This will be a long one but I'm asking 3 things 1) am I being unreasonable 2) have I expected too much 3) options
I crashed my Type R in Dec 2014 while down in Italy. Pretty extensive damage and a total write off. Shipped it back to Ireland in January 2015 and put it in storage while I decided what I wanted to do with it.I knew I wanted to repair it (just couldn't let the damn thing die) but over time life gets in the way and also I didn’t have the funds available. March 2019 the search for a bodyshop willing to take on an extensive rebuild (frame rail replacement, any rust repaired, both sills replaced and full respray) began. Over 2 years and a dozen or so bodyshops telling me “its not worth it, too busy for a job like that, no profit in that for me, not worth my time” etc etc in July 2021 I finally got a guy who was willing to do the work. I spoke on the phone with this guy August 9th 2021 (exactly one year today). We discussed the repair and the work involved and what I wanted and budget etc etc. Now I specifically made it clear to this guy that I did not want a scenario whereby if he took possession of my car that it would be left sitting for weeks or months and he said no that wouldn’t happen. He said as soon as I got the car to him he would start on it straight away. Great I thought. We discussed a time frame for completion and he said 6 to 8 weeks. I sourced a front cut for the replacement frame rail and had it delivered from Donegal to his garage on September 8th 2021. He took possession of my car on October 6th 2021. Given the 6 to 8 weeks timeframe he quoted back in August 2021 I was happy to possibly have the car painted and ready for an engine by the end of the year ready to start on an engine build in January 2022.
4 weeks later, December 8th 2021 I decided to visit the bodyshop and see what progress had been made. I found my car and the front cut left outside at the back of the garage. Not happy. Spoke with the guy and he said he had been very busy and just hadn’t gotten around to starting it yet. Not much I could do or say at this point except to ask when would he be starting it. He said the following Monday so that would be December 13th 2021. I left the garage hoping this was just a temporary hold up.
Christmas 2021 goes by, so January 17th I go back to the bodyshop expecting to see some progress. Nope. My car and the front cut are still in the same place outside. He said 3 of his staff had gotten Covid so he had to close his garage and couldn’t open after the Christmas break. Again not much I can say or do about that. God damn Covid. So again I asked when are you going to start it. He says the following Monday January 24th. I asked if this was definite and he said “absolutely, drop in to me next Monday and you’ll see the car up on the jig”. So, rather than appearing to be impatient and not wanting to put the guy under pressure or be “”that type” of customer I gave it a further 2 weeks before dropping into the bodyshop again. This is now February 7th 2022. Still my car was outside and nothing done. Spoke to the guy and he said the frame guy had been in a bar fight and was due to make a court appearance so he had no staff to start on my car. The excuses are starting now but again what could I say or do other than to once again ask when would the job be started. He gave an all too familiar answer of “next Monday (which would be February 14th 2022) I promise you the frame guy will start pulling it”. So once again not wanting to be “ that customer” and just leave the guy to it to get on with the job (each time I was there he would say “drop in to me anytime to check on progress”) I waited another 4 weeks and went back to the bodyshop on March 16th 2022. Work not started and the car was still outside at the back of the garage. The excuse this time was he and his family got Covid so he had to close the bodyshop and he had a backlog of cars to get through. I’m getting pretty annoyed now at this point since he now has possession of my car for 6 months with no work done. (specifically what I said to him I did not want to happen). So once again I asked when is the car going up on the jig and I get the “”Next Monday” answer. That would mean March 21st 2022.
Once again I gave it 4 weeks before going back there on April 11th 2022. This time I see my car is up on the frame machine (it went up on the jig April 8th 2022). We have a chat and I said “”OK we are finally up and running on this”. Yes he says "we’ll get her done and out of here". At this point the car is just bolted to the frame machine and no actual work is done so I ask when will you start pulling the frame. Again “”next Monday the frame lad will start on that”. So that means April 18th 2022. Again I leave it 4 weeks before going back to check on progress on May 13th 2022. I enter the garage and very little work and been done. Just a few spot welds had been drilled out to remove the front panels (radiator support bars, headlight surround etc etc). The guy wasn’t there this time and I spoke to a staff member. I commented that progress was slow and drilling out some spot welds can’t have taken a month. Anyway I left again angry and disappointed. I waited yes you guessed it another 4 weeks before going back to check on progress. So I arrived at the garage June 14th 2022 to see that no further work had been done. The guy was there this time and I said "So nothing done, no progress". He said "I'm getting to it." I just laughed and he repeated "no no we'll get to it, we'll get to it" but at this stage I had had enough. He now had my car for 8 months and had drilled out a few spot welds. So I lost it with him on his shop floor in front of his staff. There was cursing and finger pointing by me and he just stood there in silence. When I was finished he was all apologetic like really apologetic and promised to get the car done. He said “”I get it, you just want your car back, it’s probably stressing you out”. I explained that based on his original time frame from 8 months ago I had made plans for track days in 2022 and car meets and had made enquiries about securing a storage space (which are now no longer available) etc etc and these plans are now all screwed up . Again he apologised and promised to get the car done. I returned to the garage 5 weeks later on July 20th 2022 this time expecting to see some real progress. I had hoped my rant had finally got this guy to sort his sh*t out. My hopes were up. Well I sh*t you not but he had taken my car off the frame machine and had bolted a VW UP to it. So after 8 months we are now going backwards. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t even rant again I was so dumfounded. I said “eh so you’ve taken the car off the jig now”. He says “yeah, I just have this quick frame pull to do on this UP and yours will be going back on the jig”. I asked when. He says yes you guessed it next Monday. I asked once again when will the car be finished and he said by end of September 2022. So I said “OK when the car goes back on the jig next Monday you’re full time on this car and it’s going to be done by end of September. Is that what you're telling me?”. He says “Oh yes its done by end of September. Well I am going on holidays first week in August for a week just so you know”. I said “but you’re still sticking to end of September completion”. He said Yes.
As of today August 9th 2022 I have no idea if any further work had been done before he left for holidays or even if the car is back up on the jig since I was there last on July 20th 2022. Not going to disturb his holidays to find out. I’ll be going to the bodyshop either next week or week after and if my car is still on the ground and not back up on the jig I really have no idea what to do from that point.
So guys opinions and comments please. Am I being unreasonable? Am I being impatient? Just suck it up and it will be done when it’s done? In a couple of weeks he will have my car 10 months and other than a few spot welds nothing is done.
even over time, jesus Andy it's a tough road.
