Update 02FEB:
Well, she's back in my garage.
I called the shop today to ask about the status of my car, and they told me that the new A/C compressor was installed, and the system all charged up. Since that was the last thing to be finished I assumed that meant that I could come get the car, but the tone in his voice was discouraging. He then asked me if the manual spoiler switch had worked before I brought the car in. I told him that no, it hadn't. Okay good, he said, because it wasn't working now but the spoiler's automatic up/down function should still work. Probably. How he knew that, I have no idea. He had mumbled something about getting blah blah blah volts at the switch and this and that, but I hadn't really been listening because I was getting my car back. Then he asked how the car had been running when I brought it in. I told him, again, the truth, that the car was running beautifully with no problems at all. He told me that they were having problems with the car because it wouldn't idle and was basically undriveable. I had a pretty good idea that I knew what they had done because I have an aftermarket MAF with this cheezy little wiring harness that isn't actually a wiring harness at all, but just two bare wires that you have to stick in two certain terminals in the harness that goes to the ISV and somewhere else that I can't remember off the top of my head. I said I had a picture of the proper setup and that I'd be down later to pick it up. I went in and fixed the problem with the MAF connection and the car started running fine, albeit with the obvious little blips and burbles of a car needing a DME reset. So I took the car out of the driveway, revelling in the smell of the interior, the sound of the flat six, and the view of the front fenders through the windshield, when about 30 meters down the road the warning light came on in tandem with the PDAS light and the ABS light. Not good. But I decided to do a quick run to check out the operation of the spoiler. 50mph. Nothing. 60mph. Nada. 70mph. Okay, we have no ABS or PDAS it's time to slow down now. But still no spoiler. Hmmm, that's a bummer. It was a gray, dreary, overcast day down here today, and it matched my mood at the end of my little test run. So I got out of the car to transfer all the crap I have been storing in my rental car back into my P-car, and I was doing that took a long look at the paint. The paint on the rear end is beautiful. The problem is, it really is a bit different than the doors and front end. So the guys at the shop gave me a few days to take the car to see if anything else needed fixin'. I'm going to give it some time and see if I still feel that the color match is that bad. Anyway, it was a fairly anti-climactic reunion but it's getting fixed incrementally. So, question time...
-Any ideas what could have happened to make the ABS/PDAS lights come on? I checked the battery voltage and it's a bit low (12.38 with the car off and 13.45 with teh battery running). I know that low voltage can set off the alerts. But the warning lights don't come on if the car doesn't move. If it starts and idles without moving, no lights at all.
-Any ideas at all with the spoiler? I think that one's going to be chalked up to simply troubleshooting all the electrical connections, which may take them a while.
-And finally, if I do decide I need a respray of the entire car, I'm sure the shop's going to give me a fair bit of hassle. Anybody have any experience with a similar situation and have a good way to attack it?
Thanks.
Brian

 

Terrible.. hope there are no medical repercussions. Detailed pictures of everything from every angle are important IMHO. Also, please use the word "restoration" rathe than repair when talking to insurance people...anyone, in fact. You want your car "restored" not repaired.

Good luck!

 

I don't mean to be negative but the difference will only become more noticeable with time. The insurance adjuster definitely needs to be called in and you should fight to have this taken care of properly, I wish I had.

 

It's terrible to see what kind of trouble such an accident is bringing along. I would also go for a renewed expertise and eventually a third, independent expert. Now is the time to act not in a couple of weeks. You never asked for this to happen so I certainly wouldn't accept anything else but a perfect job. Even if you will learn to live with it there will always be occasions where somebody will remind you. Good luck.
OT: Been in Pensacola some 10 years ago, the Naval Air Museum is still one of the best I've ever seen. In a few years I want to show it to my sons, that's for sure.

 

You guys are absolutely right, and even though I know it's going to be a royal pain in the @$$, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and fight for the full respray. Thanks for the comments..

Kris,
I couldn't agree more about the Naval Air Museum. Did they have the IMAX theater and flight simulators when you were last here? If not, they're amazing and really add to the experience. Glad you liked it!
Brian

 

Brian,
No Imax or sims when I was there just an amazing collection of great birds. It was one of the highlights (together with USS Alabama site in Mobile) of my trip from Naples to New Orleans. That was before my 3 kids arrived. Once they're old enough we'll be visiting the Gulf again.

 

Spoiler - you have a problem that will need a Porsche repair shop to sort out...

Warning lights on - fully charge the battery first before doing anything else and see if it reproduces. Next isrotors and distributor caps... the alternator...

Paint differences - demand the whole car to be painted since they can't match the new to the old... insurance will need to cover this, not you. Let the insurance deal with the shop.

I missed if you had done a mechanical assesment... take the car to a Porsche dealer for a complete mechanical check up.... that accident did more that just metal bending.

 

Brian, so sorry to hear you have her back and yet have all these problems!

Frankly, I wouldnt have taken delivery with these issues, I also would not have mentioned the spoiler auto working vs. manual not working..it confuses the issue in any later debate. I simply would have said "not satidfied" and gone straight to the insurance company.

As it is I would follow Jaime's advice, but talk to the insurance company ASAP if you haven't already!

Good luck! You didnt deserve this!

--H

 

Howard,
You're absolutely right. I certainly wouldn't have "taken delivery" with these outstanding issues. Basically, they just gave me the car to make sure that they knew what all was wrong with it. I made sure to note all the discrepancies (spoiler not working, wind noise from left rear window seal, ABS/PDAS illumination, engine compartment light not working, and the paint issue). Took the car back to the shop today and they were really great about it. I ticked off my list of things they needed to fix and he gave told me they'd get it done. As far as the paint is concerned, they're going to try and blend the doors. If that works, I won't pursue it any further, but thanks to the suggestions from here on the forum, I'm not going to accept it in a lesser condition than before the accident. I also told them I thought the ABS/PDAS lights could be caused by low voltage on the battery, so they're going to put a new battery in there. And I think they're going to let my local wrench deal with the spoiler issue, so that's also a good thing. Things are looking up.
Thanks again, everybody.
Brian

 

I'm going to have to agree with KB on this one. I've been watching this thread just to see how this repair ultimately turns out, (thank you for the pictures Brian). I beleive that there is cause for disappointment here. It's going to be bad enough when the insurance company reports to whoever, that the car was in an accident. Hit in the rear. But when a perspective buyer has the intention of purchasing your car in the future and notices that shade difference (which WILL become more prevalent over time), they'll pass on the purchase or worse, want the car for alot less.
Besides, you don't want to have to explain to someone how the repair WAS adequately done when the paint doesn't even match. Obvious repairwork is not quality repairwork. Like KB said, It is a Porsche, the work should be un-noticable. Perfect.

Duncan

 

Wow, Duncan, nice avatar. If I'd have known you were so good looking I would have been taking your advice all along!
Brian

 

Duncan, sweet avatar. Do I see the white wheel of an American pre-war classic sitting in your barn?
Still don't understand why I sold my 53 Packard Clipper (bought just south of Pensacola btw)

 

Thanks Brian, but thats my wife in the photo. As for the white wheel in the barn, well, it's not my barn, so I haven't a clue. We saw it and thought it would make a nice picture.

Duncan

 

Just for the record, Duncan, I didn't really think that was you in the picture. It was supposed to be a joke.
Brian

 

Brian,

I just wandered into this thread today, but I have had a fair amount of experience with both body shops and with Grand Prix White. I owned a 1993 928 GTS in Grand Prix white and can tell you without question that the formula for the color is not correct. My GTS had 14,000 miles on it when the Porsche Dealer dropped a wrench on an uncovered fender.

Instead of telling me about the scratch, they choose to lie to me and tell me that the part for my car had not come in. After four days, my car was ready to pick up but lo and behold I had a front fender that did not match the others... perplexed at how this had happened and after much deliberation I was told of the incident.

Needless to say, the job was redone.....the body shop shot over 50 test panels of various shades of GPW before finding one that was right on. Furthermore, they had to blend the color into the Hood, door and roof to do it right.

However, having said all of this, I would argue against a full re-spray. GIven the track record of the shop that has carried out the work, I would not entrust them to respray my entire 911. There are too many gotches along the way including the sun roof removal.

I would have them do what I did and shoot enough test panels to get it close and then have them reshoot the affected areas. I would have them take the paint off that they applied as well, and would have them replace the bumper cover again, as a second coat of paint on the rear cover will most certainly lead to cracking of the clear coat, and there is no good way to remove the paint they have sprayed on.

Good luck and don't forget it is YOUR car, and it is YOUR right to have it fixed correctly. Regardless of what the insurance companies tell you.

Stephen