unhappy with a repair shop
 

A couple weeks ago i took in my 2 rear rims/tires/center caps to have them refinished. I was told it may be around 155 for each wheel, but would have to be sent out to get a better idea. Ok no problem. I get teh call and they said it would be about $300 each wheel. They are a 2 pc classic bbs wheel.

So i decide not to have them refinished since it was not worth that much at this time to have them done.

I ask over the phone if the total bill is going to be around $50 for mounting and balancing and the guy wasn't sure.

Sure enough when i went in the bill was exactly $50 plus tax, weird.
So as they are loading them into the back of my car, i notice the center caps are peeling.

I question this and they said that these were the ones they took off the rims when i came in. the one center cap that i took in had a scratch on it from me using a paper clip to remove it. No peeling clear coat, nothing else.

I said i will check the other 2 when i get home, nothing.

So i call back and explain that i can gaurantee that these are not mine. He asks if i am acusing him of stealing and i say no.

So in the end he sticks by his story and even tells me to cancel my check for $53 and i say no since he provided services to me and that it would be fair to pay him, but i wasn't happy about the centercaps.

He called later andd left a message about he has pics of the rims and the centercaps, but i never returned the call and i will cut my losses at that. And i won't ever go back.

He has a ton of high end clients that are usually referred to him and he claims that no one would ever exchange them or anything like that..


that is all.

whats the name of the business since i live in pa also, so i can avoid them.

Well, always take pictures before you get something redone. This way you can judge before and after work. If he does a lot of work and has a good client base, I would give him the benefit of the doubt. I have too, sworn that something looked better before I removed it. I took my center caps off, scrubbed and cleaned wheels until they looked like new again, we are talking about 9 year rims here. And when I put the caps back on, they looked a little rough. This is my Boxster pictured here. :cheers:

he is in south central pa. If you aren't in the area i would rather not say in this he said/he said thing.

He truly does good work and he has very high end clients.

I can't prove what i left him but i also know what was left. There was a distinctive scratch on the one from me trying to get the cap off with something other than the correct tool.


He called me before and left a message and i never called him back since i dropped it. But he just called again and we spoke and offered to send me the pics he had of the wheels before he sent them out. But maybe my memory isn't as good as i think. But we discussed it and i will continue to do business there, and he said that we are fine.

you got that right. i apologized for bringing it up and making him feel like it was his fault.

Consider giving these guys a try: http://www.wheelcollision.com/ They're in Bath, just north of Allentown.

I've been using them for 15+ years. They have a huge inventory of refinished wheels that they sell outright or on exchange, and of course they can refinish yours. Nice guys, no BS, great work that they stand behind, quick turnaround and fair prices posted on their website. I'm sure if you emailed them photos they could give you a very good idea of what your wheels would cost to repair/refinish.

I used these guys on some C-70 Volvo wheels and they did a wonderful job. One of the few times in my life where I was overwhelmed with the quality of the product and service. I now use them whenever necessary and they still continue to impress. Ed

i'll have to do that, i am sure the guy i went to was marking them up 20-30%

does the blonde work there? haha

this is why you guys like the place right? haha

thanks the link! ill check them out if i need help.

Ah, definitely not, but the guy on the right with the glasses and moustache does. His name is Darryl, he's one of the owners. I actually worked with him in a summer job while in college 20 yrs ago, long before he started that company. Very good guy.

Particularly with wheel repair, I've found dealing directly with the source minimizes the possibility of finger pointing should there be a problem. And it'll save you a markup.

I feel for you mate.

I once had a similar problem with a reputable Porsche indy dealer and my car came back worse than it went in. I only had the car 2 days and decided it should have a full service just in case. Took it to a local dealer that was highly recommended and booked it in for a Saturday service.

The dealer was very helpful, knowledgeable and gave me great confidence.

I went back to get the car and the dealer walked around it saying he had spotted some issues.

One of the sun-visor flaps was snapped off so when you dropped the visor down the flap fell out onto your lap. I think I would have remembered breaking that myself!

There was a new rattle in the back wheel which the dealer told me I had a snapped lower control arm. It didn't do this at all when the car went in and was very obvious when I drove it home, especially over cobble stones.

A small dent had appeared in the passenger door, the dealer pointed this out to me as something they noticed and that I should get it repaired. I only had the car 2 days and would have noticed this before buying it as me and 2 others went over the car in fine detail looking for ways to knock money off the sale.

These were highly suspicious faults. Maybe the recession makes dealers sell owner parts and hope we are gullible enough to not care. Maybe its all in my head but its left a bitter taste and now I won't trust any garage.

Anyway, hope you get your wheels sorted mate.

Anim