Minor dent repair expectation vs reality?

[DB72]

Hi... I recently bought a used Superb which had a minor dent and chip on the kink over the rear wheel arch which I took to get repaired today which included painting part of the panel.

When I picked the car up I noticed that the repair was pretty much invisible unless I got really close up and looked from a certain angle.  I also ran my finger over the repair and could feel a slight imperfection. 

So my question is.... Are my expectations too high in thinking it would be perfect..?

I'm toying with the idea of going back to the bodyshop and asking the supervisor if it's genuinely as good as they would expect to achieve, but I'm slightly unsure if I'm being too picky so thought I'd canvas other opinions first. 

The repairer has got great reviews online and have Bentleys etc in the workshop and I can't help thinking the owner of a Bentley wouldn't accept the imperfection, however small. 

The repair cost £180 so not overly expensive.  I haven't attached a photo because I doubt very much you'd be able to see anything on it. 

 

Any opinions..? 

 

Thanks 

[GAG]

Did they tell you that it would have a slight imperfection and not look right from a certain angle? I would suspect not because it should not. If you took it in for a repair you should not notice where it has been repaired. You didn't pay for a half a repair you paid for it to be returned to as new condition. Take it back and tell them good effort but not good enough!

[dunc69]

1 hour ago, GAG said:

Did they tell you that it would have a slight imperfection and not look right from a certain angle? I would suspect not because it should not. If you took it in for a repair you should not notice where it has been repaired. You didn't pay for a half a repair you paid for it to be returned to as new condition. Take it back and tell them good effort but not good enough!

Spot on.  Take it back.  Demand it is properly sorted. Especially at that price. 
 

Good luck.  

[DB72]

Update:  Been back to bodyshop this morning and he says he can see what I'm talking about so has booked me back in for next Tuesday to see if he can get it better.

 

Photos attached below if anyone interested for future reference etc.

 

Photo Before......

 

 

 

Photos After....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 31 January, 2020 by DB72

[Auric Goldfinger]

35 minutes ago, DB72 said:

 

Update:  Been back to bodyshop this morning and he says he can see what I'm talking about so has booked me back in for next Tuesday to see if he can get it better.

 

 

Surely the work should have been checked to see if it was done properly in the first place, if not it should have been done again and the statement saying  " to see if he can get it better."

doesn't hold much confidence in his work. 

 

Just my thoughts..................

[DB72]

10 minutes ago, Auric Goldfinger said:

 

Surely the work should have been checked to see if it was done properly in the first place, if not it should have been done again and the statement saying  " to see if he can get it better."

doesn't hold much confidence in his work. 

 

I must admit, the same thing did cross my mind, but this is a high end bodyshop with a seemingly great reputation.  But when I got the phone call to say the car was ready it sounded like a junior/trainee.  I could be wrong but I did wonder afterwards if it was a less experienced person that did the repair and maybe the person I'd originally spoken to was more focused on some of the other more high end work they have, as they do a lot of work for local dealerships including Bentley, Mercedes, BMW etc. which are all on their doorstep.

[Auric Goldfinger]

40 minutes ago, DB72 said:

 

I must admit, the same thing did cross my mind, but this is a high end bodyshop with a seemingly great reputation.  But when I got the phone call to say the car was ready it sounded like a junior/trainee.  I could be wrong but I did wonder afterwards if it was a less experienced person that did the repair and maybe the person I'd originally spoken to was more focused on some of the other more high end work they have, as they do a lot of work for local dealerships including Bentley, Mercedes, BMW etc. which are all on their doorstep.

 

Even if the work was carried out by a Junior or a person learning the trade the work should have been inspected by a senior member of the staff and signed off by him.  All cars should be finished to the same Quality wether it be an Aston Martin, Bentley or a Ford Focus 

[Jim Reire]

On 30/01/2020 at 18:24, DB72 said:

Hi... I recently bought a used Superb which had a minor dent and chip on the kink over the rear wheel arch which I took to get repaired today which included painting part of the panel.

When I picked the car up I noticed that the repair was pretty much invisible unless I got really close up and looked from a certain angle.  I also ran my finger over the repair and could feel a slight imperfection. 

So my question is.... Are my expectations too high in thinking it would be perfect..?

I'm toying with the idea of going back to the bodyshop and asking the supervisor if it's genuinely as good as they would expect to achieve, but I'm slightly unsure if I'm being too picky so thought I'd canvas other opinions first. 

The repairer has got great reviews online and have Bentleys etc in the workshop and I can't help thinking the owner of a Bentley wouldn't accept the imperfection, however small. 

The repair cost £180 so not overly expensive.  I haven't attached a photo because I doubt very much you'd be able to see anything on it. 

 

Any opinions..? 

 

Thanks 

 Can you post a pic taken from further away? To show the back 1/4 of the car IE: Damaged panel, door and roof ?

[DB72]

On 01/02/2020 at 00:07, Jim Reire said:

 Can you post a pic taken from further away? To show the back 1/4 of the car IE: Damaged panel, door and roof ?

 

 

[Jim Reire]

A proper repair would be "invisible", and indistinguishable from the rest of the car. The finish on your car is called " Clear over Base".  and it's a metallic color. Being metallic means that when its being sprayed on to the repaired area, it has to be done in stages, in ever wider areas, and once the primer has been covered 100%, These coats of color will also become increasingly thinner and thinner, until it will be mainly thinners being sprayed on to the panel. This is called "Blending in", so that it becomes impossible to tell where the new paint end's and the original paint begin's.  Then come's the clear coat.This is what gives the glossy sheen on the finish. ( The base or color coat is completes matte...absolutely no shine at all )   Because it's metallic...you cannot paint a complete panel ( IE a single door, for example ) and expect it to blend in . You have to "fade out" the color onto the adjoining panel's. In  your case I'd say that the line running all along the side of the car (above the door handle, and through the fuel door) will form a natural line for this repair, meaning that the side of the car will be masked off from that line upwards along the 1/4 panel and rear door. This masked off area will be completely sprayed with clear coat, and if done correctly, it will be very nearly impossible  for the ordinary individual to tell the difference ( Professional's generally can tell when a panel has been repaired / repainted ) 

[daveo138]

I agree with the others. I would expect it to be perfect. 

[DB72]

On 31/01/2020 at 09:37, DB72 said:

Been back to bodyshop this morning and he says he can see what I'm talking about so has booked me back in for next Tuesday to see if he can get it better.

 

Update:

It went in today and before I left it I asked "How confident are you that you can get it better than it is ?"

Reply..."100 percent".

 

Picked up this afternoon and it's now spot on.

Personally I think they took their eye off the ball for whatever reason, and this one slipped through, but at least they were happy enough to take it back without argument.

 

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[nebrog23]

Great news, just out of interest how much did it cost? I have  a similar dent/chip on my rear arch and have been put off repairing for exactly the problem you had. I’m too worried the blend won’t be perfect but it can’t be accessed from the rear for paint less dent repair 

Edited 4 February, 2020 by nebrog23

[DB72]

2 minutes ago, nebrog23 said:

Great news, just out of interest how much did it cost? I have. A similar dent/chip on my rear arch and have been put off repairing for exactly the problem you had. I’m too worried the blend won’t be perfect but it can’t it can’t be accessed from the rear for paint less dent repair 

 

£150+vat =£180.

The company I took it to are within 15 minute walking distance from where I work so it was convenient and I was also reasonably confident based on them doing a lot of high end work but that turned out to be no guarantee of excellence.