Levant IX Progress

[mlomker]

If it doesn't and he cuts me a check, amazing!!!


My guess is he's never been in an accident and thought it'd be less than his deductible. These days even $1k gets you nowhere.

[MJ23FE]

My guess is he's never been in an accident and thought it'd be less than his deductible. These days even $1k gets you nowhere.
Oh, you should have heard this dude when I called him the night it happened.

He tells me that he got out and looked at the damage and that it looked like all it needed was paint and that it would be good. LOL. I was very nice and respectful and told him that it was definitely worse than that. He said that he once got hit a few years ago and he needed a new bumper and that it cost like $300-$400 for a new one. Another LMFAO! I simply said, let me get an estimate and we'll go from there. This isn't a Civic or a Sentra which are a dime a dozen with aftermarket companies making cheap replica parts for them. The 2 times I've had to be at a body shop (this instance and the one late last year which you can read about in this thread), both guys told me that they don't make aftermarket replica parts for our cars. You have started to see some cheap JDM bumper replica's but no OEM USDM rear bumper replica's.

Dude is in for a rude awakening when he hears $3,228! Hah!

$1,000 doesn't get you sh!t these days!

-Jalal

[MJ23FE]

So the estimate came out to be $3,227.73. The dude's insurance company calls me up today and says that they are covering the liability 100% and wanted to know to whom and where to send the check. I gave them my name and address and the check should be in the mail as we speak. I'll hopefully get it by Friday and if so, I'll make arrangements to drop it off at the body shop.

I'm still not 100% sure if the bumper will have to be scrapped for a new one. If the bumper on my car is perfectly salvageable, I may just keep the extra cash and put it towards some mods like TIRES!!! We'll see what happens. If I want to wait to see if the bumper is focked, however, and make a mover after I find out, there will be a delay in me receiving the parts if the bumper is unuseable. That means more downtime.

Blah! I'll talk to my buddy tomorrow.

-Jalal

[MJ23FE]

9-25-10
This happened while I was at work at the restaurant. Car was parked perfectly straight in an end spot, and I come out to find it pushed over at least 6" and with the below damage.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0661.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0668.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0670.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0675.jpg

Car was dropped off at the body shop on 10/6/2010

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0679.jpg

This is what the right 3/4 angle of my car is supposed to look like.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0683.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0680.jpg

NOT LIKE THIS!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0684.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0687.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0689.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/MJ23FE/EVO%20IX%20MR/Accident%209-25-10/IMG_0693.jpg

Oh, and btw, I HATE ****IN BODY SHOPS. So far I've had nothing but bad experiences with them.

On Tuesday afternoon the guy calls me to tell me about a couple of things he saw on the car.

He tells me that it looks like my car has been in a wreck before, or at least had body work done in the past, in the rear. He said that the car looks like it was backed over a rock or something because it was pushed in from the bottom where my hit occurred. He told me I could try to replace that spot, etc. I said that I had no money to do that, but wanted to know how much he would charge anyway. He said anywhere between $300-$500. I was like, yeah, ok, that's NOT going to happen.

If you look at the photos of the bottom 3/4 area, both right and left sides have surface rust due to water and salt that gets by the rear rain guard. I know this is why it's there because the area closest to the rain guard which is actually blocked looks perfectly fine.

So I get there and this dumb mother****er at the body shop tried to tell me over the phone that it looks like it was hit from UNDERNEATH because of the rust and such.
I was like, "ummm... did you look at the other side? It has the IDENTICAL amount of rust in the same exact spots!!! It's clearly because of rain/salt, etc." He replies, "oh, well I don't know how the insurance company is going to feel about that since there is already rust there, etc." I was like, you tell them that the surface rust was already there and that it is because of the hit that it has flaked off and the dent is because my car was HIT and pushed 6." He then tries to tell me that he wanted to have me look at the rusted area before they did any sanding, etc because he was afraid it might break through." After he said that, I called him over, knocked on the rusted area HARD AS HELL and POUNDED on it. It's rock solid. He said, "It might be fine for 6 months or so, but he doesn't know how much longer after that." I said, "that'll be good for another 5 years."

I've been around enough Honda's to know what rust is!!!

He then moves on to show me the rear bumper, and said he noticed something there as well. He said that it looked like the bumper was painted before because the paint was chipping/peeling. When he showed me where it was, it turned out to be EXACTLY WHERE THE ASSH0LE HIT ME!!! It was right where the rivets were for the bracket that the bumper attaches to!!! I was like, OBVIOUSLY it will be chipped/cracked. It's because that's where it was hit. Again I ask him, "Well what does the other side look like?" We walk over, and sure enough, IT LOOKS PERFECTLY FINE!!! I also looked at the rest of the bumper area that's kind of hidden when it's on the car and it's all perfect and highlighted that fact as well. He says to me, "well, if we start sanding it down, and it start to peel all the way around, I don't know if the insurance will cover it." I said to him, "My car was hit and before it was hit, the paint was perfect. If because of the accident, paint is peeling and it's going to peel all the way around, then the insurance company will have to cover it because it's the result of the accident. If it didn't get hit, it wouldn't have peeled." I then told him, "you tell the insurance company exactly what I said and that if they give you any issues, then call me up and give me the guys name and number and I will call and talk to them."

Soon after, this insurance company lobbying piece of sh!t shakes my hand and says he has to go and finish an estimate on a car. I said, no problem, take it easy.

This all happened on Wednesday so we'll see what happens. I plan on calling them tomorrow.

This ****in body shop definitely gets a cut, or just prey's on dumb mother****ers who will take their word as gold over the phone. Once I got there and viewed the damage and saw the bullsh!t he was trying to pull, he changed his attitude and tactics very quickly. If I get any slack out of this, I will get my insurance company involved and have this taken care of.

People are ****in stupid. For the first time in my life, I genuinely felt like, "did you really just ****in lie to me like this, bring me all the way out here at 7:30am before work, and waste my god damn time?" Dude was piece of dumb shit.

UPDATE 10/22/10
They got a new tail light, they are welding a new piece in where the lower quarter is bent, and after calling them today, it looks like the car will be ready this Wednesday. CROSS YOUR MO'FOCKIN' FINGERS! I feel that's still doubtful.

-Jalal

[mlomker]

Outside of the performance shop world, I've only been to ONE mechanic that inspired confidence and didn't make me feel like I was getting fucked on every visit. Their labor rates weren't cheap but they were straight shooters. I guess I'm not surprised that body shops are the same bullshit.

[awd-drifter]

Crappy man. I know what you mean by those guys not treating you like you know what you're doing. BUT remember that these people at the shop talk to a majority (99%) of people who use their cars only as tool from point a to point b and those 'majority' are people who could care less about their car. But talking to you like you don't understand things is just ignorant and annoying, especially when they keep talking about how bad something is when really it's not THAT bad. Hopefully goes well though man. Seeing any evo like this nearly brings water to my eyes. good luck man.

[MJ23FE]

Crappy man. I know what you mean by those guys not treating you like you know what you're doing. BUT remember that these people at the shop talk to a majority (99%) of people who use their cars only as tool from point a to point b and those 'majority' are people who could care less about their car. But talking to you like you don't understand things is just ignorant and annoying, especially when they keep talking about how bad something is when really it's not THAT bad. Hopefully goes well though man. Seeing any evo like this nearly brings water to my eyes. good luck man.
It's not that even talked to me like I didn't know anything. It was blatantly lying to me about the damage.
He said that it looked like I backed over something and that it was damaged from underneath. LIE!
Then he said it looked like my bumper had been resprayed because OEM paint doesn't chip and peel like it did. HE POINTED AT THE AREA OF IMPACT!!! No shit the paint was going to chip/peel around the grommets that held it to the bracket. SOMEONE BACKED INTO THE CAR AND MOVED IT 6". Why wouldn't paint be effected? The paint on the remainder of the bumper is PERFECT!!!

That's what was wrong with the whole situation. He hasn't called since that initial call about "the other damage". I've called 3 times since, each time days apart. Every time I've talked to him, he sounds/reacts like I'm bothering him. I spoke to him on Monday, he said he'd call me Thursday. I didn't hear from him yesterday. I call today, and he say, "well I was going to call you when the quarter was done." FU and your bullshit. Finish my car and let me not ever see your face or hear your bullshit again.

I definitely will not be recommending people to this place. Fuck that.

-Jalal

[goodhart]

This guy sounds like he has no idea what he is doing. And he is cutting that peice out and welding in a new one? :confused: Can he not use the nail gun and slide hammer? haha

I would have brought my car to a different shop. These guys just sound like hacks.

What is this 3 accidents in this car now? You have the worst luck of anyone I know, god damn.

[TheBlizzard]

Did you reference any shops before you brought it in? If you did and said above I apologize; but most people avoid shit like this by finding a reputable body shop, hence less bullshit. Unless the insurance company pigeon holed you into going there.

[MJ23FE]

This shop was recommended to me by a fellow evo owner that has had work done there before and has never ever had issues. He was extremely surprised/shocked/upset when I updated him on my experience.

We'll see what happens.

-Jalal