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Firework Truck Comes Home

KIILew

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KIILew Enthusiast

KIILew

Posted
Posted

Let me preface this by acknowledging that I was spared a gruesome fate when July 4th city firework shrapnel crashed through the roof of my 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 extended cab truck. Inside the truck, I missed death by 30 inches or so. Having said that, please indulge me as I whine about a seemingly cosmetic and benign miscalculation by the body shop that repaired my vehicle. I apologize if my rant seems at least a little misplaced

 

Today, I picked up said vehicle from a GM dealership which replaced the damaged roof panel with a new GM replacement. When the truck went in for the repairs, I questioned the body shop manager if the new panel would be pre-stamped with the necessary provisions for my factory XM and onstar antennas, and also for my factory roof clearance lights. I was told no; the replacement panel would have to be drilled by the shop tech to accommodate these features. I posted the same question on this board, where some of you confirmed this standard operating procedure, as "option-specialized" replacement roof panels are not available from GM for GMT800's

 

As an obsessive perfectionist, I cringed upon hearing this because I feared the shop personnel wouldn't bother to accurately position the antennas and lights. And this afternoon, I learned that my fears were well placed. Upon my return home with the truck, I noticed that things seemed out of kilter, and a quick play with the tape measure revealed that the driver side light was positioned about an inch closer to its respective side than the passenger side light. The driver side light was also half an inch closer to the windshield than its counterpart on the other side. The center light bar is off-center by half of an inch or so, and who knows about the antennas?

 

And don't get me started on what seems to be increased wind noise following the repair

 

Is it too much to expect a little care and precision in a $5,000 repair? It seems to me that when a body shop repairs a vehicle, it should restore to a level which matches or exceeds the original factory assembly.

 

What do you think?

 

Ken

Wingnut Senior Enthusiast

Wingnut

Posted
Posted

I think I'd go measure an undamaged one, write down the measurements, and drive that sucker right back there and tell them to unscrew their hack job.

tanked_darren Senior Enthusiast

tanked_darren

Posted
Posted

Did this come out of your pocket or insurance??

 

Either way I'd complain until they fixed it thats bull, don't let them convince you otherwise

jimlem Enthusiast

jimlem

Posted
Posted

I must agree with you and the others (so far) that you have every right to expect an exact replacement. If you read the little supplemental booklet that comes with your owner's manual, it boasts about how only a real GM dealership's bodyshop can truly make your new vehicle like factory new if it's ever involved in an accident. They are basically promising you that they are the only true shop to be able to recreate what the factory turns out. I assume they do this so you will fight on their side with your insurance company when the time comes. My single experience was similar and my insurance kept telling me "Really it's not the money. We have many other local shops we know you'll be happier with." I distrusted the insurance, believed that booklet, and had my truck in the shop for 3X as long as necessary. In the end I sold it. Their bodywork was OK but it was a front end collision and I think they let the body guys repair the steering parts cause it was never the same (or safe) again. Cram it right back down their throats! Their little booklet doesn't say "we'll try and do our best but we are only human and you get what you get." My $00.02. Good luck.

 

Jim

AGT Enthusiast

AGT

Posted
Posted

That's messed up...but I am right there with Wingnut. True measurements will leave nothing to question.

jblakeney Senior Enthusiast

jblakeney

Posted
Posted

Ken,

 

I'd be taking that truck back. End of story..... If it does not suit you now. In a couple months of you walking up and having to look at it. You surely will not be happy with it. While the iron is still hot you need to strike it.

 

I figured the holes would have to be made....... that is always scary when somebody has to go punch holes in new sheet metal without templates.

 

I don't use dealership body shops.... I have a local guy with a shop that is as picky as I am..... Which leads to the best work in town. Last time he had my truck. He refused to let me have it..... He had called me and said it was ready... I got their and he walked out and was going to show me what he did. As he walked up to the truck he said. You can not have it... My question was why and he said "It is off a little, the pewter has a little different flake. I will call you next week".

 

He is also the guy that when I had a little problem and turned my blazer around in brush on the side of the road. Painted the truck and noticed he missed 1 spot...... Fixed it, repainted the back of the truck again, and re-cleared the entire truck again.

 

Measure one with out the new roof panel.... Measure yours and note the differences..... and go back.

 

Jbo

 

Edit: Pictures..... You know the drill pics or ban...... :cool:

nickvrebel Senior Enthusiast

nickvrebel

Posted
Posted

yep, get some measurements from the roof of a comparable truck and ask them why did they place those items where they are.

 

as for dealership body shops, I have little faith. I've seen decent work come out of them, but I know I received over and above service and workmanship from an independent shop (who uses only new OEM parts).

 

Just like the mechanic shop, just because their techs are at the dealership doesn't automatically mean they are the best to do the job.

AvalancheZ71 Enthusiast

AvalancheZ71

Posted
Posted

The fact that the body shop is operated by a dealership doesn't mean that they necessarily are better than an independent shop. The booklet is just a marketing tool. I've had very good experiences with several dealer-run shops, but I have heard stories about others. I have a friend who had her rear-ended Jeep repaired at a large Ford dealership only to find out later that they only did the cosmetic repairs and neglected to fix the frame properly. Yet they billed the insurance company for the entire repair and the insurance company then closed out the claim, leaving her with an improperly repaired vehicle. She was later told by another shop that the Jeep should have been totaled, that it was not road-worthy or repairable, and she spent over two years chasing after the dealership with a few different lawyers to no avail. They can get away with shoddy work because it is so difficult to stop them from doing it, but the real kicker is the apparent insurance fraud some of these shops seem to commit. In this respect, I trust my insurance company to tell me who is good because they deal with these shops all the time.

mkelly Enthusiast

mkelly

Posted
Posted
I figured the holes would have to be made....... that is always scary when somebody has to go punch holes in new sheet metal without templates.

 

 

The sad part is they did have a template. The old roof skin is the perfect template for lining up holes........

jblakeney Senior Enthusiast

jblakeney

Posted
Posted
I figured the holes would have to be made....... that is always scary when somebody has to go punch holes in new sheet metal without templates.

 

 

The sad part is they did have a template. The old roof skin is the perfect template for lining up holes........

 

 

Good point. But they would have had to traced it out on masking paper and transferred it..... Or cut about 2 inches behind the holes straight across and then used a marker and traced them out on the new panel.... This would have required more work than the tech saw fit..... So he used the swagger method.

 

Why did they not get a roof skin from the junk yard???? It would have already had the holes punched from GM dies and it would have lined up perfectly.........

 

Jbo

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