Steve5.9

So I got a call from the shop yesterday saying that my car is over at a local Acura dealer getting some airbag parts replaced (which is weird because they didn't go off) so it won't be done for a couple of days now. But anyways, I went over to the dealership to see my baby...






Wow...I was pissed. Luckily they didn't confirm it was completely done...but still. I immediately took these two pictures and emailed them to the guy at the shop explaining the difference between base model and A-Spec model AGAIN! I mean, I wrote A-Spec trim on the damn sign in sheet at the shop like 3-4 times ON TOP OF emailing the same photo that's my avatar saying "this is what she looked like before..." And how do you miss that plastic clip that's hanging off??? But like I said, they didn't say it was complete so I can't be THAT mad.

I called over there after I emailed them and they guy said that he (insert dumbass hick accent) "has to look at his invoice because he gave the VIN to the dealership, and the dealership sent him the parts" blah blah blah. AGAIN, I told him that my car has the factory A-Spec trim, so hopefully they'll get it right and I'll get my car back sometime before next weekend.

Steve5.9

Oh yeah... I forgot to mention, the body shop manager did say that the car was going to be ready after Acura fixed these air bag sensors and codes. He was about to give it back to me with the base front bumper... Sweet, guy.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

dont accept it!!!!!

waiting for aspec to be put back on.

Steve5.9

Ha! No chance I'm going to accept it! But man... I can't WAIT to have my baby back. This Elantra is killing me!

Steve5.9

...and I really miss my JnC headlights. Definitely changing these stockies out when I get it back. Hopefully I can get a "return customer discount."

Steve5.9

I got a call from the autobody place and they said my car is ready for pick up. He said that I have a $500 deductible and the rest is being billed to the insurance company.

I've never been in a wreck before and this is definitely my first time receiving a car back from an autobody shop. Any advice? Do I test drive it before paying? Do I ask for an overview of what they did? What about the new paint; do I have to seal it? Sorry for the noob questions but I gotta learn sometime!

Thanks

-Steve

Steve5.9

Also, is the $500 deductible refundable (it was the other driver's fault)??

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

yes, make sure their work is spot on. review it. have them go over it. double check everything.
drive it.
make sure its driving like it was before.

I'm sure I hate cars will chime in with some of his horror stories.

I hate cars

Definately test drive it before you sign anything. I've been battling the bodyshop going on 2 years trying to get the car right.

When I initially went to pick mine up I test drove first. Could barely get it out of the parking lot it was so messed up. Completely undrivable and they told me it had been test driven. If I were you, I would take it on a good 30 minute trip and go over every detail. Show them everything that's wrong with it. Little things that may not bother you when you first pick it up will bother you later on.

nfnsquared

Now thats funny: Someone from Tennessee saying someone else has a "hick" accent

Glad its finally done. Yes, definitely test drive it before signing/accepting. Have someone from the shop go over the entire invoice with you and physically show you all the areas they repaired and painted.

Good luck, hope it meets your expectations!!

05TLdcc

did they ever put on your aspec kit? and i would call your insurance about your deductible, since its not your fault.

JnC

iTrader: (12)

I am sure we can work something out

dave_ramkumar

iTrader: (5)

you should of got the type-s front =(

but i feel your pain with the Elantra

when my m3 was at the dealer for 4 days, i had to drive a Mazda 3 -.-. omg was this thing slow and just a pain to drive


car still looks good tho,glad to see it back in shape

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

You shouldn't have a deductible if the other guys insurance is paying...

Mighty Mouse

You have to pay the deductible first, then your insurance will just reimburse you.

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

times like this is why I take my car to a body shop and tell them I am paying out of pocket... 8k to fix that??? yeah right

VQPower37

this is how it usually works, or u can just have ur insurance company pay everything, and get reimbursed by the other parties insurance company, thats generally how i have done it in the past

Steve5.9

So I went over to the body shop to inspect it (didn't have anyone with me because I had a feeling that I wasn't going to take it home). And man was I right. It was parked out front of the shop, freshly washed with tire shine on it and everything, it looked great (post pics after this weekend). Anyways I went inside and asked the guy if I could take it for a test spin and he said not until I pay my deductible. I tried to get around this by offering some kind of collateral (like the keys to my rental) but he said no. And finally I just asked him "why can't you just come with me?"

So finally I got the guy out there and I wanted to see what all they did. I popped the hood, propped it up, and the dang hood wouldn't stay up... Sweet... Easy fix, couple worn hood struts, no problem.. The guy said it was probably from me wearing it down with overuse... Wow! I said in no way was my hood doing this before the accident, I have had zero problems with it. So anyways, we get in the car, I start it and notice the fan blowing on high.. Waited awhile...No a/c... Awesome... Then I proceed to take it on the interstate and get it up to 65 when I start to feel a wobble.. Great.. I even told the guy to grab the wheel to see if I was just being "picky" and he felt it but didn't say anything. I told him that I really miss this car and I really wish I could take it back, but not in worse shape than it was. And he said (insert dumbass hick accent) "oh its not in worse shape than what it was." Are you Fing kidding me???!!!! What a joke! I wanted to straight up throw an elbow and put this fool to sleep!! Don't call me to come get a car, telling me its ready when it isn't! Anyways... Done venting now. This shop is located in a nice, rich part of town, so I thought I was going to be fine. NOPE!! I just really miss my car and I'm so over dealing with idiots.

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

damn i'm sorry to hear that man...

so where did you leave off with the guy? is your car still in their possesion? did he admit that it wasn't ready, after the test drive? need moar info!

I hate cars

That sucks but it's to be expected. I hope you left it there. Take it from me, you don't take the car home until it's perfect. I had to spend 3 hours under my car with a Geico agent and Acura master tech debating and explaining everything, proving it was the shop and not myself. I won but it would've been a lot easier if I had refused to take the car in the first place.

You can't give in at all. Make sure you're being fair to them but you have to put your foot down as long as you're sure and don't back down at all. You're young and they will try and push you around.

If you noticed all of this just on the test drive, imagine all of the things you can't notice just yet but probably will at a later time.

You really should not have paid the deductable. Last time I grabbed the keys from the counter and told them I was going for a test drive. No one in that shop can/will stop me from driving my own car. Asking permission only gives them more power.

Make a list of what's wrong and send a copy to the shop, your insurance, and save a few copies for other agencies if need be. Update this thread with each change so you have a time stamped record of everything if it comes down to a lawyer, BBB, or potentially going after their business license.

Steve5.9

I straight up left the car there and told the guy to fix all this stuff. I called my insurance company and they said that either I pay the deductible and get reimbursed through the other insurance company, or the other insurance company will send the shop a check covering the deductible. Either way I'm fine with that.

Thanks a lot for all the good info. I am definitely staying strong with these guys and I absolutely won't take my car back until its perfect.

I'll keep yall posted!

Steve5.9

Got a call this past Friday from the guy again. He said he called the insurance company and got the 'ok' to order the new hood struts and he said that they will be in either on Tuesday or Wednesday. He then said that I could come pick the car up and when the parts come he'll call me and I can come bring the car in. I thought that sounded kinda fishy and told him that I'll just wait for the car to be done before I come get it.

And just for the record, I talked to the guy about if I notice something wrong with my car later on. He said this body shop (Accurate Auto Body) gives a lifetime warranty on their work (up until I sell the vehicle or get into another wreck). He said that if I notice something wrong, bring the car in and they'll look at it and bring in a mechanic if they have to, and decide whether or not the accident caused the issue.

So this is kinda a relief in some way I guess...

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

who is the guy?

Steve5.9

Jim Kangas. He's the manager over there at Accurate Auto Body located in Cool Springs/Franklin, TN. Why do you ask?

av6Batmobile

wow, that sucks man, at least you are ok

Steve5.9

Yeeeeeeah. A month later car is still in the shop

Hopefully I'll get it back tomorrow!

jackson615

Steve5.9
Wow. I feel bad for you that youve had to deal with this for a month now. But hopefully all will be resolved and you will have your TL back in the condition it was in before the accident.
And remember to get everything in writing that Accurate Autobody says, without that if you take it back in after you take the car its their word against yours.

And yeah you would think in the Cool Springs /Franklin area you wouldnt have that many shady characters, but I guess they are everywhere.

Red Voodoo

I can sympathize with you. My UA6 had a meeting with a SUV a couple weeks ago. All damage appeared to be confined to the right side of the vehicle, damaging both doors and the rear quarter panel. I'm not so concerned with drivability issues as I am the integrity of the repairs (especially the WDP re-paint and blend). I am hoping for a stroke of good luck and to drive away without any incident prompting me to leaving the car with them for another week plus. I've been trucking around in a 2010 Corolla LE for the past couple weeks, and with exception of the decent fuel mileage and less expensive trips to the pump, I am done with this econobox.

Good luck with your body shop!

markbento

I love insurance a## holes as all they try to do is take your money and when its time to pay out they want to use junkyard parts and aftermarket junk you need to stand your ground with these jerks and if it is not to your liking do not let them even put the part on inform the insurance company they will be hearing from your lawyer and watch how they start to hear you they tried to replace rims I had stolen off of a caddy with yard rims until I ask them if they were going to put in writing that the rims were 100 % safe and had no problems. so I could hand it over to my lawyer, next that 4 brand new rims from caddy were at the repair shop for my car stand your ground it might take longer to get it fixed but its your car and they have to put it back to the same way it was before the crash and they will try to tell you they have the right to use what ever parts they want to fix your car what they don't tell you is you have the right to fight them and refuse the parts

Steve5.9

Thanks a lot for the support, guys. This whole thing has been a huge debacle for some reason. But anyways, I talked to the two insurance companies (mine and the other guys') and I got basically everything cleared up - so no more deductible issues.
So now I'm just waiting on my car to be done and I'm getting soooooo impatient. If I get the car back and it still vibrates at 65mph, I might just suck it up and take it back. I'm so ready to get rid of this Hyundai...

I hate cars

If you have the time, my ordeal, it might make you feel better lol...... https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...light=bodyshop

Steve5.9

^Wow! That's brutal! Sorry you had to deal with that, IHC.

...no update on my car today. Hopefully tomorrow it'll be done.

I hate cars

It was no fun. But it's a good lesson to others (and myself) to not take the car until it's as perfect as when it went in. I can't wait to see if they fix yours properly. As crazy as it sounds, once you pick it up, I would drive it aggressively to make sure there are no hidden issues.

millarduck

When you have front end damage make sure they do an alignment and rebalance the tires. Normally this is not included as part of the claim. Take it the dealer for the alignment to make sure it's in spec. That may solve your problem or demonstrate that the problem is structural not mechanical.

In my state the drivers who surrendered their right of way to the left turning driver would have been at fault. You are not to yield your right of way just for such a case. Waving a driver through who gets clocked by oncoming traffic is the "waver's" liability. If TN has a similar law, and those two drivers stayed, the other guy's insurance co will go after them; they caused the accident.

Steve5.9

^Awesome info! Thanks! Well 38 days later and my car is still in the shop. How many days does it take to put in two hood struts?! Man I'm getting tired of these guys. Now that they're closed for the weekend, looks like I won't get my car back until NEXT friday. ..sweet.

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Make sure like IHC mentioned .. drive your car hard on the test drive. Make sure it tracks well after an alignment and balance and no excessive bounce, sway, vibrations, clunks or any garbage while going over bumps at any speed or making aggressive cornering.


For peace of mind I would've suggested they replace all 4 control arms in the front, sway bar linkages, tie rod ends and axles. Because of the collision and the tow there could be minor damage to those components that won't manifest till more driving.

jenniva

Same thing happened with my TL. it's not totaled. just some major frame damage is all. make sure you take it to a shop that specializes in TL's or else everything will look like a fixer-upper. Shops have a habit of disregarding the symmetry of the TLs

Steve5.9

So I emailed the body shop guy and told him make sure to check the alignment and to balance the tires after a front end collision like I had. I also told him to replace all 4 control arms in the front, tie rod ends and axels. He responded by saying that my car "passed alignment and there is no issue with suspension damage." This is EXACTLY what he said before I test drove it a couple days back and this car is freaking SHAKING at 65mph!!! I absolutely hate dealing with this guy. Eveything is an excuse to not do extra work; and he's not even doing extra work, his techs are!

I hate cars

Forward his response to your insurance and to his boss...assuming he's not the owner. If he's being honest he should not be upset at all.

nfnsquared

Well, he could be 100% correct. Have you asked him to check the wheel balance?? The impact of the wreck could have knocked off a one or some of the balance weights causing the high speed shake or wobble...

Could also be a bent wheel or damaged tire...