Finally...

mmm-five

mmm-five

Lifer
 Liverpool
Site Supporter
...getting my car back :thumbsup:

I’m looking forward to finally getting a fully fixed car back this weekend after my Dec '15 accident and bodged repairs by the local bodyshop. I told the insurer I’d had enough and would get someone competent to repair the damage the local bodyshop either did not repair, or made worse, e.g.
  • collapsed handbrake shoe that they simply disconnected and tightened up the adjuster so that one side worked better
  • rear coil overs refitted upside down
  • rear brake pad sensor socket moved behind the bodywork so you can’t change it
  • mangled wiring loom near diff simply scotch-blocked and taped
  • graunching diff where they insisted they couldn’t hear anything wrong
  • missing bolts holding rear chassis reinforcement
  • misaligned driver's door
  • half the bodywork clips missing
  • front air guide ripped in half
  • drop link not connected at one end
  • completley cock-eyed alignment/geometry
  • bent rear ARB (hence the replacement Eibach kit)
  • etc.

Insurer offered to so much towards anything found wrong, and 70% of the diff cost. However my specialist became ill and was out of action for 6 months, so while he’s getting the diff cost back, we’re unlikely to get anything towards the rest.

They’ll still be getting a letter listing everything that the bodyshop messed up, so that they can decide themselves if they’re happy to keep using a bodyshop who claims to guarantee their work, but then refuses to talk to you to fix anything and tells you to contact the insurer when you have an issue.

It also goes to show how a car professionally repaired to industry standards, with a QA certificate guaranteeing that work, can be unroadworthy and a pile of lies.

About the only parts on my car that haven’t been changed at some point are the roof, bonnet, hatch and gearbox.
 
What a faff. Great to here it's coming to a close and you have a roadworthy zed again. Time to go :driving:
 
That's one hell of a journey - almost as long as I've owned my Zed. You must have the patience of a saint and the determination of a . . . er, very determined person. Post pics of your P&J once its back in your hands :thumbsup:
 
What a saga.

I remember reading about it on here all that time ago, hadn't realised it hadn't been concluded.
 
If I'd known the effort/cost of repairing it, I would have taken the write-off payment...and maybe picked up an e46 M3...but it was only 'suggested' by the assessor that I could get £14.5k for it (based on his base estimate almost 2 years ago of £9.5k for a 145k mile Z4MC, plus £5k of mods and recent repairs). He said I'd have to agree to the write-off before they'd give me a final amount. I did point out that the only car anywhere near my mileage on sale at the time was a £13.5k one with 110,000 miles on it. So I'd need another £5k to add the suspension, Gruppe-M, clutch & flywheel, etc.

It does make you wonder about the quality of insurance-approved bodyshops in general, and even cat C/D repairs, as if they bodyshop are prepared to cut corners like this on an 'approved' repair where there is some oversight...can you imagine what corners a salvage company or owner doing repairs on the cheap would be happy with :thumbsdown:

I wonder how many cars are out there, with insurance-approved repairs, that are MOT-passable, but have dodgy repairs done to them? These will come up for sale, and no-one will know any better. At least mine has a full record for anyone to find.

We kept fixing one thing, and then finding another whilst it was stripped down So instead of making plans every month to collect the car, I told my specialist to keep it until he was happy that everything (mechanical/electrical) was fixed.

Unfortunately he got sick, and I told him that mine wasn't a priority so he put it on the back-burner whilst he recovered (6 months in total). He'd also had some restoration job ongoing, and blocking the 2 ramps/pits, so I just let him get on with it.

Was supposed to be going to the Ring in August, but that was cancelled due to parts delays from BMW Germany. So we've planned to go at the end of October. However, with all the crap the car's gone through, I might just take the Alfa again - and not worry about the possible greasy/wet/icy conditions.

This was one of the reasons I wasn't going on the forum meets...as I didn't want to show up all the Z4M and 35si with my 115bhp Alfa beast :P
 
You could have had another one for nearly 2 years.... What a pain.

Glad your finally getting it back. Hopefully all will be well.
 
Sounds horrid Tony, glad you are (nearly!) back in business. Great car when I saw it at the Turnpike. Off topic and slightly oddly, it looked smaller than mine - a trick of the light probably
Stevo
 
Good to hear you're getting in back at last. Don't enjoy the journey home with too much enthusiasm if you've become used to 200 fewer horses!
 
Bloody hell!! Sounds like a right torrid time. You where one of the first guys I met many years ago on my first ever meet. Your ruby black z4 looked amazing and made me feel very jellouse. I hope it gets back to you in that same shape :thumbsup:
 
yesssss..... great to see the original O.G of the forum back where she belongs!! look after it and use something shite to bash around , think this one deserves to be retired for the fun journeys !
 
Why did you decide to use your insurance company's approved repairer, out of interest?
 
carl said:
Why did you decide to use your insurance company's approved repairer, out of interest?
Click to expand...
At the time, it was the only way to avoid a write off...as the estimate was £9k repairs at a 'manufacturer approved' bodyshop, or £13k at a BMW garage.

Plus I’d not get a courtesy car if I took the BMW option. Although I mentioned i was happy to pay for my own hire car for a few weeks whilst it was getting sorted...but BMW said they couldn’t start for 6 weeks due to coming Christmas holidays.

In hindsight it wouldn’t have mattered as the dodgy bodyshop (part of another marque's bodyshop chain, not an independent) took 6 weeks to supply me with a courtesy car and had difficulty sourcing the parts.

They also had the cheek to tell me that it wasn’t BMW delaying the repair due to parts unavailability, to then have another 'adviser' call me to ask what the suspension was because BMW couldn’t find them on their system. This was despite me providing them (in paper & email forms) a list of the non-standard parts.

Also in hindsight, I should have taken the write off option, but I’d just spent nearly £4k on maintenance (new discs & pads, new clutch & flywheel, inspection 2, etc.) and I’d have to probably do all that again to whatever car I could afford for the write off payment, thenn spend another £5k to add the mods (the Bilstein B16/PSS10 suspension, Rogue Diablo exhaust, Gruppe-M intake, vibratechnics engine mounts)...assuming I could find another individual/extended champagne Z4MC.

I just know that had I taken the writ off cash, I would have ended up buying a fast diesel or old-ish M5 :rofl:
 
Fantastic news - that first wash in return must have been a real pleasure. Let the fun begin again :driving:
 
Well, after a 6am start, 7am train and then 5 hours before getting off for a 90 minute bus ride, I finally have my car back.

Got to take it careful as I’m running in the new diff for 1000 miles (only 2 weeks).

Everything else feels nice and tight, but the cabin feel so claustrophobic after a year in the Alfa, and I miss my DAB radio :rofl:

I was a bit worried that everything would be strange to me, and for the first few minutes it was. 20 miles later I was happily flicking the cruise controls on/off, running through the OBC screens, and adjusting my seat memory back to how I had it.

Strangely the 2nd key that has been in a drawer at home for 12 months opened and started the car without issue. Although I only did it to wind up my mate as he didn’t see me arrive and then heard someone starting the car up :evil:

I still need a bit of time in it to be completely comfortable with how it handles, and to set up the suspension to how I prefer. The Bilsteins are set to 6 all round, but I prefer the front a bit softer to counteract the strut brace and Eibach ARBs.

Hopefully I’ll be comfortable enough to take it to the Ring at the end of October, it if not I’ll fall back to the Alfaxp-beast.

Didn’t manage to get the Alcons fitted (they are HUGE 4-pots) as there’s a bit of metal on the calliper for locating the Ferrari brackets that really needs to be machined off, rather than hacking away material from the custom bracket for the Z4M and potentially weakening the mounts.
 
Wow what a journey! Congrats on having it back, and I hope you get plenty of enjoyment to make up for lost time. Great taste on the colour combo by the way 8)
 
I had no idea this was still ongoing... If it now feels new and tight I think you've got many more years ahead together!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom