Summary:
Incompetent and unprincipled. I can't imagine a worse outfit. This is NOT Myers, who were good.
Long story:
The driver's side door on my 2000 Miata had been bumped while open and one hinge was slightly bent so that the striker needed more than usual momentum to close well. After looking it over carefully, the competent estimator said they'd need to replace one hinge, then adjust the hinges to normal operation. I was then told they were going to order two hinges and a door check and check pin and I must pay for the parts in advance. I was later told that the shop manager said that before they ordered the hinges, I would have to also pay half the labor charge. I did so ($450.) (The estimator emailed me that that was very unusual in her experience with several body shops.) The shop manager then said they had to search all over "Timbuktu and Kalamazoo" since the hinges were no longer being made. Nearly a month later they called me and told me they had the hinges, so I could bring it in. I brought it in.
About four hours later they called to say it was "ready to go." When I asked him, the clerk said "No surprises."
When I got there, while paying the remainder ($470), the shop manager came out to tell me: "After all the calling around and so on, they were the wrong hinges." So, they "fixed" the one original injured hinge and reset the door. Since they had painted the hinges they had bought for me, they would keep my payment for them and give them to me - the wrong parts! (They could have just bought Ford wheels and put them in my trunk!) When asked, the clerk reported that the estimator had just "left" their employ without giving a reason.
In one way (at the striker) the door closes somewhat better than before their work, but is still misaligned. The door check now requires significant effort to pass the two detent positions and makes loud clicks as it does so. Either the check was installed incorrectly or it was the wrong part. The shop manager explained that this was due to the new check they bought not having a pin so they put in an improperly-fitting machine screw and nut. (There was a fine pin in the old one.) This explains the loud clicks, but not the faulty operation.
In replacing the check, they had to remove the door panel. When they reinstalled it, they left the panel covering fabric loose around the interior door handle. This is fast, shoddy work! It makes the car seem trashy.
The shop manager told me that he would have washed the car, but there was water puddled on the floor and there must be something leaking. They had left the car with both windows open in the rain over the night in their outdoor uncovered lot! He had just driven it in that condition and he didn't notice!
These guys are very personable - perfect for a marketing presentation, like selling cars. If it had been an insurance company paying for all this instead of just me, with no collision insurance, they might have done a decent job. read more
