I love that web page! Image how it must get under the skin of the Crown dealer folks to know that when people do a web search looking for their page they get a ducmented complaint instead! I love it!

As to collision repairs - I find it better to rely on word of mouth. Ask around, see who has been doing good work in the area. If people have problems, you will hear and stay away. Also, my insurance company (State Farm) has a list of approved shops. You can take your car anywhere, but it you go to the approved shops then you skip the hassle of appraisals, negotiating prices (shop wants more than insurane will pay), etc. They just fix your car and the insurance pays. Also, if consumers complain about a shop they will check into it and remove them from the list.

That said, there IS a class action suit against State Farm (and probably other companies) about failure to pay "loss of future value". You get your car hit, they fix it good as new, but trained folks can tell it was fixed - so give you less for it down the road. The complaint of the suit is that you should be paid "exta" (cash) to offset the loss of value later. I don't kno if any company does this now, so I don't think SF is alone in this area.

Pappy, I wish it were possible to go back in time and take your car somplace else. It is your insurance doing the paying? I would get them involved in this as well. Maybe see if they will pay another shop to fix it right and then sue the first shop for the bill. For sure, having the first place touch your car any more does not seem like a good idea.

Dennis

 

In new york we have a thing called the" Fox five problem solvers". They are a morning news show and actually(in your case)would have their camera and mic and go right to honda and call them on all the run around they are giving you. They achieve phenominal results and many pissed of people are very happy. i would threaten do call your local news show and report them, in this manner. You'll be amazed at how willing a company will be to cooperate with you if they know the MEDIA will go public with your problem, which could sink their reputation.

 

If the insurance company won't take your car as a total, insist on collecting damages for Diminished Value of the Car. This would be what it's worth now that it has had 12k worth of repairs vs. a car of similar mileage and features. I'm sure your wrecked car is worth 5k less than one that has not been in an accident.

I was involved in an accident (not my fault) several years ago and there was 6k worth of damage to my 2 year old Legend. I got USAA to give me $2,500 diminished value.

If they don't satisfy you, just let them know that your neck is starting to get stiff and you're having some lower back pain.......J/K

 

I believe that I would enlist the help of your insurance agent and also your lending institution. They will not want to see their investment being ruined. You may also want to talk to a good lawyer.

It's really sad that this is the way we are forced to do business these days.

Make sure that you report this to the better business bureau, as well.

Good luck,
Bob

 

If you weren't paying for the damages yourself, I recommend you take your car somewhere else. Regardless, the insurance (the person who hit you) is at liability. You are entitled to have your car the way it was BEFORE the accident. Talk to your agent and try to arrange a place somewhere else. If anything happens to my car, it goes straight to a body shop that services and repairs Ferraris and other exotics. Remember, you have the right to choose which body shop you want.

 

The dealer is the WORST place you can take your car.

Consider this a harsh lesson.

 

I had 2 accidents in a 97 Cobra I owned.. the 1st was my fault the 2nd wasn't..

I took it to a insurance recommended body shop(Global Auto Repair in Honolulu HI), and while it took quite awhile(3.5 months), the car was perfect.. They had to basically remove the entire front end, pull the passenger side firewall out 1.5" etc.. but when they were done, looking at it from any angle (underside, front, interior etc) it was better than new..


The 2nd accident, I was avoiding an accident in front of me, but ran over debris, which slashed my left front tire(5" slash on the corner of the tread/sidewall), so that and swerving hard made me loose control and I impacted a concrete wall. The bodyshop I took it to this time was the Honda bodyshop in Kaneohe.. Well get the car back a month later, the drivers fender dosn't line up, the passenger air bag isn't installed properly, and the drivers front tire wore faster than the passenger..

I traded it in a month later on a 98 Vette..

 

I learned a long time ago to ONLY go to body shops that hotrodders take their cars to. If you see old collectible muscle cars being restored or very expensive exotics, that is a good sign that you MAY get a quality repair.

Also, this line has worked very well for me... "Mr.( Insert name here ), fortunately in my line of work, I have a lot of free time on my hands and, believe me, if you don't return my( insert Item or situation )to me in perfect condition I will make your life a living hell. I have nothing better to do." Make sure you repeat the "I have nothing better to do" line a few times.

 

I have personally seen Pappy's car. A few weeks ago I was down in that area for business and visiting family when Red Blur and Papply offered to clear my corners. VERY NICE GUYS I might add. Anyway, Pappy came over shortly after I arrived and the story began to unfold. When Red Blur says you can literally stick your entire hand sideways under the front driver side and nothing but a couple fingers everywhere else....he's not kidding. I saw it, I did it too. I also had the opportunity to open and shut the driver side door. It's almost like you have to shut it twice. It's almost shut when it catches on the sill and then you have to push it in the rest of the way to actually close the thing. It's crazy. Not that it matters but I know they both use Zaino as well because the box of goodies was sitting there in the garage. It's appauling how so many of these Honda dealerships haven't a clue on how to treat customers. Some how they have such a wonderful reputation but who the heck are they asking? I bought this car because it was a Honda. Not that I had one before but because I had an Acura prior. I figured between a Boxter and the S2k, one I like the S2k looks better but Honda, Acura, Honda...what's the diff? I was beyond happy with my Acura service but it's gotten so bad at times with my s2k I've called my old Acura guy and begged him to help but they can't do any warranty work. It's crap guys. This car should have been badged an Acura. The first round of us paid at least $35k anyway so we deserve the better treatment.
Pappy, I wish you all the best. As everybody as already summed up, we wish this wouldn't happen to any of us but after meeting you, you definitely deserve better treatment and you deserve a new car. Best of luck!

 

I need to put my two cents in here because I've had similar experience with this type of thing. One of my vehicles was a new '93 Eagle Talon. I know, yuck it up, it was a POS. I'll never buy an new American vehicle again. This may be a little long, sorry...

Anyway, I used the local TV station's (WZJ 13 in Baltimore) 'Get Gelfman' to resolve an issue I had with the vehicle and it had wonderful results. I recommend this route if you have the balls to possibly take a lot of flak from the service people after the TV station visits them.

The story is that the car snapped it's timing belt at 30K in rush hour traffic on a HOT summer afternoon in the fast lane on a major freeway. I was in stop and go and went to move forward and it happened. I caused a major traffic jam. State Police had to help me push it to the left side on the jersey wall. I waited for 30 minutes until the tow truck came and he only had like 30 yards to merge into the now fast moving traffic (read: very stressful). I took it to the nearest dealer and spoke to the guy at the desk to schedule a repair. He said at least three weeks if not more and I started questioning him why three weeks and are you going to give me a rental. No on the rental. I told them they were backlogged because Eagle products were such pieces of shit and broke often. The reason for me being an asshole at this point was because the car had been in SEVEN times to five different dealers in eight months for a known defective 1-2 synchro problem and still wasn't fixed.

OK, so I went home at this point. I called the TV station and they took my information. The following evening, I went to the dealer to speak to the manager about my car and he looked like he wanted to strangle me. He took me into an office, closed the door, got right up in my face, pointed his finger at my chest and said in a low, threatening voice "I don't appreciate you calling that TV station and having them come here to harass us. You're lucky I don't kick your ass". NO joke, I was flabbergasted that he said that. That just totally incensed me, my face was beet red and my knee jerk reaction was to get right back in his face, actually POKE him in the chest with my finger (I'm 6ft and he was at least 6'3 and bigger than me) and say "Who the do you think you are? Don't you EVER point your finger at me like that again." And so on. He immediately backed down because I had this crazy Mel Gibson from Braveheart look in my eyes, I just know I did...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the fighting type, all the anger from having my NEW vehicle in the shop seven times already for the same problem came out at this point (other things got ruined in the process, like the clutch). Plus, I was a young long hair punk kid in his eyes and he thought I would be intimidated.

What happened? I had my car back three days later, the $2,000 damage was fixed (the engine had been ruined) and I never saw them again. Moral: never take your car to a dealer for ANY kind of work, period.

Yes, I'd do it again if I had to. Squeaky wheel gets the grease, always. Nowadays, you might get a cap popped in your ass. LOL