An update of sorts. Over the last two weeks, due to the stay at home order, I've had a lot of time to go over the car with a fine-tooth comb. Went back to the body shop at the insistence of the shop owner to drop the car off a couple of days ago. Pre-drop-off, I met up with a friend (with social distancing + mask + gloves) and had him look at all the issues I spotted, to confirm that I wasn't insane and that they existed. These included:
* the mismatched bumper/quarter panel
* a paint line that I could feel along the roof rail
* the interior of the door jamb that remained unpainted
* several runs, bumps, and splotches
* failure to remove the 3M door handle cup with paint all around it
* fat, thick paint over many of the surfaces, making them look less "crisp"
Show up at the shop. Start pointing out the issues, get a lot of "What you're asking for can't be done," "bumpers never match!," "there are no bumps! Factory paint is worse!," etc. We have a polite stand-off, and then he walks back to the shop and brings out a check for $500 (what I had paid him so far, the agreement was $900). Says that he admittedly failed to finish because he returned the car to me the day the mayor's order to shelter in place took place and he thought the car would be locked down for a month (this is before he realized auto services were "essential"). Says he'd fix some of the things (finish painting jambs, polish the car, etc.), but that he simply did not see the bubbles and that the paint would never match. Said that, given my complaints, he's essentially done with the car. Basically threw his hands up, telling me because he did not want it to ruin a family friendship...
Oh, did I mention that he's my mom's best friend's husband? Yeah, now you can see just how shitty/awkward this is. I was originally going to pay him $900, which wasn't even a "hook-up" price, as my prior estimates at several other shops ranged from $900 to $11XX. I decided that it made sense to go with someone who I knew, who had owned a body shop for three decades, and whose work I had previously seen (he did my sister's Tiguan and it came out excellent). After all, why pay a stranger when you can pay a family friend?
This is why, people. This is why:
Yep, that last one is a 3" run/bump that he simply could not see (or refused to see).
I took it to a high-end shop after leaving his place and they nearly lost their shit. Violated social distancing norms to all come out and look. Said that it would not be a simple job to redo this.
Now I'm stuck trying to figure out if I should cash this check or just eat the $500 and start from scratch. On the one hand, he did do the metal work and cashing it may ruin my mom's friendship with his wife. On the other hand, this will now cost me way more than I would have otherwise paid.
Don't do business with friends and family.