Not happy with auto insurance-paid repair. Advice?

[BrianT]

I am by no means a paint guy, but when I had my drivers side door done the body guy not only painted my door but the rear door and the front fender. The fender and the other door were blended meaning he used paint and clear at the same time to mask any color variation in the paint. Did they not paint the surrounding panels??

[StormChaser]

Keeping my fingers crossed on this for ya!

[Superdutytd]

Hi All -

 

My VW got rear-ended a few weeks ago and I just went to pick it up after the repairs. I'm not happy with it -- I don't think the color matches well enough -- and I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for me on how to deal with getting it redone right.

 

Details: the bumper got hit, gouged from the other car's license place bolts, and some minor hairline cracking of the paint on the top edge. I pressed them to replace the bumper but the insurance co would only approve repairing and repainting.

 

Apparently what the shop did – well, I might add -- was sand and repair the damaged area, then blend the paint back across and around the sides. After that the whole bumper was re-cleared. The net effect is that bumper now appears a shade or two lighter than the rest of the car, and from 10 feet away most people (well, anyone on this forum ) could look at it and know it was repainted. Even knowing that painted bumpers often appear slightly different than metal, I feel like it really sticks out. Especially compared to the stock front bumper, which matches the metal just about perfectly.

 

If this were any other car than an otherwise still-pristine 2010 model I probably wouldn't make an issue of it. But the fact is I'm not satisfied and feel that anyone that's looking at the car -- especially if I were trading it in or selling it -- would see the repair.

 

So, how can I get my point across to the insurance co that I want it redone, and I'm not taking no for an answer? I refused delivery and I left the car at the shop -- I still have their rental.

 

Any advice from someone that's been in this situation would be appreciated.

 

Rich

 

Just FYI your car is almost brand new and you have a legal right to have it fixed to pre-wreck condition. A bondo'ed bumper is not as the same as a new bumper. Insurance companies are a bear to work with and you never work with them, just against them. I work a lot with them in my line and work and they are all pretty much trying to screw you. They tried to reuse used parts on my dad's 18 month old tahoe when it got rear-ended.