repair will entail. This way you have the chance to decide if their estimate is adequate and you thoroughly understand what will be done to your baby.

When I had to have some minor work on my C4 years ago, I had two reputable body shops provide estimates. I had previous experience with both, so I knew that both would do a good job. But one facility was going to do a lot more work, including blending onto adjacent panels, whereas the other place claimed that they could spot repair (and if I wasn't happy, then they could paint/blend). I like minimizing the amount of refinishing, so I went with the second shop, and it turned out flawlessly. But I had each shop explain what was going to be done, then made the decision.

Good luck, I'm sure that your car will be returned to an excellent appearance. Just ask questions until you are comfortable, then let them proceed.