REPOST: RallyDarkstrike's Rust Debacle - FINALE plus opinions?

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
11/28/2019 at 09:30 • Filed to: Bodywork sucks

-*- Repost for the morning crowd in case any of you have bodywork experience and can offer your thoughts! -*-

Warning, this will be long.

Remember when I !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (picked the car up from them on June 26th)...? It was $951 to get some minor rust on the right-rear wheel well and the rear hatch fixed. I have no idea how much of that was the hatch and how much was the wheel well, but that was the total. For the record, the repair on the rear hatch is still 100% fine.

Remember how the wheel well then !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (I noticed it Sept. 9th)...?

...and how I have been repeatedly contacting him through Facebook, phone calls and texts SINCE THEN to get him to take it back in and fix it after he told me he ‘stood behind his work’...?

Well, on Sunday he FINALLY told me to drop it off to get the rust repaired (and also give it rustproofing for the winter which I added to the appointment). He called me tonight to come pick it back up, and told me the bill would be $400 ($100 of which was the rustproofing).

...EXCUSE ME? I’m sorry, WHAT? Let’s assume the split for the work in June was 50/50. That means that I would’ve paid $475 for the wheel well rust repair. He thought it was surface rust back then, and repaired it as such, which means he didn’t even cut any metal out, he just sanded it back and painted. It rusted out less than a quarter of a year later and you want me to pay $300 more to fix the thing I asked you to fix right the first time in June...? How is that standing behind your work??? He claims he didn’t know there was rust in behind, but...wasn’t that his job to check? Also, the rust wouldn’t have been as bad to repair now if he’d actually booked me in back in September early when I first noticed it rather than an additional almost THREE MONTHS later???

OK, OK...rant ending, but I am pissed. Long story short, I now have my car back from him...it is repaired again (how long before it rusts out this time?), and he came down from the $400 total (including the undercoating) to $250 total. Pissed I am still paying to fix a thing that should’ve been fixed right the first time, but at least it is all said and done. BUT, it doesn’t end there!

The rustproofing...I had specifically asked if he drills into the door jambs, rockers, etc for his. He had told me he did, else I wouldn’t have told him to do the rustproofing. In my frustration as I left, I never looked at anything as I could see the rustproofing in the wheel wells and underneath. When I got home, I had calmed down and looked....I don’t see any drill plugs anywhere. I don’t think he drilled to spray in the rustproofing in the body at all.

Also, when I looked closely at the repaired wheel arch, there is a whacking great gob of body putty back there...I’m no bodywork guy, but does this look proper/standard practice? Is that shiny white I am seeing uncovered bare metal (because it seems to be ‘shining’ in the exact same place in every photo I took)...? Pardon my ugly face.

Also, there is no rustproofing anywhere near the edge of the fender, so he didn’t even directly spray the thing he just fixed!!! The black ‘wet’ spot you see in the above pics is the undercoating, and there is none anywhere in the inside top of the wheel well or along that lip!

The repair does looks fine from the outside....?

How shoddy of a job did he just do? :(

Update - Some research last night tells me that if that gray stuff is, indeed seam sealer, it should’ve been painted over. I have no idea if the metal under it was painted before the sealer was put on or not...

DISCUSSION (36)

VincentMalamute-Kim > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 16:56

He claims he didn’t know there was rust in behind, but...wasn’t that his job to check?

Yup. He should have known.

That’s shoddy. It’s just going to rust under the filler. No, I would not go back to him to get it fixed. And the outside part is going to rust again. You’re right to rant.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/27/2019 at 17:06

Well, he says he cut some metal out and welded new metal in. This WAS his fix from the last time he worked on it in June. I’m not going back to him again....what should I do, find another shop to re-repair his work?

I like my little car and this is the only spot anywhere on it that it’s rusted in any real amount. I don’t want to have to be out another $200-400 just getting it re-re-fixed! :(

VincentMalamute-Kim > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 17:12

I think you’re going to end up having to have someone else fix it again correctly.

You could just wait the months/year until it rusts again. Possibly, he did do a good job and it won’t rust? (I doubt it). But waiting shouldn’t make the problem much worse. And gives you time to save more money.

I don’t have body repair skills or experience so I pay someone else to do that . B ut e verything else I try to do myself because I’ve had too many instances of paying ‘pros’ to screw things up.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/27/2019 at 17:16

Yeah, this guy came highly recommended by everybody I’ve ever mentioned his name to....I’ll repost this tomorrow and see what other Oppos think. I think there are a few of us that know bodywork well and hopefully they’ll be able to tell me if this was the ‘right’ way to repair this...but the copious amount of body putty on the back seems sketchy to me! :(

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 17:17

I’m no bodywork person, but it looks like he did a hella shoddy job...and this comes from someone who excels at half-assing car repairs!

For the stuff in the wheel wells, I’d clean up the shoddy work, make sure there’s no rust, then coat it in POR-15.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
11/27/2019 at 17:19

It’s just this one wheel well. He supposedly cut an welded in two new pieces of metal because of the way the interior wheel well seam and the exterior body side seam meet at the lip of the wheel well.

VincentMalamute-Kim > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 17:19

copious amount of body putty on the back seems sketchy to me! :(

Seems that way to me too. A friend bought a used Grand Cherokee and a few years later found that the dog leg panel had been repaired by spray foaming the large rust hole and then sanding the spray foam smooth and just painting the foam!

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 17:29

He did all of that for surface rust? Or was that the second repair where it had gotten worse?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/27/2019 at 17:41

Wow, that’s terrible!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter
11/27/2019 at 17:45

Second repair after it had gotten worse. The first repair was in June. I thought it was worse than just surface rust. When I picked it up, he SAID ‘it was just surface rust’ and had repaired it as such. I took his word for it as he is the bodywork guy and I don’t know that much about it .

It rusted out by September pretty much exactly 2.5 months later (I noticed bubbles in the spot he repaired on Sept. 9th). I then spent all this time since then trying to get an appointment with him to fix it (assuming the fix would be free as he didn’t fix it properly the first time and said he’d ‘stand behind his work.’ It was obviously worse than ‘just surface rust’ which I had even originally had told him when I had dropped it off back in June) .

facw > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 18:14

He claims he didn’t know there was rust in behind

I feel like there is rust behind approximately 100% of the time.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > facw
11/27/2019 at 18:22

I had even told him that I was pretty sure there was.

shop-teacher > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 18:32

You got boned.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > shop-teacher
11/27/2019 at 18:38

Yeah, I am getting that feeling....should I just take it to the local collision place and get them to do it over again? :(

shop-teacher > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 18:54

Probably, yeah. If this is the kind of work this guy does, no sense throwing good money after bad :/

MM54 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 18:55

The shiny grey looks like seam sealer to me, which is a reasonable thing to have smeared over the working area, but it does also look like there are spots of bare metal showing on the edges, which isn’t right (it could be painted and/or undercoated over to improve things).

Impossible otherwise to non-destructively tell how well it was fixed, if by spring it’s rusting again I’d go somewhere else.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > MM54
11/27/2019 at 19:05

I’m at least going to take it to the guy that did mom’s undercoating and get it re-undercoated...he did a way better job than this and I at least want it on the entire inside of that wheel well...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > MM54
11/27/2019 at 19:15

He did say he cut an inner piece and outer piece of metal out and welded new in. If it’s seam sealer that’s a bit of better news, but I don’t like the fact it’s possibly bare metal...hell, it’s supposed to rain tonight, so who knows what that would be like by tomorrow morning, even :/

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > shop-teacher
11/27/2019 at 19:28

This makes me a bit heartbroken as I love my little car...but I don’t have the money to keep fixing this stupid rust spot when it keeps getting done wrong -_-

I’ll get it undercoated and I guess I’ll let it go and see if it survives the winter...

shop-teacher > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 20:07

I totally understand. I just got a thousand dollar quote to redo my truck’s rockers. I’ll probably have that done this summer. First, new front bumper.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > shop-teacher
11/27/2019 at 20:25

What annoys me is: considering the amount of salt used on the roads here in the winter and t he fact that this is the only spot of rust on the car even with it having 167,000kms....it’s really frustrating how much it’s costing to get ONE little spot fixed and how hard it is to find quality work :/

Yeah, $1000 is a lot, but needs must. Mom thinks if I get it repaired it’s sinking too much money into the car considering it’s age the kms, but the fact that it has so little rust and the fact that I quite like the little thing makes me want to get it done prope rly...

shop-teacher > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/27/2019 at 20:32

Financially it probably doesn’t make sense to fix that rust spot, but like you said, you like the car. If fixing that spot makes you enjoy it and keep it longer, that’s all that matters. In the long run, not buying a car is cheaper than buying a car.

$1000 is more than I was hoping the rockers would be, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable. The body guy said the replacement rockers are aftermarket, and the metal is a lot thinker than original. So, they should last the reasonable life of the truck.

VincentMalamute-Kim > shop-teacher
11/27/2019 at 22:11

The body guy said the replacement rockers are aftermarket, and the metal is a lot thinker than original.

I’m much more used to aftermarket body panels being a lot thinner and poorer quality than OEM panels.

shop-teacher > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/28/2019 at 00:10

Me too, but the rockets are a known problem area for GMT-800 truck s, so I guess someone finally did something about it.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/28/2019 at 10:09

That guy is taking you for a ride

Mercedes Streeter > shop-teacher
11/28/2019 at 10:41

Oof, any chance you can do the rockers DIY? Had I bothered to repair the rust on the Ranger I would have cut out the bad parts, have a friend weld in some new metal, then paint/protect it all up.

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/28/2019 at 10:45

Ugh, yeah I’d drop this guy like a bad habit. A real professional will likely cost you considerably more, but you’ll be able to trust that your lovely little car stays clean for longer.

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter
11/28/2019 at 10:57

Nope, I ain’t touching it. This is m y DD and family hauler. I need it done right, or it's not worth doing.

VincentMalamute-Kim > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/28/2019 at 11:50

You’re in a high salt use area. It’s started to rust in one spot. It’s not a high end car where they used 38 layers of paint and $10 corrosion resistant bolts and parts. I know you like the car.

But it’s going to keep on rusting. New areas will pop up.

Since it sounds like money is an issue, you might have to learn some bodywork if you want to keep this car a long time. Paying pros to do this isn’t going to be financially viable because you’ll have to pay them every year or so. Rust is going to recur in this car no matter who does the work.

Rust is usually a killer for lower end cars in salt states. Sorry to be negative and a downer and not want you want to hear. It’s been my experience having lived in Wisconsin for 30 years. A friend’s 20 year old Audi has done well. Undercarriage is amazingly rust free - very high quality bolts. But trans pan and subframes are starting to rust.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/28/2019 at 12:39

Yeah I get that. It’s a cheap economy car and it will need work over time. I understand that and accept it. My point, though, isn’t really the cost. I do have enough money to afford the repairs, though I am trying to save up for a house so don’t want to have to spend more than I should have. My issue is his repair and him having me pay him twice to repair the same thing twice when it should’ve been done right the first time.

This is the only spot on the car that has any rust...undercarriage is fine, subframes and control arms, etc are fine. Bodywork elsewhere is fine - no rust anywhere else at all and I get it undercoated yearly. This is (no coincidence) also the only place on the car that has ever had any bodywork done ever (rust repair or otherwise) all stemming from a minor accident back in 2015 when I had to get this corner of the car repaired/repainted. The repair from the accident back in 2015 lasted 4 years until this June with no issues before this small spot of rust had shown up. It is that spot I had this fellow repair in June.

My issue is with the work he ‘repaired’ rusting out in EXACTLY the same place he repaired in only 2.5 months OVER THE SUMMER (June-Sept) and the amount of time he took to get me back in to have it fixed again (3 months). There WAS no salt on the roads then because...summer...and we had a dry summer with little rain, so that was a shoddy repair that then got worse from the fact he wouldn’t make an appointment to take it back in to honor his work despite saying he would do so. It got worse in those three months. He cut out and welded in new metal where the rust was this time (he claimed he didn’t know there was rust behind it last time and treated it as surface rust which is why it rusted back out so quickly). So I’m hoping this repair lasts.

I get that the car will rust, but I know the repairs/repaint from the accident in 2015 lasted 4 years without rust showing up, so I know if it’s done right it will last a long time. This was not done right. Everywhere else on the car that is ‘factory’ and has never had any work done is still holding up perfectly fine with no signs of rust.

No offense taken from your comment :) You’re just repeating what I already know and accept.

VincentMalamute-Kim > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/28/2019 at 12:47

Cool. I really was trying to be helpful but I can see it start to be annoying if I’m repeating stuff you already know .

yeah, makes sense the rest of the car should be OK if this rust is from an accident.

It is really hard to find good service people.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/28/2019 at 13:12

Oh, you weren’t annoying at all! I just wanted to clarify :)

The rust wasn’t FROM an accident, per se, but this is the only area of the car that has ever rusted and it is also the only area that was in the accident / repaired after the accident, so it stands to reason that repair work wouldn’t be up to the same snuff the factory put out originally...hence why the accident repair lasted a long 4 years, but still started to rust before the rest of the car.

VincentMalamute-Kim > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/28/2019 at 13:27

The guy said he welded in new panels. Are you sure he actually did that? He sounds sketchy as hell from your description.

Your photo of the (what we know now to be) seam sealer doesn’t seem to show an actual seam. It looks more like the original metal/undercoat with the sealer slapped over it. I’m wondering if he just ground off the visible rust and slapped the seam sealer over it rather than cutting and welding.

Asking car guys / mechanics who they would use for rust repair on their personal cars might be helpful. Problem I have with internet reviews is that most people don’t know good vs bad work unless they’re in the business.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/28/2019 at 13:37

That’s the thing, EVERYBODY I’ve ever mentioned this guy’s name to has spoken highly of him. I got his name off an acquaintance that has a side business doing tire mounting/dismounting, swapping rims, etc for people (who I use to do my winter tires every year) .

VincentMalamute-Kim > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/28/2019 at 13:40

argh! Good luck!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/28/2019 at 13:59

Thanks! I’ll at least be getting it undercoated better on Saturday. Not sure if he cut metal out and welded in or not, but he says he did...no real non-des tructive way to find out...