Never Use This Panel Shop....ever

[xr_velocity]

Hi all,

I was put in the unfortunate situation a few months ago when the other half had a bloody accident in the car, a bike hit her in the drivers door. Anyway they both luckily walked away from it, the rider a little worse off with a broken wrist.

The car had a large dent in the drivers door and front guard, the side skirt had a couple of holes in it and the drivers door sill was dented in two spots (pushed in a little from the bike trying to sliding under the car).

So I figure OK pretty minor damage, new guard, new door skin, new side skirt and some repair to the sill. Pretty straight forward for a competent panel shop with the only part requiring any real skill is the drivers sill as it required some metal shaping.

So I search around for a good panel shop locally to myself, I had previously used Rigoli Smash Repair for a different car (damn women reversing down one way streets into me) and were very happy with the results....but I didn't go there this time, why I don't know. BUt anyway I found Kass Smash Repair in Marrickville, they seemed very professional, they had what looked like a clean and well run workshop. So I speak to the sales guy and ask that it be returned to a brand new appearance, he says yeah yeah not a problem. I put special emphasis on the door sill and ask if he is capable of making it look new, he says yes that won't be a problem.

So I book it in, one week later I come to pick it up....I am no panel beater so don't know what to look at when inspecting a car....the insurance company should really send out the assessor before you pick it up but anyway. I look at the external and it looks good, paint match is pretty much spot on, panels look nice. Open the door and look at the sill, the dodgy pricks left it in base coat and didn't even remove the dent!!! They had simply given it a hit with a hammer to take the main part of the dent out and then put the rubber strip back on to cover it up. Add to this that they also left the door sill in base coat, it felt like sandpaper!!! I said top him that it was the worst job I had ever seen and I don't know how you could even consider handing it back to me like that after you said you could get it back looking new. He said to me, "C'mon mate you and I both know no one will notice that". I said I don't care about anyone else, I will notice and I have paid for you to fix this and you will fix it. He says OK leave it here and we will fix it.

So I come to pick it up a few days later, door sill looks OK, not like new and not good but better than before, and what do you do when he says this is the best we could get it? Go back and do it again when they would probably end up doing more damage than good? So I say OK, then I notice that they had broken the bonnet release, to which I say how did this happen? He says wasn't that like that before? I said how do you think I would drive it with that dangling down in front of the accelerator pedal? He says OK we will repair it but we need it for a day, so I take it back the next week, pick it up and it's fixed.

I then take the car home and a few days later notice that the tint has been scratched in about 10 different places, so again I take it back....luckily they have a mobile tint guy come in to do the work so the new tint was done very well.

Now the fun part starts, I notice what looks like a run in the paint and some rippling in the paint around where the door handle fits in the door, looks like they fitted the handle while the paint was still wet.

So I think F this, I am not going back to Kass Smash Repair so I ring insurance and they say yeah go get another quote from another shop. Off I go to Rigoli who look over the car and note the following shonky work that Kass undertook on my car:

-Front guard not aligned properly.

-Front guard paint under bonet rough.

-Incorrect masking tape on front bumper has caused paint ridge on bumper.

-Paint stripped from front guard bolts when removed to replace bonnet release, painted over in what looks like blue paint from a spray can, paint completely different colour to car.

-Front door hinges were meant to be replaced, clearly not replaced instead painted in the same random blue paint as the guard bolts.

-Door sill not repaired.

-Door sill paint in one spot different colour.

-Rear door has been moved backwards to fit front door in place even though rear door had no damage at all. They moved it make the front door fit which they did not bother to fix properly.

-Paint stripped from rear door hinge bolts and bare metal left exposed where they have moved the hinge backwards to fit the front door.

-New door skin was joined around the window frame, the weld has been left very messy, was not a paint run was the weld I could see, the weld has started to rust now!

-Masking tape around door mirror and a couple of other places has caused paint ridges to form.

-Rippled paint around door handle caused by fitting door handle while paint still wet.

-Every panel gap is out, the front and rear doors do not close properly and do not line up.

Rogoli has suggetsed that they would like to remove all Kass Smash Repair work and start again as they really don't know what else they have stuffed up and I agree with them.

I looked through this forum and found very little on recommended smash repairers so I would like to add a good one and a bad one.....

NEVER GO TO KASS SMASH REPAIR IN MARRICKVILLE. THEY ARE DEADBEATS AND WILL CAUSE MORE DAMAGE THAN WHAT YOUR CAR COMES IN WITH.

RIGOLI SMASH REPAIR IN BEXLEY AND CAMPSIE ARE VERY GOOD. They fixed a previous car of mine to a very high standard.

[R-SPEC]

I would have hit that bloke.

Take em to consumer affairs mate, people like that don't deserve to be in business...

[senna_T]

Far out! Good work on the name and shame mate. If they fixed it right the second time, maybe it would've been bareable - but three attempts! Nice work to Rigoli for coming to the party

[INFLYT]

That's no good man.

At the end of the day, people are human, and mistake's can be made, but after a second and third attempt if the work is still not up to an acceptable standard, then name and shame, as you have rightly done so.

I know a few mate's that have had quote's from Rigoli Smash in Bexley for various job's, and the price's have been high compared to other shop's, but their workmanship must be top shelf I'd say.

[xr_velocity]

I agree that mistakes can be made, these were not mistakes these were incompetencies by a company that just didn't care. There is a distinct difference.

There are many insurance companies out there that let you choose your repairer....why don't they create blacklists of panel shops that cause these sort of issues....would make sense to me.

Edited 19/09/08 01:46 AM by xr_velocity

[RHR]

Not good so when will you be getting it back

[trevs]

off topic was the guys name greg who smashed into your car sounds like the smash my mate had two months or so ago ?

[smicky]

that's bad and very sad mate....

In Sydney I use West Ryde Smash cos I know the boys there, and used Parra for my Suby... Paid for it to be towed all the way from Albury back up to Sydney out of my own pocket for Parra Smash to do the job... Craig was a great guy, honest and said bring it back if u find anything... and that's exactly what I did, they advised that some ghosting may come through on the Mica paint and to bring it back in 2-4 weeks for a once over... and that's exactly what happened, then a few minor things like under front bar small plastic wind deflector was missing, no issues they got one, head light re-aligement, and found a few small areas with very minor dust under paint... Bam all fixed... even went in the 2 and 3rd time they spotted things I didnt and took it straight out the back and fixed it before I drove off!

You could eat off the floor in their work shops!!! So CLEAN!!!

Great work guys!

Pricey, and long waiting time, but dam was happy with the service!

West Ryde did some very very very minor work for me on the rear bar... same level of service...

Have done 2 friends cars and WOW... great job first time around!

Anyways my two picks in Sydney so far!

Hope nothing happens to the F6 or the XR5... if so I think ill give Alto a go.. hear they are good also... I hear you could eat of Alto's floors also... So being Ford Dealership owners I think that would be an obvious choice...

Anyways hope I never need to find out!

[iTec]

smicky If and only if its a insurance job (ie: you arent paying the bill) then north shore classic in artarmon is one of the best in the area, I know the owner pretty well and the cars he owns (maserati, 997 turbo and a 350rwkw SS) says he is doing pretty well, I would happily eat of his workshop floor they spent about $5mil when they built it a few years ago.. not your average panel shop by a long stretch!

[CJ_AK]

can I give some advice to you guys.

I worked in the Willoughby AAMI centre for 5 years as an assess/repair co-ordinator. I looked after 28 repairers during this time in the artarmon, chatswood, crows nest, hornsby, asquith and thornleigh areas.

Due to the area and caliber of clientele, most panel shops there are very professional and have some of the most skilled beaters in sydney. This was needed coz every second car wasnt a camry.... more like mercs, beemers, porche, jag etc...

Hornsby Prestige Smash Repairs - Ph: 9482 8600 (tell them Avedis sent you)

These guys are doing the red xrT ute I just bought last night. It will need a bit of work, but I have every confidence that it will come back like factory.

If you guys ever need some opinions on good panel shops, please PM me. I still have heaps of assesing mates within AAMI and thay will give complete unbiased advice on panel shops.