[RMG]

My car was spilled with concrete/ epoxy residue during a car garage repair.
Liberty Mutual initially agreed to replace the headlights and cover the repainting. After I took the car to Wagner BMW "Certified Collision Center" Liberty sent someone there to” negotiate “. Together they decided to “polish” the headlights (instead of replacing them), a procedure that is advertised by Wagner on their site. This approach was “mutually" beneficial … Liberty Mutual obviously considered that replacing the headlights would be too expensive …. Wagner on the other hand makes money if they add labor to the invoice so they liked the polishing approach. As a “thank you” for helping Liberty saving $2,500.00 ( the new headlights cost) they got a "bonus”: to paint the quarter panel, an area that was not damaged (!!) …and after I specifically asked them to not touch any other painted areas without letting me know. Below are some pictures showing how the headlights look like after polishing. Moreover, Wagner BMW "Certified Collision Center" inflicted trails and holograms onto the entire painted surface and on the plastic trim of my car inside and out. On the exterior ...using a rotary polisher or buffer and a harsh compound ... they wet sanded the car to take away the imperfections or inclusions from the painting stage. My car was never polished and had very limited number of scratches ( an intact clear coat). How bad the car looks today is only part of the story. More worrisome - the unpainted surface that was also buffered/ wet sanded - not only that is badly scratched as well but also shows big variations in paint thickness ranging from 110 microns in certain areas ( roof and C pillar ) to 156 microns on areas where the rotary machine couldn’t reach ( some areas on the trunk lid). A 30% variation in paint thickness! From what I found most car manufacturers want no more than 25 percent of the clear coat removed. This equates to about 10 to 13 microns for the entire life of the car. If true this means that the clear coat on my car has been totally compromised.
Today I am caught between Wagner and Liberty: despite the fact that Liberty logo is on BMWNA site BMW “certified” repair centers are not Liberty Mutual “certified”. So they sent me to back to Wagner….Wagner sends me to Liberty mutual.
I asked for BMW NA for help but they are useless –as always. I am ready to call or to send a letter to BMW Headquarters in Munich (I am fluent in German.)
To best way to describe BMW repair centers is by quoting another member of this community: “The only "Certified" about [Wagner BMW "Certified Collision Center" ] is that they are Certified incompetent hacks.
DO NOT GO THERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES !!”

[upstatedoc]

that's bull$hit.

[luv135i]

Was Wagner one of Liberty preferred shops? If its a shop you picked out, your typically on your own in this however you might have some recourse since your adjuster approved the polishing process instead of paying for new lights. You need to contact Liberty regarding this issue...I doubt bmw is gonna do anything for you

[335(EX)(EYE)]

arsch lochs!

[RMG]

Originally Posted by luv135i

Was Wagner one of Liberty preferred shops? If its a shop you picked out, your typically on your own in this however you might have some recourse since your adjuster approved the polishing process instead of paying for new lights. You need to contact Liberty regarding this issue...I doubt bmw is gonna do anything for you

... I choose to go to Wagner ...driving 40 miles to get there ...only because they were "BMW certified".... to find out later on they are not Liberty preferred..which is quite strange because Liberty Mutual is advertised on BMW NA site ( where "Certified Collision Centers are listed!!!!) as the preferred insurer...wanted to keep everything clean...
Of course I talked with LM and of course they don't want to pay....they told me they haven't been asked by Wagner to replace the headlights....Wagner says something different.....now I am ping pong-ed between these two. "Integrity" my @$$...

[Turb0Surge]

Man, that sucks. Write that letter, or better yet call. In my experience the only way to get things done is to go higher up the ladder.

[drevil2k2]

Ouch, I feel your pain.

The fact remains that neither the insurance company nor the repair shop returned your vehicle to its pre-incident condition.

It would appear that there was a failed attempt in the mutually agreed method of repair by both parties.

Wouldn't hurt to start a paper trail (appraisals, work orders, email, etc) and start going up the food chain on both sides.

Good luck

[cmyk]

That's terrible. I would be absolutely livid. I agree with others that I would start a paper trail and move up the chain of command with both the insurance company and the dealership/BMW. You deserve to get the car back in its pre-"accident" condition, and I wouldn't settle for anything less than completely perfect. Good luck!

ETA: I would also make sure to get estimates from another shop of your choice. If the dealership refuses to make it right (and at this point I wouldn't trust them with any further work) I would get an attorney involved and ask about suing them in small claims court for the cost of fixing their shoddy work. Hopefully it won't come to that, though, but that might be an option. Not sure how this works when there's also an insurance claim in the mix.

[wren57]

If the insurance company and dealer stonewall you, lawyer up.