Dented And Chipped Le

Jimmywales · October 5, 2009

This is my first post on here and I hoped it'd be under happier circumstances but.....

I've got a 2004 LE in Kodiak Sky, taking it out at the windy weekend I got hit by a falling tree branch. It's left a scratch down the nearside rear corner, down and rear light cluster and left a fifty pence sized 'ding' and paint chip (in the centre of the ding) on my bootlid above the number plate. The car was in otherwise mint condition until this happened so I want it fixed but that obviously depends on cost!

My question to anyone who might be able to help is: Are there any good bodyshops who could fix this at a reasonable cost in the Aberdeen area and is having Kodiak Sky paint going to make a potential respray more expensive?

I've been using the Lexus Dealer in Aberdeen for general maintenance etc up until now but I fear they may be too expensive and will probably just punt it out to a bodyshop anyway before charging me extra for the courtesy.

kam05 · October 5, 2009

If you can find out who your Lexus dealer uses to farm out bodywork then you're in luck.

Bet if you ask the recieptionist (nicely) at Lexus Aberdeen she'll probably tell you.

eddieblock · October 5, 2009

If you can find out who your Lexus dealer uses to farm out bodywork then you're in luck.
Bet if you ask the recieptionist (nicely) at Lexus Aberdeen she'll probably tell you.

just had my 2004 le in kodiak sky keyed and i have it booked into a body repair shop which is going to cost £250. that,s the rear panel passenger door and drivers door resprayed, which dosen,t seem that bad !

colbecoz · October 5, 2009

This is my first post on here and I hoped it'd be under happier circumstances but.....
I've got a 2004 LE in Kodiak Sky, taking it out at the windy weekend I got hit by a falling tree branch. It's left a scratch down the nearside rear corner, down and rear light cluster and left a fifty pence sized 'ding' and paint chip (in the centre of the ding) on my bootlid above the number plate. The car was in otherwise mint condition until this happened so I want it fixed but that obviously depends on cost!

My question to anyone who might be able to help is: Are there any good bodyshops who could fix this at a reasonable cost in the Aberdeen area and is having Kodiak Sky paint going to make a potential respray more expensive?

I've been using the Lexus Dealer in Aberdeen for general maintenance etc up until now but I fear they may be too expensive and will probably just punt it out to a bodyshop anyway before charging me extra for the courtesy.

Lexus Aberdeen do my car too mate. They don't have a body shop of their own. The use a local body shop close to the toyota place. They're OK, but charge the going rate..(expensive). Is it too bad to consider "chipsaway"?????

Col

braindead · October 5, 2009

My GS is due back from ChipsAway any minute now. I'll let you know how it went when I see it in daylight.

Malc

Jimmywales · October 6, 2009

Cheers for the responses guys.

I think I'll get a couple of photos taken tonight and get in touch with ChipsAway and see if they can do anything.

Braindead - I'd be interested to know how you get on and what sort of job they do for you.

colbecoz · October 6, 2009

Cheers for the responses guys.
I think I'll get a couple of photos taken tonight and get in touch with ChipsAway and see if they can do anything.

Braindead - I'd be interested to know how you get on and what sort of job they do for you.

Wotever you do, DON'T use Halfrauds paint repairer. They are awful. Wanted to charge me £120 to stuff some cataloy in a very small dent and paint it. I got dent devil to do it and they charged me £60 with the dent fuully removed with a special tool, and not paint needed... (on my wife's feesty)....

Col

braindead · October 6, 2009

Cheers for the responses guys.
I think I'll get a couple of photos taken tonight and get in touch with ChipsAway and see if they can do anything.

Braindead - I'd be interested to know how you get on and what sort of job they do for you.

Well here's the first instalment...

It was dropped off in the dark last night but running my hand over it seemed to feel fine. It was darkish and raining when I set off for work so I went out for a good look at lunch time. I WAS HORRIFIED! :tsktsk:

The vertical wall of the bumper had what looked like white water staining on it. Th horizontal section had standing water on it and it had bubbled up like the orange peel effect you get when you get incompatible paints.

Anyway, come home time, I went to the car and it was fine!!! Feels slightly soft to the touch and there is what feels like over spray under the bumper.

They're coming to take a look at it but did say on the phone that it can happen when it gets rained on soon after the work is done. My neighbour had a simlar effect on his where there was some standing water so this looks to be the norm???

The touch up of the stone chips on the bonnet is not great but is better than I could do with a touch up pen. To be fair, they did say that this would be the case.

The car is backed right up to the house to protect it from further rain so we'll see how it goes.....I am not easy to please!

Updates in a day or two

Malc

Jimmywales · October 6, 2009

Cheers for the responses guys.
I think I'll get a couple of photos taken tonight and get in touch with ChipsAway and see if they can do anything.

Braindead - I'd be interested to know how you get on and what sort of job they do for you.

Well here's the first instalment...

It was dropped off in the dark last night but running my hand over it seemed to feel fine. It was darkish and raining when I set off for work so I went out for a good look at lunch time. I WAS HORRIFIED! :tsktsk:

The vertical wall of the bumper had what looked like white water staining on it. Th horizontal section had standing water on it and it had bubbled up like the orange peel effect you get when you get incompatible paints.

Anyway, come home time, I went to the car and it was fine!!! Feels slightly soft to the touch and there is what feels like over spray under the bumper.

They're coming to take a look at it but did say on the phone that it can happen when it gets rained on soon after the work is done. My neighbour had a simlar effect on his where there was some standing water so this looks to be the norm???

The touch up of the stone chips on the bonnet is not great but is better than I could do with a touch up pen. To be fair, they did say that this would be the case.

The car is backed right up to the house to protect it from further rain so we'll see how it goes.....I am not easy to please!

Updates in a day or two

Malc

Doesn't sound too good...keep us updated.

braindead · October 8, 2009

Doesn't sound too good...keep us updated.

So, where they sprayed looks OK now but it'll be interesting to see how it looks after some more rain......HOWEVER.....

I finally looked at the car in the dry in bright sunlight. They were only asked to spray the left side of the bumper but the right side looks like it's been prepared for spraying as well. it has no gloss on it and feels slightly rough to the touch. Same with the underside of the bumper. My guess is that one guy preps it and another sprays it. And the bloke that cures it with a hot lamp must have been on holiday!

Spoke to the guy today and he's coming round tomorrow lunchtime. I have a large pack of cable ties so if there's an s**t then I'm going to imprison him in the garage tied to a chair till they sort it (not really).

If I had wanted a half a***d job I'd have done it myself!

Next instalment tomorrow evening...stay tuned.

Malc

braindead · October 9, 2009

So the guy from ChipsAway has been round.

There followed a heated discussion. It seems they forgot to apply the lacquer coat! Yes, they forgot! There was no explanation as to why the whole bumper had been prepared for spraying yet only part of it actually sprayed.

Oh, and they sprayed over the parking sensors as well.

When they offered to have another go, I turned them down and explained they could practice on someone else's car but not my beloved Lexus!

He then tried the old "anyone can make a mistake" routine. Given that they forgot the lacquer on mine AND my neighbour's and prepared the whole bumper not just part of it, I make that three mistakes in one day and who knows how may others I don't know about.

I offered them the choice of refunding me or paying the bill for a body shop to put it right with the option to go to the small claims court. They opted to refund though I'll believe it when I see it. Given that my car is now worse than before they started I think I'm being generous!

It's now booked in at my local body shop which will cost a bit more but will be done to a high standard (hopefully). I won't repeat what he had to say about the Chips Away job.

In conclusion - The Derby North/Burton franchise of Chips Away are, in my personal opinion, an unprofessional shower. I wouldn't let them paint an Airfix kit let alone a precious Lexus!

Malc

colbecoz · October 9, 2009

So the guy from Chips Away has been round.
There followed a heated discussion. It seems they forgot to apply the lacquer coat! Yes, they forgot! There was no explanation as to why the whole bumper had been prepared for spraying yet only part of it actually sprayed.

Oh, and they sprayed over the parking sensors as well.

When they offered to have another go, I turned them down and explained they could practice on someone else's car but not my beloved Lexus!

He then tried the old "anyone can make a mistake" routine. Given that they forgot the lacquer on mine AND my neighbour's and prepared the whole bumper not just part of it, I make that three mistakes in one day and who knows how may others I don't know about.

I offered them the choice of refunding me or paying the bill for a body shop to put it right with the option to go to the small claims court. They opted to refund though I'll believe it when I see it. Given that my car is now worse than before they started I think I'm being generous!

It's now booked in at my local body shop which will cost a bit more but will be done to a high standard (hopefully). I won't repeat what he had to say about the Chips Away job.

In conclusion - The Derby North/Burton franchise of Chips Away are, in my personal opinion, an unprofessional shower. I wouldn't let them paint an Airfix kit let alone a precious Lexus!

Malc

Bloomin "ROGUE TRADERS"! report them to Franchise Operators mate.

Col

braindead · October 9, 2009

Bloomin "ROGUE TRADERS"! report them to Franchise Operators mate.
Col

I may well when I get the refund. No refund, we go to the small claims court.....done it before, it's easy

Malc

braindead · October 10, 2009

Here are some pics taken this morning whilst the car was still wet following rain last night.

On the vertical section of the bumper you can see white marks where the paint has absorbed water. These will go as it dries out but will return net time the bumper gets wet.

On the horizontal lip of the bumper you can see water but also discolouration, blistering and what looks like grit but it all goes as the paint dries again.

Make up your own mind about ChipsAway. This franchise trades as ChipsAway Darren and Keith Bennett

Malc

Yeldarb · October 10, 2009

Unbelievable that a top coat was forgotten about.

I think a refund and pay for the pros to do the job would be the least you should be asking for.

The Chips away near us in Milton Keynes are OK, goes to show that franchises are not all the same.

colbecoz · October 11, 2009

Unbelievable that a top coat was forgotten about.
I think a refund and pay for the pros to do the job would be the least you should be asking for.

The Chips away near us in Milton Keynes are OK, goes to show that franchises are not all the same.

That's why these guys should be reported right away, and their Franchise revoked. They've got a real brass neck doing cr@p jobs like that.

Col....

Jimmywales · October 11, 2009

Unbelievable that a top coat was forgotten about.
I think a refund and pay for the pros to do the job would be the least you should be asking for.

The Chips away near us in Milton Keynes are OK, goes to show that franchises are not all the same.

That's why these guys should be reported right away, and their Franchise revoked. They've got a real brass neck doing cr@p jobs like that.

Col....

After all that think I'll stay well away from ChipsAway! I've decided to save my pennies for the meantime and get the pro's to do a proper job.

J

SINGH182 · October 11, 2009

just my 2pence worth, it used to work for a chipsaway franchise & i have said on here a few times, that your better of paying the extra and getting a bodyshop to do the repair.....id only use chipsaway if it was the last option possible!!!! STAY AWAY FROM CHIPSAWAY....OK some might say: that the chipsaway guy near me is good, he my well be- but the actual Paint System that chipsaway use is RUBBISH!...show it a pressure washer or polish it with a machine polisher, it'll start to come away.

braindead · October 14, 2009

Still no refund from ChipsAway :tsktsk:

Rang them today and the father of the duo said that his son was unhappy that I wouldn't "let them have another go" (sic). Not as unhappy as a bloke with a messed up Lexus though!!

Time to play hard ball. No more phone calls. Letter going via recorded delivery asking for a refund by a week on Friday or face a claim through the Small Claims Court on the basis that the Supply of Goods and Service Act 1982 states that a service should be carried out with reasonable care and skill.

If I have to issue a summons it'll be for the full cost to rectify their poor workmanship plus court fees rather than a straight refund. Going to do it via www.moneyclaim.gov.uk

Let you know how it goes.

Malc

braindead · November 3, 2009

No reply from ChipsAway so Small Claims Court summons issued a week ago. They have 14 days to respond.....watch this space.

Malc

hoopdehoop · November 3, 2009

No reply from ChipsAway so Small Claims Court summons issued a week ago. They have 14 days to respond.....watch this space.
Malc

Sorry to hear about this mess your in mate, please keep us updated as im now hooked on the story and await the next installment! Fingers crossed you get what you deserve, that's a shocker of a mistake and totally negligent. Wouldn't let those boys paint my shed.

Good luck.

TestPilot · November 6, 2009

No reply from ChipsAway so Small Claims Court summons issued a week ago. They have 14 days to respond.....watch this space.
Malc

Reading this has cost them another job already - the scrape on the wife's Prius bumper may as well stay there. At least it won't get worse by itself.

braindead · November 14, 2009

No reply from ChipsAway so Small Claims Court summons issued a week ago. They have 14 days to respond.....watch this space.
Malc

With one day to go before a default judgement would be made ChipsAway sent a cheque in the post for the full amount of rectification work and court costs. Just need to see if the queue is honoured and then I can close the case.

Malc

braindead · November 21, 2009

With one day to go before a default judgement would be made ChipsAway sent a cheque in the post for the full amount of rectification work and court costs. Just need to see if the queue is honoured and then I can close the case.
Malc

Cheque cleared. Game over....at last.

Malc