Results 1 to 3 of 3
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    2

    Default Quality of Repair and Additional Damage

    I was in an accident with my vehicle a pristine 2000 Toyota Camry. Not only in perfect condition it is detailed once a month and and mechanically well maintained. The vihicle was hit in the front passenger side damaging the front fender, passenger door, hood, etc... to the tune of about $7k according to original estimates. The insurance company provided assistance with offering their preferred repair vendors. We selected a vendor and had the vehicle towed in from the tow company lot to the auto body shop. 3 weeks later we were told the vehicle was ready. Upon inspecting the vehicle closely we vound the following problems:

    1) Overspray on the driver front fender and door.
    2) Passenger door won't open
    3) Dents and scratches in other locations on the vehicle other than that caursed or assessed as a result of the accident.
    4) Parts under hood, inside wheel well, and under the vehicle either not painted at all or painted the wrong color, or just primed.
    5) Overspray of primary paint color onto other areas that were blacked out or not intended to be painted the primary color.

    We contacted the insurance company and they told us to take the vehicle back to the body shop which we did the very next day (picked up at 3:00 day one and returned to body shop 11:00 AM day 2). After a lengthy discussion with the body shop owner they agreed to fix the vehicle w/respect to the items that were clearly their shoddy workmanship. Unfortunately, no one claims responsibility for the OTHER dents and scratches (rear bumper and trunk lid, car roof dented near edge of sun roof).

    Given the quality (or lack thereof) of the auto body work we are now even more skeptical of the mechanical work that was done. Our position with the insurance company is this... they provided the name of the autobody vendor. They need to be our advocate with this vendor and make the car as it was (including the dents and scratches that were not part of the original accident but occured either in transport or during the auto body posession of the vehicle. Furthermore, we want Toyota to certify the mechanical work because we do not trust the auto body shop to have done any better work on the mechanical side than they didi initially on the cosmetic side of this repair.

    My question: What rights do we have as consumers for accepting or rejecting this work? How do we force the insurance company to make the vehicle repair right both cosmetically and mechanically? Furthermore, can we force them to certify the mechanical work?

    Please Advise,

    Chris

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Repair of Car After Accident

    Your insurance company is not going to certify the repair, except in the very unlikely chance that your insurance policy provides for such certification. Their duties are outlined in your insurance policy, and they are unlikely to do anything beyond what is described in that policy. If the repair shop doesn't do the work properly, you may be able to make a claim against them for the cost of completing the repair - but if they were never hired to repair the additional dents you have identified, you have no claim against the body shop in regard to those dents. You will have to work that out with the insurance company.

    (Did your vehicle roll?)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Let's see...

    No, the vehicle did not roll. The right front axel was broken, they replaced the wheel and everything mecanically from the fender in to the engine on that right side.

    The extra dents and dings are primarly in two areas. 1-the roof just next to the sun roof on the same side it was hit. It looks like something hit the top of the car and buckled in the metal on the portion of the roof that support the sunroof at the rear passenger side. About a 4 inch wide dent. The second dent and scratch are on the rear of the car. The bumber has about a 8" scratch about 1/8" wide running perpendicular. The trunk lid has about a 3" dent on the right side near the Camery logo. Both are fresh and if I had to venture a guess, would bet the towing company may have had something to do with those. The roof dent - who knows?

    At this point, my approach is as follows:

    1) Let the Insurance Company know that I want to file another claim for damage to the vehicle while it was outside of my possession being repaired (roof, fender, and trunk). Have the claim adjuster review these dents and scratches and address them as a separate item.

    2) Tell the Insurance company and Auto Body repair shop that I intend to have the vehicle inspected at my expense at the Toyota Dealership. If there are any mechanical defects I will expect them to be repaired at no additional expense to me.

    At this point they still have my vehicle. I am reluctant to accept posession of it based upon all that has happened. Anything else I should consider doing based up this brief explanation?

    Thanks for the post!

    Chris

    1. Sponsored Links
       

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 20
    Last Post: 01-08-2011, 11:45 PM
  2. Repair of Undisclosed Collision Damage to a Used Car
    By jkpenrod in forum Cars and Dealerships
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 05-22-2010, 10:26 PM
  3. Auto Insurance: Car Repair Quality and Safety Concerns After a Collision
    By simplegirlfl in forum Insurance Law
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-13-2008, 07:22 AM
  4. Vehicle Damage: Repair Demand For Car Damage Is Too High
    By Lotronix in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 07-16-2007, 03:30 PM
  5. Retailers: Damage to property during a repair
    By frustratedmind3 in forum Consumer Law
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 05-25-2005, 02:42 PM
 
 
Sponsored Links

Legal Help, Information and Resources