ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

Facts and events:

• Sideswiped on the passenger side rear fender, wheel, and bumper.
• Body shop replaced passenger side rear quarter panel, and refinished wheel and bumper.
• Picked up the car after the repairs but wheel is now rubbing.
• Alignment shows everything is within specs.
• I roll the fender lip slightly and that eliminated most of the rubbing. It is now only rubbing against the bumper where it meets the metal fender. I can’t roll the bumper.
• I notice that there is a slight dimple/indentation/pushed in where the bumper meets the fender, similar to how it looked during the accident.

Now i bring it back to the body shop and they refuse to fix the dimple/indentation. I spend 2 hours there arguing my case but they refuse to take any responsibility.

These are their arguments:
1. They replaced the quarter panel to oem specs. Measurements of the depth of the wheel well prove this, except where the indentation is.
2. The indentation was NOT there when I picked up the car. It was created from the up and down movement of the suspension and the wheel rubbing against it.
3. Shop manager says he did not notice the dimple/indentation when they did the final inspection and he does this all the time for a living so that’s something he would have noticed.
3. My aftermarket suspension caused the rear suspension to shift. They say the cross-member is shifted.
4. The suspension was shifted during the accident.
5. It is my word against theirs that the wheel wasn’t rubbing before the accident.

These are my arguments:
1. If it wasn’t rubbing before the accident, then it shouldn’t rub after the accident.
2. The dimple/indentation would not have been created by rubbing if they fixed it so it didn’t rub.
3. The dimple/indentation was not properly fixed during the repair. The dimple/indentation looks similar and has the same characteristics to pictures at the time of the accident.
4. Up and down movement of the suspension cannot cause that indentation. Cars running wheels with extreme offsets and rubbing the lettering off the sidewall do not have that indentation.
5. The shop manager failed to notice that they forgot to reinstall the stone guard, so how can he notice the indentation?
6. As a full-service body shop, don’t they check the suspension of the car after an accident to see if the suspension shifted or not? And if it did, they should fix it.

My questions:
1. Can coilovers, f-sport sway bars, braces, and aftermarket rims and tires cause the cross member to shift causing the whole suspension to shift to one side?
2. Can a suspension shift during an accident but still have within spec wheel alignment?

These are pics at the accident site:






you can see the dent/indentation where the corner of the bumper point meets the fender/wheel well.

now here are pics of what it looks like today:













this is what the other side looks like.

Sorry for the long post, but just trying to gather ideas on what I can do to remedy this. The shop manager tried to compromise and said they would fix it but I would have to pay for the paint. I told him that wasn't acceptable since this isn't my fault. I plan on talking to the director when he gets back from vacation. I think my arguments are pretty solid but if I can't get any satisfaction from the body shop, what other course of action can I take? talk to my insurance? or file a case with the bbb? do body shops belong to any type of organizational governing body? Thanks for any advice!

ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

here are additional pictures:


you can see it's indented a few millimeters.


pretty much flush on the other side.

radicalrev

iTrader: (2)

is there like a metal screw on the rear bumper that meets the rear fender? (just like the front)

if there is, then maybe when you damaged the fender/bumper, the screw was bent outwards.

This happens to my front fender/bumper due to rubbing too much, and so I have the indentation on my front fender where the fender and bumper meet, just like you have on the rear.

t0e

iTrader: (1)

Did you show them with the ruler, the curve in the fender / Bumper?

Its very obvious, when you look at it, that something is off.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

it looks pretty obvious that something doesn't fit right

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

if you have insurance can't you have them deal with it? not sure otherwise i would call Lexus corporate about it.

ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

yeah they agree that it's indented. what they're saying is that the up and down motion of the suspension rubbing against the fender lip caused it. they're saying that when they released the car to me, it was flush.

to me... metal > rubber. rubber will wear away before metal will bend like that in the pictures. even if rubbing caused the metal to bend, i don't see how it would create an indentation like that... which looks very similar to the damage from the accident.

ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

well i went thru my insurance which billed the other party's insurance. this was way back in December when the repairs was completed. I think I will bring this up with my insurance to see what my course of action may be if I can't get anywhere with the body shop.

I don't think Lexus corporate can do anything about it since this isn't a manufacturer's body shop. It's called Longo Collision, a Penske company. So I don't think it's under the governing powers of Toyota, Scion or Lexus. They answer to Penske.

Can anybody think of arguments the body shop may come up with that I did not list? Or can think of additional arguments that I can use in my favor?

ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

I don't think there's a metal screw in the back bumper like there is in the front. If there was, it should have been fixed during the repair when they replaced the quarter panel.

renren7

iTrader: (2)

your pictures arent showing anymore... =) only two are still good

I'd so talk to your insurance guys or maybe a free consultation to a laywer if you want it to that extreme, but i dont think its nec..

Plus since you're arguing with them, I wouldnt trust a body shop to do stuff on my car when i argued with them... Just not enough trust anymore =)

FiSta

iTrader: (4)

looking at the before and after pictures, the bumper was not fixed correctly....so when they put the quarter panel on they probably shaped it to the bumper instead to spec like they said.

I also had experience with the suspension shift after a collision, but didn't catch until weeks after, and because of that I had to pay about a grand to replace a control arm. But you're right, they are suppose to check the suspension before and after doing the work. And by checking, just an alignment won't cut it. Take a look at your bill summary and see if they more than just an alignment.

D1GP

Why take it to a dealership? Because they are OEM?

Always take it to someone who appreciates and take care of your shiet

If you want to go Longo, travel up the 210 a little further to Platinum VIP

626 472 7847

ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

i figured a large company would take better responsibility behind the work they do versus a smaller mom n pop shop. but you're right and i've learned my lesson now... should've taken it to kennedy.

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

Should've done Western