Well, my truck took a beating in the hail storms here over the last few months. I waited for the storm season to end, and decided to file an insurance claim to get them fixed. I filed the claim and set an appointment with the PDR shop that I have used multiple times for multiple vehicles. It is a privately owned shop with an 'A+' BBB rating. No complaint has been filed on this business. I have never had an issue until now. The owner is a great guy and does the work himself. He has been in the PDR business for almost 20 years and has even worked for vehicle manufacturers to remove dents from brand new cars before they ship to a dealer. Overall, the man is a professional that knows his trade.

Now, I dropped the truck off on my appointment date (11 JUL). A Monday. He said it would take a couple of days or more depending on how long the insurance took to provide a supplement (the adjuster always underestimates the damage). The adjuster was about $650 short, so he had to wait for the insurance to come out and approve the additional payment. It was finally ready on 19 JUL. He worked on it late and I was able to pick it up at 7PM (the shop closes at 6). This last Tuesday. The body panels (hood, fenders, and roof) looked great as usual, and he even took out a couple of dents on the sides unrelated to the hail damage, all while waiving my deductible.

I got in the truck to drive home and noticed a large, deep crease in the headliner about 7 inches long directly in the center forward of the dome light. I called him the next day and he said that he could fix it and to bring it back. I took it back the next day (20 JUL). He got it at 11AM and had it all day. He called me at 6:30PM and said that he couldn't fix it as the backing board had cracked due to existing water damage. Now, when I bought my truck it had a plugged hole in the center of the roof. He said that most likely whatever was up there leaked over time onto the headliner as he said that the stain on the underside of the headliner was large and rusty with some old remnants of mold. This caused the headliner to crack in that damaged spot when otherwise headliners are able to be folded in half, which is what must be done in many cars to remove them, with no damage. He said he has never had a headliner crack like that with the exception of old Jaguars. He took photos, but I haven't been to the shop yet to see them. He said that there was nothing he could do and that I could pick the truck up that day. I opted to wait until the next day to pick up the truck.

Today, I obtained some quick legal advise and called him back up. I told him that I was advised to complain to the BBB, something I didn't want to do to his reputation, his excellent rating, and that he is a great, competent guy; and/or alert my insurance company. He remained calm and told me that he didn't really want any complaints brought forth to the BBB, and as far as the insurance, he said the damage is not due to negligence, that it was a pre-existing condition. I told him that I wanted the situation rectified, so he said that he would get a price on a new headliner from Ford, if they were still available, and we would split the cost of the headliner and he would install it for free. I said that I would accept that offer. We hung up so he could contact Ford for a price. He called me back a short time later and said that Ford told him that the headliner was no longer available. He then contacted someone he knew who referred him to a shop nearby that repairs headliners, and is going to take the truck over there tomorrow to have it repaired, as he said, it will look brand new, and he will pay the $95 or so it will cost for the repair.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will look as it did when I originally dropped the truck off. By the way, the hole on the roof is sealed with a glob of rubber cement-like stuff. I would like to get one of those rubber plugs that the police use when they strip a car to sell. I can't find them anywhere. Anyone know where I can get one?

 

I have used these plugs on 3/4 inch antenna holes.

Larsen HP34 [HP34] - $4.95 : The Antenna Farm :: , Your Two Way Radio Source!

 

Thanks, redford. It looks like those just press in. Anything else need to go around them or do they seal just fine as-is?

 

Hope everything turns out well! The BBB is kind of a crock. Usually only service business in an industry that are plagued with scams join. I opted not to join the BBB when I found out how it really works. All of the BBB sales people are just that SALES. They are commission based. Also, a year of BBB costs around $500, depending on your sales agent. All you get for $500 is a business that gives people a place to go complain about you. I would rather my customers complain to ME.

Only once in my 3 years in business (which granted isnt very long) have I ever had a complaint, which we went and corrected the same day. The BBB is by no means a guarantee to a consumer and now days when I see BBB A+ it means nothing to me. However, if you see anything BUT A+ then I would stay away. Its not easy to get below A+ and even a B+ means there have been substantial issues.

I'm not saying that the guy at your shop is shady. There are plenty of reputable business using BBB. I am simply saying that BBB is not what most people think it is and means very little to me if a business doesn't have BBB.

 

If this was a pre-existing condition he should have stated that when he took the headliner down and let you know he's not gonna be liable for any issues after the dent repair. That was a big mistake on his part. Now that being said, you're lucky to get half of the $$$ for the repair. You should be able to tell from the damage on the headliner that this issue was there long before this guy was in there.

 

True. I haven't seen the photos yet, so I don't know of the severity of the damage. There were no visible issues apparant from my side of the headliner. Here is my reasoning: let's say that you had a dent on your fender that you were to get repaired. lets also say that in order to get to the underside of the fender, one would have to bend the plastic wheel well liner back. Well, if the car was a few years old, the fender liner would probably crack instead of bend like it was originally designed. In this case the liner would have to be replaced, as the shop couldn't give the car back to you in a different condition than you dropped it off.

 

I completely understand your reasoning. Like I said, his mistake was not notifying you(the customer) prior to completing the repair. As a buisness owner myself, you better make sure the customer knows upfront about any issues that may occur and anything else they may have to pay for. Somethings you just can't predict. This is NOT one of those times. This is all part of buisness though.

 

As a small business owner, I can relate. I've learned to warn my customers of potential problems before hand. I do residential remodeling so it's a person's home and not car, but pretty similar.

The BBB is halarious. Frankly, I dont know a person who uses them as a reference anymore. I've been in business for 10 years and growing every year. I see your reasoning, however if it's noticeable that the damage is old, the right thing to do is pay the man additional money than his invoice and your agreement regarding the headliner. IMO.

I hope everything works out for you and this situation.

 

This is why smart businessmen have contracts with 2-3 pages of small print
I understand it is upsetting, but preexisting condition is preexisting condition. My friend bought a health insurance for her dog. A year later the dog need a hip surgery, so she paid the $3000 bill assuming the insurance will cover it. They deny the claim as it was preexisting condition. Life sucks, I know but sounds like the shop owner is working on your behalf. Good luck.

 

Insurance companies should never be used for an example good moral standing.

 

Sounds like this guy is a pretty good. How is he supposed to know your roof liner is shot? He might help you out now but I bet next time you need something fixed he will be to busy. That is not his fault and you know it. Pay the man and I bet next time he goes the extra mile for you.

 

Have to agree. If this guy is as good and honest as you described then odd are your liner was shot from the get-go and not his fault it failed. At most he is guilty of failing to call you and asking you if you wanted to pay for a new one, or reinstall what was there. Failing to do that would at most place him on the hook for the labor of R&Ring your old head liner.

As it is you've probably taken a good, honest, high quality shop who has by your own admission gone above and beyond for you on more than one occasion, to the point of foregoing money that was rightfully due him, and turned him into a vendor that will give you what he has to and no more.

For $95 I'd call that a bad bad trade. Shops as good as you described are far and VERY few between.

 

If you had a sub standard repair and knew abought it for some time as you had been thinking of putting a plug in the hole, then you can't hold him responsible for subsequent damages related to your negligence! That's not right, my .02.

 

I agree with the last 3 post. H*ll!! How much can a headliner cost to fix. Just my .02

 

Yup, sorry we don't have time for your troubles any more. Take your vehicle somewhere else.