Not with my first wreck, but it was my parents fighting the insurance, not me

And everything i had on the front of my truck was OEM Ford parts, from other models, they were going to replace them but they didnt add value to my truck, actually worked against me because it ran up the parts bill against the value of the truck.

 

Still waiting for my truck now they are saying this Friday 11-12-2010

 

Im in the same boat Tony. I have been without my truck now for 5 weeks now due to an accident. I was suppose to get it back last week. Then I was told today. I'm hoping I'll have her back by next Tuesday. I want my baby back, baby back, baby back.

 

off-topic slightly...but have you been provided with a rental vehicle since the accident?


your repair seems excessivly long for not alot of damage. I've repaired worse damage in my driveway before in 2-3 days all by myself. I can see maybe 3 weeks for the whole job, not 2+ months

 

Well, Friday it wasn't ready so now they are saying Tuesday or Wednesday.
Yes I have a rental for this entire time, after sixty days you have to renew the contract so I went back to the rental agency and they gave me another car which was another GMC Acadia? the first contract came to $3,200 We shall see what this one will be for the last two weeks.
Two Months is a long time especially when they said it would be three to four weeks, I have been trying to be patient but that is running out. They did say that they where making it perfect for me since I have waited so long.

 

so if the repair had taken say 3 weeks...would the truck have been returned less than perfect?

I'd call your insurance company and raise holy hell. point out specifically that they have placed you in a rental for the past ~60 days and it's costing them a ton of money.

at this point, the shop is jerking you around. it's obvious they aren't prioritizing your truck. Which incidentally I think might be your fault in a round about way. When a Body Shop becomes part of the Insurance Companies "trusted" network, they basically agree to set prices for repairs.

when you had your truck re-evaluated, I wouldn't be surprised if the body shop had the repair crammed down their throats at a much cheaper cost than they would have normally charged...and now they are fixing the truck as they get around to it.



When Ford makes millions of these trucks, parts are everywhere. There isn't a single part on that truck that they can't get within 1 week. Even out here in Hawaii it takes no time. You might want to start making waves. I know I would

 

Tylus, I told them today that I am picking this truck up on Friday finished or not, If not finished then I will take it to another shop to be finished and they will have to wait to get paid. I am Pissed, My patients is gone all used up now.

This place does lots of Fire trucks and ambulances so I think they give them priority. not good business though since I will most definitely not recommend them to anyone.

 

Insurance Company won't go for that. They initiated the repair with one place and the repairs haven't been completed yet.

You'll have to wait until the truck has been returned. then if any issue still exists, you can have the Insurance Company authorize a different shop to finish the repairs. But until the original repair order is completed you are stuck with these incompetants

 

That looks like 05 black 150 last winter when i went skating on ice on the highway and spun around hit the guard rail at 40mph! Worst feeling ever! Know how u feel man! Good luck!

 

Did the paying Insurance company recommend this particular shop? If they did then you would have a leg to stand on, if not then your on your own. As far as sixty days is concerned, last time we replaced a frame on a GM truck it took 4 weeks just to get the frame. When the frame came in and was delivered to me, it was in such bad condition (heavily rusted ) that it appeared to used. The customer just happened to be there that morning and he himself instructed me to refuse that frame. It then took another 3 weeks to get another frame. Needless to say the Insurance company refused to pay the entire rental bill and I was taken off this companies list for taking so long with the repair. In the end we lost business because we tried to do the right thing for the customer. Unfortunately I learned the hard way and lost alot of future business. Also as a shop owner I can tell you that no matter what the circumstances, we wouldn't allow a vehicle to leave the shop unfinished or unpaid. I think your going to have to stick this one out and deal with the fallout after the truck is returned.

 

Got my truck back finally, it still needs to go back for new parts when they come in. I am not impressed with the job they did so far. Grill is crooked they can't seem to be able to get it straight. hood vents below windshield are not installed correctly. dirty and they did not buff out the rest of the truck to make it blend in with the new paint..

 

Any pics?

Also, if the repairs aren't perfect, it could be because you pissed them off trying to get them to hurry up and they didn't take the time to fix the little things still wrong with it.

From what I understand, the truck was originally totaled. And then you managed to get it cleared and repaired. I am betting this ended up costing the body shop money and you became more of a thorn in their side rather than a customer they'd like to have return, so they did what they could when they didn't have customers they were earning a profit from.

if all of those things were wrong with it, I would have not accepted the truck back and would have told them to make it perfect. if that meant another 3 months without my truck, so be it.

 

While I'm glad you finally got your truck back, but as a body shop owner I feel I need to not necessarily defend this shop in particular but the industry as a whole. I'm sure if you knew exactly what went on between the shop and the Insurance carrier that paid to fix the truck you might have a different opinion or at least a better understanding of what we as shops have to go through everyday. I am surprised when I talk to people (customers) that think body shops are paid $80 to $100 and hour. Did you know that depending on the area its more like $44? That ridiculous amount is not by our choice its jammed down our throats by the Insurance industry. Don't you think that unrealistic hourly rates could have an effect on the quality of the techs that are hired to repair these vehicles? You also mentioned that the shop didn't buff out the rest of the truck to make it look better next to the new paint. Did they get paid to do that? Like a real detail shop would? I doubt it. In fact most Insurance companies don't even want to pay to wash & vacuum the vehicle before its delivered back to the customer. And if they do the norm is $15. I doubt any shop would buff and wax a truck for $15. I don't mean to bust your chops but you need to know the whole story before just singling out the shop here, they were only a small part of the equation.

 

As a former body man (who worked in some very nice shops that produced top quality work) I can tell you that what 402 Motoring says is FACT! I would not lower my standards and finally left the retail body and frame trade (plus did painting at one time) because the LOW IQ adjusters possessed the check book and turned you every way but inside out. As a matter of fact most of the really top notch body men that I knew and worked with eventually left and were replaced by people for whom English was definitely a second language. As the cars have become progressively more complicated (and believe me they are), the trades people working on them have become less and less qualified. Being retired now, I only pray I am never involved in an accident where the car is heavily damaged, but the insurance wants to repair it. The body business isn't one I'd want to be in today, for any amount of money. I feel for the person I'm responding to, most of them are between a rock and a hard place. All that he said is true. It's been a long time since the body shop owner was able to set in his own seat. The low double digit IQ adjuster has grown to it.

 

Sorry to hear this. I would be pissed also. I'm not sure who's at fault but I hope you get things worked out