Just needed to vent

[wasupdu]

My Z4 was a victim of a hit and run a few weeks ago when someone backed into the left front fender. Had this have been 10 years ago I would've been insistent that the repairs were done at a BMW certified facility, but given that the value of the vehicle is less than $15k at this point I really wanted to weigh all my options.

A bodyshop a couple miles down the road bid the job about $400 less than others including blending in the door and had very good reviews online and a couple higher end german cars in their bays, and it was very realistic that I could fix everything without making an insurance claim.

I was able to get in 3 days later after the OEM fender arrived. I received a call 4 days later that everything was complete. I picked up the car right before they closed at 5:30pm when it was pitch black. I've had repairs done throughout the years and have never had a problem, so it didn't even cross my mind that there could be an issue here. I drove the car home and a few days later while putzing around in the garage with the lights on, it damn near knocked me over. From 10+ feet away you could see a paint drip mark running down the edge of the fender. In addition to the paint drip mark, the panels didn't seem to fit together quite right. The gaps are all over the place compared to the other side. The door was re-sprayed to blend the paint, but there's a surface imperfection where you can see that the paint is already bubbling. I brought the car back and the service tech immediately noticed the problems, although he wasn't sympathetic.

Anyways, I get a call 3 days later saying that they had their best tech looked at it and everything is fixed. I arrived and immediately noticed that the panels fit better, but the paint drip mark was still there, although slightly improved. It turned out that they thought wet sanding could be done to remove the imperfection. I'm really not an a-hole (most of the time) but this was clearly a band-aid on the problem. Fast forward 2 WEEKS and they're saying my car is still not done. What a headache...

[RABAUKE]

That's BULLSHIT!

[antennahead]

I hate to be one of those "it seems no one does quality work anymore" guys ........ but I swear, it's getting harder to find people who take pride in their work these days. Also, a BMW certified repair facility is no guarantee of good work. I got rear ended 2 years ago by some young girls in an old SUV ...... they were partying and the driver had her cell phone in both hands on top of the steering wheel trying to "multi task" ....... that's an entire issue in itself, I digress, but back to the accident............... had to get a new trunk lid and respray. It was cloudy when I picked up the car and I didn't notice that I had grains of sand/dirt in the clear coat in quite a few spots....... basically the paint booth or drying station wasn't sealed properly. I buffed it out myself and ended up keeping it, although the one small fish eye couldn't be fixed without a respray. Pissed me off as well. Good luck on your repairs, make them do it right!

John

[Vanne]

man, i hear ya, I've also been the "Oh yeah, you can pick up your car a closing time.." ..never.. ever do .. that.. again!!!.. ever!!!

that is the first red flag that should go up..

now i pick up my car during the day, and i drive the car outside of the shop to get a good look at her..

too many dodgy mofo's around these days mate.

hope you get it sorted man..

[Huz-Z]

I would tell them that the car WILL be done by (insert day of your choice) or they can deal with your lawyer.

Here's to hoping you get this properly sorted .

[funkle]

Thats a bummer. Just curious why you didn't want to make an insurance claim. If it is not your fault, the claim should not affect your rates. Some policies even have a hit and run waiver that will pay the deductible.

[chickdr]

It is sad how many substandard places exist and seem to continue to get business.

I have a good story to counter all the bad ones. On my 2011 Toyota Tacoma I needed the tailgate repaired(several dents). I have a friend at work whose husband works for a large Atlanta dealerships body shop. They work on all types of cars, but I was still a bit leery about it. The nice thing was I could just remove the tailgate and leave it. I was concerned about the paint match as they had to respray the entire tailgate. When I picked it up I was shocked how good it looked. It is a perfect match and has no discernible defects. It is the first time I have had work done and been pleased on pickup.

If something ever happens to my M, I will likely let them work on it.

[DEG]

For those members in Michigan, particularly in the Pontiac area, my go to place is Autometric. They have multiple sites but one deals with higher end imports. They are pricey, but their workmanship is outstanding. Many times in this area of business the old saying "You get what you pay for" is very true.

[wasupdu]

Originally Posted by funkle

Thats a bummer. Just curious why you didn't want to make an insurance claim. If it is not your fault, the claim should not affect your rates. Some policies even have a hit and run waiver that will pay the deductible.

True, in theory. I've been with State Farm for 15+ years knowing that they're not the cheapest game in town, but they've been VERY easy to work with... up until they recently introduced their new claim system. The 2 girls that work for my agent are the best. Always polite and truly go the extra mile. Problem is: Even though I was at no fault since the vehicle was parked, they couldn't tell me definitively wheather my premiums would increase or not. I was told that my premium would NOT increase from this claim, however State Farm periodically reviews what they're paying out and can arbitrairly increase premiums. I'm convinced that it's all a scandal, but what can you do?

[wasupdu]

Just a quick update - My Z4 is STILL at the bodyshop.

It's been there since the first week in October for a simple fender repair. $1,000 job. They're now claiming that BMW has a bad batch of fenders that don't fit right. What am I to do? To add insult to injury, when I called the bodyshop and asked what what going on, they explained the problem and stressed that "at least you're getting free storage for a few months"... WTF? I told him I have a 4+ car garage and he suddenly went silent. Sure, I don't need the car right now since there's snow on the ground, but c'mon.