Jeep dealership won't check mechanical damage until finished with body work

[Higher_Ground]

I need some help!

I was in a collision back on 4/10/22. I was making a left turn and someone hit me coming from the opposite direction, impacting my front right wheel at ~35mph. I was able to limp it home (maybe a mile) but the lower control arm was busted good. When I got it home I noticed oil/fluid dripping and put a pan under it. When I got it towed later that week there was maybe 6-12 oz of fluid (dark amber colored) in the pan.

When the insurance agent gave me a list of collision centers, I did a little checking and for some stupid reason called my local dealership to ask their opinion. While waiting on the phone tree I heard the message "press 4 for body shop" and figured I'd talk to them. So I ask the guy "Hey, stupid question, but I just got in a wreck and I need to get my Jeep fixed. Would you recommend bringing it here?" To which I got a chuckle and a "yeah of course."

So I talked to my agent and agreed to have it towed to them. In the mean time my agent took photos and did what she could to appraise the damage, though she didn't see anything I couldn't see. I dropped it off on Good Friday (4/15) and waited until later the next week (4/21) to call back. I was told at the time that they checked it out, didn't see any other damage, and have already ordered the parts pointed out by the agent. Great I figured, things are moving along.

I called back a week later on 4/28. I am told that the parts are being delivered and they should have it to the service department soon. I call back on 5/5 and I'm told that no, they don't have the parts in yet. I ask if they've taken it by the service department to look for more damage to the suspension or anything inside the engine compartment. She replies that they can't do anything until all the body work is finished. I am incredulous, but after a lot of back and forth they say something along the lines of "we'll see if we can get them to look at it."

I call back on 5/10. I am told that "the parts are supposed to be delivered today" and that it should once again be taken to the service department soon for further evaluation. I am cordial and say "thanks for the update, I'll check back in a week." So I called them today 5/16 and I'm told "we have 92% of your parts in" and they're still waiting for the bumper cover (I have a 2020 Sport S with stock plastic bumper). She once again says they won't look at it in the service department. A lot of off-the-cuff excuses about damaging the body repair work, or losing pieces, any excuse as to why they can't move it across the parking lot to the other building. Oh, and they've never contacted me in over a month to relay anything.

Firstly, I'm tired of being lied to. Conveniently it's always the other one of two receptionists that tells me "actually the parts aren't here" when the other one told me last week they were.

Secondly, I'm really annoyed that they won't send it over to the service department when they're waiting on the bumper cover. The idea that all outside body work must be repaired before even looking for more serious damage seems 1) wrong and 2) designed to drag out the process. If I'm waiting 5 weeks for a bumper cover, how much longer am I going to have to wait for any additional parts to come in?? And let's be real, this current wait is indefinite.

Should I try to get a different collision center to work on it? I don't have a lot of faith in anyone, but these guys are really bothering me with the run-around and refusal to address my concerns about further damage. It sure doesn't help that the last few weeks I've been reading complaints about this exact same thing (kept 6 months for minor parts, never fully repaired, etc). I figure everyone has complaints but they all seem to point to the same lies and delays.

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[Jefe1018]

Sorry you're going through this.

If people think dealerships and service centers are sucky, the Collison centers are typically the anus.

I say you drive down there and ask to speak with the manager. They should be able to get you some answers. Additionally, start making hell with your insurance, they are footing the bill after all and let them know they are not happy.

I had a similar situation even before COVID with a body shop, the manager ended up making me not pay my deductible.

 

[Deadeye]

My experience has been that dealership body shops suck. They have a bit of a captive audience from the dealership’s work itself, so they aren’t pushed to be managed well. They don’t tend to pay the best either. As opposed to the neighborhood body shop that has to see you around town and really depends on word of mouth.

The neighborhood shop is usually a little better at sourcing parts and workmanship overall, and probably doesn’t have acres of parking lot to park you for months.

Other side of the coin, technical repairs may not be done as well, and dealerships may get preferential treatment for OEM parts. Maybe.

all that beingsaid, you’re probably far enough along this path now that you’repot-committed. Just rack those miles up on the insurance’s rental.

 

[MPMB]

So you drove it home with broken suspension and had oil draining from somewhere? And you're upset that a dealership won't push your truck with fluid leakage and broken suspension over to a different department, and - I would assume - have the said truck with the leak and broken suspension (visible) put on a hoist that someone would be under, inspecting the truck with the leak and broken suspension? Think about the liability.

There's a thread on here about a guy who's likely liable for a death at a dealership because he gave the keys to an unlicensed driver.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Ugh, I'd never let anyone touch and part on that body until I knew the full extent of the damage to the mechanicals.
Too late now, but I'd say - you will check the rest over, give a written document on all findings, and what you didn't find, and go from there.

My take - their comment on "can't..... until body work is finished" is unadulterated bull excrement.
No way. Body shops I've worked with want to know if it's even worth fixing - if something major is busted, it can throw numbers over the top.
Lying through their teeth.

On another note - would you want the body all fixed up nice and shiny, perfect paint, and then have to pull the mechanical parts apart? No way.

Likely too late, but I'd run.........

 

[CerOf]

Above was a good idea to speak to the manager. If the body shop manager is not responsive, Might I suggest you speak to the new car sales manager ?

Complaining on the sales floor (after you’ve exhausted other avenues) can work wonders.

 

[Higher_Ground]

Ugh, I'd never let anyone touch and part on that body until I knew the full extent of the damage to the mechanicals.
Too late now, but I'd say - you will check the rest over, give a written document on all findings, and what you didn't find, and go from there.

My take - their comment on "can't..... until body work is finished" is unadulterated bull excrement.
No way. Body shops I've worked with want to know if it's even worth fixing - if something major is busted, it can throw numbers over the top.
Lying through their teeth.

On another note - would you want the body all fixed up nice and shiny, perfect paint, and then have to pull the mechanical parts apart? No way.

Likely too late, but I'd run.........

Thanks for the confirmation. I am not a mechanic and I don't want to tell people how to do their jobs, but all of this sounded like a bunch of BS from the very start. I feel like any "traditional" collision center would have immediately pulled off the damaged body work, made a note of any needed parts, and then moved on to look at all other components before even beginning to work on it. Why spend a month on $1500 worth of body work only to find out the vehicle is totaled?

I agree about having to take it apart after putting the newly painted pieces on - I pointed that out and their excuse was pretty much "they don't want to mess it up". It's like she just reworded what I said but instead of using it as a reason to inspect the truck before doing the work, she turned it into an excuse not to do anything.

Sorry you're going through this.

If people think dealerships and service centers are sucky, the Collison centers are typically the anus.

I say you drive down there and ask to speak with the manager. They should be able to get you some answers. Additionally, start making hell with your insurance, they are footing the bill after all and let them know they are not happy.

I had a similar situation even before COVID with a body shop, the manager ended up making me not pay my deductible.

Thanks for the condolences, it does mean something to me.

I'm still giving myself a little time to cool off but I do plan on calling my insurance agent today. I will explain everything so far and then try to find out who I need to talk to at the dealership. No surprise, none of the staff is listed online.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm still giving myself a little time to cool off but I do plan on calling my insurance agent today. I will explain everything so far and then try to find out who I need to talk to at the dealership. No surprise, none of the staff is listed online.

Excellent. You have your head on straight, aren't going off "half-cocked" and are asking questions to confirm, or not, your thoughts on it.

It's very frustrating for me as I've been in the trade since before I got my drivers license. I used to inspect used cars for people - and what I saw going on under some of them was scary.
I hate to see people such as yourself go through this just because they can do it, and maybe even they don't know any better. But often it's "they won't know any better". (I got so upset one time I walked off the job as the boss wanted a vacationing family sent on their way with half-xxxed brakes.)

Yes, do work through your insurance, express your concerns, and if they support what's going on, get it in writing that if anything is found even months later, it will be taken care of. But the ideal is - thoroughly examine the whole vehicle before starting any repairs.
I thought my Ford was fine - until I took the first tight interstate exit and almost lost it because it was aligned with bent parts and toe out on turns was way off. Gross over-steer. Parts can look ok, but be bent. It should be checked over thoroughly before the first body panel is worked on.

Good luck. I think you are heading the right direction.

 

[Higher_Ground]

Good news, ok news, bad news.

Good news: went to traffic court yesterday and won! No more ticket at least, and don't let anyone tell you it doesn't feel good to hear "not guilty" from the judge.

Ok news: Insurance agent forwarded me an email at the beginning of the week saying they had finished the body repair and would take it to the service department.

Bad news:
1) They said "looks like you might need a new wheel" - something that was pointed out with the above photo taken on 4/10/21... and dropped off at body shop 4/15/21. Don't tell me that nobody noticed that while fixing the fender...
2) I call today and she says "the service department wants me to put it on our frame machine ... hopefully it's just torqued and you don't need a new frame". So why didn't they do this for the entire 5+ weeks when they had it hostage in the body shop? Why wasn't this STEP 1 !!!

Still riding high on my traffic court win but it's hard to accept this is anything short of incompetence by the dealership that claims "30 years of experience"

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Good news, ok news, bad news.

Good news: went to traffic court yesterday and won! No more ticket at least, and don't let anyone tell you it doesn't feel good to hear "not guilty" from the judge.

Ok news: Insurance agent forwarded me an email at the beginning of the week saying they had finished the body repair and would take it to the service department.

Bad news:
1) They said "looks like you might need a new wheel" - something that was pointed out with the above photo taken on 4/10/21... and dropped off at body shop 4/15/21. Don't tell me that nobody noticed that while fixing the fender...
2) I call today and she says "the service department wants me to put it on our frame machine ... hopefully it's just torqued and you don't need a new frame". So why didn't they do this for the entire 5+ weeks when they had it hostage in the body shop? Why wasn't this STEP 1 !!!

Still riding high on my traffic court win but it's hard to accept this is anything short of incompetence by the dealership that claims "30 years of experience"

They are idiots. Even the classes I took in HS and college that involved body and frame (and I am NOT an expert body man - I hold my own, sort of - but know what I should do, I'm just not great at doing it. ) you start with the frame. IF the frame is tweaked, you deal with it.
The body work should always be LAST. Never first. Body can be fixed, period. Any body can be repaired either via parts, or sheet metal work, or panels, or patch panels. Don't worry about the body. Like I said - no matter how anything else is, why rush the body because you know a body can always be fixed by some means - period.
Frame - that's another matter. IF the frame is tweaked, you have to unbolt body parts sometimes to straighten the frame. Sometimes it involves moving things a bit too far to get them to relax to where you want them - that means take body mounts and other parts loose.
While checking the frame, you check the next thing that could have hidden damage - drive train. That's left wheel to right wheel, front of front differential to rear of rear differential and all parts in between. Look for leaks, cracks, broken bolts, ears broken off mounts, torn engine mounts (they'll shear in accidents and not always be seen until the engine or transmission shifts - at least in the old days. My son had a car that was difficult to get into park. Floor shift automatic, linkage from shifter to transmission selector lever. Found out the engine mounts - and transmission mount - were sheared and the engine had move forward a bit - yikes! New mounts, everything went right back into place. But until you got under it with a good light - wasn't east to see.
The valve cover on my 4.0 has a hairline fracture on the top front edge - when things are hot it gets just wet enough to dampen a tissue a little bit. The Jeep it came out of hit an embankment and flipped. You'd never know there was a crack - I didn't realize it until the engine was done and back in the car and - where's that tiny wet spot coming from?
I've seen weird things in my career - enough to know - you don't build a house and then figure out if the foundation has settled or cracked, you don't fix a roof if the walls are sagging. You don't build a perfect body on a tweaked frame, take it home only to discover it pulls, it wears tires, it over-steers or under-steers badly on curves because bent parts took away all toe out on turns.

I'd be asking them - where did their degrees come from? Walmart?
And their ASE certification were done through eBay school of fools?

 

[redfish]

What dealer in SC is this, I want to avoid

 

[WetWilly]

Good news, ok news, bad news.

Good news: went to traffic court yesterday and won! No more ticket at least, and don't let anyone tell you it doesn't feel good to hear "not guilty" from the judge.

Ok news: Insurance agent forwarded me an email at the beginning of the week saying they had finished the body repair and would take it to the service department.

Bad news:
1) They said "looks like you might need a new wheel" - something that was pointed out with the above photo taken on 4/10/21... and dropped off at body shop 4/15/21. Don't tell me that nobody noticed that while fixing the fender...
2) I call today and she says "the service department wants me to put it on our frame machine ... hopefully it's just torqued and you don't need a new frame". So why didn't they do this for the entire 5+ weeks when they had it hostage in the body shop? Why wasn't this STEP 1 !!!

Still riding high on my traffic court win but it's hard to accept this is anything short of incompetence by the dealership that claims "30 years of experience"

Unreal, I am with the idea that they would of/should of made sure the turd was worth polishing before polishing it. I feel your pain.

 

[Higher_Ground]

Don't worry, they'll be getting called out when I get my Jeep back (or a check from the insurance company) and the appropriate 1* reviews on every website I can find. For shits and giggles, I checked their reviews on google and all of the employees (5 that I could identify) have left 5* reviews. I flagged them.

When I called on Friday morning my truck was "next for the 'frame alignment machine'".

I call today, Wednesday afternoon, and I'm told "your truck is next for the frame alignment machine".

When I said "that's word for word what you told me last week, how long does it take to check the frame?" she replied "one and a half days". Guess what, that's the end of the week and we can start this bullshitting game over one more time.

Surprise, we did nothing since you last called and still won't commit to doing anything with a firm timeframe!

 

[sharpsicle]

I'm amazed that any insurance company was willing to "let it ride" with unknown costs like this. Every situation I've been aware of or involved in, they want a full list of all known damage before they even consider approving the claim. That includes putting it on the lift and doing a full inspection of the frame, mechanicals, and suspension. The fact that they never did that, to me, is a GIANT red flag.

It is also important to remember that at this point, it's not you that's getting the work done, it's the insurance company. They sign the checks, they approve the repairs, they make the calls. If you want to get work done elsewhere, or are unhappy with how it's going, they unfortunately need to be involved. I wonder how much they know.

Having said that, if the dealership has not been properly engaging and transparent with the insurance company throughout the course of the repairs, you're going to have a bigger problem on your hands when it comes time to settle the bill. Insurance companies don't like being surprised. They really don't like paying for repairs that are not pre-approved.

I'm hoping that the things I see wrong here are just because they were omitted from the posts here. If that's not the case, I would be worried about this being properly covered.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

OF the post just above - First paragraph and first sentences from the 2nd, very important.

Frankly, I'd be worried.
I'd also sign nothing, I'd not even cash a check because doing so is saying life is good and you're happy.

This situation is scary - and I have a bad feeling about it. It's NOT the shop that decides, it's the insurance company and owner.
I'd not have let any work progress without an end game, a final number, and insurance company written approval of what was going on.

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