Cloudy smart repair - acceptable?
Discussion
So I finally relented and chose the cheaper option for sorting a scrape on the Z4s front bumper.
I'm happy with the colour match and the way the repair is blended in but I have to say I'm not 100% with the actual finish, kind of cloudy orange peel is how it's ended up. I did suspect it's my OCD kicking in but as it's clearly visible from 6 feet away to even my wife so maybe not.
Having never used a SMART technician before I'm not quite sure if this is to be expected or whether or not I should give the guy a call back to ask him to have another go.
Informed comment on the images below would be much appreciated.
[crosses fingers for anatol to turn up/]
I'm happy with the colour match and the way the repair is blended in but I have to say I'm not 100% with the actual finish, kind of cloudy orange peel is how it's ended up. I did suspect it's my OCD kicking in but as it's clearly visible from 6 feet away to even my wife so maybe not.
Having never used a SMART technician before I'm not quite sure if this is to be expected or whether or not I should give the guy a call back to ask him to have another go.
Informed comment on the images below would be much appreciated.
[crosses fingers for anatol to turn up/]
Edited by Babu 01 on Wednesday 28th July 11:23
If its wrong its wrong. A quality repair - whoever does it - should be VERY hard to spot, if visible at all - not visible to the untrained eye from a distance.
Although if you look hard & close enough at ANY repair or even full respray you can usually find tell tales
esp if you knew exactly where the repaired area is.
Although if you look hard & close enough at ANY repair or even full respray you can usually find tell tales
esp if you knew exactly where the repaired area is.Edited by paintman on Wednesday 28th July 13:52
Thought as much. I know a repair will always be visible when looking for it but this one is visible even when you're not.
I've spoken to the guy and to his credit he's coming by this afternoon to take a look.
It stands out a lot as the rest of the car is immaculate so hopefully he'll be able to sort it to blend better.
I've spoken to the guy and to his credit he's coming by this afternoon to take a look.
It stands out a lot as the rest of the car is immaculate so hopefully he'll be able to sort it to blend better.
Babu 01 said:
Thought as much. but this one is visible even when you're not.
I've spoken to the guy and to his credit he's coming by this afternoon to take a look.
It stands out a lot as the rest of the car is immaculate so hopefully he'll be able to sort it to blend better.
Hi i do car body repairs and smart repairs for a living,looking at the picture i would say he's not wet&dry flattened after lacquering then polished it back up this gives you a smooth finish. when you said "I know a repair will always be visible when looking for it" with a good smart repair you should not be able to see a thing I've spoken to the guy and to his credit he's coming by this afternoon to take a look.
It stands out a lot as the rest of the car is immaculate so hopefully he'll be able to sort it to blend better.
Well he did come back this afternoon and very courteously agreed with me that it needed sorting.
Twenty minutes of activity later the finish was as smooth and shiny as the rest of the car and the repair invisible to me so that's a result.
I was expecting a bit of to-ing and fro-ing over reasonable expectations followed by a half arsed go at covering it up but was pleasantly surprised instead. A call will be made to the franchise office tommorow to tell them exactly that.
Twenty minutes of activity later the finish was as smooth and shiny as the rest of the car and the repair invisible to me so that's a result.
I was expecting a bit of to-ing and fro-ing over reasonable expectations followed by a half arsed go at covering it up but was pleasantly surprised instead. A call will be made to the franchise office tommorow to tell them exactly that.
In his defense, perhaps the clouding started after he left. You can get a phenomenon caused by moisture in the lacquer which might have caused it.
The important thing is that he honoured his guarantee and came back. All of us in the SMART trade who have any kind of self respect would have come back without arguement and fixed the problem even if it required a full rework. We have our reputations to protect as well as the reputation of the industry.
SMART is not the poor relative - we use exactly the same repair techniques as a full body shop - we just confine repairs to as small an area as possible! That's the skill.
Cheers
David
www.cardoc-cornwall.co.uk
The important thing is that he honoured his guarantee and came back. All of us in the SMART trade who have any kind of self respect would have come back without arguement and fixed the problem even if it required a full rework. We have our reputations to protect as well as the reputation of the industry.
SMART is not the poor relative - we use exactly the same repair techniques as a full body shop - we just confine repairs to as small an area as possible! That's the skill.
Cheers
David
www.cardoc-cornwall.co.uk
Edited by Vette on Friday 30th July 12:18
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