This may be of little comfort but on every occasion I have ever sent a car into a 'professional' bodyshop I too have been appalled at the collateral damage caused to adjacent panels & trim by the careless use of powerful sanding & polishing tools. Also (hopefully with the exception of the spraying areas) they are incredibly dusty environments & the policy of most seems to be just to let the car get covered in dust inside & out & then clean it off before the customer collects the car. In consequence, peeling back carpets/trim & lifting seats always seems to reveal telltale lines of sanding residues & overspray which are sometimes near impossible to remove completely.

Whenever I've complained, I usually get the 'can't see anything wrong with that, mate' reply.

Guess it's a consequence of the system - everyone wants low prices so in most workshops there's incredible pressure on time, but real craftsmanship & proper attention to detail just doesn't sit comfortably with maximising throughput.

Always trust your instincts. You saw them polishing a dusty car & that 'gut feeling' you had was a good indication of the overall standard of their workmanship. Go back and complain - and always remember your Dad will be there with you in your heart when you do.

jrkitching said:

This may be of little comfort but on every occasion I have ever sent a car into a 'professional' bodyshop I too have been appalled at the collateral damage caused to adjacent panels & trim by the careless use of powerful sanding & polishing tools. Also (hopefully with the exception of the spraying areas) they are incredibly dusty environments & the policy of most seems to be just to let the car get covered in dust inside & out & then clean it off before the customer collects the car. In consequence, peeling back carpets/trim & lifting seats always seems to reveal telltale lines of sanding residues & overspray which are sometimes near impossible to remove completely.

Whenever I've complained, I usually get the 'can't see anything wrong with that, mate' reply.

Guess it's a consequence of the system - everyone wants low prices so in most workshops there's incredible pressure on time, but real craftsmanship & proper attention to detail just doesn't sit comfortably with maximising throughput.

Always trust your instincts. You saw them polishing a dusty car & that 'gut feeling' you had was a good indication of the overall standard of their workmanship. Go back and complain - and always remember your Dad will be there with you in your heart when you do.

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Thank you jrk, this is very helpful. It's good to know I am not alone in finding this standard of finish. i had to toothbrush the seats etc, to try remove the dust, i suspect it will be an iterative process...

I am just about to leave and visit them. I will be civil, and give them a chance to redeem themselves. My first thought too was that they were in a rush, but why have the car in 3 full days before not finishing it on collection day....it's sad really as word of mouth is such an important part of business, and they are getting caught in a trap of putting cash before quality....

Thanks for the reminder, too, about the things i can take with me, it does and will help my approach and expectation....

will let you know...

onwards...upwards....gumption, justice and learning aloft!

gilmor111 said:

Thank you jrk, this is very helpful. It's good to know I am not alone in finding this standard of finish. i had to toothbrush the seats etc, to try remove the dust, i suspect it will be an iterative process...

I am just about to leave and visit them. I will be civil, and give them a chance to redeem themselves. My first thought too was that they were in a rush, but why have the car in 3 full days before not finishing it on collection day....it's sad really as word of mouth is such an important part of business, and they are getting caught in a trap of putting cash before quality....

Thanks for the reminder, too, about the things i can take with me, it does and will help my approach and expectation....

will let you know...

onwards...upwards....gumption, justice and learning aloft!

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[This is a legal advice posting to Gilmor and anyone else interested - please ignore it if you aren't interested in what someone's legal rights may be]

Just a simple point but one which is often overlooked: unless your contract with the repair place says differently, they are liable to pay whatever it costs to put this right. It doesn't matter even if it 100 times more than what they charged you to do the original job. And if they can't/won't put it right, you can get someone else to and sue them for whatever it costs - and you will win.

The only sort of exception is if their terms seek to limit their liability (for example some terms limit liability to the cost of the original work). However such terms will only be valid if they pass a reasonableness test. In my view, in these circumstances, there is not a snowball in hell's chance of them saying it is reasonable to limit their liability for what they have done.

(You cannot limit liability for personal injury or death at all incidentally.)

Anyway, good luck and it is always better to try and get them to sort it by being nice, but don't let them fob you off as the cards are actually stacked quite nicely in your favour if need be.

gilmor111 said:

Thanks tony, my adventures continue...

went for car, turned up was turned away, altho i was two hours later than advised (car in garage for 4 days), as far as i could see they were working on it still....

i came back 30 mins later, its in forecourt, covered in dust, inside and out. The guy is polishing the dusty car paintwork without rinsing dust off first. I couldn't believe this but amazingly kept my mouth shut as I really didn't want to tell this 25 year old good rep business how to do their job. I walk around the car, he's not walking round with me, when i say filthy inside i mean bag of flour explosion filthy....the main part of dash looked amazing...'fixed' i thought...I looked at the bumper and the passenger door all gone....great....a lot of money for cosmetic repair but great...

the i got home and washed it clean....


the dash is awful, the repair looks good but unfinished, the bumper looks great, until you open the boot, and a scuff tomy sill has left a similar tape line on the passenger side where the car meets the interior, up from the sill. I feel had! (worst still I feel i've walked into it!!!) I'm gutted that he dissuaded me from smart repairs as they were 'quick fixes with quick fix approaches...'

I have to go back to the garage tomorrow morning, and I will see what he says...he doesn't know i'm coming as i went back Saturday after collection and they'd shut up early. I tired to call but they don't have an answer machine.

I know I should have inspected fully but with dust everywhere in interior, and the boot closed, it looked fine.

Please help with any advice....even if its not what I want to hear, it may benefit me now and others later.


no black or red dash trims on ebay (only 500c)...else i would ask for my money back for the dash repair....

can't help missing my Dad, this is the kind of thing where he would have marched down with me....(but let me talk for myself...)

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Wow, just WOW! What a ****ty job! You couldn't do worse if you tried.....

RobinPJ said:

[This is a legal advice posting to Gilmor and anyone else interested - please ignore it if you aren't interested in what someone's legal rights may be]

Just a simple point but one which is often overlooked: unless your contract with the repair place says differently, they are liable to pay whatever it costs to put this right. It doesn't matter even if it 100 times more than what they charged you to do the original job. And if they can't/won't put it right, you can get someone else to and sue them for whatever it costs - and you will win.

The only sort of exception is if their terms seek to limit their liability (for example some terms limit liability to the cost of the original work). However such terms will only be valid if they pass a reasonableness test. In my view, in these circumstances, there is not a snowball in hell's chance of them saying it is reasonable to limit their liability for what they have done.

(You cannot limit liability for personal injury or death at all incidentally.)

Anyway, good luck and it is always better to try and get them to sort it by being nice, but don't let them fob you off as the cards are actually stacked quite nicely in your favour if need be.

Click to expand...

Robin, this is incredibly useful to know, now and generally. I was prepared to say this morning that I would be compelled to approach the industry ombudsman (of course I don't know who or where such a body exists, but it sounded good!) because I always feel in these cases, those who don't say anything do nothing for the people who come after....

As it stands, with this info today, then I feel more confident in standing my ground.

I took it back, said it wasn't finished properly (in a pleasant but not over-friendly manner) and he said it would be sorted. He wanted to fix the dash in situ, but I said i wasn't confident, and then i pushed him to admit he could not make as good a job as it being removed. I did the removal myself, silver rings and all (will make a sheet tomorrow with photographs to add to the guide section) but it took a 30 mile round trip to the Fiat garage to find that out as they wouldn't tell me over the phone. With automatic air con unit, it just clips out with a flat head screwdriver. So I managed that, got the car and detached dash into the bodyworks, and I have to collect it tomorrow.

I said to him how can there be a tape line on bumper if you took it off? he actually brought it up first, so i'm even wondering if he did not deputise, let alone do the job.

As it stands, I think i've been fair. He made a poor errort of judgement, I didn't create a fuss (well except on here! ) and I have given them a second chance (at my inconvenience) to put it right. So I really hope tomorrow brings good news.

I said as I left, that it was a shame....he could have been doing something else, and I could have been busy elsewhere....a job is always worth doing properly first time round....

What's frustrating is that this place was recommended by a good garage in the area, the local review sites have positive testimonials, so its a mystery....

but as I say, if my saga helps others make more informed decisions, then its not all been wasted.

306maxi said:

Wow, just WOW! What a ****ty job! You couldn't do worse if you tried.....

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I know....they saw me coming right?

still, I live in hope.....its not over till the fiat owner sings

gilmor111 said:

the local review sites have positive testimonials, so its a mystery....

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Now that is another can of fish to open - whether you trust the reviews on websites (good or bad). Duncan Bannatyne (of Dragons' Den fame) is suing Trip Advisor for not taking down a review comparing one of his hotels to Fawlty Towers...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/t...to-campaign-against-cowardly-TripAdvisor.html

RobinPJ said:

Now that is another can of fish to open - whether you trust the reviews on websites (good or bad). Duncan Bannatyne (of Dragons' Den fame) is suing Trip Advisor for not taking down a review comparing one of his hotels to Fawlty Towers...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/t...to-campaign-against-cowardly-TripAdvisor.html

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can of worms more like...I think...

I try to validate such reviews where I can, for eg, on Amazon, I look to 'see my other reviews', and if there are a random mix over a period of time, from a 'real name' then I feel more confident to believe the review.

Conversely, I feel bad for some companies because rarely do people go online to express their happiness or satisfaction with a product. Rather, they tend to make the effort when they are disgruntled. It can project an unsatisfactory pattern that's not really representative across the customer base.

Its almost impossible in the digital manipulated marketing age to find a way to be sure of a firm, and as you pointed out, it really comes down to an 'after the fact' chase to put things right, if they have put things wrong.

I so, so hope that tomorrow, on collection the saga is over....it is all angst that consumed energy better spent in more positive endeavours... still, its not a wasted experience....I have learned quite a bit, and i'm glad the forum helps me to pass the experience on....