DDLexus

I had to share my experience with you and ask for some suggestions...
When I purchased my SC430 this January I bought the car with the intention of repainting the front right fender as the previous owner damaged it and had a poor paint job in terms of color matching on the fender.

I located a "reputable" paint and collision shop, got the quote, compared their pricing to others and selected them to do the work. I dropped off my car to have the fender repainted, have some rock chips on the hood filled and painted, and blended. When the car was ready, 4 days later, I was very disappointed in the job they did.

I noted several problems with the job. Namely the paint was "cloudy" and didn't appear to be consistent on the areas that they painted. I pointed this out to the owner and they offered to repaint. After coming home, I noticed there was overspray on the windshield. Also, one clip in the engine compartment was missing and the other was broken. Finally, there was a fingerprint mark with clearcoat on my back fender on the opposite side of the car being worked on. Before going to this shop, I took my video camera and recorded the condition of the car both inside and out. I'm at the point where I don't want to pay these guys and would like to take it somewhere else.

What do you think I can/should do? I'm not confident this shop can get the job done right.

Look at the pics...

Radical350

Sorry to hear it DDLexus,
It is sooo hard to pick the right place for any repairs. Even the “right” place may sometimes deliver a poor result. I feel for ya.

For paint work... I would seek a shop that comes recommended by a friend, family member, or from a fellow CL member. With your own eyes; check the visible result of their work on another car first. I know this is not always an easy way of going about it, and may be limited by your location and contacts.

Good luck to you.

aquanuke

I would try and have it done at a Lexus dealer, I know they might put it out to another garage but atleast you would be able to go back to them untill it was right.

First time I had my car serviced at Lexus they phoned me up and said they had an accident on the ramp with my sideskirts and needed a couple of days to put it right. I never saw the condition of it but when I got it back it was perfect I would have never guessed it had been repainted.

Yes

silver is the toughest color to match. i had some work done on my car and went to a lexus certified repair shop. they buy their paint from lexus, so it was a perfect match. your local dealer should be able to recommend a shop

JohnnyCake

The second pix looks like they did it with a bottle of touch-up paint. If you paid them more then twenty bucks you have a legitimate complaint. Your recourse is small claims court unless you can reach an agreement with the shop.

DDLexus

After spilling my disgust all over the owner, I let them try again to "make it right". I pointed out all the problems and they assured me that they screwed it up and will fix it all. I was just called to come pick the car up. They say is looks good now and everything is fixed.

I really hope it looks good. I've been without my car for the last 8 days. I don't wanna go thru this again. I'll keep you guys posted on the results. I now wonder if they will offer a discount on their work since it was a major inconvenience for me (and very costly for them). I will be bold and ask them for compensation. Its worth asking I suppose.

Yes

i would have asked for a rental car at the very least

DDLexus

I picked the car up and was disappointed to see a color variation on the panels that had paint and/or clearcoat and the original panels. I took the car in there in the first place because the previous owner painted the fender and it didn't have the color tint perfect.

Now, the color is closer, but still noticeable. Another problem I noticed on the way home was the temperature readout for ourside temp was reading about 15 degrees F below what is should. I think 1) the sensor was damaged in their removal process or 2) the sensor was not correctly re-installed. Anyone have a clue where it is and what is more likely situation?

I'm reluctant to go back to their shop. If I can fix the sensor issue, I can cut my ties to them. I will post pics tomorrow.

DDLexus

Rental was offered and I declined it 'cause I was out of town on business anyway.