Hit a raccoon, bumper damage, now different color
 

I have a FR-S in firestorm red and hit a raccoon, which ended up being more damage than expected (radiator, AC, something else). I first went to my local Toyota dealership because I wanted to get as close to a factory looking fix as possible and they said all thier work is done by a local shop. I went to the local shop and that's when we noticed the radiator being bent among other things. I called my insurance company and the shop I was at wasn't one of "their" shops, but would be ok if I chose them. Being as Toyota said this shop was where all thier factory work is done, I wanted to use them.
Fast forward about a week, and my FR-S was ready. I get to the shop and right away I notice the color is off, like a different color red was used, off. After getting the owners out there and paint guy with me proving how off the color was they said the only thing they can do is get my insurance company to approve the expense to "fade" it into the rest of the body.
So now I'm not sure if there much I can do besides stand outside in protest. This place was outside of my insurance companies network, and I know they will look at it and say "close enough" and not approve any added expense. I know the shop won't add any expense to making it right, they already said they used what the factory paint mix said to use.

Well, I don't have any pictures and the shop and insurance company will be meeting tomorrow. Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and maybe have some helpful input.

They shouldn't have to charge your insurance company for an error that they made. These cars are much too new to have any kind of fade on them... They used the wrong damn paint. And even if the paint is faded, isn't it their job to make it match the first time around? Sounds like a lousy shop.

I think, baccoon have cursed your car. You got to pray to raccoon god for forgiveness.

Put the joke on the side, that's suck. that's why I always go to "trusted" body shop I always go to. they know paint fades over time, so they make sure they get it to close to the current color on the car.

Hopefully insurance company will approve it

This was part of my argument, I told them the car has less than 2k miles, less than 2 months old. The paint guy brought out a test piece, which matched exactly with the bumper so I said "why wouldn't you notice something was wrong, it doesn't match the body at all"

It is sometimes very hard to get paint to match exactly the same shade. Many times the painters will "blend" it with surrounding body panels. Fiveaxis did have a problem matching up the exact shade of colors when they first released the rear spoiler and their kits. Some colors are harder to match than others.
Good luck getting it repainted to your satisfaction.

Anytime you choose a shop outside of their chosen shop, the issues of poor work becomes you versus the shop, not your insurance company.

The guy you are dealing with simply doesn't want to take responsibility for their shoddy work and is trying to have your insurance cover their mistake.

Not sure what to tell you other than you must make them(the shop) fix it on their dime. Hold your ground, don't get too pissed off, but as a last resort mention small claims court.

My body shop put in the original estimate to fade into the other panels. It was approved and car looks great.

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that sucks, but so familiar

my old car

http://i41.tinypic.com/149cgev.jpg

If your insurance company works with "preferred" shops and you go to one of their preferred shops, your insurance company will go to bat for you if the repairs aren't right. Because that shop wants to remain on the insurance companies preferred list they will bend over backwards to please the insurance company and you. The shop that did the work for you has to reason to "kiss up" to your insurance company and your insurance company will probably stay out of it.

It's too bad you didn't come on this forum and ask a few questions before you got yourself in this position.

It all depends. I went through the offending party's insurance instead of my own with my accident and chose my own shop. Because it wasn't my insurance, they had no real reason to bend over backwards to help me make it right. So I went with the shop that I felt was going to do the best work, regardless of which insurance they work with (Coincidentally, they're the preferred shop for my insurance company). They did a great job and are doing everything they can to make me happy.

Remember, preferred just usually means that's the shop that's willing to give the insurance company the best deal in exchange for client referrals. As long as they hit a minimum quality threshold, the insurance companies know that most customers won't know enough or care enough to complain about or even notice a lot of things.

My shop blended the repair with the surrounding panels. Especially with a metallic paint like my Ultramarine, this is 100% necessary because it's next to impossible to get the flake to lay exactly like it did from the factory, so it can be exactly the same paint color but look slightly different.

It should be less of an issue with a candy color like the red, but a blend is still good practice.

Nathan

Blending or fading is pretty standard for paint work it shouldn't be something extra sounds to me like they are trying to hustle you. One of my friends had his bumper and hood replaced on an aphalt frs and they did such a good job you would never know the car had been in an accedent and metallic colors are much harder to blend or match. There should be no excuse for failing to match red. Just be firm with them if they are a decent shop they should make it right and in all fairness even good shops make mistakes every now and then. I would imagine if the dealer ship is reffering them business it would be in their best interest to keep you happy.

How about this. Post the name of the body shop on this thread, post a youtube video showing how bad the paint doesn't match, and thus give the shop a lot of bad online publicity. Hopefully the uproar will be so big they will do you right and fix the issue for free.

Grab that raccoons family, and repaint your car with their blood!

Problem solved!

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I've always chosen my own shop, the problem the OP is having is that he chose the wrong shop on his own, not his act of choosing.

This will happen after today if things aren't settled, I didn't want to post the shops name quite yet, as they should get a chance to make things right.

Thank you for all your replies, this is helping out

That's fine if you know the shop you're choosing. To choose a shop just because they're associated with a dealership is not necessarily wise. Because a body shop is at a dealership or associated with a dealership does not make them a good shop. If he had asked his insurance company for the names of their "preferred" shops and chosen from one of them he would have some support for his problems. As it is, he won't. That's all I'm saying.

I retired after handling automobile insurance claims for 25 years. The insurance industry, probably more than any one else, knows who the good shops are and who the bad shops are. They won't make a bad shop "preferred". They want the least hassle possible and you don't get that with shops that do bad work.

@KenTron3030, if the shop won't satisfy you, perhaps complain to the dealership. I would argue that they recommended the shop and they should support you in getting the repairs done properly. Good luck.

Yes, after a couple experiences I just learned to go to the insurance preferred shop. Was glad I did because when I picked up there were plenty of sanding lines and overspray. I pointed them out to the adjuster and they whole panel was repainted and overspray removed the next day. I have no doubt if it wasn't the insurance site with a rep on site I would have been stuck with the poor work. But now it is 99% and I am happy.

Let me pass on something a lot of you might not think of. I worked for 25 years in the insurance claims business and I am very familiar with body shops and how different the quality of their work can be.

Do not go to your dealership body shop. Just because they're a dealership doesn't mean squat when it comes to the quality of their work. If they don't have their own shop and recommend shop "A" that might only be because shop A "kicks back" more to the dealership than any other shop is willing to. For that recommended shop to kick back to the dealership they have to increase their profit margin and that usually means cutting back on the quality of work they do to make a larger profit.

Here's what I recommend if you don't have any knowledge of body shops in your area. A lot of high end dealerships (Ferrari, Rolls Royce, etc.) don't have body shops. That doesn't change the fact they quite often have minor little dings and body repairs that are needed to get the car ready to put on the lot for sale. It's a certain bet that they want the best work they can get on their top end cars. Stop in or call to find out who they have do their occasional body work and go with that shop. Again, that's only if you have no idea where to turn to.

I knew what you were saying all along, I was just adding that it is OK to pick your own shop that isn't part of the insurance companies cronies. He simply picked a bad place. :(

I do have a question specifically for you though since you used to work for "them"(insurance co): I've always wondered if the preferred shops that the insurance company picks are in cahoots with each other...by that I mean that the insurance company under the table suggests that they find as little as possible to fix to keep the payout at a minimum.

Yes, big time tinfoil hat question...it certainly is possible and would make sense. Does it happen ever?

Loud and clear no. The people handling claims are like anybody else. The last thing you would want at work and the last thing they would want at work are hassles. There are a lot of "one liners" in all types of jobs and the one that applies to handling claims is: "The best file is a closed file". Having continual problems with shoddy or short-cut repairs does not close files. It only drags them out with problems and complaints. It causes aggravation and claims people, just like people doing your job, do what they can to have as little of that as they can. Are there jerks handling claims? Damn right there are some, just like I'm sure you know a few at your job and probably any one reading this knows a few jerks in their line of work.

Insurance adjusters are just like anyone else sometimes they make mistakes and believe me I've seen some bad ones for example I had a customer come into our shop with and awd sienna that was towed by its front wheels....yeah big mistake rear diff was hosed. To get the ball rolling we order a new one insurance adjuster says no and orders a used one as is from a wrecking yard the tech r&rs the rear diff puts in new/used diff. Used diff leaks so the adjuster says to "re-seal" the diff so the tech removes the diff and reseals it. Puts "re-sealed" diff back in ends up being no good meanwhile the customer is in a rental for over a week... Well time for a new adjuster lol new adjuster comes in laughs about the whole thing says to go ahead and put the brand new diff in problem solved. Case in point first adjuster was trying to save money ends up eating the labor to remove the diff 4 times + a re-seal and both a used and new diff.

Good answer, your response is logical.

Do us a favor. Check the rear bumper to see if it is a perfect match. A smart painter will match the color of the rear bumper to paint the front. Get his spray out and see if it matches the back.

Bumpers never match from the beginning. That is something I point out to any customer that comes through my door. Though most of the time when it leaves my shop it has a better match to the body than when it came in, if not just the same.

You don't want them to have to blend. Keeping the original paint(especially on the metal) is better than the cheap crap paint they will paint over it with. Don't let them break that seal.

My shop guarantees the repair. See if they do. I'm sure the owner wouldn't want you going around town showing people a poor paint job. It's not beyond reason and in the long run not that expensive for them.

Quick update
Yesterday my insurance company wasn't able to view my car so I had to wait until today. Around 10am I received a call from the owner of the shop, and he said it was clear the color was wrong and is taking the bumper off to repaint. He said they are going to do what it takes to match the body. I am extremely excited!!!!

MisterLucas, I'm very aware paint on bumpers will look slightly different than the body, but this was clearly a different color.

After everything is complete I'll tell the complete story. I might even mention the shops name for support, as the owner is making me very very happy, and I truly appreciate talking with the owner.

Oh, another thing, the owner said it might be complete by Saturday morning, just in time for the gathering in Orlando!!