F Monster

Warning: This is going to be a long read so make sure to bring your popcorn.

Synopsis of accident: Went to my close friend's dad's funeral in March of 2018, an old man backed up into my car in front of me as I was walking back to my car after the funeral ended. He hit the driver side bumper which made a big bulge in the plastic but eventually popped itself back out as it's poly and not metal or fiberglass. Damages were minor, bent tabs (not broken), no paint damage (had full clear bra), driver side headlights pushed backwards, and slightly bent driver side fenders.

I did research and tried to find a certified Lexus collision shop in Arizona but there was none, they were only available in California (one of the reasons why CA is much better) which is about 6 hours away from where I live. I found the next best shop which was in North Scottsdale (Beverly Hills of AZ), found that they worked mainly on higher end cars like Bentley, Mercedes, Audis, and Lexuses. They proclaimed on their website as the best Lexus auto shop in the state and after reading many of their reviews, I bought into it and decided to choose that shop. Keep in mind they are about 55 minutes away from my home one way so basically a two hour round trip.

I made the claim with the guy's insurance (Farmer's), they estimated the damages to be $1.1k and then further inspection and dissecting my car at the shop of my choosing (Airpark Collision), they found that I needed new fenders, new bumper, new clear bra, and paint job. The entire estimate now is around $4k-$5k. I was mad already because I knew if I get new parts painted, the paint would never match no matter how good of a painter you are or how good the aftermarket paint is. Starfire Pearl (code 077) is by far the worst color to paint match, and it meant you had to blend it into my door panel, hood, fenders, etc. I told the shop I did not want new driver side fenders, I wanted a used (mint condition) Starfire Pearl driver fenders but they said they couldn't do it. So, the next best option was to get OEM parts and get them repainted. They assured me that my car would be in perfect condition after the repairs.

I insisted that they take their time on my car because I am very meticulous about my belongings especially my ISF and that I had another car, so I did not need it back quickly. Being OCD, I took pictures of the car before and after to assure there were no other damages made to the vehicle while it was in the shop (saved my butt doing this because Lexus dealership scratched up my glove box while doing the airbag recall last year). I even called the manager to ensure I can keep my OEM bumper and fenders and bring home my lip because I know they would mess it up installing it. He kept insisting they can install it correctly, but I said no, I’m taking it home. I wanted to take my Novel duct home too but he didn’t let me saying he can install it. Fast forward two weeks later, I received my car, they replaced my fenders, my bumper, painted and blended everything accordingly and had a third party shop install a full 3M clear bra on my car.

At first glance everything was good, paint match was decent (a little bit too much pearls and slightly whiter than the rest of my car), then I noticed they damaged my driver sideskirt when they were taking it out. There was a big dent on it and I noticed immediately after inspection. They agreed to fix it as long as I bring it back next week. Before I drove off, I took pictures of my vehicle to ensure everything was done correctly and noticed the paint was very “gritty” which I thought was normal. So, I drove off with my car and missing my car I punched it on the highway ramp 0-60 and the windshield molding/trim flew off... I immediately took the next exit and took a picture and sent it to them. They agreed to buy new window trims alongside with new clips (found out that these window moldings are not reusable because the clips break on them when you take them out, apparently, they're one time use). But wait! There's more! When I arrived at home after picking up my girlfriend, my driver side interior popped out of place, my door handle was clunky (loose screw) and I called them immediately. My Novel ducts were also not properly installed (wow shocker). They said they will fix it next week when I bring it back for the side skirt damage and the windshield trim.

So fast forward next week, I take it back and they agreed to fix my windshield trim, clunky door, and interior panel. While my car was in the shop with them, I discovered (looking through my pictures when I first picked up the car) that the fender to driver side door panel gap was bigger than the passenger side (undamaged). I also noticed that the hood was misaligned (something many people would not recognized unless you look at it closely). I e-mailed them while they had my car with thorough instructions and even added pictures to let them know what is wrong with the hood.

A week later I picked it up and was satisfied for the most part as they filled it in and sprayed pearls on top to kind of blend into my paint, but I can see that they cut corners. I figured it was the best they could do so I just accepted it. Keep in mind, this is the fourth time I've been back at this shop. I confronted the manager as to why he did not fix or realigned my hood, he insisted there was nothing wrong with the hood and at the time I was in a rush, so I couldn’t sit around and argue.

As I was driving away that day, I immediately noticed that my steering wheel was scratched on the 7 o’clock position. At first, I thought it was just me or dirt got stuck in the leather but when I arrived home, I noticed a scratch near there which annoyed me as that’s’ where my left hand goes, and it just feels horrible now. The steering wheel was just installed a month or two before the accident and I only drive my car in the weekend, there was no scratch there before and I even took before pictures. Then the carbon fiber portion of the steering wheel was also scratched which I don’t know how because they shouldn’t be touching my steering wheel. The only thing I can think of is them accidently scraping it with their tools or something.

Anyways, I went home that day and took more pictures and found out why the hood was misaligned. The ISF hood was designed purposely to sink underneath the fenders to give the illusion of a one-piece look (combined hood + fenders). The shop didn’t know that, so they thought they needed to match the height of the hood to the height of the fenders and as a result the hood is misaligned, the hood now protrudes forward the driver side headlight and shakes when I drive the car. That’s not all, I found out the “gritty” paint that I thought was normal was in fact abnormal. I asked a couple of people on IS Freaks Facebook group and all of them said that was a bad paint job. The best way I can describe the paint is it looks like gritty sand paper, or drywall, or acne. It takes no paint expert to know that car paint should not look like that.

I immediately called the shop and told them about the problem and this time the owner of the shop spoke with me and agreed to look at it before they take any action. For the next two weeks I was busy with final exams and work, so I could not bring it in, by the time I could bring it in, the owner was out of town. So, this whole fiasco had to be pushed back three weeks.

Finally, I was able to bring it to the shop last week and both owners of the shop looked at it. They said there was nothing wrong with my paint. I told them that it’s harder to see in direct sunlight as the pearls are hiding the texture, so I pulled into a shade spot and pointed it out to them. Again, they both denied anything wrong with my paint. Keep in mind they’re both in like their early 50’s, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt, so I said okay since you can’t see it, let me take a picture of my phone. I took it in front of them and they refused to look at it saying it is unfair that I am zooming into the paint. So, then I told them, sure let me take a picture of the undamaged side and let you compare side by side. Again, they refused to look at it. One of the owner claimed it was the clear bra, which the other owner immediately pointed out that my clear bra only covered half of my fenders. The same guy also claimed it could be the clear coat and that it was orange peel. It’s definitely not orange peel, this texture is beneath the clear coat.

So, I told them some of the reasons could be the first coat was laid too dry because they probably used a fast dry reducer to get my car finished in time to put the clear bra on. PPG recommends not to use fast dry reducer or any reducer at all. Essentially the first coat was laid then dried too quickly and they added pearls and added clear coat. Baked my car and then added clear bra all within 48 hours. I told them all of this information and they said I am not an expert so they cannot take my word for it. So they will have PPG come out and take a look at my car, I said no problem. Then one of the owners had the audacity to say my car’s paint was straight from Lexus which is a complete lie. There’s no such thing, paint is always aftermarket unless they shipped my car to Lexus Japan’s factory and had them repaint the entire car in 077 Starfire Pearl.

The PPG guy finally came today (a week later) to my workplace to look at my car. I told specifically in detailed to the PPG guy, when you do arrive, please text or call me so I can excuse myself from the meetings and look at my vehicle with you. The guy did not do any of that, then left me a voicemail saying there was nothing wrong with my car’s paint.

I immediately called back and said why didn’t you call and how do I know you even came to check it out. He replies “your car had tinted windows and was in this parking lot”. I called him out and said, “you just described 99% of cars in Arizona, I did not sign off any paperwork or even see you come”. He just kept saying he was in a rush so he just checked it out for 10 minutes and left. I got frustrated and hung up afterwards. So essentially I think the owner of the shop just paid some guy or perhaps even his own coworker to just call and lie to me about checking my car. Because of all of the people I’ve shown my car to (both car and non-car people) have agreed 110% that this paint is not normal but coincidentally both the owners and this random “PPG Paint Expert” guy that never showed up agreed my paint was in perfection condition.

Now I’m left with an ugly sad looking ISF. It’s sad to see the thing you worked so hard for get trashed because of negligence. I contacted my insurance and they told me to call the other guy’s insurance company (Farmer’s). The other person’s insurance said since I chose that shop, it is now my responsibility, so I couldn’t do anything. They suggested small claims or a lawyer, but I want your guys opinion and advice on this matter. I’m not sure what to do and I kind of hate looking at my car now after the body shop messed it up.

I was thinking of threatening the owners that I’ll take them to court then have like 100 of my friends put negative reviews on their Yelp page and Google reviews. The $1.1k deductible was direct deposited into my bank and I paid using my credit card so perhaps getting the back get back my $1.1k deductible and take them to small claims for the remaining money? Any suggestion and recommendations are much appreciated. This whole accident has taken a toll on me as it’s taking so much time out of work and my energy. I'm not afraid to take them to court, I've actually taken someone to small claims two years ago and won. The case was about my Novel side ducts, my friend (at the time) decided to steal my Novel ducts and threw them on eBay to sell. Served him and won in court but it's just a lot of paperwork and hassle.

UPDATE: 6/18/2018
Well it's been a couple weeks and I have been fighting with them. I ended up just threatening to sue them and it's funny how quickly they reply to you when you threaten to sue. Anyhow, the shop (Airpark Collision) decided to blame PPG (paint brand) that their paint was the reason why my car has this texture and a PPG district manager contacted me immediately apologizing for how the shop repaired my car. On top of that, he apologized for his employee who did not follow protocol and "inspected" my car without me being present. They told me to bring it to their "certified Lexus" collision shop a couple blocks away from me and they'll pay for the damages. I feel bad for PPG as it was not their fault but Airpark Collision's fault because they had bad painters. Anyways I dropped off my car at the new shop Penske Auto Collision in Scottsdale and had the car inspected by a paint expert, the district manager, the general manager, and the head painter at the collision shop. Immediately when they saw my car they noticed the bumps right away, they did not deny anything unlike Airpark Collision. They even found out the reason my hood is misaligned was not because Airpark touched or removed my hood, but they did not properly install my fenders causing the hood to protrude forward smacking against my driver side headlight every time I went over a bump. They unveiled more short cuts after we popped the hood. They assured me they'll take care of everything and that I am in good hands, they said they will be dissecting the car and writing up a quote so PPG will eat the cost. I suspect it is going to be north of $4k as my original repairs were $3.9k. They said since Airpark messed up and blended into my driver side panel, they have to now blend into my driver rear door as well. It's going to be a process removing all the clear bra and sanding everything down to bare bones. But this shop is definitely more keen and scrutinizes every detail unlike Airpark. I'm just glad to hopefully be done with this mess.

Here are some videos to show you the severity of the poor paint job that I had to send to Airpark Collision because they might think my photos were "edited/altered".

Vitveet

Damn, sorry to hear about all your troubles. I know stuff like this is super frustrating and time consuming. But it definitely must SUCK to be overly picky....😌. I think you went in with the mindset that you weren't gunna be satisfied. As a business owner, customers with that mindset are usually frustrating to deal with, unfortunately.
But as a fellow '12 Starfire Pearl F owner, I wish you luck! Sounds like a mess!

V.

PatrickISF

Your story makes me boil just reading it. I know how you feel, 100%. Every time I've ever had a body shop experience its the same old bull****. I've taken my cars to several shops and the car never comes out the same as before the accident. The problem is, insurance. If work comes into a body shop from the insurance company, it's an instant get the work done, get it out of the shop as fast as possible. You come in with a pocket full of cash to do repair, they will do a much better job. I understand where you are coming from, I am very picky when it comes to paint work and body panel alignment. There is no effing way those owners could look at your paint work and say that is normal. No... effing... way. I'd be furious. You don't have to be an experienced paint guy to look at your paint and see what a crap job they did. Also, clear bra should never be installed just after getting the car painted. The paint will off gas and you should wait at least a month before doing the clear bra. The only exception is if the body shop has a way to bake the paint to accelerate the process but 48 hours is still way too quick for that. Unfortunately, your repair is much worse than I've seen come out of the body shops around here. Have you talked to your insurance company about this and sent them pictures of the work and damage? They may have some extra pull getting the body shop to get it fixed right. I have a feeling you'll end up getting a lawyer to get this settled up. I would not accept your car in that condition. You did the right thing, you have pictures to back up all of your claims.

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

John

They sure screwed up your car So sorry about that. There is a shop down here that I trust. They have done some stuff to my F and my truck. As far as paint, paint matching, fit and finish, it's really a one man shop. I have developed a-relationship with him. He's a young guy, but really good. LMK if I can be of help.

Lou

bnizzle87

As your friend, it's frustrating to read something like this, not because of the hours of driving back and forth just to get the shop to correct their own mistakes but because you have to go through the stress of all this. It's a PITA for sure with Starfire Pearl, but by putting up the paint shots of the painted panel/drywall (haha)/non-sprayed panel, it gave a good visual of what is clearly the shop's wrongdoing. Good for you for not settling.

As for proceeding forward, I'm not sure what else can be done immediately, at least not without added expenses out of pocket initially. SFP, while beautiful to look at, is all too difficult to attempt to respray and blend. I would hate to advise searching for a better shop and getting it sprayed again, but it doesn't look like these guys are going to get the paint code correct if they failed at it already.

Best of luck, my friend. We got your back (and multiple Yelp accounts....just say when brother!)

Diesel350

Wow that really sucks, I had to deal with something similar with my Toyota Highlander at a Toyota Collision Center. Anyways you may have to take it to another reputable shop. I have found very good shops by word of mouth from friends usually.

ninten5

Unfortunately the white pearl color is impossible to match and blend in. I had my rear bumper sprayed and it was the same outcome (minus the misalignment).

BlckGhst

Details on this shop please?

F Monster

I am very picky but they set such a high expectations. I knew paint match isn't going to be perfect but they actually did a decent job as far as matching goes. I am just unsatisfied with the texture because they rushed that portion and now declining there's anything wrong with the paint.

Yeah I'm probably going to just do small claims and get as much money back as possible and take it to another shop.

Thanks Lou, can you PM me the shop.

Thanks Brian! I'll let you know when haha.

Yeah that's what I'll do.

Trust me I know Starfire Pearl is impossible to match, but it wasn't the paint match that was the problem as you can see. It was the bumpy gritty sandpaper texture that annoyed me.

CodyJames

iTrader: (2)

I'm in Phoenix and know a few good shops. I'm also a litigator. Oh, and I've owned three F cars, all in pearl white. PM me if you'd like to talk.

sinister2c

Normal body shop denial. I spend much of my HS years hanging out at friends body shop and car shops and know exactly how the business and techs work. These guys know 95% of the customers dont know any better and dont care. Just because it's a shop that fixes high end cars doesn't mean they do a good job. Remember most of their customers are in leases and can care less about the details. As long as they can turn in back in 2 years with no penalties, they are happy. Those shops specialize in coddling the customer with BS. Remember that these shops work for the insurance companies, not you. They get most of their work from insurance referrals.

sometimes a small shop that does custom work is better.

I dealt with similar issues with a local shop that talked a good game when I initially was searching for a shop to fix my 6 month old Sienna SE that got sandwiched. $9k in damage repairs later, they still couldn't get it all right. Was not happy with their lack of detail on repairs and gaps. They had to respray the bumpers due to mismatch Super White. Forgot to do the flange sealing of new trunk lid before paint so they half assed it after paint with a mask tape job. Left overspray on rest of car which I ended up having to buff and clay bar off.

Had both bumpers repainted with 2 years due to peeling. About to go back again for front peeling.

I used another shop that talked a good game to paint my 3IS conversion bumper in 212 Obsidian and fill my trunk emblem panel. They charged $250 more than the next guy but I took it since they claimed to be so good. Came to pick up after 2 weeks of them working on it. Needless to say it was garbage. All the edges and details I told them to pay attention to wasn't sanded or prepped prior to painting. Orange peel on tight curves. The emblem hole were visible due to poor prep and fill. They charged me 2 extra hours in the estimate knowing that those holes are hard to fill and hide in black. Still didn't get it right.

took them 3 weeks to fix and was only 90% happy with it. The emblem holes were still visible if u knew where to look and the angle to the light. I just said F it and took it as is.

they claimed it was too hard to buff and sand off the car. I said whatever.

sometimes car OCD sucks. 🤷*♂️😂

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

Its salvage tittle now lolz oh well lolz , please dont bring that Lemon F to socal for the meet boy lolz . We'll banned u :P

Quadrphnia

I think the comments about exceeded expectations in this thread are just bollocks. The only reasonable (contrary) argument here is that sometimes you have to be happy with 90% after getting body work done.
That being said this is not 90%, this work is just dreadful. I sympathize and am completely in your corner with your complaints. I would be just as furious. One can't expect perfection but they can certainly expect more than this.
I know it's a pride swallowing siege, but I advise you to stay on this. One little thing 99% of the multitude doesn't realize is that insurance companies are obligated to provide the best job possible to your car (watch them wilt when you tell them this). I would have this taken to another shop and start it from scratch using all of your documentation for insurance purposes. Good luck to you & I'm sorry this happened to your car.

STLblueF

iTrader: (3)

One thing I want to point out that I haven't seen mentioned is you should be asking the insurance company for a diminished value claim. IS-F's are rare and most buyers are looking for a vehicle that has not been in an accident. Your car is now not as valuable as it was before the accident (even if it were repaired 100%). I would advise pursuing a diminished value claim.

PatrickISF

100% agree - and if the insurance low ***** you, consider getting a diminished value estimate from a legit appraiser. They will be able to give you a number that your insurance company should be targeting and then you can negotiate from there.