EZZY

if you want. how about pink and purple ?

AMG

the real problem with the damage is that i cant drive the RX8 to the clipsal 500 this weekend. I'm now condemned to drive the Series VII RX7 instead......bugga!

lone_wolf025

Well its not so much as being skeptical as it is just something that happens. A really good shop can do a job so good that its near impossible to tell unless you're a professional. I really can't say I have experience on this topic its just something I was told from a professional car inspector. Regardless I wish him the best and hope it turns out as good as he wants.

EZZY

yeah damn shame isnt? alot of ppl would still prefer the S7 RX7 over the RX8.... (especially those ppl from ausrotary )

Detrich

lone_wolf> well, the body shop already told him that damage can't be buffed out, so re-painting is really the best option. i think we would all hope that we'll never have to re-paint. but, a good body shop can paint almost as well as the factory and make it look very nice. it's true that they might not be able to bake the car at as high a temperature and therefore the paint doesn't bond as thoroughly. (ex: 700º vs. 900º) but, that doesn't mean the paint is going to just fall off. given the damage, if it were me, i would want to have my car repainted than have it looking like that. wouldn't u say?

Revolver

Although I understand the general point you're making, if you get a job so good only a professional can pick the difference, I doubt a layman (e.g. purchaser?) will notice.

lone_wolf025

Me thinks mehaps I shoulda kept my mouth shut. My intention was just to express sympathy that its so bad it has to be resprayed and that it might possibly wind up being not as good as it was before.

My car has had some respraying done (previously owned) and I only found out when a warranty claims investigator pointed out a "spec of dust" in the paint. I never noticed it til he pointed it out so perhaps everyone can see where I'm coming from.

Regardless I hope it turns out well. Sorry for the misunderstandings.

takahashi

I will paint to pearl black just to make a point about repainting If you going to repaint the whole car, repaint to something different. Coz I know it will be different.

AMG

no problems here lone_wolf. I hear you. The quality of the respray does concern me. If it isn't factory perfect then I'll be kicking and screaming. I'm a connoiseur of cars , the RX8 is kept in a sealed garage with a cover over it, Has probably only been washed 3-4 times in it's life ( excluding the recent two washes), very lightly driven ( 8000km in 3.5 years) I believe I most certainly have a case for negligence and compensation.

My partner told one of her work colleagues about the incident, and without even mentioning bore water, he guessed it was bore water. He uses bore water in his garden and knows it is definitely contraindicated to use it on cars because of the salt content.

Anyone know a good Adelaide litigation lawyer????

EZZY

yeah, but someone do have concerns about the resale value/ease of selling the car etc.....

takahashi

I know, just because not everyone want a car in Royal Jaffa!

EZZY

yes, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

Revolver

No problem with me either.

I think the point you make is a fair one. I guess I was just observing that if the difference is hard to pick, it might not be such a big deal if it's not quite as good as the factory paint job.

I don't think there's been any misunderstanding. Just a discussion about the issue. No need for apology.

Revolver

Will you need one if your insurer accepts the claim?

AMG

stress, negligence, and how good the paint ends up.

I'm surprised at the amount of people that have recomended a current affair and today tonight. A sad reflection on society

EZZY

how about organising a protest and march down the main strip of Adel?

Revolver

Arthur, you will of course need to satisfy yourself as to your rights and obligations separately from comments on some internet forum, but FWIW, my view is as follows:

Unless there's something about the law of SA I'm unaware of, 'mere' stress and worry (i.e. something less than a medically diagnosable condition) is not actionable.

The negligence certainly is, but your insurer will pay the cost of repairs, so your only actionable damage is your excess. If your insurer refuses to recover that for you when it recovers against the negligent party, I suppose you could mount your own action but the costs of doing so (not all of which are usually recoverable) probably aren't worth it. I'd certainly send a letter of demand though, timed to immediately follow your insurer's recovery (liaise with them on that). You never know - they might just cough up to avoid another suit.

As for the standard of the paint work, the negligent party's obligation is to put you back in the position that you were in before their negligent act or omission to the extent it is reasonable to do so. In other words, no court in the world will order them to pay the cost of freighting the car back to the factory for a factory paint job. They are only obliged to pay for something that is reasonably close to that standard of finish. Of course what is 'reasonable' will differ, especially between a car enthusiast and the lawyers for the negligent party's insurer. If there is to be a fight about that, it will boil down to expert evidence and a legal assessment of what is 'reasonable' - in other words a lawyer's crap shoot.

Hope this helps you to decide what to do.

AMG

That is my concern, what type of 'reasonable' paint finish to expect and it is causing me some distress. If the car had done 40,000km, and had a mildly weathered finish with the odd stone chip, I'd be chuffed with an new paint job, but the car is ( was) in concourse condition, will it be the same when all is said and done, that is what concerns me.

takahashi

That is very true.....

I am thinking I should get a paint job at some stage....

EZZY

imo... if the respray was done by a professional/respectable panel beater, the new paint job will be far better than what it came out of the factory/assembly line.

you are talking about a "personla touch" rather than a paint job done by mechanical robots.

Revolver

If it is not, arguably you could claim the difference in value between 'concourse' and what you're left with.

However, that assumes that your evidence as to the standard of the car 'pre-inury' is accepted and can be assessed in some manner. Evidence going to quality can be very problematic.

I'd also suggest that although important to you, the difference in value in commercial terms isn't going to add up to a whole lot at this stage. Might be different if the car became a recognised collectable, etc. However, at this stage it is a not rare, relatively cheap sports coupe. So that's going to effect the valuation question.

Please understand, I am not trying to argue with you here, just giving you some things to consider before you incur legal fees.

Revolver

That makes sense to me but I understand there're others who believe the higher curing temps used in the factory improve the quality and durability of the OEM finish. I don't know why an aftermarket shop couldn't do the same though.

Detrich

well, i think that once this sort of thing happens, yah- it's totally upsetting & u get the feeling that the car will never be the same. but, if u really love the car and try to solve the problem rationally and realistically, there is always hope. try to find the best body & paint shop possible and realize that although it won't be a factory paint job, it will still be extremely good & you will be able to live with the results.

i know how badly this hurts, as i'm going through similar pains myself. for me what's been the kicker is every place i go to to get something thing fixed just adds more grief onto the pile. for example, the glass place i went to did a great job replacing my glass. BUT, then they also made a TON of dust scratches all over my trunk- which was really upsetting- esp considering all the pains i go thru preventing this from happening. honestly, i dunno what else i could've done tho- short of wrapping the car panels in bubble wrap before giving it to them to work on. <sigh> we always hope that people who work on our cars will care for them as much as we do. but, that simply just isn't the case. but, after all's said & done. i do really love my 8. so, i'm being patient and haven't given up yet and will continue seeing what patient detailing can do.

hang in there man. your car will be okay.

enforcer

Try not to be optimistic about it just yet. Here's my advice:

My guess is that this has happened before, and I would take a hard-line stance, since in my experience things can go quite sour very quickly. The B & B will be looking out for their own interests and won't do you any favours.

You can also be guaranteed they'll have solicitor on it to slow things downs. Keep a running log on everything, date, time place and keep on good terms with your insurance company. If you find someone you are comfortable with, try to deal with that one person who will have intimate knowledge of your case.

Secondly identify a good local foreign car repair company. They'll work mostly on BMWs, Audis, and Volvos, etc but you can be rest asurred they'll be competent with all Japanese cars and recommend them to your insurance company. As a rule however Insurance companies usually have recommended repairers with a lifetime warranty.

Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.

Rotor Convert

My humble bit is this.

Don't worry about what might happen with the paint job you can't really control that. You mentioned you are going to the best paint shop in town right? So they will do a good job and one of a high standard otherwise they wouldn't get the top line cars. Next glad you wrote the email and deleted it, you got all the anger out and I bet it did you a lot of good. Next, let your insurance company go after them (I did when I had a little P plater run into the back of me) I am with Shannons and the assessor that came to look at my car agreed with me regarding the damage, the replacement parts required and the great condition of a daily driver. The insurance company is your friend and they will go after the B&B as others have said, it's in their best interests.

From what I can see you have to trust that others will do the right thing by you. Take Revolvers advice about the letter, he has helped me immeasurably with his legal knowledge and the fact he's willing to share for free.

Take a deep breath and know that your car will be re-born.....re-sprayed and no-one will know unless they have the eye of a hawk.

Good luck.

I am yet to see your car, would be nice to catch up when it's all done and admire it! Mine is 1 year old and has just clocked over 26,000kms...it's a work horse and it makes a bad day great knowing that work pays for me to drive it!