Need advice :(

[v6sonoma]

If the car isn't right, the car isn't right.

[heRS]

Originally Posted by v6sonoma

If the car isn't right, the car isn't right.

plain and simple. it's not your fault it's not right, it's their fault it's not right. Don't settle for it. Insist they fix it to your satisfaction.

[hharris]

I own a Collision Center, so I will chime in.

its a policy of ours that NO rock chips on a vehicle, or car part ever get painted over without the owners permission.

As you can imagine the freshly painted over rock chips stand out pretty bad when painted over. most times the cars are looked at closer when they are picked up than they are when they are dropped off at a body shop. so besided the in process quality control, it is also standard procedure for us to point the chips, nicks, dings, scratches etc. out to the customer when they drop the car off. we even take it a step further by having them sign a form that shows the conditions of the car, amounts of fuel, exact mileage etc. it gives us a chance to communicate the condition with the customer possibly upsell the damage.
It eliminates all the surprises later and quite simply Covers our backside when that customer that hasnt washed his car in 2 years comes in to pick up his freshly painted and detailed car and spots a scratch.

we are a "profesional shop" with a paint booth, our floors even stay clean... but we still get imperfections in the paint when spraying clear coat. every imperfection or "nib" gets sanded and buffed out (EVERY SINGLE ONE) and that has to be done and still be able to obtain the correct orange peal texture to match the factory finish. thats the only way to produce a top quality paint finish.

this is only one of many things that we do to take pride in our work and it shows. as we stay pretty busy.

my advise is get the insurance company involved. the shop must make it right, and so should the insurance company. we have had several insurance companies bring us work to correct repairs that other shops failed at completing correctly, the insurance company brought those cars to us for one reason - to keep the customer happy!

[Lycanine]

Originally Posted by hharris

I own a Collision Center, so I will chime in.

its a policy of ours that NO rock chips on a vehicle, or car part ever get painted over without the owners permission.

As you can imagine the freshly painted over rock chips stand out pretty bad when painted over. most times the cars are looked at closer when they are picked up than they are when they are dropped off at a body shop. so besided the in process quality control, it is also standard procedure for us to point the chips, nicks, dings, scratches etc. out to the customer when they drop the car off. we even take it a step further by having them sign a form that shows the conditions of the car, amounts of fuel, exact mileage etc. it gives us a chance to communicate the condition with the customer possibly upsell the damage.
It eliminates all the surprises later and quite simply Covers our backside when that customer that hasnt washed his car in 2 years comes in to pick up his freshly painted and detailed car and spots a scratch.

we are a "profesional shop" with a paint booth, our floors even stay clean... but we still get imperfections in the paint when spraying clear coat. every imperfection or "nib" gets sanded and buffed out (EVERY SINGLE ONE) and that has to be done and still be able to obtain the correct orange peal texture to match the factory finish. thats the only way to produce a top quality paint finish.

this is only one of many things that we do to take pride in our work and it shows. as we stay pretty busy.

my advise is get the insurance company involved. the shop must make it right, and so should the insurance company. we have had several insurance companies bring us work to correct repairs that other shops failed at completing correctly, the insurance company brought those cars to us for one reason - to keep the customer happy!

First, I'd like to thank everyone for their responses. I know how wrong it is, but I felt like maybe I was going overboard and was waiting to hear from someone who works on this of the business to tell me what I could expect. My problem is that my car has been in and out of a paint booth five times now just to get this right, and each time it comes back looking worse. I was supposed to get my car today but they still haven't called. I should have taken it yesterday and gone to another shop but I gave them one last shot. If it's not perfect this time, then I'll definitely be taking everyone's advice.
Thank you guys so much for chiming in, it really means a lot. And should anyone happen to live in Jacksonville--do not use Progressive's service center or Pro Body Shop on Atlantic or Auto World on Atlantic.
Here's to hoping I get my baby back soon...

[hharris]

btw, 5 times is way too many, be sure to ask what the paint warranty is?. Most paint manufacturers will not warranty the paint or have a limit of what the maximum paint thickness would be covered.

[pocketcthulhu]

god at that point I would want the car stripped and freshly painted >.<

[Lycanine]

So life is funny sometimes. Like when you get in the same kind of accident and you go through the same process again--except this time with a Chevrolet dealership.
After being rear-ended again, I decided to use a shop I wanted first. I took Mina to a Chevrolet dealership to get fixed and have run into a mess of all new problems.
After bringing my car back and being treated rudely, I wrote a letter to the owner of the dealership and got the repairs rolling again.
Today is the start of my break (one of the few perks of being a teacher) and I come to get my car to only discover that her paint is in the same condition--runs and grit in the clear where they didn't properly look at it.
After bringing it to their attention the paint guy gave me attitude and made a stink about the little things I was calling into question. I'm so fed up that I don't even know what to do.
I LOVE my car, but I feel like I have sloppy work on it now and I wouldn't be proud to show it.
So new question, has anyone been through a similar wreck? Is your paint good after the shop fixed it or do you have little imperfections too?
I'd love to know--again.
Sincerely,
Jared

[HollyVenus]

Originally Posted by WildOne

I wouldn't accept that excuse. I've had several cars painted and had no such problems. As long as they prep the correct way and paint in a debris free environment then it should not have dimples or defects in the paint.

lame excuse!! sorry but I don't believe it... orange peel effect maybe but not dimples and grit, sounds like they are not prepping properly...
aka sand blasting, clean up, keeping a "sterile" environment. at this point I would almost demand that they strip the whole car and re-do it OR pay for the cost of you having to take it to another painter that doesn't think that human element would be a factor in getting your paint job to perfect!

I have a painter buddy here in the south Texas area and his paint booth looks like a surgical room

[FJ60]

Originally Posted by Lycanine

So life is funny sometimes. Like when you get in the same kind of accident and you go through the same process again--except this time with a Chevrolet dealership.
After being rear-ended again, I decided to use a shop I wanted first. I took Mina to a Chevrolet dealership to get fixed and have run into a mess of all new problems.
After bringing my car back and being treated rudely, I wrote a letter to the owner of the dealership and got the repairs rolling again.
Today is the start of my break (one of the few perks of being a teacher) and I come to get my car to only discover that her paint is in the same condition--runs and grit in the clear where they didn't properly look at it.
After bringing it to their attention the paint guy gave me attitude and made a stink about the little things I was calling into question. I'm so fed up that I don't even know what to do.
I LOVE my car, but I feel like I have sloppy work on it now and I wouldn't be proud to show it.
So new question, has anyone been through a similar wreck? Is your paint good after the shop fixed it or do you have little imperfections too?
I'd love to know--again.
Sincerely,
Jared

Demand that they keep working on your car until you are satisfied. If the shop feels your demands are too high, tell them to pay for another shop to do the work -- pick a shop that works on Porsches, BMWs, etc. My last car was rear ended, too. A shop that specializes in exotics did the repair. When it came time to sell the car, I challenged every potential buyer to identify where the damage occurred and not one could.

BTW, I'm a teacher, too. Another perk of the job is being solicited to purchase every fund raising product available from sports team, clubs and service organizations. Literally half my freezer space is taken up by cookie dough, butter bread and candy. My desk drawer has a bunch of tickets for crab feed events I didn't attend over the last decade. I wish they sold stuff I want, like beer.

[LiquidDragon]

I am also having similar issues as you. I only had 416 miles on my car when someone failed to yield and caused me to hit them head on. I had my repairs done at a Chevrolet dealership that does work for progressive and USAA and like you i am also finding debris and other issues with the paint work as well as quality of work done to my car.

[PalmerGA]

Originally Posted by Lycanine

The supervisor said, "it's the human element--you'll get this with any paint job".

That's BS, pure and simple. You need to go to a truly professional paint shop. If this is an insurance deal, go to the agent and plead your case. NO WAY you should have to settle for sub-par work - don't give in.

[cornfield camaro]

I feel for you guys in big urban areas where nobody gives a $$$! If this stuff happened to me I know EXACTLY where to go and avoid all this crap. Out here "in fly over country", and the fact I've lived in the same square mile for 63 yrs. allows me to know who does perfect work and doesn't rip your lips off price wise.