Ok,

On August 4th, I was involved in an auto accident. Also it wasn't my fault, I was still pissed about it! I had only had the car for 2 1/2 months so far. Most of the damage was too the front driver's side, and some minor hits on the rear passenger side. The total cost of the repairs were in excess of $12,000.00. I then decided to take it to Honda Collision Center, where they assured me that the car would be perfect again, and I would have it in 2 1/2 weeks tops.

2 1/2 weeks later, my car had not even been touched yet, and I was furious. All they could say was they are backed up, and they will get to it asap! A MONTH AND A HALF rolls around, and I finally get the car back. Just to recap, my car was brand new, and zainoed. The paint was flawless, and the interior was perfect. Before I got it back, I told them clearly NOT to wash the car, and to just give it to me dirty. I had a bad experience before with Honda detailing. When I got it back, there was so many things wrong with the car, I couldn't believe it. I just brought it home, and looked at every square inch of the car.

Here are the problems: The car sits 2 3/4 inches higher on the front driverside than the rest of the car. There is a 4 1/2 finger gap on the left tire, but 2 fingers all around the rest. The car makes loud popping sounds when I turn left or right. When you close the driver side door, it hits the door sill before closing shut. Also, the paint has scratches ALL over it, and the swirl marks are MAJOR. The Soft top was faded to a brown color with overspray marks, instead of the jet black it was before. Interior pieces were ruined, ie: the door sills had gashes in them from the mechanics putting the seats back, and the OEM Ti shift knob was scratched badly also. The rear bumper sticks out of the body, the front bumper sits uneven, a little higher on the passenger side than the driver side. There are like 5 other things wrong, but this was the brunt of it.

I told them about the problems, and they told me to make a list of what was wrong, and then drop it off. They said they would fix the popping and ride height problem first, since it was the most important. He instructed me to drop the car off at 8am, and I would have it back by 5 pm. He reminded me that ONLY the ride height and popping would be fixed, and not anything else, which was what I understood. 5 pm rolls around, and nobody calls me. I call them, trying to find out what is wrong, and all they could say was, "sorry, I forgot to call" They told me the car was fixed and ready, and to pick it up. I finally get a ride to Honda, and when I pull in, I find out that the car had NOT EVEN BEEN TOUCHED! It literally just sat in the same spot for 8 hours! I have never been so mad before, and had never dealt with this kind of situation. I walked in, and asked for the manager, and told him about everything. He seemed to care, but was sort of non-challant about it. All he said was, "give me a list of problems, and let me have the car for a week, and I promise, we will fix everything"

I am stuck with a POS rental again, and of course, 2 weeks roll by, and I haven't heard anything from them. I call them today, and they tell me that the car will definitely be ready by Monday, the 21th of October. I just was curious, so I stopped by Honda to see my s2k. Words cannot describe my anger right now. The car was sitting outside, with about 10 lbs of dust and grime on it. I checked the ride height, and although it wasn't as high as before, the front driverside still sits about 1 inch higher than the rest of the car. The paint is in worse condition than before, and the rear bumper still sticks out, and the front bumper is worse than before. I haven't even checked inside yet for further surprises....

Now, I am sorry for the long post, but what should I do???? Should I just not accept the car, and demand a new one from the insurance, or what? I really need professional opinions about this...

Nick

 

Fill a complain to the 800 number for the AH and talk to the insurance company the problems on your car after the body works. The insurance company will send a person to check the car and approve before releasing the car to you, thats what Allstate did to my old car.

 

Pappy
I really feel for you and your situation. I can't give professional advice but will give my sympathies.

If it was my car, I would get someone to steal it and wreck it completely (not really, but I would have to mull over that option if it presented itself) so that I could get the full insurance money for it.

Anyway, I hope all turns out well for you and your car.

 

That's hella weak!! I would be furious, and if I were you, I would tell Honda that they could go ahead and just give me a new '03 as a replacement.

 

Thats is just awful. I went through a similar situation although not as bad as your, but the service was awful. I say complain with Honda today and have them call the place before you get your car back. Let AM get on their a$$e$

 

Your story brings back to many bad memories! Your insurance adjuster/representative should be handling all this bull for you. If you using an accredited body shop, you should not be going through this. Unfortunately, only 1% of shops really know how to do a professional job and treat you right. It's to bad, this episode you are going through really kills all your confidence with you and any future interactions with any other shops.

I've had my "S" for little over a month now, and someone scratched my passenger side door (2 inch squiggly) it shows white with a bit down to the metal. Do I just touch it up or do I let a body shop or scratch place fix it. I am really scared to let anyone work on my baby. What do you think I should do?

I would really like to know what happens in your case, keep me informed, I think your car should be scraped and a new 2003 put in your driveway.

I feel for you....

Talk to you later....

 

I have no idea what you should do, sorry. I just want to say that really sucks and I feel for you. I'm afraid to take my car out of the garage now with all the talk about accidents and things getting stolen off people's S2K. Nice cars are fun, but they sure do make you worry a lot. Makes me long for the days when I had a nice beater to drive around, all paid off. Then someone stole it out of my driveway .

Good luck!

 

Go to the dealership after-hours on a Friday night, take your car and leave it in a not-so-nice part of town. I'm sure it will be gutted by Monday when the cops find it (just write in the dust on the hood "These seats are worth $1,000").

Sue the dealership for negligence and mental anguish (this is your baby, right?), in addition to getting your insurance money.

 

Wow! This brings back many bad memories for me as I went through a similar experience with my Prelude. The only way to work this out is through your insurance company. They are on your side and want the car fixed properly. If they are unwilling, your only other resort is to hire an attorney. Good luck and keep us up to date.

 

I would retain legal counsel immediately.
Further I would make sure that the repair facility pays for your counsel. Don't let it drag on. Slam 'em early, slam 'em hard.