I am picking up my car today from the repair shop. They did work on the front end, lip, and trunk. (dents, replaced parts, paint, etc)

I noticed that when i first installed the lip, that the paint was a little lighter/whiter on the lip than the rest of the car. it kind of bothered me, but i ignored it. but now that it is coming out the the repair shop with $4000+ dollars worth of repairs, i am thinking that it better be done right. I even used the insurance repair shop for the work.

my worst nightmare is that i pick up the car and notice under different lighting conditions that the paint does not match. is there any trick or way to tell if the paint matches up perfectly? its rainy right now, i fear that when it is sunny the newer paint might stand out...

any suggestions and advice on picking up a car from the repair shop? anything i should look out for?

 

I feel your pain. I'm about to go though the same thing. In general what do you look for? If you leave the body shop and get home, then in the garage you notice a problem are you screwed?

 

I never take my car to the shop the insurance company uses.They generally get paid less because they have a contract with the insurance company that guarantees them a consistant flow of business.
As for matching paint pick it up during the afternoon when there's light out and look at it under the garage bay in the body shop.Wipe it down if it's wet and just look at it from different angles.If it doesn't match don't take it.Call your insurance company from the body shop and tell them you're not happy with the job and want to bring it to a professional shop that meets your standards

 

That's true, but additionally most shops have their walk-in shop rate, and their insurance company rate. Hourly rate at my favorite paint/body shop is $70/hr. Their insurance rate (regardless of the company, or whether they have some prior agreement) is $55. In my area it's actually regulated to ensure that body shops aren't constantly undercutting each other and ultimately seeing degraded quality for insurance customers and policy holders.

Just by taking the car it does not mean you have accepted the quality of the work. How is insurance settling the claim, by giving you a check payable to the shop, but requiring you to sign/endorse it for them to deposit it? Or are they paying the shop directly?

There is a rarely utilized consumer protection right in most areas that is rarely utilized, allowing a consumer 30 days before payment must be remitted. This allows consumers protection in the event that a service rendered is not per the agreement, or if the quality of the work is insufficient. If you consider how the corporate world works, invoices are rarely paid upon receipt of services but a limited period is given. The consumer world is no different, though some service providers will try to make you think otherwise by indicating Payment Required Upon Completion, though regional laws/bylaws will supercede this.

Call your insurance company and tell them you will need 2 days after pickup to have the work verified before you will sign off on it. Also, by going to an insurance-endorsed shop you will often pickup lifetime guarantees on the quality of the work. Go get some good lights, get the car really clean, look for runs, color mismatch, etc.

 

thanks for all the advice. i will try to make sure they dont get paid until i am satisfied.

 

you will only be able to truly see the match in sunlight. sometimes even if you think the paint matches well, sunlight will show you whether or not it really does.

 

The body shops I use have a paint-match guarantee. It is possible yours might too.