I was in accident 1/16/09. Snowing & a guy driving a pickup that belonged to his mommy plowed into me. I was driving a 2001 VW Beetle. His tailgate came thru driver window, pummeling the driver door, exploding the glass, ripped the fender, damaged the tire, wheel, strut & tie-rod. Because the other driver's insurance balked at responsibility, I had to file a claim with MY insurance company just so I could get a rental. MY insurance company gave me a list of several area body shops they recommended because the work would be guarenteed for the life of the car. I chose Klinginsmith because it was close to my home.
Klinginsmith had my car right up to the exact date that my insurance company stopped paying for my car rental, 25 days. As anyone knows who has a VW, you cannot use after market parts because they either don't fit or don't last. This shop not only used after market parts but they didn't complete the work & I had to take the car back 3 times. Because it was their fault I kept having to take the car back, I figured they should either provide me with a loaner vehicle or a rental. They got me a rental but the owner was very rude about it & told me SHE was tired of dealing with ME! I reported her & the company to my insurance carrier.
I would like to point out that this particular auto body shop has no experience or ability when it comes to mechanical or electrical repairs so all that work had to be farmed out to other companies. This was not explained to me by either this company. My insurance company was also not aware of this practice by them.
They did not complete the paint job. They did not replace the damaged dash board. They replaced the driver's side mirror with one that was severely distorted. They did not address a wiring issue where the dash lights didn't work. They later planned to send it back to the wiring shop because one of the back lights stopped working, at would have been a very high cost to ME, when it turned out to be nothing more than a blown fuse discovered by their shop boy. They did not get all of the broken glass out of the vents. When they finally replaced the dash, they jacked up the vents & vent controls. When I got my car back, the front grill came off. When I told them about it they denied culpability & refused to fix it. They ran my battery down so I had to buy a new one while they still had the car. They didn't replace the battery cover or the air hoses. I had just had an oil change the week before the accident. When my car was returned to me, there was no oil in it. I had it checked out. There are no leaks. Apparently the owner was driving my car back and forth to all the shops instead of having it towed, a fact that she complained about to me loud & long because it ate into her time.
The final time I went to pick up my car, I was examining it while the shop guy (they are in no way mechanics) was explaining what they had done. I commented that I thought the strut was too large & seemed to rub against the tire when turning. He argued that couldn't possibly be the case & I left it at that. Stupid me.
I had the car for about 3 wks when the constant minor rubbing of the strut against the tire finally caused a puncture that tore into the blackwall & ripped the tire all around the rim. I was doing 65 mph down the highway when it happened & only by grace was saved from another accident. I called my insurance company & they had Klinginsmith tow the car to a VW dealership where a "tire expert" determined that the aftermarket strut was indeed the cause of the tire failure. A VW strut was put on as well as a new tire & my car was returned to me.
The shop workers were always very polite & seemed anxious to make things right. The problem is if the work had been done correctly I wouldn't have had to take the car back so many times for them to "make things right." And the owner, sarcastic & rude, actually told me she thought I was nitpicking! I'm sorry, when MY insurance company is paying out thousands of dollars for repairs that were not due to my fault in any way but will go against my premiums, I think I am entitled to quality, complete work!
BTW, I am suing the other guy's insurance company. My insurance company is getting subrogation. I checked into suing Klinginsmith over the ripped tire incident because I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, but apparently unless you are seriously injured or killed, attorneys arent' interested.
Bottom line: If you have time, money & patience to waste, go ahead & use this company. Otherwise, they need to be closed down.
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