Back in Thanksgiving I rear ended a Ford Explorer and my entire front end was replaced. No structure damage, just replaced with oem hood, S bumper and two fenders. You would think it would be basic fix and everything should fit like a glove....nope. it had excessive gap where the front of the good meets the bumper, windows have wind noise. The door handles had to be taken off for blending.

I'm going to take the car back next week, but is there something I can tell the body shop to help them out?

Thanks

Oh Ya, paint isn't all that great either. Not as shiny as factory.

 

You could ask if they used oem parts or after market parts, which after market parts usually don't fit well and have to be modified a little, so that could be the reason for your gaps. They might also have used cheap paint or not enough coats of clear over the paint. Check and see if they warranty there work. I used a shop here in Atlanta, and they gave me a certificate with a life time warranty on the parts and paint.

 

How good is your body shop? Don't sound that great.

 

All parts are oem, so I don't know why it shouldn't fit like a glove. As for the paint, they do warranty their work (lifetime), but it's one of those where not everyone will notice unless you carefully look at it. It's almost like the base coat wasn't smooth, so even if clear coat is shiny, it's held back by the rough bae coat.

Question, after the base coat is sprayed on, does it need to be wet sanded like the clear coat then polished out?

 

There are a couple of paint/body professionals on the forum, maybe they can help you with good advice.

 

I had a brand new 2 door Chevy Tahoe (loved this model) years back and something similar happen. My wife drove it into the back of another car as she was coming over a blind hill with traffic backed up on the other side. I was sure that insurance would total the car, but they spent over 16k to put it back together. I researched body shops and found the best one in my area, made them use all new OEM parts, etc. It took months for all the work to be complete, but it was never the same. There were rattles and squeaks that they could never get rid of...in fact, the transmission developed issues as well (slipped badly, but nobody could figure out why) and the shop claimed that was not their fault. The car went from brand new and solid as a rock to feeling like it was 9 years old almost overnight. To this day, this is why I even avoid having shops disassemble the interior to install stereo equipment as these Japanese cars never go back together as tight as they come from the factory. Hopefully you will be able to get your issues straightened out.

Also note that if you use the shops your insurance recommends, the works is 100% guaranteed. You can be really picky, so I would talk to the body/paint people and understand the process (i.e. paint to clearcoat). In most cases, they will tack on extra services that are within reason of the contract they negotiated with the insurance company. I've gotten replacement grills, headlights, etc. by doing just this....

 

May be the hinges on the hood got pushed back. And I was cringing when I saw then take the window out let alone for them blend both doors when it wasn't touched during during the accident.

 

That's what happens to a Car when it gets in an accident unfortunately.

It is NEVER the same, it's like when you break a bone or something your body just knocked off 5 years of it's wear and tear

 

Ya,I know that theory, but I'm trying hard not to believe it. Especially when there wasn't really any structural damage. It's like most of its here converting to IPL bumpers. No fittment issues, so I was thinking the same. Fack! Lol

Just needed to vent.

 

it sounds like a tiny bit of frame damage. A lot of times things look perfect but they are slightly out of plum and things just don't line up properly. I'd find out if the shop uses lasers to check to see if the car's frame is in spec because it really sounds like its not. Good luck!

 

Believe it; that impact can really screw up a car...