The low quote should have been my first tip off, but it wasn't. They told me because the person that referred me was someone they do a lot of business with, they were going to take care of me. I didn't want to go through my insurance because the repair was only going to cost $100 more than my deductible and I didn't want to chance a rate increase for $100.
What they meant was we are going to do shoddy work, make it look good on the outside, and hope you never notice. And I didn't notice... Until I got in an accident and the shop I took my car to then pointed out a few BIG things...
Like using galvanized house-type screws to screw my fender back on when the clips were broken. No one ever told me the brackets weren't usable or gave me the option to pay more to have it fixed right...
They did ask me if I wanted another little ding fixed, told me they would just charge me time, and I said no. They fixed it anyway, without charge, which was nice.
But when I get told by a reputable shop that whoever did the work on my car screwed me over, that's not a good sign. The front fender still won't line up flush and the new shop told me that unless they pulled that fender and replaced it, it never would.
I needed to drop my car off the night before my scheduled repair because I was leaving on vacation and they had me leave my car keys in a planter box by the front door. Now it's albany, but that made me really nervous. Nothing happened, luckily.
Be careful, you look for cheap and you get cheap. Spend a few bucks more and have it done right. read more