Aftermarket Parts a Short Video

Another pro-consumer shop in North Carolina is asking for the public's help in changing some Insurers tactics of recommending low quality shops and low quality parts. Some of us shop owners will not risk our customers lives or lower the value of their vehicles by using imitation non tested parts on their vehicles.

Because we don't play the insurers games we are often referred to as not being on their list or sometimes they even say they have never heard of us. We have been in the same location for nearly 15 years. Located at Gaye Chevrolet in Marshville, NC. All Precision Collision Repair  is one of the few shops in NC that will inspect other shops repair's and fix a customers car the way they want the car fixed not the insurance company. We work with all Insurers however after 35 years in collision repair I consider our shop to be the experts.

It really is amazing some of the dumb things Insurers say to my technicians. "You sure that Aftermarket Imitation fender does not fit?" Come on really? If we put it on and it does not fit my customers would flip out. Gaps you could loose a pencil in? That won't fly with our shop.

I really don't want to charge anymore than necessary to fix the car right the first time. I pay Insurance premiums just like everyone else and I understand controlling costs to keep premiums down. However some things that they refuse to pay for are amazing. Washing a car is one of them. When your car is repaired it is impossible to keep it dust free. We cover the car but all bodywork materials create dust. I put a $20.00 charge on the estimate and they won't pay for it. I have a guy spend 1 1/2 hours vacuuming, cleaning windows inside and out, dressing the interior trim, wash the outside, clean and shine the tires and dry the car off. Soap, tire shine, cleaners, paper towels, wax and water are not free. We wash 200 cars a year for free! Too funny if you ask me.

Please watch the video it is very short but hits home with a message that is important to all car owners. You never seem to find out how bad your insurance company is till you file a claim. By then you have usually paid years in premiums. I find it amazing that they treat customers the way they do.

Here is the link. Video's page for Collision Repair Cautions

Another Shoddy Repair From a Local Chain Shop

 I really hate to preach about being careful who you choose to do your repairs but I just inspected two vehicles and both were short changed on their repairs. The first vehicle was a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The gaps around some of the panels were poor, the trim inside the hatch was loose, there were clips broken and missing and the worst part of all was the shop charged the customer $450.00 for a trailer hitch and never replaced it! This is fraud perpetrated on the Insurance company and the customer! The work was done at a large Ford Dealer that recently had been sued by another consumer for the same type of things. The suit resulted in a 6 digit pay out by the shop for fraud! This shop charged for things they did not do! This is criminal, immoral and down right illegal!

Our Body shop never ever charges for something we do not do. I have a lot of battles with Insurance companies over there use of substandard parts and shortchanging my customers but I have never resorted to theft to make up for a short payment. I have done auto body repair for 35 years and I have seen a lot of bad body repair men and a few crooked shops. I never stayed at a bad shop for very long! My past experience is what persuaded me to open my open shop. 15 years after opening people know who they can come to and trust us with their vehicles for collision repairs. Take a look on our web site All Precision Collision Repair we have done thousands of correct and safe repairs. I will even inspect other shops repairs to make sure they did what they charged for in a workmanship like manor. Most paperwork you get from the shop is so confusing an average person can not understand the estimate or the final bill. That is what we are here for!

We have assisted customers in either getting the repairs done right or getting unsafe vehicles taken off of the road! I hate to say how many but I will say that 99% of the cars we inspect have had defects or other problems with repairs that know one else would be able to find. We call it a post repair inspection. If you have had problems with your car after repairs, it doesn't drive correct or look right or you just want peace of mind that it is safe to drive. Go to my DV website Collision Repair Help have a look around and contact us, even if you are not in North Carolina I am affiliated with enough good shops I can find someone to help you!

My last inspection involved a 2011 Kia Soul. I found unrepaired damage, bad gaps and a list of aftermarket parts that the customer was unaware of. The shop that took in his vehicle is a chain shop in the Charlotte area of North Carolina. They worked on the Kia 3 different times and still left $800.00 worth of unrepaired damage. The answer was a spray can of cheap undercoat that still was wet 3 weeks after they sprayed it on  It was like putting a thick coat of Roofing tar over the bad places to hide them! I am assisting this customer get his vehicle repaired properly and recovering his loss in value. This accident was not his fault so in North Carolina he can collect for the other loss in value which is called inherent diminished value. I will be writing a story about the two types of diminished value as soon as I can.

Please come by and check out this blog or subscribe to my feed and I will keep you updated as to how these two claims progress.

Bob Winfrey