I was involved in car accident my car was taken to a dealer in San Antonio TX where it has been for going on 6 weeks.
Every time I call to see when the car will be ready I get a new excuse: waiting for parts, waiting for appraiser, waiting for mechanic to find the car in the lot, waiting for hell to freeze over, car is being tested, not ready yet, repairing the floor under the rear seat, removing the carpet, etc. So my question is what is the appropriate way to convince these guys that I need my car fixed sooner than later?
Need more information. Covered by insurance? Another party involved in the accident, or one-car acciddent. Whose insurance is covering the repair costs? Did you get an estimate before taking the car to the dealer? Has an insurance adjuster approved the costs? Have the repairs been authorized? Who is liable for your transportation costs while the car is being repaired? Are you entitled to a rental? Whose fault in the accident?
I feel your pain. Not sure what the right answer is-maybe depends on how torn apart it is now. You can either leave it there and pester them every day or tow it out to someone new to finish it. Maybe the insurance agent can put some pressure on them. Then again it is possible some parts were needed and the shop is busy. I would make personal visits though and not phone calls. Too easy to blow someone off on the phone.
I was having a transmission overhauled and instead of a week it took them seven weeks. I was there every other day but it was all torn apart and no one would have been able to put it together again. Maybe would have been better towing it out since it only lasted a year.
I get a new excuse: waiting for parts,…assuming they have ordered the parts this is more of a reason and not an excuse. For example, this Tuesday I ordered parts for a Mitsubishi and did not get them until today, Friday, and not even until 3:30pm. 2 weeks ago I ordered Honda parts and it took them 1.5 weeks to get them and they only shipped about half of them. When we finally got the aprons for the vehicle they were for the opposite side. I can get GM parts overnight since the closest warehouse is Chicago but GM keeps bumper covers in Yipsalanti (spelling) Michigan. I wait 3-4 days for those.
Also if they may be waiting for LKQ parts. Like Kind & Quality which in laymens terms is used parts from a salvage yard. They also do not always arrive on time and sometimes a tech has to clean them up meaning repair any parking dings it may have. It is not the shops fault if this happens since the salvage yard salesman either does not know the condition of the part or just does not reveal the info so he can make the sale. If the used part is beat up to much I send them back and order new OE and send a supplement to the insurance company.
waiting for appraiser,…this also is a reason that wastes lots of time. On some repairs the appraiser must be called and some are cool with telling us to send some pictures via e-mail and keep on repairing. Allstate for example must be called if there is a supplement and if I call after 12:00 noon then the appraiser will not show up for 2 days. Some appraisers are great and some are real knobs.
repairing the floor under the rear seat, removing the carpet, …these sound like they are actually working on the car.
If I were in your shoes, and I have been, explain to them the urgent need for the completion in a calm, stern manner. If you go in mad you may get a crummy repair in areas you cannot see. Then call your adjuster and tell them to call the shop and lean on them. If you are in a rental the insurance company can charge excess days to the shop, and there goes the profit.
Hope this helps and hope you get your car back soon in tip top shape.
tow it out to someone new to finish it. …FYI. This is tempting but not practical. No one can just walk in and say “I’m moving the car to a different shop” and haul it out. The shop will not release the vehicle unless someone pays for the portion of work that is completed and all parts will have to be re-ordered.
Car insured?
If your car insurance is paying for repairs, then get in touch with your agent, as Bing suggested. Politely express your displeasure. Your agent sells policies and should want to keep clients and generate new ones. Having managed a collision shop, I can tell you from experience (adjusters too slow to get out, etc.) that a good agent with a good insurance company can make things happen for you.
What stands out to me here is the floor under the rear seat being repaired. If the car has been hit hard enough to buckle the floor pan under the seat then it’s a possibility the car should be considered a total; dependent on year, model, etc.
As to parts, that can be a toss-up. Specialty parts that may not be available in the aftermarket and gotten only through a dealer may often be on a backorder. A backorder simply means that the dealer has no control over the availability of the part and it may be a week, month, year, or never before it’s available.
There is also no info given about the circumstances of the accident and just how the ins. company is involved. If it’s a question of liability that has not been settled yet this could be a reason for stalling.
The squaky wheel gets the grease. Call your insurance company. Call their insurance company. Call the State Attorney General For Consumer Affairs. Call the State Insurance Commissioner. Call the dealership owner (not, the service dept.). Call the local TV and radio stations’ news departments. As a last resort, go to the car dealer and DEMAND your car. They can charge the insurance company for whatever repairs they claim. The car is still your car.
umm thats correct,but its a secured deal,needing payment,they should pull the parts off the car and then give it back.
fair enough?
correct its stiil your car,just the way it was.
they should pull the parts off the car and then give it back.
Easier said than done. Not only is there the issue of payment for work done so far but this repair is more than a fender & hood. Not all parts are bolted on, some are welded and some use adhesive. If this is the case the parts would be cut off and therefore useless. Nobody will take them back.
Even though you didn’t mention year, make, or model (big mistake), you’re approaching this from the wrong angle, in my humble opinion. What you need to do is convince yourself that you no longer want to own this car.
If they have to repair the floor under the rear seat, the vehicle has been damaged beyond what I would be willing to accept as safe to drive.
Get over it! You don’t want to take this car back from the body shop. Since it’s in the body shop, however, and hasn’t been “totalled,” the sad fact is, they are going to “fix” it and give it back to you, eventually.
When it comes out of the body shop, I’d dump it ASAP. Sell it. To anyone who’ll take it. Take a financial loss if necessary. This car will never be the same again.
Please tell us what car we’re talking about.