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Dealer damaged fender with lift

13K views 46 replies 22 participants last post by  24222 
#1 · (Edited)
My dealer was nice enough to replace my cracking wheel housing with new ones under warranty.:thumbs:

They also smashed my fender up when they put it on a lift! :brentil:

The bottom front corner of the door almost touches the fender now. I do a quick search and notice this is a an issue many others have had. :( Somehow the lift did not touch the drivers side, but the whole fender is completely shifted on the passenger side and doesn't even line up properly with the hood anymore. Totally obvious just walking around the car. Can't imagine they wouldn't take car of this, but I just thought I'd share.

Called the dealer and I am going back later today to show them the damage. The service manager said he spoke with the tech and he says he used a puck with the lift as he would have on a Corvette...the fender damage says otherwise...I will keep the thread updated and upload a pic of the damage when I can.







 
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#3 ·
Happens WAY too often. I ALWAYS check the car before I leave the dealership if I'm getting any work done.
 
#5 ·
After seeing the finish on your paint, I retract my earlier comment. I'm GLAD your fender was damaged! ;)

Yeah, I'm just jealous. :lol:

Man, I'd have to look closer at the lifts in the garages to find out why these things get banged up like this. I just use a low profile floor jack on mine and (thanks to the cautionary tales on this forum) pay closer attention to the placement and haven't had a problem yet.

That really sucks man. :cuss:
 
#7 · (Edited)
Yep...it amazes me how often this happens. :brentil: You would think the dealer techs would know better...good luck with it.

On a positive note, your car's shine is impressive. The reflection on that last picture is barely darkened through it's mysterious paint. Yep....impressive. :cool:

Edited due to my slowness and letting Chickenwire beat me to the compliment.......still looks impressive though.
 
#8 ·
Using a lift puck may be beside the point. What happened on mine ( passenger side only) was that the lift arm at the front of the hoist was in a location that when they pulled my GXP into the bay, the right front tire went over it. When it came down on the other side ; CRUNCH! I did not notice the damage until I was washing my car the following weekend. The tattle tail sign for me was the black rubber material the hoist pad left behind on my fender. There was no scratched paint. I would highly recommend my dealer to anyone with a Pontiac in eastern Idaho. They stood behind it all the way. In fact I asked forum members and got the company info of where all the remaining factory sheet metal ended up. Two weeks later , I had a new fender installed on my car and it came painted in the original color. All at no charge to me. Good luck , be patient , and don't give up. There are still responsible dealerships out there.
 
#9 ·
its also possible that if they used a lifting puck without an alignment tab, they can hit the fender with the puck. I use a puck with an alignment tab on the Sky but it will not fit under my Sol. As a result I use the jack without the puck. When I line up the jack pad I have to get on the ground to make sure the jack pad is not lifting against the fender.
 
#10 ·
Both sides of my 08 have been replaced. Wheel well's side panel and the rail at the bottom. Burns mounted the well's to tight and now the screw holes are breaking apart. In S.C. now have GMC involved, when I get the new parts this will take me to 7 wheel well's. Burns melted a 5 th one puting in a water pump. Every dealer with the exception of the new one here in Myrtle Beach has damaged my Sol every time they had it in the shop.
Wish me luck down here.
 
#12 ·
Looks like to me they lifted the car at the wrong "lift point" up front. It's not that spot that you showed in the picture. It's actually a metal/steel (upside down looking egg carton) looking part that sticks out that they should have used on the front. It's connected to the bottom frame.
 
#13 ·
You are of course correct, but I dont use those points anymore because they are bent to hell. I will get some pics and show you. They are not very strong. The only really solid points on the car are the slotted tie down points.:willy:
 
#14 ·
They also smashed my fender up when they put it on a lift! :brentil:
Looks like to me they lifted the car at the wrong "lift point" up front. It's not that spot that you showed in the picture. It's actually a metal/steel (upside down looking egg carton) looking part that sticks out that they should have used on the front. It's connected to the bottom frame.
Just for the record, and because I haven't posted my "official jacking/lifting pics for a long time:

See this message: http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/1062688-post4.html

Oh, what the heck, I'll post 'em again.
 

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#15 ·
Yerp, that looks familiar. Downloaded and save on my laptop. :)

Sent from my GT-P1000R using AutoGuide.Com Free App
 
#16 ·
Stopped back and the service manager and a tech checked it out. He agreed it was caused by the lift. He said the fender will be repaired or replaced. Not sure how you could simply repair/align that fender, but we will see. Won't have time to get it in until late next week though. I'll get some more details when they have a little more time to check it out then since I was on my way out of town this afternoon. Just relieved there was no hassle on their part when I showed them the damage.
 
#17 ·
Every time I read another one of these threads, my brain implodes.

GM should have taken that Lifting Point Picture of Dave's, made a giant poster of it, and distributed to every service center on the planet; a long time ago. But since they made the two best divisions of GM orphans, it is no longer a priority.
 
#22 ·
I am not torn about the small dent in the bottom either, just that it shifted the whole fender and now it doesn't align with the door and hood properly. My dad was walking around my car this morning and noticed immediately, then I told him the story behind it.
 
#25 ·
I dred the day I have to get my baby serviced and with the terrible experience I had last year, I'm certainly NOT going back to that dealer. No way. I heard what these lifts could do but never, until now, saw a picture of the damages that could happen.

good luck..
 
#26 ·
I had similar damage on my 09 GXP. It was apparrant that the Tech lifted it from the Body, not on the Lift Pads. It crushed the Rocker Panel just ahead of the Rear Wheel. The dealer argued that they did not do it, but it was obvious to the Body Shop. After a lot of arguing, 4 trips to 2 different Body Shops, using Clay to remove overspray and new wax, it looks pretty good. It probably cost the dealer $1,000 due to his stubburness and stupidity, but I was not going to give up until it looked like New again. The dealer should take care of ALL problems uncluding body alignment. I would go all the way to the Top to the Owner if I had to.
 
#27 ·
Well yesterday the dealer took the car back in for repair and I'll just say I am less than satisfied. Completely confused as to why they even said they'd repair the panel. Dent is still there. I really don't even think their "bodyman" attempted to fix that. The only thing evident is the fender alignment is better and there is touch up paint under the fender where the lift scratched it off. And I say better not perfect. Just bothered because they really don't seem to care about the service quality. I have been a sales/tech at a bicycle shop for 6 years and the most important thing I learned from from an experienced tech was: "Work on the bike as if it were yours." That being said, I can't imagine the dealer tech would have been satisfied with the repair quality if it were their own car and so, I won't be going back, even to complain.

As GS Stage 1 said the panels are pretty easy to manipulate as I was checking it out after I got home. I think I can have it back to perfect with a little work, but thats a moot point. Car will never go back for anything but an expensive powertrain related failure. I will take care of all piddly parts and maintenance myself even though I still have another 10 months of factory warranty and free maintenance.
 
#30 ·
I took my car to Belle Tire the other day for some tire maintenance and found today that they pinched my fender when lifting the car. The panel is buckled and the paint chipped off on an area around 3/4" x 4".

I have an appointment with them a little later today to get new rims installed; I haven't called them yet about this problem.

Questions: Does anyone know how much $$ it takes to fix this? Should I call my insurance now or wait to see what Belle Tire says when I bring it in. Should I call them right now or wait the 3 hours til my appointment.

PS: I mentioned to them when I brought it in to be careful as the lifting point was close to the body frame. Guess it didn't get relayed to the guy with the jack.
 
#31 ·
I'd call them and let them know. I had the dealer tweak the fender to line it up better after they smushed mine, but the dents under my fenders remain. Hard to notice unless I am looking for it. Hope they are willing to work with you.
 
#32 ·
Anytime you bring your car in for repairs, service, whatever, you need to 100% inspect the whole thing before you sign any paperwork. the wifes scion was in the dealer for a month getting rings. when she brought it home, I wanted to see what all they replaced and found a bunch of hoses and wires not tied or stuck back into thier holders. 4 weeks later, she tells me she thinke she hears bolts falling out of it. then it starts popping. I popped the hood and it's missing a motor mount bolt, 2 exhaust manifold bolts and a transmission bracket bolt. so, it they miss 1 thing, you can bet your a$$ it's missing something else. I'm just waiting for the timing chain to fling off or a rod to come thru the block now. Oh, and the radiator was completely empty and the hood would not pop up or close all the way.
 
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