If that is the hood, that is a good price, they gave you a discount. This is unless Lexus has reduced the price since last spring. So you are looking at around $5K. Be very particular when you get the car back that the gaps and such are what they need to be. If not good, make them re-do it.

$5K is not bad, I was expecting closer to $7K.

Still, a lot more than the tree company's shop-owner buddy was probably thinking it would be.

 

This story got awesomely stupider…

Last Friday I was called and told my car was ready. I drove 1.5 hours to go retrieve it. Sitting on office, waiting on guy and computer to do his thing, I jokingly say “So it’s zero, right?” and he laughs and goes “I wish.”
“What?" I look up and say. He replies that the total is $4600blahblahblah…..I say what again, and ask what happened to the insurance, now he asks “What? Jacket says cash.”
Confused I quickly explain the insurance and everything, he types into computer and goes “Oh” and then pulls…..ready?

A second work jacket.

The one with the insurance info, that that obviously never followed up on at all, thinking it was a cash repair. Total fork up on their end. Go back and forth, wait, people talk and it’s just a mess.
Bossman manager comes out and pretends that we’re negotiating, saying “Well, I’d love to work this out,” while actually saying to either pay the balance in full or they can’t release car.

I’m wildly angry at this point, my car is done, I can see it, I have the key in my hand and yes, I did weigh EVERY option. I told him that I know darn well that if I pay the balance in full, I will NEVER see the money back, ever. Not without a long battle.

I left without my car, drove back home the 1.5 hours in the rental car I hate. It is an nice car, an Audi Q3, but I just don’t like it. Nothing wrong with it. Not liking isn’t enough reason to return.

Now they’re going back to and forth about the money and I can’t have my car until payment is made.

Wild, huh?

 

I hate when things don't go as they should. Someone always drops the ball somewhere somehow .

 

This seems to happen too often. I feel like I need to be a project manager for everything I hire someone to do.

 

This is insane. Your patience is legendary - I would have gone nuclear by now. Minor rant incoming...

If it hasn't been worked out by now, I'd guess that the dealership is trying to wear you down and make you choose between wasting the time necessary to force them into compliance or giving up and paying out. Have you contacted corporate about this? If you do, remind them of the "premium ownership and service experience" that Lexus promises, and that making you drive a rental while they hold your car hostage to their mistake is anything but "premium". Also point out that your insurance company isn't giving you a break on your rates just because it's in Lexus' "care" for an extended period. Don't wait for your dealership to work this out - be proactive and go over or around them if they aren't going to own the problem. Clearly they don't value you as a customer and aren't on your side in this. /rant

Good luck! I truly do admire your patience.

 

@HydrantHunter Thanks for the compliment. I am not usually so patient and I did lose my schnit last Friday when the foul up was realized..

Since I was proactive and did get the estimates upfront, I have been in touch with the insurance company and up to recently have been putting everyone in group emails. I do know they’re communicating because of the group emails.

 

Hey, good news, it’s ready to pick up.

Bad news, they called me with less than an hour before closing.

Takes me at minimum 1.5 hr to get there.

But, bright side, it’s done.

 

Good luck! Definitely go over the car with a fine tooth comb. Take photos and check mileage too.

 

YAY for you‼️🙌

Over a month of your time, energy and wasted trips —
AT LAST…

Hope you didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket except for the gas on your last round trip and now this one getting the car.

Soon you’ll be reunited and all will be well with your world…

 

Thanks, we’ll see how it goes in morning

 

Clearly a problem on their end. A second work order? Sheesh.

as said, check ALL WORK WITH A FINE TOOTHED COMB before you leave with the car. That means gaps, paint, and how things line up. Check the fender to bumper cover gap on the front, especially the passenger side.

Did they paint the underside of the hood? New rubber seal around the edge of the hood? New hood pad? Or did they cheap out and just transplant your old hood pad and seal? A good shop would provide all new attachment parts for the hood.

make them go over the parts list with you like by line, to show you exactly what they installed. I am really hoping they didn’t cheap out and re-use old parts (especially the small rubber seal) on your new hood.

if you see anything you don’t like, don’t take the car home.

also, get in writing their warranty on their work. Is it lifetime on paint? It should be.

Still shaking my head at the incompetence. Just another reason to check their work closely.

 

Thank you for the advice and I will look for those things.
I have a feeling I may have lucked out because they thought this was a cash deal, not insurance, so they may have gone an extra mile.

This is an authorized Lexus repair and I have used them in the past with great results, why I chose them, I do have some faith in their work.
While the two jacket thing is a silly estimator/service writer mistake. It just shouldn’t have taken a week to resolve.


EDIT: On the phone, the service writer told me a car could sit for weeks before any work is done due to insurance haggling, mine was done in a week and a half because they believed it to be cash. They did get to work right away, I could tell when they were working on it from alerts in the phone app. Said they had a car for three months for a side view mirror repair due to the insurance company. Also said if they had released the car w/o payment, they’d have been chasing that money for months, just like I said would happen to me.

 

Make sure they put all the proper OEM stickers on the hood, there should be two of them.

 

Yep, that too. 100%. Thanks for mentioning this.

 

It’s wrong.
I’m saying no more til this is over.