The Hack Job. My body shop horror story
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The Hack Job. My body shop horror story. Desi Autobody
I will start this off by saying I in no way want anybody to contact the body shop, make any threats etc. I am only speaking about my opinions of my experience and am going to take the proper steps to make sure this gets fixed.
In the early spring I started piecing together parts for a body kit and researching body shops to use. My initial plan was to go with my factory colour and just enhance the look of my car a little. After some searching I decided on a body shop in Scarborough called Desi Autobody. I had several people recommend them and the work that I saw was good.
By the time I had decided on Desi Autobody I still had not completely assembled the parts I wanted as I was more focused on my performance modifications. I contacted the body shop and spoke with the owner about my plans and asked in detail what steps he would take to ensure a decent colour match and good fitment. After everything was discuss I was confident my car was going to be in good hands and I would be very happy with the results.
Near the end of the summer I located the last piece I wanted for the installation and got it while I was home from work at the end of september. I had spoken with the body shop several times keeping him updated on what I had picked up and he seemed very excited to take on this project again giving me a very good feeling about this. At this point I had already changed my mind and decided to get the entire car repainted a different colour and the shop was aware of this right away and there were no issues.
On October 14th my friend Mike followed me to the body shop where we dropped my car off. I had made arrangements with the body shop to do the work while I was gone to china so that I would pick it up when I got home. They were also aware that another board member was going to be dropping parts off for me that I had decided to get last minute. Again they had no issues with this and were very welcoming.
Everything started to go downhill about a week after I was in china. He began to call my girlfriend asking her for a deposit so he could get the materials and wanting the rest of the payment and pick up immediately after he was done, which at this point he was saying would be within a couple of days instead of when we previously agree'd on everything. I could understand him asking for a $500 deposit because this was a fairly large job and I made arrangements for it. He agree'd to send me photographs of the current progress and photographs when it was complete and I agreed I would make arrangements to get the final payment to him upon seeing satisfactory photographs of the completion. He also agreed to keep my car there until I got back and not charge me any storage.
At this point I should have listened to my girlfriend. She had a bad feeling about this place and begged me to find somewhere else. I know I will never hear the end of this.
So the next morning I get up and I have pictures in my email. He has pictures of the car as the took the OEM bumpers, sides and fenders off and then as the new parts went in. I was really happy at this point and getting excited to see my car complete. It was at this point he told me that that everything except the front bumper had perfect fitment and needed no work and that the front bumper needed some work so they would have to charge me more then he quoted. Again this is understandable and I had no problem with it. However with the addition cost to make the bumper fit properly he also said he had to charge me for buffing and HST which I was pretty sure were included in the original quote. here are the front and rear bumpers from those pictures
There were several emails back and forth in regards to this. In the end I caved under the condition he provide me a proper receipt with a valid HST number on it. I was a little upset about this but tried to talk myself into thinking I was just over reacting.
About a week goes by and I get some bad news from work. I am stuck in china an extra 24 days because the person coming to relieve me lost his passport when he was going home and is having trouble getting a new one. I made the mistake of telling my GF first because I wanted to make arrangements for its pickup before I called the body shop. While I was making arrangements he finished spraying the car and we made arrangements to get him the final payment upon my receiving photographs of the work.
After sending me photographs again I felt good about everything. Although the car was not entirely back together he sent me photos of everything completely painted but still masked off. I was a little disappointed that they were of an incomplete car but the paint was done and from the photos it looked good so I sent my girlfriend the money and she met up with him to pay him. She doesn't drive and lives in mississauga so she did not go all the way out to scarborough to view the car. When they met up he asked when I was going to pick up the car because it was done even though we had already spoke about what day I was supposed to pick it up(nov 27th). My girlfriend told him she wasn't sure because I had to stay in china longer. At this point he started giving her attitude saying it had to get picked up right away etc.
Again I emailed him and explained everything and how I was trying to make arrangements before I contacted him and he seemed ok with it. When I finalized arrangements with my best friend I let the body shop know. He ended up calling them a few days early and made arrangements to go out on the 24th to pick it up after work. Everything was set and I thought everything was good.
On the 23rd I get an email and my heart sank. The email said that they went out to move my car into the shop to do a final cleaning before it was picked up and my car wouldn't move. After several emails back and forth it sounded like my clutch had completely failed. When releasing the clutch pedal there was no hesitation or fluctuation at all with the RPM and with the parking brake off the car would roll freely. So I got my tired and frustrated girlfriend to arrange a flatbed truck to tow it to my mechanic.
On monday(I think it was monday, the time difference has me a little screwed up) she met the tow truck at the mechanics and she started to get worried because the colour was not exactly what I asked for. I can't fault them for this because it was the second paint code I supplied them because they couldnt find the first. I picked the paint code based on photographs and a scans of paint cards.
As the tow truck driver, the mechanics and my girlfriend walked around the car things went from concern to her literally starting to hyperventilate and cry because she was worried about how I was going to react.
Roughly starting at the front of the car they noticed the following:
- You could see white gelcoat through the paint in spots on the front bumper
- The cracked the bumper in the corner by the headlight after it was painted
- Despite my headlights being masked off they got paint all over them
- Because the headlights were left in they missed spots of the bumper
- Multiple marks in the paint some of them through to the factory colour
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3.../WP_000072.jpg
- areas that weren't masked properly so it covered factory paint so when masking was removed you could see the OEM silver
- Wheel wells weren't reassembled properly when the fenders were attached and cross over in front of the fender in front of the door and were painted
- There were large runs in the paint
- Chemicals were spilled on my Volk Rims
- Paint or something smeared on my craftsquare mirrors
- The rubber weather strips on the roof were left in and painted
- my authentic nismo side skirts that I was told had perfect fitment were cut to install and it looks like they used bathrub calking or something to "blend" them into the body.
- paint bubbling on the side skirts
- Paint flaking off the rear bumper
- Marks in the paint that look like somebody touched the paint with a cloth or their leg while it was still wet
In the early spring I started piecing together parts for a body kit and researching body shops to use. My initial plan was to go with my factory colour and just enhance the look of my car a little. After some searching I decided on a body shop in Scarborough called Desi Autobody. I had several people recommend them and the work that I saw was good.
By the time I had decided on Desi Autobody I still had not completely assembled the parts I wanted as I was more focused on my performance modifications. I contacted the body shop and spoke with the owner about my plans and asked in detail what steps he would take to ensure a decent colour match and good fitment. After everything was discuss I was confident my car was going to be in good hands and I would be very happy with the results.
Near the end of the summer I located the last piece I wanted for the installation and got it while I was home from work at the end of september. I had spoken with the body shop several times keeping him updated on what I had picked up and he seemed very excited to take on this project again giving me a very good feeling about this. At this point I had already changed my mind and decided to get the entire car repainted a different colour and the shop was aware of this right away and there were no issues.
On October 14th my friend Mike followed me to the body shop where we dropped my car off. I had made arrangements with the body shop to do the work while I was gone to china so that I would pick it up when I got home. They were also aware that another board member was going to be dropping parts off for me that I had decided to get last minute. Again they had no issues with this and were very welcoming.
Everything started to go downhill about a week after I was in china. He began to call my girlfriend asking her for a deposit so he could get the materials and wanting the rest of the payment and pick up immediately after he was done, which at this point he was saying would be within a couple of days instead of when we previously agree'd on everything. I could understand him asking for a $500 deposit because this was a fairly large job and I made arrangements for it. He agree'd to send me photographs of the current progress and photographs when it was complete and I agreed I would make arrangements to get the final payment to him upon seeing satisfactory photographs of the completion. He also agreed to keep my car there until I got back and not charge me any storage.
At this point I should have listened to my girlfriend. She had a bad feeling about this place and begged me to find somewhere else. I know I will never hear the end of this.
So the next morning I get up and I have pictures in my email. He has pictures of the car as the took the OEM bumpers, sides and fenders off and then as the new parts went in. I was really happy at this point and getting excited to see my car complete. It was at this point he told me that that everything except the front bumper had perfect fitment and needed no work and that the front bumper needed some work so they would have to charge me more then he quoted. Again this is understandable and I had no problem with it. However with the addition cost to make the bumper fit properly he also said he had to charge me for buffing and HST which I was pretty sure were included in the original quote. here are the front and rear bumpers from those pictures
There were several emails back and forth in regards to this. In the end I caved under the condition he provide me a proper receipt with a valid HST number on it. I was a little upset about this but tried to talk myself into thinking I was just over reacting.
About a week goes by and I get some bad news from work. I am stuck in china an extra 24 days because the person coming to relieve me lost his passport when he was going home and is having trouble getting a new one. I made the mistake of telling my GF first because I wanted to make arrangements for its pickup before I called the body shop. While I was making arrangements he finished spraying the car and we made arrangements to get him the final payment upon my receiving photographs of the work.
After sending me photographs again I felt good about everything. Although the car was not entirely back together he sent me photos of everything completely painted but still masked off. I was a little disappointed that they were of an incomplete car but the paint was done and from the photos it looked good so I sent my girlfriend the money and she met up with him to pay him. She doesn't drive and lives in mississauga so she did not go all the way out to scarborough to view the car. When they met up he asked when I was going to pick up the car because it was done even though we had already spoke about what day I was supposed to pick it up(nov 27th). My girlfriend told him she wasn't sure because I had to stay in china longer. At this point he started giving her attitude saying it had to get picked up right away etc.
Again I emailed him and explained everything and how I was trying to make arrangements before I contacted him and he seemed ok with it. When I finalized arrangements with my best friend I let the body shop know. He ended up calling them a few days early and made arrangements to go out on the 24th to pick it up after work. Everything was set and I thought everything was good.
On the 23rd I get an email and my heart sank. The email said that they went out to move my car into the shop to do a final cleaning before it was picked up and my car wouldn't move. After several emails back and forth it sounded like my clutch had completely failed. When releasing the clutch pedal there was no hesitation or fluctuation at all with the RPM and with the parking brake off the car would roll freely. So I got my tired and frustrated girlfriend to arrange a flatbed truck to tow it to my mechanic.
On monday(I think it was monday, the time difference has me a little screwed up) she met the tow truck at the mechanics and she started to get worried because the colour was not exactly what I asked for. I can't fault them for this because it was the second paint code I supplied them because they couldnt find the first. I picked the paint code based on photographs and a scans of paint cards.
As the tow truck driver, the mechanics and my girlfriend walked around the car things went from concern to her literally starting to hyperventilate and cry because she was worried about how I was going to react.
Roughly starting at the front of the car they noticed the following:
- You could see white gelcoat through the paint in spots on the front bumper
- The cracked the bumper in the corner by the headlight after it was painted
- Despite my headlights being masked off they got paint all over them
- Because the headlights were left in they missed spots of the bumper
- Multiple marks in the paint some of them through to the factory colour
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3.../WP_000072.jpg
- areas that weren't masked properly so it covered factory paint so when masking was removed you could see the OEM silver
- Wheel wells weren't reassembled properly when the fenders were attached and cross over in front of the fender in front of the door and were painted
- There were large runs in the paint
- Chemicals were spilled on my Volk Rims
- Paint or something smeared on my craftsquare mirrors
- The rubber weather strips on the roof were left in and painted
- my authentic nismo side skirts that I was told had perfect fitment were cut to install and it looks like they used bathrub calking or something to "blend" them into the body.
- paint bubbling on the side skirts
- Paint flaking off the rear bumper
- Marks in the paint that look like somebody touched the paint with a cloth or their leg while it was still wet
Last edited by xjuddx; Nov 30, 2011 at 04:39 PM.
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As it stands right now he has agreed to fix everything in an email. Despite this I am still going to speak with a lawyer and get quotes from 2 other shops to see if I missed anything and in case he flakes out on his word and I need the lawyers. I guess I should have put that in my original post. I left it out because it is in my looking for a lawyer thread.
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I don't know who Miguel is but this is Larkspur blue from a 57 Bel Air. I was initially trying to get the powder blue used on an old Triumph convertible.
As for getting him to redo it I can see both sides of the coin. He stands to lose a lot more if I have to go elsewhere so it is motivation to do it right. I am going to speak with a lawyer before I make any choice as to what I am going to do though.
As for getting him to redo it I can see both sides of the coin. He stands to lose a lot more if I have to go elsewhere so it is motivation to do it right. I am going to speak with a lawyer before I make any choice as to what I am going to do though.
The first mistake was dealing with a shop with the name "Desi".
I hope you are able to come out of this on top... but definitely don't get him to re-do it, they seem incapable. Get paid for all damages plus costs of re-doing it.
I hope you are able to come out of this on top... but definitely don't get him to re-do it, they seem incapable. Get paid for all damages plus costs of re-doing it.
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that was terrible beyond words. I wouldn't let them fix it. I'd take it to another shop and get everything fixed and send them the bill. Not only do you have to fix the paint, it looks like they damaged the parts themselves which needs to be filled/repaired, all the rubber moldings/wheel well covers that needs to be replaced, and the damaged rims/mirrors...
I'm not sure how many shops would even take on the project of repairing the damage to be honest.
good luck with whatever you decide to do!
I'm not sure how many shops would even take on the project of repairing the damage to be honest.
good luck with whatever you decide to do!
OMFG this sucks big time.. I cannot believe a body shop with this level of craftsmanship can even take on a regular repair work... Unreal.. It must be dirt cheap for you to even consider bring your car to place like this.. Hopefully you get you things sort out. But to make them cough out money for you to get the repair done somewhere else is probably impossible. Looks to me it will cost thousands of dollars to get it redone properly.. Best of luck..
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You should definitely take it to a different body shop to get it fixed and have them agree to cover all costs and make sure you get this in writing and with a witness. I would not leave the car with them a second longer.
If they don't agree to it, let them know that you will make it your priority to spread the word about this shop and bring it's reputation down. I had a friend who recently had his tires changed at a shop and the shop was neglegent when putting the rims back on. The rims ended up flying off his car on the highway into the opposite lane (thank goodness no one was hurt and no one crashed into him afterwards since everyone's going at 120-130 on the 407). They offered to fix all damages but my buddy refused it (why would you trust someone to fix your car when they can't even put a wheel on properly??) and demanded that they pay for all repairs to be done at the dealership. The only reason why the shop agreed to pay for it was because my buddy works at Bell (which also owns CTV) and he threatened to get on TV and basically bring down his shop, so sometimes you gotta play hardball to get things done with these guys
If they don't agree to it, let them know that you will make it your priority to spread the word about this shop and bring it's reputation down. I had a friend who recently had his tires changed at a shop and the shop was neglegent when putting the rims back on. The rims ended up flying off his car on the highway into the opposite lane (thank goodness no one was hurt and no one crashed into him afterwards since everyone's going at 120-130 on the 407). They offered to fix all damages but my buddy refused it (why would you trust someone to fix your car when they can't even put a wheel on properly??) and demanded that they pay for all repairs to be done at the dealership. The only reason why the shop agreed to pay for it was because my buddy works at Bell (which also owns CTV) and he threatened to get on TV and basically bring down his shop, so sometimes you gotta play hardball to get things done with these guys
wow. well youre crazy to have him attempt to fix it.
Go get your estimates and then get his shops insurance comapny info.. this is advice a lawyers recently gave me.
Thats your first bet. File a claim w HIS insurnace company and have the work fixed at a reputable shop.
If that doesnt work, and you ahve to pay elsewhere to fix it, you can sue him for the difference in the cost to fix.
IE, if you paid him say 3k to paint your car properly etc, and it costs 5k to fix it, you cant sue for 8k, only the 5k.
Hit his insurnce company firt, then lean on the lawyers.
Go get your estimates and then get his shops insurance comapny info.. this is advice a lawyers recently gave me.
Thats your first bet. File a claim w HIS insurnace company and have the work fixed at a reputable shop.
If that doesnt work, and you ahve to pay elsewhere to fix it, you can sue him for the difference in the cost to fix.
IE, if you paid him say 3k to paint your car properly etc, and it costs 5k to fix it, you cant sue for 8k, only the 5k.
Hit his insurnce company firt, then lean on the lawyers.