OK, can't seem to access my old name/password, so I'll start over with this one. Haven't been on for quite a while, but you guys are where I'm coming first for advice.

Without going into a lot of detail, took my Scion in for oil/tire rotation and the dealership had an accident with it. What would you expect from the dealership in this instance?

 

i would expect them to fix the repairs on your car, provide a free loaner car during the repairs, and probably compensate the oil change tire rotation for free and probably throw in some vouchers for some free future service.

how bad was the accident?

 

The car was crunched on the back/top (eg - roof scrached, spoiler ripped off, post/support by left rear window slightly bent). They had to replace spoiler, window washer, rear window, repaint.............so far.

The oil/tire rotation was it's 2nd complimentary checkup. Car only has 7,400 miles on it.

 

lol wow. i would tell them to pay you for the diminished value. that and have them provide a written warranty for the collision repair...

 

Well, it might be lol, IF they were able to repair the car to it's previous (new) condition.

 

WHAT the hell happened that the roof was crunched? I know you said no specifics; but really...did a tree or something knock it? cause that's pretty crazy...

 

every bodyshop loves to TALK about how the repair will come out like factory and you'll never be able to tell the difference.

point is, when a new car is painted at the factory, it's sprayed by robots and baked in a few pieces (i believe the front and rear bumpers are painted seperately and applied later). but when the main part is painted, it's baked to such high temperature that they do it before the interior is assembled (it would melt the plastics). there is no way for any bodyshop to replicate this process exactly. humans screw up, people are lazy, colorblind, and you'll probably find missing screws later on or mismatching paint under different lighting. unfortunately, that's the way it is. hopefully they have the decency to use oem parts rather than aftermarket (these usually have fitment issues).

regardless, the car is worth less now and you deserve to be paid the $2000 or so that you'll lose when you sell the car someday. personally, i'd sue them and get the work done at my prefered bodyshop.

 

"nd you'll probably find missing screws later on or mismatching paint under different lighting"


oh geez.. i know exactly what you talking about... not just missing screws but sometimes whole parts!!!!

 

No tree! It was the hugh electric garage bay door. The story I'm getting is that somebody pushed the button to close it when my car was still under it and the door came down on the back roof of my car.

jason - thanks for the info about the mechanics of the paint job. They said the car looked great brought it out to me and I couldn't even look at it because it was pouring rain and pretty dark. Next day when the weather was nicer & the car was dry, I noticed a number of paint "issues".

Also, started noticing how the whole hatch was/is out of alignment, and lower on the left side, where the most damage occured. It's back at the dealer now and I don't know what's going to happen.

This has now been going on for two weeks and I'm getting more upset and now angry that it's not being taken care of properly. I'm starting to think maybe it can never be properly repaired.

Oh, and I never planned on selling the car. It was to be the last car I'll ever own. I saved for years and paid cash.

 

Demand for free rs1 xd parts! Lol
or a whole new paint job!!!

 

U should of demanded a new xd.
How do u drop a gate on a car?
They can't say they didn't see it!
I would be supppppper ____sed!!!!!!

 

i would ask for a brand new car or sue them. really, i've sued a car company and won. it's not that difficult - they usually settle... look up some lawyers that provide free consultations and see what options you have. DO NOT pick up your car until it's 99.9% repaired (if you dont go the legal route). that's bullcrap, they screwed up, they need to pay up.

you're getting your car repaired at the dealer.. they can care less about you and your car. they get paid to work as fast as possible. the average joe (toyota=older people) doesnt notice paint oversprays, mismatched colors, aftermarket vs oem parts, so they dont care.

these are the options i'd seek:
- ask them for a new replacement car or sue them for one.
- ask them to a buyback or sue for it (they pay you what you paid for the car). after all, if it's going to come out "brand new", im sure they wouldnt mind buying from you and trying to sell it to someone else. (sarcasm, they know the car is worth significantly less)
- get them to fix it till im 100% satisfied but also have them pay me the diminished value. for this you'll need an appraiser to come out and tell you how much it's worth now and get you the difference. i'd get the dealer to pay the appraisal fee (aint my fault)
- get them to let you take it to another shop if after the second attempt youre still not happy. they still pay diminished value. they pay rental, all that.

some might think this is extreme.. but i've received so much bs from dealers over the years that its more like 1 victory for the little guy. for all the times they trick women or old people into paying more for things or buying parts they dont need. for all the sales sharks that go way over msrp on a deal or throw in a "special" lol clear coat for $1k. makes me sick. good luck.

 

Is this going to appear on a CarFax report?

Should I be contacting my insurance agent to mediate?

 

yes as well as a lawyer, this is clearly because of their negligence and they need to make your car "as new" what you have described is NOT as new. if they can not make it as new, then they owe you a new car!

 

i agree with the above, contact a lawyer, an appraiser, and follow the legal route. i would be ticked if this happened to my baby. i put so much work into her.

 

Damn, that sucks...I would be asking for a new car but since I have the RS1 edition I guess I would be screwed...

 

screwed in the sense that you wont get a replacement car. but you could get your $ back.

just curious, did you buy your car from that same dealer?

sry to hear about this. it's a horrible headache and i know what youre going through. it's a pain, but if you're a perfectionist like me, its probably the best route for your happiness in the long run.

 

Yes, bought it just a year ago from a big dealership and I'm pretty sure they read these boards, so they'll probably figure out who I am soon.

Have been talking to my salesperson, lube/oil person, service mgr and I guess I'm going to have to higher. They'd have a he** of a time finding me a new silver '09 to replace this with. But hey, you broke it, you fix it.............to MY satisfaction. (just keep telling myself that to sound tough).

Yes, I'm a perfectionist too and as I stated above, I plan to keep this car forever. It's not just a cosmetic issue. I'm very concerned that the structural integrity of the roof has been compromised. So, today I'm off the see my insurance agent, then probably an attorney and maybe next another body shop.

 

OK, went to talk to ins agent. As I'm telling him the story, he looks at me like I've got 2 heads and then says "You'll need to contact your ins agent." So, I tell him "You ARE my agent!!!!"Get that clarified and then he says I'll have to contact a claims adjuster for my insurance company. This guy is total idiot, so I say thank you very much and leave. I then go to the body shop where, of course, they tell me that it's just a tiny minor accident, it won't show on CarFax and it's no big deal. I get home and my brother has called, my mother has told him the story and he's told her that the dealership has just bought me a new car and DO NOT give them the rental car back...............hide it. I'm just no good at this stuff.

 

Man this is one big cluster ____k A you need a new agent, B you need a lawyer C your brother is right. Those doors are huge and no matter what they do that roof will never be the same. Some minor weld somewhere could be compromised or something.

Get a new car, make them buy it. Do you have pics of the damage pre fix? If so keep multiple copies. This way if they want a copy you have extras to give them. Get the car appraised as it is now.

Lawyer lawyer lawyer... This is important. Do not sit back and get steamrolled!

Best of luck!