67GTX440
Well-Known Member
I have accepted the fact that my 67 GTX is in car jail and the work is progressing slowly while the shop does insurance repairs and repeat customer (car lot) repaints around it. The car has been in the body shop 9 months as of Feb 21st and so far they have pulled out the passenger door jam at the front of the rear quarter where the car was previously hit and filled with an inch of bondo, installed both trunk extensions, fabricated outer wheel houses, installed full length patch panels on the bottom of both quarter panels and cut off the entire top to replace with a rust free one. The fabrication work is pretty much done with the exception of installing fabricated patch panels where the sail panels meet the quarter panels and reskinning the bottom of both doors. Work to this point has been slow, but looks good, and I have been impressed with their finished paint work.
Today I visit the shop to find the following. The guy who is always working is working his *** off. The two other guys who are iffy are both missing. One has supposedly had pneumonia for three weeks, but he misses at least one week a month. The other guy is sick, but gets pissed off and quits every month or so and then comes back a month later.
The owner is sitting in the office rubbing his chest and left arm and saying both really hurt and he thinks he needs a bypass, but his wife lost her job and their insurance, and his Obamacare does not kick in until March 1st. I am guessing he has no cardiologist appointment, but is planning to go to the emergency room tomorrow,
There are also three cops at the place with a clipboard writing down the VIN number of every car in the shop. He said it was a routine check to turn up chop shops, but that they also asked if this was a business. I have the feeling now that he may not have a business license and that the entire body shop may be a violation of zoning, although he has been open for 15 years.
I have paid the guy in advance for about $2,800 in work he has not yet done.
If he drops over dead, I am screwed. If he gets closed down, I am screwed. I have 14K in new parts sitting in my garage waiting to be installed and no car. Finding someone else to finish the car may be a problem. It ran when I drove it into the shop, but now it will not crank even though the battery has been on a tender and is 100%.
Should I get my car out now and take my lumps, or leave it there and see what happens. I don't have a warm and fuzzy feeling. Should I get in line first to sue the guy for the prepaid but unfinished work since the agreement we have in writing was the car would be finished and returned by March 15th? I think he has collected 50% up front on a lot of cars that are not done.
My wife kept telling me she thought I would never see the car again, and today was the first day I thought she may be right. I hate it when that happens!
Today I visit the shop to find the following. The guy who is always working is working his *** off. The two other guys who are iffy are both missing. One has supposedly had pneumonia for three weeks, but he misses at least one week a month. The other guy is sick, but gets pissed off and quits every month or so and then comes back a month later.
The owner is sitting in the office rubbing his chest and left arm and saying both really hurt and he thinks he needs a bypass, but his wife lost her job and their insurance, and his Obamacare does not kick in until March 1st. I am guessing he has no cardiologist appointment, but is planning to go to the emergency room tomorrow,
There are also three cops at the place with a clipboard writing down the VIN number of every car in the shop. He said it was a routine check to turn up chop shops, but that they also asked if this was a business. I have the feeling now that he may not have a business license and that the entire body shop may be a violation of zoning, although he has been open for 15 years.
I have paid the guy in advance for about $2,800 in work he has not yet done.
If he drops over dead, I am screwed. If he gets closed down, I am screwed. I have 14K in new parts sitting in my garage waiting to be installed and no car. Finding someone else to finish the car may be a problem. It ran when I drove it into the shop, but now it will not crank even though the battery has been on a tender and is 100%.
Should I get my car out now and take my lumps, or leave it there and see what happens. I don't have a warm and fuzzy feeling. Should I get in line first to sue the guy for the prepaid but unfinished work since the agreement we have in writing was the car would be finished and returned by March 15th? I think he has collected 50% up front on a lot of cars that are not done.
My wife kept telling me she thought I would never see the car again, and today was the first day I thought she may be right. I hate it when that happens!