ouch! too bad you had to be there to witness the mishap. my father once had his truck in the garage for service, being a standard shift the mechanic jump out of the truck while in gear and the engine running and *WHAM* right into the concrete wall! $5,000.00 worth of damage. to add injury to insult they gave him a piece of crap dodge volare for a loaner!

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1998 xlt off road 5.4lsupercab auto pacific green clearcoat power drivers seat, keyless remote with factory alarm, tow package

 

Ohhh! If that was mine...
POW POW POW POW POW POW, reload & repeat.

I sure hope they fix it good as new.

------------------
Rich
1999.5 SVT Lightning - Red. 100HP Shot NOS, BellTech 3/4 drop, Super Chip(TRAC). K&N Filter. Viper Alarm w/remote start, Sir Michael's roll pan, smooth corners and steps w/billet inserts, clear corner lenses, Cervinis Ram Air hood, ARE Cover w/ wing, Momo billet pedals, cd changer, cover, Phantom boost and nitrous gauges, MTX Thunderform w/ 2 10" MTX Thunder 4000 subs. 5-channel 500w. Clarion amp.(APA5241), (4)Polk Audio 3-way, 130w. DX 7's, Color-matched Muth signal mirrors, Soundproofed cab, BedRug, Trenz billet grills, Piaa 9007 Super Whites, etc. Build #2755
TampaSVT@Tampabay.rr.com

http://home.tampabay.rr.com/tampasvt/

2001 PT Cruiser - Limited Edition
1999.5 Expedition XLT

 

Last week I had a Dealer encounter of the wrong kind too. Not as bad as yours, thank God.

Went in for an oil change, etc, at Dealer which is very conveniently located from work.

So, the oil change gomer that services the truck is a greasy mess. Long greasy stain on his shirt sleeve running from his right shoulder to his cuff. Pants filthy too, but not quite as bad. Of course,the result is the drivers seat ends up being is a mess when I get the truck back. And there are greasy handprints on the inside and outside the door and outside the hood with oil dripped over the engine. But, thank the Lord for Scotch-guard. Grease came right off.

I made fun of this clod by pretty much calling him a slob in front of the all service writers who got a big laugh at his expense. Complained to the service manager too.

I can well imagine this dip-sh't was probably making the same mess in all the other vehicles he serviced that afternoon.

 

Clonetek

Man Really sorry for you..I feel your pain,

If I were you I would be talking to the owner of the shop about how they just "devalued" your limited edition rare Truck.

No matter what they do a good body man will be able to see the repair from 10 feet away, forever!...Its there job to find this stuff and they are the ones asked to look at sale/trade time.

Besides no one is going to care what happened to the truck just that it did.

Be Firm...be honest. You had a mint truck that had normal wear on it and now it has to be repaired in a major way!

Have them get there money out of the next guy..not you, if they give you any cr@p call a laywer.

Good luck

Eric

------------------
eric@sapp.com
2000 Silver Lightning
#1763 Built 3/30/00
Airaid
Superchips R9
94 Black (Gone but not Forgotten)
And When I Miss Her,
I just make the 2K SC Scream and I don't Feel so bad.

What happens when a Lightning shows up to race?

 

Clonetek-
I am really sorry to hear about the damage. especially to a sweet truck like yours. I would be majorly pi$$ed as well. good luck, i hope they fix it right, or don't accept it.

------------------
Bill
'00 white lightning-#2030 of 4966-4/6/00 thursday
muth mirrors,door number pad mod,
clear corners, super white; headlights,corners,fogs,
trenz billet upper and lower grills, billet 3rd brake light cover,
harley davidson bed cover,
JDM flip chip, JDM lower pulley, J.L. stage 2 ram air kit on order
more to come....
my zing album-http://www.zing.com/album/?id=4293038163
'00 harley davidson FLSTC tons of custom parts..
'99.5 nissan pathfinder le-STILLEN EQUIPPED
'88 toyota show truck(TONKA)
'91 toyota mr2 turbo
'00 yamaha banshee(toomy race kit/chrome pipes)

 

i'm glad you all feel the same way about my truck... *sniff*

my local dealer isn't a SVT dealership.
i don't see how they would justify buying me a new '01 lightning because of the damage on mine. dont get me wrong, i'd love to have a new truck, but i'd hate to look like an *** by demanding a new truck and getting nothing.

if the body work doesnt look as good as i want it, i will be a major bitch.
i would love to at least get a extended warranty out of this. any lawyers on here that can help me?

brooks

 

welp.. going to the glass shop to get the back glass replaced.. then maybe i'll go to the trim shop to let them fix the drivers side seat. *yawn* graveyard shift sux.

i'll try not to drive near any car lifts either.

[This message has been edited by clonetek (edited 01-30-2001).]

 

Just for reference, I have a friend whose Lighting was rearended, estimate was $5500 for body work to fix. He makes the "limited edition" argument, notes that this Major Repair is now listed on CarFax and similar services and the attending depreciation. It must have been a helluva an argument, they REPLACED the truck! Bought it and gave him a new one for a very small fee to cover his accumulated useage (had 7,000 miles onthe clock)

Give em hell!

G

 

Holy shizit!!!

That is horrible. I feel for ya Clone.

I don't have a dealer mishap, but I do have a factory paint defect...lack of paint on the side of the flareside bed from the factory.
I would have had to hurt someone severely if they dropped my truck, or even left a dirty fingerprint on the tire tread...I'm a little **** about that stuff.

Good luck with your repair...I agree, I doubt they would replace your truck, but it does appear to have frame damage in the one pic. Is that right? If so, they have to do something spectacular for you. Frame damage is a HUUUGE problem when it comes to resale. If you plan on selling it anytime soon that is. Which, why would you want to? It's a beautiful ride.

------------------
--Lariat4WD--

2000 Ford F-150 Extended Cab Flareside 4x4 Lariat
5.4L;auto;3.55LS;Black/Silver;ORP;remote keyless;floor-shift 4wd;Class III;AM/FM/SingleCD
Mods so far:
Lund X-Terminator bug shield; Vent Shade Vent Visors; GTS headlight blackouts; Westin Black step bars; Pendaliner bedliner; Genuine Steel Products (Longtek Engineering) black Safari Grille Guard; GTS Tail Blazer II Slotted taillight covers; Clear corner lenses; under hitch backup lights; 2 KC Hilites Daylighter 6" 150W black round off-road lights; Cranked torsion bars to level truck; Removed lower factory striping; Replaced factory gold & maroon ORP decals with silver; 2 Polk Audio EX10 10" subs under rear seat; Sony XM754HX amp; Viper 300ESP alarm
Pending
Replacing factory gold/maroon Lariat decals & upper stripes with silver & black
Wish list:
More lights; Flowmaster 40 Series single to dual exhaust w/ 18" SS tips out back; Optima red top battery; Remote starter & Prox. sensor; In-dash TV/CD/DVD/AM/FM head unit; Build house w/ huge garage with a drain and a lift.

Please Visit My Web Site (Updated Daily) and Sign My Guest Book

[This message has been edited by lariat4wd (edited 01-30-2001).]

 

sorry to hear about the truck. just to let you know you're not alone though, i thought i would tell you about a car last summer. went to a shop to pick up my friends vw with him. when we arrived we peeked in the shop looking for the manager to get his car. what did we see... a brand new saab lying entirely on it's side. seems the mech had it up on the lift far enough to walk under when it decided to "jump" off.
they were waiting for the owner to arrive so they could show him the damage. we didn't stick around for that, hate to be a witness in a homicide or whatever.
and yes, talking to the manager, he seemed almost casual about it. oh well these things happen, we'll just fix it. no care in the world.

 

Hopefully The Body Man is a little more compitent than the front end Guy! The right person using the right tools, materials and procedures can restore Your truck to your satisfaction. Major damage properly repaired can be almost undectable. I hope this makes You feel a little better. By the time It is repaired You will be glad to have it back. I wouldnt accept anything less than perfection on the repair. I have been around body shop work for a long time and have seen some really good work! Good Luck

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2001 Super Crew Lariat 4X4 Bright Red, Factory Steps, Tow Package, A.R.E. LS II, Rear Seat Entertainment System, Sound System Upgrades DRL'S, Vent Shade Vent Visors, Stagecoach bug Deflector.

 

Clonetek: I don't really know about Louisiana law, but if I were you I would:
1. Get at least 3 body shops to look at the truck to verify the FULL EXTENT of the damage, including potential frame damage.
2. Find an appraiser who is aware of the significance of your truck as a high performance, limited edition vehicle with significant collector status, and have him give you an appraisal of its value BEFORE YOUR REPAIRS ARE MADE.
3. Establish contact with the dealership owner before you get the repairs done, and get REALLY PI$$ED OFF about this incident, and take a position that this has ruined the truck from a collector's point of view, that the truck can't be put back into the condition it was before the drop, and that even if the repairs LOOK good, and the paint SEEMS TO MATCH, it won't be the same because now it is no longer an UNMOLESTED ORIGINAL LIGHTNING.
4. The dealer will listen if you ask for depreciation $$, because the repairs, if they make them, really won't cost them a thing. You should ask for 3 times what you're willing to take, then negotiate.
5. If they don't make a good faith effort to settle with you for a reasonable amount, you could practically take them to court yourself. This is an easy case, and a judge will probably be sympathetic to you if you're in court representing yourself against a dealer, under these circumstances. If you get a lawyer, you probably will be able to get one to take the case on a flat fee basis, or maybe a contingency, as the facts are simple and clear, and damages are easy to prove.
I hope this gives you some ideas.

 

Damn, It hurts just to look at those pics. I have got to bring mine in on Monday, I'm going to be watching them like a hawk, not like I don't anyway I hope you are able to get a satisfactory resolution.

------------------
GalaxyEng
2000 RED #2926
BedRug, Haig custom mats

 

Hey clonetek,

I would kick their a$$.

 

thanks for all the info gdlawyer!!
i'll have my insurace company & another couple of places look it over.

any bodymen/women on here care to tell me how hard it is to fix that spot?