As I noted in a prvious post, I autocrossed a Z06 a few weeks ago and really liked it. I couldn't run my Camaro that day because it was having the top painted, and I couldn't get it from the body shop. I took the car to them on the 3rd, was told on the 14th I could pick it up, only to have the body shop manager cancel that because, "...the painter wants to see it first think on the morning of the 17th". I pointed out another minor touch up they had overlooked and left the car there. Soooo I end up the Corvette. On the 19th, I call only to be told that "we can't find that other area you wanted touched-up". Oddly, they never bothered to call me, and the problem had been pointed out to them,(as in I placed my finger on it), twice. I drive to the dealership and the body shop mgr tells me that she will see to it that the car is ready by the evening of the 20th. That's fine, but I can't make it until the 21st. She was out of town and tells me that her office mgr will have it ready. The "touch-up" looked like a drunken orangutan dipped a toothbrush into a can of rustoleum gloss black and tried to paint. And I told them so. The area in question is just above the drivers window above the weatherstrip. Part of it is kind of matte black, the rest is the color of the car. Except on mine where about 8 inches is glossy black, and covers BOTH factory colors. I went to the shop today and told them that will be picking the car up tomorrow around noon. Period. I'm not going to call, I'm just going to get it. This is a "comeback" for a warranty job they did over 2 years ago. It's warrantied for as long as I own the car, but they'll never see it again. I understand that dealerships are in a pickle right now and are depending on parts and service to stay afloat. I also understand that they're not going to make a nickel off this job, and I have been understanding about it. But 3 weeks to paint my cars hard top, and being lied to is too much. I doubt anybody reads all the way through this thing, but I feel better already..............

I read it....nice to know I'm not the only dumba$$ that gets treated like this....

(just occurred to me that this might sound like Im calling you a dumba$$ which I did not mean to do...I meant to call myself a dumba$$)

Bock

Nope, if being patient is being a dumba$$, I'm guilty. I really wasn't in a hurry for the car, and I didn't want them to feel rushed and do a lousy job. Haha. I did explore a couple of other places to have it fixed, (assuming it isn't fixed properly today), but that would require someone else keeping it for a few days. They have several other dealers in the area that may be able to do the job once I explain the situation. A friend of mine is the service manager at a dealership and has always bent over backwards on warranty work. He's always said, "For every one customer they get in the showroom, I can chase five of them away back here if they aren't happy".

Paint and body establishments are notorious for not being good time estimators. Not to let the stealership off the hook, or anything, but with only one exception over the years, my experience with paint shops, be they dealerships, large establishments, famous restoration shops, or the guy working out of his converted garage, almost none have had the car ready when they said it would.

You're not a duma$$, they are. I think it is from the paint fumes, but who knows. The worst was getting a car repainted 6 MONTHS before the Houston Autorama (Thanksgiving weekend) I had entered the car in. We were painting the hood (after incorrectly mixing the paint) the Saturday night before the Autorama. Sunday morning, as the sun rose, we loaded up the still-tacky hood to take home. Dew settled on the hood on the ride how, causing it to haze over. I never got the car in the show.

We have a good shop in our neighborhood I've had damage repairs done twice in that has consistently had the car ready when they said it would be. That's nice, but not what I've grown to expect from paint shops. Usually, when someone tells me the paint shop told them the car would be ready Tuesday, I tell them they can probably pick it up the following Thursday. I'm usually closer to right then not. ;-)

I'd pull it only if they are doing bad work, which it sounds like they are, not for being late. IMHO, good work does take time, even if they can't keep their promises.

All an estimator gets is a book that says, this takes X amount of time to do. If they know how to add the interval stuff like prep and movement around the shop, they can give a good time estimate. But most never did the work and don't understand that you don't skip straight from paint prep, to paint, to clean up, they don't know about the time in between or even the bake time to cure the paint.

-Tim

I've had both bad and good. My bad sounds like the rest of these.

My good was amazing. Guy almost totalled my Saturn (I probably ranted about it on here somewhere). Needed new hood, fender and front bumper. And a touched up door. The place not only got it done on time, but you couldn't even tell it had been wrecked.

I took it to 3 professional appraisers (trying to get the car totalled - long story), and let them all inspect the car before I told them anything. They all gave me a price near NADA. Then I told them about the wreck. All of them went back out, looked at the car, and swore they still couldn't see a single bit of evidence. The shop even used paint pens to mark bolts and nuts like the factory did!