Accident repair - moan about dealer

[Mav2006]

My vehicle has been in the garage for a week to repair some accident (not my fault) damage to the rear bumper. Originally told me it would be 2 days and now is 5 and on going. What has really annoyed me is that a) they didn't order the correct parts before hand and the very best part b) when ordering the part (rear bumper bracket) they only described the part verbally to theie supplier. My question is, does anybody know if there is a standard trade publication that is available to all garages.

What I should also mention is that the dealer is a large mutli dealer agent -VW group and Ford with many dealerships in the area.

Am I being unreasonable in think that parts would be ordered using drawings and/ or part numbers.

Also I would have thought they would assess the damage upon removing the bumper and not when trying to reassemble.

I shall be complaining to dealer and insurance company later, just looking for any more ammunition.

[Marc97]

Have you been quoted for new parts?
If so, which new parts, if they are ordering parts after the bumper has been stripped, it appears they were possibly checking to see if any brackets could be straightened or repaired.
If you were paying for new, then that is what you should get and the parts should have been ordered when the car was delivered for repair.

[jasonkay]

If the bodyshop is indeed a VW dealership, then they would use drawings to order parts. The repair of a bumper is a 2 day job (or less) and any parts needed should have been ordered as soon as bumper was removed from vehicle for repair.
I owned and ran my own bodyshop, so have experience in these situations. If its an insurance job, have you a courtesy car ?

[Mav2006]

Took them over a week. Shocking service

[Eshrules]

i had a similar situation in my last car. some pillock decided to reverse while i was sat behind him at a junction, did quite a bit of damage to my front bumper. after dealing with norwich union direct (not one sinlge person understood me) for nearly 3 weeks, i got in touch with a company called helphire, they took my details, a £10 deposit in case i pranged the courtesy car they would provide and it all got taken care of. i drove down to the bodyshop, picked up the courtesy car, 48 hours later i got a courtesy call telling my car was ready. arrived to collect the car, handed over the keys to the courtesy car and picked up my valeted car, complete with new bumper any future accidents, ill be involving them from the start

[gazza57]

Had a Golf GTD which was damaged by having an articulated lorry drag a large tree bough across it after tearing it from an overhanging tree. Busted windscreen broken aerial heavily scratched bonnet and o/s front and rear doors.
Had it repaired at a local VW dealership, how I regretted that decision!
They had it for five days, they supplied a courtesy car, my wife went to collect her car.
When she looked at the paint the surface had tiny spots or blobs of paint almost like a partly blocked spray nozzle. When she mentioned it they said they would have it back in a bit later as the courtesy car had to go back now. My wife read them their fortune and told them to call her when the job had been redone. Only the next day, they rang and said it was ready for collection. They had simply run a buffing mop over the spots which now had turned white where the primer was showing through!
This time I went with her and asked them did you really expect me to accept this?
Back it went again for another five days, picked it up.... a huge paint hang rather like the hangs you get when you hold a paint can too close to a surface.
Back it went again, this time I went to their MD who told me they'd had a few problems with getting a decent sprayer.
When I got it back finally after 5 weeks, the finish was acceptable except that after 6 months the red paint turned a pinky colour.
This was due to polymer migration, a condition which occurs when the top coat has been applied too soon after the primer which has not been allowed to dry sufficiently.
They fobbed me off with red's always a problem colour needless to say they didn't get any more custom.
Contrast that with a local garage who did a small repair a bit later, they picked up my vehicle, dropped me home, completed their job in three days, car washed polished valeted and delivered back together with the reason why my bonnet was turning pink.. no contest!
Gazza57

[Eshrules]

Had a Golf GTD which was damaged by having an articulated lorry drag a large tree bough across it after tearing it from an overhanging tree. Busted windscreen broken aerial heavily scratched bonnet and o/s front and rear doors.
Had it repaired at a local VW dealership, how I regretted that decision!
They had it for five days, they supplied a courtesy car, my wife went to collect her car.
When she looked at the paint the surface had tiny spots or blobs of paint almost like a partly blocked spray nozzle. When she mentioned it they said they would have it back in a bit later as the courtesy car had to go back now. My wife read them their fortune and told them to call her when the job had been redone. Only the next day, they rang and said it was ready for collection. They had simply run a buffing mop over the spots which now had turned white where the primer was showing through!
This time I went with her and asked them did you really expect me to accept this?
Back it went again for another five days, picked it up.... a huge paint hang rather like the hangs you get when you hold a paint can too close to a surface.
Back it went again, this time I went to their MD who told me they'd had a few problems with getting a decent sprayer.
When I got it back finally after 5 weeks, the finish was acceptable except that after 6 months the red paint turned a pinky colour.
This was due to polymer migration, a condition which occurs when the top coat has been applied too soon after the primer which has not been allowed to dry sufficiently.
They fobbed me off with red's always a problem colour needless to say they didn't get any more custom.
Contrast that with a local garage who did a small repair a bit later, they picked up my vehicle, dropped me home, completed their job in three days, car washed polished valeted and delivered back together with the reason why my bonnet was turning pink.. no contest!
Gazza57

never is, reason being, small garages look after their custom, they need the return custom, thats what they rely on. big vw dealerships go from ripping one poor sod off to another, they couldnt care less about their customers and loyalty matters not i totally get your point

[netherfield]

Insurance companies take a lot of blame as well,my daughter got rammed from behind breaking the rear skirt/bumper of her Polo,my insurance company wanted me to take the car to Rochdale,from Huddersfield,I objected and said the local VW dealer could do the job,which they finally agreed to,but after getting the quote asked for a second opinion,I then went to a small Ford dealer just two miles away,he was brilliant had a good look at what was needed ordered all the parts and painted them in advance,he came to my house collected the car and returned it within 2 hours you could not ask for better service. The VW dealer wanted the car for 5 days and had no courtesy cars available.

The only downside is he is now trying to sell the site for housing so can retire,he's just short of 65 y.o.,his son had the local Seat dealership until they took it away from him and is so dissillusioned with the job has sold up and got out of the car job altogether.