Brokenis

Hello everyone.

I was in an accident about a month and 3 weeks ago in my 2014 Lexus IS350. Claim is with Mercury Insurance.

Brought my car to a repair shop(not recommended by Mercury).

Total damage was broken DRL, driver side headlight tab, grill, emblem, radiator support, bent fender/hood.

Will provide pictures later.

The repair was poorly done, here's a list of my initial inspection:

-improper masking for painting, other areas of the car seemed painted on.
-majority of the plastic pieces are installed improperly
-fender liner has been cut
-fender is pushed out too much, that its obvious
-hood/fender is not aligned 100%
-incorrect bolts/nuts screws used
-damaging passenger side headlight by installing with improper screws/bolts.
-A/C was blowing WARM when I started the car.
-Paint job was not good either.

This is all I know just from a simple inspection.

I've discussed this with the co-owner of the shop, he is agreeing to fix everything for me.

My questions are:

-Since damaged parts were not fixed properly, does he need to order new parts or can he just repair it as is?

-Passenger headlight is now flawed because of improper installation of headlights, can I claim for a new one?

-Out of everything that is damaged, what is something he's not 'required' to fix for me?

-Is it possible he removed my A/C unit and replaced with an old one, which is why it's blowing WARM air?

-From your experiences or knowledge, what are some other stuff I should be looking for when dealing with a shady mechanic?(i.e. things they will take and replace with older stuff)

Any help/ or comments may help and is appreciated.

Patrick047

Wasn't recommended for a reason seems like man..., my guess is they will have to do it all again . If he hasn't damaged the new parts I don't see why he cant use them again, atleast I figure that's what he will do. I was in an accident when I had my 08 Is and it just sucks the whole process of waiting for your car, seeing if everything is ok after the repair so good luck with that bud sorry to hear about your accident. Inspect that car all night if you have to that's what I did with the shop progressive sent me too, any clicks or weird noises ANYTHING take it back I know its annoying but its your car. And if he ruined your headlight I would file another claim but that's me you guys can work it out so he just fixes it so you don't have to file for a new claim but that's your call.

LexSense

iTrader: (2)

Wow, sorry to hear bud. As for the AC problem, maybe the condenser got replaced in the process too and they forgot to recharge the system? That or there's a leak somewhere from the accident that made your refrigerant dissipate. Another possibility would be some electrical problem (maybe blown fuse), that's not allowing the AC compressor to engage and is only using the fan mode.

Also, I'm sure you did this also, but you did turn the AC all the way down to "lo" and test it's not blowing warm air still correct?
Also the "AC" button on the far right is green lit (pressed down) for the AC to kick on and not just engage fan mode correct?

Just some things I can think from the top of my head.

azmojo

To guide your path forward, you have to keep in mind what reasonable expectations are (correct repair) and what you got. Keep in mind that your ultimate remedy is a judge in small claims or civil court. So ask yourself, if you presented your observations to a judge, would he agree with you? If so, then you should keep complaining until things are fixed to your standard. But judging by what you've said so far the best you can probably hope for is fixed "good enough." A shop that won't use the correct hardware is just never going to have the attention to detail to do the job 100% correct.

Tape lines should be properly concealed at joints. There should be no overspray. Damaged parts, such as plastic, that cannot be repaired should be replaced even if cosmetic.

As a suggestion for the future and what I did with my last body repair is I called the Lexus dealers to ask where they take their cars, and that's where I went and I did not have any of the issues you had. I did identify a flaw in the paint and they re-painted it without discussion.

Between the shop and insurance they owe you to get you back to pre-crash condition.

Don't forget to make a diminished value claim against the insurance company.

Brokenis

The A/C has been fixed. Another shop found that the wire related to A/C has been cut.(The owner had told me the wire could have possibly been cut by the bump during the accident, there were a bundle of tiny wires, only the ac one was cut, I saw with my own eyes)

Does anyone know for what reason they would do this? Does anything shady come into thought? Please help.

Also, the shop is agreeing to fix anything and everything, which I am very pleased with hearing, all the units are going to be replaced upon communicating with the owner.

What is a diminished value claim? Why is this necessary?

azmojo

One of the things that differentiates a business is how they handle problems and that your guy is willing to fix the problems is definitely a positive.

You'll want to research diminished value in your state, but in most states when a car is damaged and then repaired it suffers a loss of value due to the fact that it has been in an accident and a buyer won't pay you the same amount as they would had it not been in a crash. I don't know who was at fault in your crash or if that matters, but in my case I was rear ended (100% their fault) and I am negotiating a diminished value claim at the moment for the loss in value. I have a diminished value appraisal showing approx $6k in lost value, the insurance company is offering about $3k. From what you describe I would expect your numbers to be similar.

What I do know though is that if you don't ask for it, they won't offer it to you. It's not 'necessary,' but you could be leaving money on the table.