I took my 98 SHO there after Christmas because in the proccess of swerving to miss a deer in the middle of bumfuk Kansas I put it in the ditch, scrapping the right front corner.

First off, the wife wanted it painted a different color on our dime. Guy said he wouldn't do it because it's "a rare car and that would de-value it". hooooookay. whatever. So anyway, they do the preliminary estimate of about $3500. Good deal. It'll take 5 days. Score!

Well, 6 days after the car was put in, it's still not done. According to my contact guy, it'll be done "tommorrow". Every day after that was "tommorrow" until I told him to have it done cuz I'm coming to get it friday.

The subframe needed to be replaced....2 days after I dropped the car off I had to go in and get something out of it. So into the mechanic's bay I go to see my car up on a lift with the subframe sitting on the floor......wrapped around the tranny jack that was holding my engine up. There were about 6 guys standing around looking at it wondering how they were gonna get the bad subframe out from around the jack and the new one in place. Much hilarity.

So anyway, get the car back.....absofukinlutly HORRIBLE job. Bumper don't line up, fender and front bumper cover weren't color matched.....just painted and thrown on. Every gap on the front of the car was chewed like bubblegum, and they took my $50 Sylvania Silverstars and replaced em with crappy bulbs!!!! To make matters worse, they had to replace the windshield washer resevior. No problem.....only they didn't refill it to test the motor that was obviously damaged in the accident. Oh, and here's the kicker.......when I took it back the THIRD time to have shit finished, some lil 18 year old tool climbed in the driver's seat to take it around back. Moments later, I walk out to smoke a cigerette and hear the distinct sound of a small displacement, DOHC V8 with low restriction exhaust hit WOT. As i walk around the side of the building, I saw the nose of my car hit the dirt as he went hard on the brakes to turn into the garage. I lost what little cool I had at that point, went in and chewed out the guy who was "taking care of us".

Long story short, they did a shitty job....still looks like hell after three trips back....and they'll NEVER get another car from me again. hell, I filed a complaint with my insurance company AND the BBB.


Just thought I'd let y'all in on my lil experience.

:eek6:

this is the exact reason why i DREAD taking any vehicle into any shop

wow thats fucked up. ive usually have good experiences with them. they replaced my moms brush guard free of charge despite the fact that the insurance didnt cover it. only problem i can think off the top of my head is they cut my moms fog light wire 1 inch from the plug and then spliced the wires :angryfire:


yea when i took my car to discount and dashworks, i stood by my car when they drove it into the garage, and i follow them the whole time.

BTW, did I forget to mention that the total bill came in over $1700 more than the estimate?

Fucking Gay.. That's why I hate taking my car places. Too many fucking idoits

wow.... totally fucking unacceptable.

WOW... they did an excellent job on my full repaint.. AND I AM A PICKY MOFO... Many on here know this... But they also had my car for 5 weeks. I wanted it perfect

Yeah i had taken my car there after my winter accident, cause my insurande works directly with them. They did a decent job and fairly quick too, although the front bumper does sit slightly back(the headlights don't line perfectly up to the lines of the bumper) But I'm not that worried about it, I'm not doing much more to this car anyway. Just gonna save up for an IS or something RWD and faster.

yea but sometimes its not their fault, if there alot of dmg theres only so much they can do. and i highly recommend an IS

Yeah my ma's new GS300 AWD, is simply amazing... I want a Lexus now.

I've had bad dealings with West Side Autobody as well. Took my car there for some work a few years ago, and they only fixed half the things I pointed out for them to fix. Bill came out to the same price as we quoted at the beginning, for half the work done.

I brewed a shitstorm in their customer lobby after I arrived to pick up my car. I'll never go back there.

Yeah... so I'm a couple months off. Yeah, I'm new. I, however, work at said body shop and have a few things to add to all the booing and hissing of my employer. So let's address a few things.
First things first, a 98 Taurus SHO is not the easiest car to find parts for anymore. It's over 8 years old and probably not a virgin. From my experience, Ford has discontinued many of the SHO parts for that generation and there are only a select few in salvage yards. Just finding the engine cradle that your 4.3L uses required us to go through at least two to get an unbent one which equals extra days. An OEM one, if available, would have cost enough to make your vehicle a total loss.
There is a sign above the door that states "the timeframe we provide is only an estimate." It applies to your estimate as well. An estimate is an "estimate" for a reason because there can't be a final bill until everything is taken care of and your car is back on the road (BTW didn't your insurance pay for your repair? It shouldn't matter how much the estimate changed. If you were paying for it yourself, you would have, most likely, not been charged for the change). Did we not call you every day we were late and say "we're trying for tomorrow"? Damage is oftentimes hidden by sheet metal and other broken parts and only a technician disassembling your vehicle can find this damage, which will obviously increase time in the shop. $1700 is a sizeable supplement, but hidden damage is just what is.
Your insurance company dictates the parts we use (aftermarket, used, OEM) and we use them because we are required to. If your bumper doesn't fit, it is because your insurance provider says we have to use it. Get State Farm or Meemic and you won't have fitment problems of aftermarket parts, but you will have a higher premium.
On the matter of the employee who you saw hot-rodding your car, I apologize to you. That is not acceptable, tolerated or condoned in any manner by our facility. Rest asured that if you presented your concerns to management like you say, that employee was disciplined for their actions.
On the comments about our mechanic who was installing your engine cradle, you do not know what you're talking about. Our mechanic is an ASE Certified Master Technician who, besides 30 plus years of experience, removes drivetrains from 7 series BMW's, a car with just about as many computers as the space shuttle. He is beyond good. He is professional. And if he doesn't know the problem, he will admit to not knowing and find someone who does. He is the only person I trust to work on any of my vehicles and he does not fit any of the abjectives you used to describe him and me since I was in the room with you, bud.
As for shitstorm in the lobby, that's probably why you weren't helped and left angry. If you don't respect us we won't respect you. Plain and simple. If you had concerns, they should have been presented in a respectful manner to our staff and management so they could be dealt with. I know that we often put people in rental vehicles at our expense when we screw up, but you won't get much anywhere if you're yelling at employees. We're all adults and we KNOW there are better ways to express your concern and get results.
Finally, I have to recommend that everyone here who is unhappy read their warranty that they were provided with at the completion of repairs. Levent knows about the warranty and how hard we strive for customer satisfaction and that we are not perfect. We do make mistakes. Unless you have worked in a shop, you will not understand. Every shop, body or mechanical, has problems, admittedly. However, it is how you are treated and taken care of after expressing your displeasure in a tasteful manner that really defines the shop. Don't rush to judgement. Unless you've worked in a shop, any shop, you will not understand.

i've worked at a shop, and i understand that it's illegal no matter the situation to charge more than 10% over the estimate without getting customer permission first.

Haha... I was mentioned in a thread... anywho Westside's customer service is GREAT... you just gotta know how to talk to em. Not to dog you Dennis, but I took my car back 2 or 3 times, 1 time for a repaint, others were just a simple wetsandings... Westside always did me right, but then again, you (Dennis), and the rest of the staff there, including Bill know how REAL ANAL i am about my car.

A+++++++++++++ to them. For those who go elsewhere, you can not beat Carstar's warranty when it comes to them fixing their mistakes.

Tim, they had my car for almost 4 or 5 weeks,(I said time was no issue for quality) and pulled doors and panels off to do a full re-paint, and it came back all sheetmetal correctly aligned. Its all about how you treat em, be nice, they'll be nice back.

yeah, i can understand if tim was a dick how they wouldn't be so eager to go out of their way to help him, but for them to do shit work is something they should be shutdown for.

seriously, i think that if a shop does shitty work just because the customer is upset for the shop fucking up, the shop should be shut down, it's only fair.

Id have to say HeelToeSTi wins this one. .

West Side Auto Body :thumbsup: in my book

Wrong-O.... Yes they should pay attention to detail... But if its not right, your car was fucked up when you brought it there... Go back, and point out each little thing (TRUST ME, they pay attention), and it will be all fixed to your specs. BTDT!!!!!

Also, they have one of the best body and paint guys in town at their shop!

i dunno about having the best, true, i've seen some damn skippy work come from their shop, but i know i'll never take my car anywhere but parchment collision.
it helps that i know everybody there.

As I do from doing so much business with Westside... next time you see my car look at the attention they took to how smooth the side of my car is. no orange peel.

you're car is the silver one with teh 4rings plate right?

Yeah thats me.

heeltoeSTi, did the kid get fired? i put in a application like a month ago to wetsand, buff, and etc. i have no driving violations so put a good word in for ivan if he did! <8- )

yeah, generally what heeltoeSTi said is true, treat someone with respect and they will do a better job.
as we all know, little shit adds up quickly. shops have a lot stuff to do, they will do a better job if you don't rush them.

My understanding is that when your insurance is going to pay, all we need is the insurance company's approval to add to the bill. Your deductible, depending on your insurance, will remain the same no matter what the size of the supplemental bill for hidden damage. We inform the customer of the fact that there is extra damage and it may take longer, but it is usually the insurance who pays. An itemizedd bill is presented at the end which includes all parts added to the estimate, and unless the estimator is slammed busy, they will go over it with you.

I do not know if the kid was fired. It is one of those things that management will take care of behind closed doors, but it wouldn't surprise me any. When I say it's not tolerated, that means it's not tolerated.

I won't deny that we make some stupid mistakes, but what we do is also very difficult. Paint matching to some cars requires several repaints in some cases to make it match. Lights from flourescant to regular bulbs to sunshine can easily make a car appear a to be three totally different colors. Repaints, of course, imply extra time, but we use excellent paint that will last for years and years and we have technicians who have over 50 years of experience in some cases. On busy days, we deliver over 30 cars to customers and some mistakes do slip by, but you have to be patient. If you're patient with us, we will take care of your concerns.

Lastly, if you're totally wicked anal about your ride, you have to let us know. This is particularly true of older vehicles. Let us know that you are very fussy and will be going over the repair from top to bottom. Odds are we'll spend extra time making it look good. Our primary concern is satisfaction. Never hurts to know someone on the inside, either. :-)

Levent, thanks for the good word. I know we had your car back a bunch of times, but it really looked killer when it was all done. I don't think there was a single speck of dirt in your paint job. Yeah, it did take us a couple of times, but that thing looked like it just rolled off the assembly line in Germany. Later folks.

Exactly.... I'm even coming back in Novemeber for you guys to bust out some more work to the car. A front end respray and right front a pillar spray.

Why am I taking it to them? THEY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB (if they know your anal about how your car looks)!

Rob knows how to run his business!

I also say west side is pretty good. Bill is great, I've dealt with him a lot in the past and he's a nice guy. I think they've done every job I've given them fine, although they tend to take longer than they estimate. Which, as long as the job is done well, is ok with me.

Well, regardless of what was said, I will STILL never take another car/motorcycle/boat/paint-by-numbers kit to that particular business establishment.

I think what really gets me about the whole situation is the fact that while my wife was handling things with them, she kept getting a run-around. Once I stepped into the picture, shit started getting done, and with a quickness. That was problem number one. I really hate shops that assume a woman doesn't know shit about cars. My wife could tell you more about that car than most Ford salesmen. She's not an idiot, and I'll not have her treated as such by ANYone.

And heeltoe, contrary to what you may believe, I know the SHO front, back, side to side. When I get there and see a tranny jack holding up the engine from underneath with the subframe around the jack, I know what's up. I, also, am not a mechanical idiot.

I took that car back 4 times to get shit fixed. One of the things I took it back for was something completely retarded. Who replaces a windshield washer bottle and doesn't refill it to test to make sure it doesn't leak and make sure the pump works? That's the kind of lack of attention to detail that makes me question the workers there.

I understand that gen 3 SHO front end parts are rather difficult to come by...but not impossible. Being a body shop, I'd imagine that even if the part wasn't "perfect" from the distributor, it can be modified to work. If not, it'd be expected to get a part that will. Even my insurance adjuster who came out to check the work after everything was done said it was a shitty job.

Oh yeah...after 4 trips, the hood STILL won't open properly. You practically have to get a screwdriver out to open the damn thing. yeah...and tell em thanks for throwing away my "bad" $45 Silverstars that were allegedly broke in the crash, when in fact, they were replaced AFTER the accident. Yeah, they replaced em with a pair of $10 knock offs that ain't nearly as bright, but the fact remains.....

Overall, the service, quality of work (paint wasn't even blended from the bumper cover and fender to the hood), and customer service leaves a LOT to be desired.

I'll never recommend ANYone take their car there.

I apologize for the way you and your wife were treated. I apologize that we did not treat your SHO in the way you wished. I apologize for the job and the fact that you were not satisfied. I apologize for the fact that you did not get the headlights you purchased back in your vehicle that would not light up on the right side when the technician was finished. I apologize for the fact that we don't blend hoods with bumpers and fenders because it is industry standard and insurance companies won't approve it all the time, especially on older vehicles. I apologize for your headlamp washer pump not operating properly and our inability to notice it. I apologize that your hood will not open properly. I apologize. Period. Your car came in as a wreck and we did our best to repair it. We are sorry that we did not meet your expectations. But this is the nature of competition and why we strive so hard to maintain customer satisfaction. When we were part of the Carstar name, we were number 3 in the nation in customer satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with our facility, there are plenty of others who will give you service that is much worse than ours. Thanks.

First off, i'm not asking for you to apologize on behalf of a company that you do not run...unless you do run the company, in which case I still ain't asking for an apology. I'm just sharing my experience with them, and my opinion of them. I'm not trash talking anyone in particular (except for the little shit who decided he'd see what the SHO would do at WOT). I'm just dissatisfied over my whole experience with the business establishment. Customer service should be job one.....true, I may just work in the dinner delivery business, but I know when it comes down to it, I've got to do what's neccessary to make the customer happy, even if it means I have to bend over backwards and perhaps do some stuff that "might" be against company policy...basically, whatever it takes.



Then the tech screwed something up, because those headlights were bought AFTER the wreck and worked just fine driving around colorado springs for a week, and then driving home FROM colorado, and then another 2 weeks before the car went into the shop. The least that could've been done is the headlights replaced with the same lights, if not something comparative, not some crappy, off brand knock-off.

I know i have had a boyfreind and a brother that works as mechanics, one at fineline and ine at chucks service center. They are the ONLY 2 people i will let work on any of my cars for that reason, and as far as body work goes there are 2 painters i trust and that is it. I aslo talked to tim and mandy after that happened and i know they were not happy at all. And as much fabricting that keeps happening around here for all our cars, nothing but the best is exceptiable for the cars!

Whether you were expecting an apology or not, you received one. You may choose to decline acceptance, but the apology remains. It does not matter if I am the owner, but I do care about your experience because the business I associate myself with is very customer oriented. I take pride in the work of MY company. We try very hard and often do bend over backwards for customers. Yeah, we could have, and normally, do better. We should have put Silverstars in your car. If it was mine, I would have been upset too. Did you say something? Did you let someone know that those headlamps cost you fifty dollars? We have to know about aftermarket modifications and the specific brands of products purchased because simple markings on the product itself may not tell us all the information we need to know. As many here have asserted, if you are not satisfied, the vehicle must be left until it is repaired in a condition that is to your liking. Yeah, it may take longer. Yeah, it may be an inconvenience, but in the end, we are more likely to put you into a rental/loaner vehicle if you refuse delivery because you are not satisfied. I would refuse my vehicle if I was not satisfied with a repair.

<=== another disatisfied customer. It LOOKED good at first.....only to find out a year later the did a shitty job blending, and obviously didnt take the trim and stuff off cause the paint it flaking off already around it.

I have paint flaking in an area, I'm gunna wait till it gets good and messed up (showing on the body panel) to take it back to em. Ryan, there is a 5 yr or lifetime warranty for their work, go have a chat with em. They'll take care of it.

Wow...they blended yours? I'm friggin jealous. Anyone who's seen the nose of my wife's car can tell the paint wasn't blended....hell, it wasn't even closed to being matched.


Dude, again, don't try to justify to me that they "tried" to make me happy. I had that car back there 6 times, with unsatisfactory results. I bitched up a storm about the Silverstars, and yes, they were replaced....by some shitty $15 pep boys knock offs that I can't even rememeber the brand. I know they were $15, cuz I went shopping around and found em...at pep boys....for $15..

You ain't gotta justify shit to me....I already know I'll NEVER take another vehicle to that place, nor recommend anyone take their vehicle there, based solely on my experience with the employees and business practices.