Poor body work repair

funnyclub

Guys just wanted your opinion on this I recently bought a car from the uk and it was pretty much mint apart from some small dents around bought rear arches close to the door from what look s like the previous owner hitting a baby car seat off it.
Anyway I wanted the bodywork all looking new so I wanted to get the dents sorted, I was going to go down the pdr but they would of had to drill into the panel in the door well and fit a geometry after which I didn’t want so I approached a body repair shop who assured me they could fix it and you wouldn’t know after (I know it won’t be fully undetectable)

Anyway I dropped the car off yesterday and collected later that day, was dark by the time I got home but I went out with my torch to look over it and while it looks good from a distance you can see scratches in the primer under the paint.

I said I’d wait till daylight to judge it properly, now it’s not as bad in daylight but when the sun hits it or you get up really close you can still see the lines in the primer.

Now am I being overly fussy or surely the primer should of been sanded as smooth as possible, it’s looks to me like the sand paper used was too coarse.

Let me know what you think tnx

mickdw

No photo but yes, you should not be able to detect anything like that after the repair.

funnyclub

Here is a photo of one part there are other areas like this but this is the best I could pick up in a photo.

biko

If that was the area they should have fixed then just bring it back and point out the scratches.
Ask for it to be fixed as part of initial fix (free).

funnyclub

biko wrote: »

If that was the area they should have fixed then just bring it back and point out the scratches.
Ask for it to be fixed as part of initial fix (free).

Yes I was actually on both sides they repaired. I have contacted and they said to bring it back and they’ll sort it which I am.

Baffles me how they could send a car out like that!

Stallingrad

That's a terrible repair, I wouldn't have much confidence bringing the car back to them.

funnyclub

Stallingrad wrote: »

That's a terrible repair, I wouldn't have much confidence bringing the car back to them.

Yes that’s what worries me

E30i

Had you seen previous examples of their work OP or did they come recommended?

dr.fuzzenstein

Christ, that looks like they sanded it down with 80 grit paper and sprayed over it.
I'm a ham-fisted buffoon, but I could do better with some P38, some sheets of sandpaper and a few rattle cans.

funnyclub

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Christ, that looks like they sanded it down with 80 grit paper and sprayed over it.
I'm a ham-fisted buffoon, but I could do better with some P38, some sheets of sandpaper and a few rattle cans.

Yes I mentioned that to them that the primer didn’t look like it was sanded smooth and they got a bit smart with their reply.

funnyclub

E30i wrote: »

Had you seen previous examples of their work OP or did they come recommended?

Just went off fb reviews foolishly, hindsight is a marvellous thing

Foxhole Norman

Yeah that's a brutal repair, it's even quite dead for a newly painted panel. They're going to have to paint that again but I'd almost be asking for a refund and going elsewhere.

E30i

funnyclub wrote: »

Just went off fb reviews foolishly, hindsight is a marvellous thing

Did you search from them on Boards in case anyone had had prior experience?

funnyclub

E30i wrote: »

Did you search from them on Boards in case anyone had had prior experience?

Nope

Stallingrad

Sometimes a recommendation is no guarantee. I was recommended a paint shop via a few boardsie's years ago and the job was far from perfect. Pot luck sometimes.

funnyclub

I have requested a refund so will see what happens.
Am I within my rights to get a refund does anyone know?

Tnx

Cee-Jay-Cee

It looks like a very poor job, they rubbed it down with a low grit paper and I'd also guess the filler wasn't fully dry when it was painted.

mikeysmith

funnyclub wrote: »

I have requested a refund so will see what happens.
Am I within my rights to get a refund does anyone know?

Tnx

Doubt it tbh

Prob a repair

funnyclub

Got a 2nd opinion and it’s worse than I even noticed myself originally with dirt and marks under the lacquer on part of panel that wasn’t repaired.

Toyotafanboi

The biggest red flag IMO was that you could drop it off in the morning and pick it up that same afternoon. Prep, shape, dry, prime, dry, paint, dry, polish and all in 6 ish hours? Even for a small job, that's a rush.

That said they may not be cowboys, they may have just over promised a job and rushed it and let themselves down too. I'd certainly give them the opportunity to rectify and let them know you're not in a rush do they aren't afraid to take their time.

As per the example of the thread where the garage didn't tighten the sump bung the other week, genuine errors can occur with the best of intentions and the real way to define a company is how they will handle your complaint.

Out of interest how much did you pay for the repair and what kind of establishment is it?

funnyclub

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

The biggest red flag IMO was that you could drop it off in the morning and pick it up that same afternoon. Prep, shape, dry, prime, dry, paint, dry, polish and all in 6 ish hours? Even for a small job, that's a rush.

That said they may not be cowboys, they may have just over promised a job and rushed it and let themselves down too. I'd certainly give them the opportunity to rectify and let them know you're not in a rush do they aren't afraid to take their time.

As per the example of the thread where the garage didn't tighten the sump bung the other week, genuine errors can occur with the best of intentions and the real way to define a company is how they will handle your complaint.

Out of interest how much did you pay for the repair and what kind of establishment is it?

They guy has told me that a member off staff never turned in and they were under pressure. I said I can understand people being under pressure but as a customer I should not have received my car in the way I did and I would have preferred if they rang and told me the car would be delayed, I would not have minded if I had received the car later than expected but with a perfect job done.

I have attached pics of the little dents I needed repairing on both sides of the car and it came to 400 Euro. The rest of the car was mint so I just bought wanted it fully mint.

As far as I know they are a well established company over 5 years in business.

They assure me they will have the car repaired 100% and I said to them like you recommend above that I’d rather they take their time and get it right cause if it’s not right I’ll be wanting a full refund. So we will see, I’m still kinda unsure if I should let them try repair it.

funnyclub

Pics of the little dents I wanted repaired.

JohnBoy26

I can see that filler cracking in a few years time and rust seeping through.

JohnBoy26

funnyclub wrote: »

Pics of the little dents I wanted repaired.

They are very small, personally I wouldn't of bothered but thst is no help to you now.

JoeA3

Personally I’d have tried a good PDR guy first too, always best to avoid painting wherever possible imo, but as said, that’s useless advice at this point.

To me it looks like a so-called “SMART” repair were carried out. But for €400 I’d expect a bit more than a smart repair.

A lot of body shops are doing these smart repairs now for small scuffs and dings - it keeps the repair as localised as possible and they use “smart” repair techniques rather than more traditional “paint half the car” approach..

There’s pros and cons (main pro for Smart is cost/time). You’re obviously a fussy customer or someone with a keen eye... many people would look at your finished job and see the shiny clean car and think it’s a top notch job. Different expectation levels, hence the danger of relying on the likes of Facebook for recommendations.

I’d probably give them a chance to rectify it.

It’s just so hard to get anyone to do a job properly the first time isn’t it.

funnyclub

I was initally going to go down the pdr route but to access that area they would of had to drill a hole on the wheel well the side you seenof the wheel arch when the door is open and then fill the hole with a grommet after.
I didn’t fancy having the 2 grommets either side to be honest.

With regards the work that was being carried out it sounded to be like they were going to do a good job and repair the area and also blow into the door to match the paint with the car being silver.

The garage I brought it to for a 2nd opinion said the colour match was decent it’s just like they rushed the rest and even though they assure me the car will be 100% after and I could bring to any vw garage after I am still as you can imagine reluctant to let them do the work.

It should never have come to this by rushing the job they have wasted my time, wasted their own time and also risking their reputation.

funnyclub

Well I decided not to give them the chance to repair the car as I just didn’t trust that they could do it right so I told them I wanted a refund and they gave me my money back.

Funnily enough they have blocked me from their Facebook page, I can still see their page but can’t make posts or leave a review on it.

I have learnt a valuable lesson, do not trust fb reviews as bad ones can be removed by the owners and always search for reviews online.

Oh and stay well clear of ‘PM OP if you want to know where’