Body Shop Rant!

aone415 · July 13, 2009, 12:07:55 PM

Since December the 68 has been @ the body shop for paint and assembly. Now the car was running FLAWLESSLY when the body shop received the car. We barely started the car @ the body shop except to make sure things like the lights worked. So last week the car was supposed to go to the speed shop for a final tune up. The plan was for my dad to drive the car there (remember it WAS running flawlessly). All of the sudden the car won't start... It turns over and fires, but will not idle... If you feed fuel direct to the carb it runs but the second you let it idle it died... So we figure it's the vacuum system or jammed up fuel pump and decide to flatbed it to the shop...

They get the car and nowI get to hear the BullSH*T ... mechanic says that vac lines looked great buuuut there's a problem with the (all new) fuel system... the problem is..... WATER IN THE TANK! I'm like WTF, how much, and he says, "a lot" They take apart the tank, drain it and determine about 2 to 3 gals of water... but that's not the end of it... they drain all the fluids and find that the water had made its way thru the engine... the oil pan was filled with that brown sludge (pics forthcoming)... they had to rebuild the (BRAND F'N NEW) fuel pump and carb to get everything working again...

I wanna kick the living sh*t outta the body guy. My dad wrote that a'hole a check for $9500 the day it was flat bedded, just to find out they basically screwed his engine...

I will be presenting them with the bill from the speed shop for reimbursement and those f*ckers better pay or a lawsuit will be in their future...

Rant over!

lisiecki1 · July 13, 2009, 12:11:37 PM

don't expect them to pay for it....once it was paid for and left their shop, they were no longer liable. Further inspection should have been done before payment was made for services rendered.

Rolling_Thunder · July 13, 2009, 12:12:18 PM

possible to put a stop payment on the check until things are sorted out ?

aone415 · July 13, 2009, 12:36:10 PM

Quote from: lisiecki1 on July 13, 2009, 12:11:37 PM
don't expect them to pay for it....once it was paid for and left their shop, they were no longer liable. Further inspection should have been done before payment was made for services rendered.

Further inspection would have entailed us removing the car from the premises... which they would not do until payment was rendered... so we were btwn a rock and a hard place... furthermore I have dated video of the car running perfectly when it arrived @ their shop and I have video of it not being able to run @ their shop 6 months later...

charge-it · July 13, 2009, 12:47:51 PM

I feel for ya but there will no way to prove who or when the water was put into the tank. His defense could be simple, you put the water in the tank to try and scam him. Cut your loses and get that beast running great again and then enjoy it.

lisiecki1 · July 13, 2009, 01:01:58 PM

Quote from: aone415 on July 13, 2009, 12:36:10 PM
Quote from: lisiecki1 on July 13, 2009, 12:11:37 PM
don't expect them to pay for it....once it was paid for and left their shop, they were no longer liable. Further inspection should have been done before payment was made for services rendered.

Further inspection would have entailed us removing the car from the premises... which they would not do until payment was rendered... so we were btwn a rock and a hard place... furthermore I have dated video of the car running perfectly when it arrived @ their shop and I have video of it not being able to run @ their shop 6 months later...

if it was running when you dropped it off and not running when you picked it up you should have had them fix it, or not taken it. When you retake possession of it, you are in effect saying "I know about this, but it's okay, we're taking it." I'm just playing devils advocate here. These are the basic beginning arguments any decent lawyer will make. In all actuality it will probably cost you more for a lawyer than you would be awarded in court anyway.

69*F5*SE · July 13, 2009, 01:37:08 PM

I remember the video you posted of it running. That should account for something to throw at them. Not to mention they f*cked up the rear corners of the car (sorry, I had to bring it up again). That shop sucks. I'd be furious too. Good luck with that mess. That's a shame.

aone415 · July 13, 2009, 02:04:06 PM

lisi,

I appreciate the counter points you present... I'll still try to pursue this in the "Do the right thing" vain... You're right, I probably won't recoup anything for my pop, but in the end, he deserves to: 1) know that I know his shop screwed the fuel system up and 2) get an earful from me for screwing the car up.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that he actually had the gall to ask my dad to take the shop out for lunch.

and that's no bull

lisiecki1 · July 13, 2009, 02:48:10 PM

Quote from: aone415 on July 13, 2009, 02:04:06 PM
lisi,

I appreciate the counter points you present... I'll still try to pursue this in the "Do the right thing" vain... You're right, I probably won't recoup anything for my pop, but in the end, he deserves to: 1) know that I know his shop screwed the fuel system up and 2) get an earful from me for screwing the car up.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that he actually had the gall to ask my dad to take the shop out for lunch. and that's no bull

at that point i'd have punched him in the mouth.

PocketThunder · July 13, 2009, 02:56:18 PM

On top of all this, you still need to take the car back to have them fix the corners, then what will happen when you bring it home the second time?

aone415 · July 13, 2009, 03:24:18 PM

PT you are right... it's a touchy situation... the sad part is that aside from that they did a very nice job on the car. What pisses me off was their carelessness which resulted in many deadlines missed (for no reason) and the damage done to the fuel system... As a Project Manager, I've learned to become a pretty decent negotiator, I'll have to utilize some of these skills when dealing with this shop....

Neal_J · July 13, 2009, 04:06:41 PM

Quote from: aone415 on July 13, 2009, 03:24:18 PM
What pisses me off was their carelessness which resulted in many deadlines missed (for no reason) and the damage done to the fuel system.

It seems to me that the few shops that do meet their deadlines and provide fair value are the very rare exceptions...

Sorry to hear of the difficulties. I hope you get the car running well again soon.

dkn1997 · July 13, 2009, 05:15:12 PM

I'd like to know why or how they would put 3 gallons of water in your tank? doesn't sound like those "I bet I know what they did...." type of screw ups. are you saying that they left it outside or in an uncontrolled environment resulting it a lot of condensation? or that someone there intentionally or unintentionally put water in your fuel system?

not trying to be a smart ass, but for the life of me I can't think of why they would do that or how any mistake could have resulted in that outcome....unless you think it might be vandalism of some sort?

dodgecharger-fan · July 13, 2009, 05:17:24 PM

It's too long of a walk to the bathroom, so....

oldrock · July 13, 2009, 05:20:38 PM

just to play devils adv here... what if it wasn't the shop at all but some punks did it while parked outside the shop? I know dumb kids dump sugar in tanks around here just for fun, etc. Not saying the shop wasn't to blame but just wondering why they would do that? What possible benefit would they get from screwing up a customers car who just paid them good money? Tryin to look at the big picture and hope you get some compensation because regardless of who did it... it happened while entrusted to the care of the shop. At a minimum, they should split the repair with you.

Back N Black · July 13, 2009, 06:19:54 PM

Maybe it was water in a gas can and the guy putting it in the tank just assumed it was gas?? I have seen similar mistakes. No excuse for the shop but could have been a innocent mistake.

Rolling_Thunder · July 13, 2009, 06:21:40 PM

Hmmmm 3 gallons is a LOT of water... I bet it accumulated from the constant wet sanding... I know cars are wet sanded quite a bit - maybe they just douched the car with water and it leaked in through whatever they used to "plug" the gas filler neck (assuming they took the filler cap off to paint under it) - also maybe they wet sanded the engine bay and water got into the engine somehow ?

chargergirl · July 13, 2009, 06:57:34 PM

Will ask a friend of ours to see if that is even possible. Three gallons of water is a lot of water. The water in the gas jug is the best possible explanation as far as I know however, most of those jugs are cautiously guarded, you guys do that yourselves...we do here and at our friends shop they are meticulous.

b5blue · July 13, 2009, 08:19:34 PM

Hang in and don't let anger over ride seance. Get a Lawyer to talk to first.

hemi-hampton · July 13, 2009, 08:47:10 PM

I'm Curious to know how the Water got in there. Was the car stored outside overnight?

LEON.

The70RT · July 13, 2009, 09:25:28 PM

Quote from: hemi-hampton on July 13, 2009, 08:47:10 PM
I'm Curious to know how the Water got in there. Was the car stored outside overnight? LEON.

That or they siphoned fuel from some old cars to drive yours around while you didn't know. Did you check your mileage?

b5blue · July 14, 2009, 07:50:47 AM

The fact that it was towed to the shop is proof Something Happened To It At The Body Shop. Mistake or not they had control "hence responsibility", I do feel they would be prudent to resolve this for him and all it may take is a nudge from a lawyer. 3 gal. in the tank and ANY in the crankcase is totally malicious....water in the engine!!!! Unless his block or head/head gaskets were broken some how could that happen? You would have to crank that car for an hour with the fuel system full of water to even get a tiny amount of water in the crank case! My off hand guess is a disgruntled employee sabotaged the car (maliciously) to get back at the owner of the shop! All he needs to prove is that A: It was delivered OK and B: Something was wrong when returned. Remember "IF it goes to court" the loser pays court costs and lawyers fees on top of damages.

mopar73 · July 14, 2009, 08:46:03 AM

was it low on gas when you took it there? As it was meantioned earlier someone may just have screwed up, however, I do find that pretty unlikely.

68charger383 · July 14, 2009, 09:38:30 AM

Quote from: dodgecharger-fan on July 13, 2009, 05:17:24 PM
It's too long of a walk to the bathroom, so....

The fact that you paid $9,500 and the guy asked you to take everyone out to lunch like they did you a favor shows this wasn't the first time they felt unappreciated.

Go to a lawyer and have everyone meet for lunch

chargergirl · July 14, 2009, 06:19:35 PM

Here's the answer that we came up with...Yes you can get gallons of water in the tank from wet sanding. Especially when the gas cap is on top of the fender. It would only take about an hour to get that amount of water into the gas tank. (That's why most cars don't have that tank installed until after mission complete and they are already painted). You most likely had a bad fuel pump or one that was going out/faulty and it grabbed the water and threw it through the engine. This is not me talking...i am a fan...this is my husband...moparmarkk...he asked where you live and if it was close he would have helped you fix the problem. What kind of fuel pump was it Edelbrock or stock...stock buy new. Carb overhauled but it shouldn't be insane money.

TylerCharger69 · July 14, 2009, 06:58:24 PM

Ya know...that IS a logical explanation, but you would think a body shop would have the common sense and experience to know to block the fuel filler during wet sanding. But...the engine??? I don't know how that would've gotten in there....that amount of water anyway.....looking forward to the pics!!!

chargergirl · July 14, 2009, 08:29:45 PM

When they started the car. Fuel pump went bad and pumped the water in the fuel into the engine. However I am assuming that you didn't get the engine bay painted either...or did they tell you they did that? Cause they can't paint the engine bay without taking the engine out...well not properly anyway. Usually a piece of plastic is placed over the filler area but it could also interfere with painting of the interior area of the filler, since you will never get it perfectly wrapped around the edge. Also most body men don't do engines it isn't a natural...there are a few but they are few and far between. We know one. The rest can be scary. I've seen the type of work our friend turns out and it's beautiful, done right, and no it aint cheap. But the engines aren't in the cars and neither are the gas tanks. You may be able to take it from there. If they were going to paint the entire car...what about that engine bay? They should have removed the entire engine to do so. Replaced the engine in a manner that would not injure the paint. Made it run if the shop is capable of doing so. Did they take all the panels off and paint them individually or just spray the car? What was supposed to happen? Ok I'm done with my rant...

TylerCharger69 · July 14, 2009, 08:34:18 PM

Oh...okay. So the fuel pump was leaking internally....gotcha....makes sense to me

hemi-hampton · July 15, 2009, 12:14:39 AM

Does a bad fuel pump pump anything anywhere

LEON.

chargergirl · July 15, 2009, 05:57:41 AM

From what I understand it did a number on the carb, and all things fuel related. The oil pan...well that was collateral damage. I'm sure the big dogs on this site could tell you why that happened. Personally I feel bad about this whole ordeal. I would never think that getting my car painted could mess up my engine. So now we know, make sure you drain the tank prior to starting if only getting the outside painted.

Neal_J · July 15, 2009, 08:16:35 AM

Gee, its too bad they weren't aware of this great new invention to prevent water from going in the filler neck - yea, it's called a shop rag...

c00nhunterjoe · July 15, 2009, 08:32:01 AM

a peice of duct tape works wonders too

b5blue · July 15, 2009, 09:04:30 AM

The point is moot. The body shop failed to protect the Charger with reasonable prudence, if the pump failed there would be gas not water in the crank case, insomuch as 3 gal. of water was found, it is gross negligence having not notified the owner immediately that it failed to start regardless of why. They were deliberate in trying to pass off the problem AFTER accepting full payment. He's got a lawsuit he can execute. Unless the guy is a total moron he will just pay the repair bill on the car. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!

aone415 · July 15, 2009, 10:37:58 AM

Hey guys I've been reading thru the posts and here's the update...

Our mechanic told me that basically what happened was that water got into the fuel system via the filler neck. The evidence was that the filler neck had a good deal of surface rust thru the tube. It was brand new! Now from what I've seen many times at the shop was the car sitting around with the filler cap wide open (before, during and after paint) and our and other cars being washed. Every time I was there I had to cover the cap opening with rags, plastic and/or tape to prevent any damage... the same went for the carb. Our car was wet sanded on 2 occasions (that I know of) and washed many times afterward. So I do not believe the water in the tank was malicious. I do believe it was negligence. I spoke to the body shop owner about this and he reluctantly agreed that the car was running when it was brought to him and that it wasn't running when we took it home. So he agreed to look at the mechanics bill and go from there... I'll keep you posted

b5blue · July 15, 2009, 10:39:49 AM

Great news!

PocketThunder · July 15, 2009, 10:40:53 AM

Yes, good news!

But how can any body man wash a car and obviously see the gas filler neck wide open and hose water right over it?..?

dstryr · July 15, 2009, 03:55:48 PM

Quote from: PocketThunder on July 15, 2009, 10:40:53 AM

But how can any body man wash a car and obviously see the gas filler neck wide open and hose water right over it?..?

Have you read this thread yet?

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,50620.0.html

j/k. Hard to believe.

roger440 · July 15, 2009, 04:08:58 PM

I seem to remember there were pictures posted on here of someone pressure washing inside the trunk of this car in the bodyshop!!!

chargergirl · July 15, 2009, 06:16:22 PM

Because sadly enough most body guys are purely body guys...they take their own vehicles to mechanics to be repaired and don't think about the engine when working on the body. Like we have all agreed there are a precious few that do or are conscience of both. Good to know that this body shop owner is willing to admit that the car was running when it got there...good for you! Good Luck! BTW Duct tape...why didn't I think of duct tape...if it don't work duct it!

hemi-hampton · July 15, 2009, 07:05:35 PM

Looks like at one time the gas tank was totally removed to install a new trunk floor. Why didn't they just put the gas tank in last after painting & wet sanding? LEON.

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Body Shop Rant!