gota911

Ok, I spoke with the GM (Ed) and the Service Manager at the dealership this morning. Ed admitted that they did not communicate well at all with me about replacing the RMS and air box and not telling me about it. He was very apologetic about the dent and stated that they would fix my car to 100% of my satisfaction. Ed thanked me for writing him the letter (it was two type written pages) letting him know that there was a service problem. He said sometimes if they do something wrong, and the customer just stops coming there for service, they can’t fix the problem because they don’t know what they did wrong. He also committed that, in the future, they would be VERY diligent about communicating with me about any work being done on my car.

The dent guy was there today so I left the car and they gave me a Cayman (non-S) to drive. (BTW - Cayman is a fun little car to drive but... it is not a 911). Two hours later, I went back to get my car and the Service Manager, Quentin, asked me what I thought about the repair. I told him is was about 90% and his eyes got VERY wide and he asked what's the matter.

We went over to look at the dent and, while the dent was gone, there was a little bit of paint ripple or bumpiness at the top part of the repair. It was very difficult to see, and you had to be at just the correct angle to see it. After looking closely, he saw it too. He stated, and I truly believe him, that he had not seen that when the car was still in the shop. It is quite minor, but since it is not 100% to my satisfaction, the repair is not complete. I am going to take it back in on Monday or Tuesday (my office is less than 3 miles from the dealership) and they will see about completing the repair.

Overall, they were very professional and I am willing to give them another chance to see if the service level improves.

Hopefully, the next and final update will come on Monday or Tuesday.

AndyK

Tim - Sounds like the dealer is trying to do right by you. But, how do they fix rippled paint?

pl

gota911, i had the same problem after the repair. the paint was "bubbled".
it's very hard to fix that 100% now because the paint has been damaged, yes, it's very small but the paint has been damaged.
i looked at my dent guy spent 2 hours trying to fix the dent close to the door edge, and i believe that is the best any dent-remover can do, but still, bit of paint ripple still there.
from then i don't look at that spot when washing my car, and now i almost forget where it is.

Troy R

Stick to your guns Tim. I was pondering what is reasonable, and, if they got it as close as possible and it is only noticeable is that okay? How far do they take it? But then I thought, what if this was a brand new car off the truck with a nice new MSRP sticker on it. Had the dent happened on that car would they get it 90%? In the end I guess it's going to come down to you. If the dent removal guy can get it almost, but not asolutely out, would I take that over having actual body work done and repainting? Probably, but I'd make them throw in a few free oil changes. Just my $0.02

Nicolaasdb

I knew it would ripple!!! the edge was to sharp...paint got stretched!! Hopefully they can fix it without having to repaint....but I am doubtful!!!....I do not understand that when you work on someones pride and joy you can't be more careful!!!

Make sure you are 100% happy...not ONLY 90%....because the dealer will F you when you trade it in...and will tell you....WELL THE CAR HAS HAD SOME DAMAGE!!!!.....you know how they are!! There insurance will cover it...they got to fix it and pay you the depriation difference!! Use an indenpendent agent (pay him out of your pocket and give them the bill!! This way you cover you a.. and know the guy is neutral!!

Dutchie in NC

Nicolaas,

Je bent weer terug... you're back (for all the non-dutchies). Where have you been all the time?

cdodkin

Tim, prep yourself for the possibility that you car will need paint to get to that 100% satisfaction level.

If it doesn't, you'll be happy - if it does, then you are prepared.

Been in the same position with 986 No.1, ended up having paint after the dent guy had done his very best.

And Tim,



Seriously though - recording what you see as a flaw is a good idea at all stages of the process.

Helps when it comes to resale - or if anything doesn't work-out to your satisfaction.

gota911

That's a good point!

BTW, if anyone deserves the "This thread is useless without pics!" banner, it certainly is me. Touche! Paybacks are a B!tch!

The problem is that I think it will be very difficult to get the "bubbling" to show up in a pic because it really is that hard to see unless you look at the correct angle and in the correct light.

AndyK

I think the most important thing is deciding which is worse - having a small paint imperfection, or having a re-painted panel.

cdodkin

You see, this is where newbies start to get the wrong idea, and don't post pics!

I know how difficult it can be to capture paint/ding issues.

Take a white piece of paper, or better card, with you and use that to reflect a straight white line in the cars paintwork.

Not only can you see any issues better, but you can photograph them as well.

Same principle as this dent guy using the long tube lamp on the Ferrari

Dutchie in NC

Tim,

Any update?

AOW162435

Tim,
I certainly hope this ends up properly resolved. You've certainly given the dealership ample opportunity to do what is necessary.

A secondary concern I have with paintless dent removal is the possibility of corrosion on the inner (hidden) side of the affected panel. I know most of the tools are probably rounded and smooth, but with enough activity, I could see the primer or light paint coating getting scratched - eventually leading to corrosion.

Andreas

Eric - Plug Guy

Tim, first I read this thread and nearly puked.

Hendrick has been through a complete turnaround up front, and Ed is a real stand up guy. He was my sales manager a few years ago on the C4S Cab, then Hendrick moved him to manage the Mini store, then moved him back as GM last fall to Porsche. They needed a real kick start in the front office there.

Rick H knows what goes on as well, and you can certainly send him copies of the letters. Make sure you tell him what fine race car drivers Gordon/Johnson are.

Quentin and Mike have always been straight with me, and the parts guys are even better. Ed is the go-to guy, and I would bet this will get done to 100% satisfaction. If it has to get repainted, it will be right in the end.

Good luck buddy.

As for the Premier status, that resulted from high CSI scores and good sales numbers in '05. I believe they slipped in '06 because there were so many problems on the sales side a lot of local customers ran away. People are starting to come back now, with Ed in the hot seat, most people realize he is an honest, stand-up guy. I trust him.

gota911

UPDATE - I have been so busy at work that I haven't had time to take it back to Hendrick to get the bumps repaired. I am going to try to do that tomorrow while I am in the office.

Eric - yeah, it was a bad situation. I had a good chat with Ed and Quentin and I think I got ttheir attention. I am still going to have them look at the seat bolster again. A 3 year old car shouldn't have color coming off the leather seats, IMO. BTW - do you have any suggestions to "alternate shops" for P-car service? You can PM me if you need to.

I will hopefully be able to give you a "final" update in a couple of days.

Zoolander

i hope it works out for you Tim.