[mark 55]

my tundra was backed into in a parking lot. they(Toyota body shop) are replacing the rear bumper and "pulling out" the passenger side rear quarter panel. cost was about $1300. They called today and said truck was done(voice mail) and called back 2 hours later and said that their inspector had looked at the quarter panel and was not happy with the paint job. they are keeping it over the weekend to get it right. they are even paying my rental for the additional time. i spoke with the inspector before thay even started work on the truck. she knows i work for a major automobile manufacturer, and inspect cars right before shipping. those cars have not had body work done so i need to know what i'm looking for, or not looking for when i pick up my baby. tia

oh yes, one more question...how long before I can was and wax the newly painted quater panel?

 

[george60]

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Before you take it off the lot make sure they hooked all the lights back up.

If you have the tow package find a way to test the trailer lights soon.

Check that the paint job has no dirt or dust in it. Mine did and I took the truck back. The clear coat was thick enough to power buff them out.

Check that the gap between the bumper and the body panel is the same on both sides.

Check to see that they haven't swapped your original spare tire for a crappy old tire and wheel like they did on my Tundra repair.

(Taking my truck back to the dealer to get it done right) Good luck.

George60

 

[Tundraman55]

Look at the repaired area from both sides, top, bottom, up close and far back. Look at the adjoining panels for any missmatch in colors. Make sure they removed all attaching parts prior to painting and replaced parts that were secured with tape backing with new parts. Look at the backside of repaired panels if possible to check for correct painting or coating. There should be no tape marks or ridges in the paint. If everything was done correctly, there should be no sign of repairs.

 

[Big_Al1]

I was always told wait 90 days before waxing or using chemicals.

 

[Brandon1]

You need to ask what brand paint he is using and what does that manufacturer recomend for waxing. You can always polish/wash the paint, but you usually cant wax for at bare minimum, 2months.

Keep some #5/#7/ Deep Crystal #2 on there for now. It will offer a little protection and still allow the paint to breathe.

 

[shall36]

I look at the margins to make sure any alignment issues were done correctly and I look really, really closely for issues with body filler application and clear coat blending. The big thing I see with body filler is that the tech will not properly finish the filler and you can see a "ring around the filler". Depending on the size of the repair, the edges of the ring my be quite large around. I also look for waves in the repair, indicating the tech did not block sand properly. Pinholes may also show up, which is the kiss of death. It may indicate improper filler application, improper paint or clear mixing, or solvent pop. The color match can be tough. A good repair will blend color into adjacent panels. What you do is lay full color on the repaired area and then lay several coats of incrementally reduced color further out from the repair. This is the only way to really blend color on modern 2k paint jobs. In the old days, you actually used an agent in the paint to help the new and old layers burn in together and blend properly. Modern paints wont do that. The bad new is that this gives the tech more chances to mess up by getting trash in the color or clear coats or laying down an orange peel layer (which can and should be wet sanded out). What you really want is a consistent color and surface texture across all panels.

When youre looking at the truck, make sure to have it in sunlight. A little bit of water on the repaired area will also help you find waves. Chances are the repair will be no where near perfect, but it will be good enough that 90% of people out there will never know its been repaired.

Oh, and also, my biggest peeve: overspray on the underside of the truck. Yuk!

 

[dsrtrcr01]

I believe it is 60 days on the wash and wax. I have not worked at the body shop for about 1.5 years now so I am struggling to remember. BUT they will tell you when you pick it up.

IF you inspect new vehicles for delivery then you know what to look for. If you can tell a repair was done then it is not good enough PERIOD. The repair should be perfect (Except for prior damage which is not part of this accident). If the car was not perfect it did not leave our lot. Stand back in the sun and make sure you can not see 2 different colors on the paint from multiple angles. Check the lights. Make sure the vehicle is sitting level and that the bed is level to the cab from behind. You do not want the one side higher. Open close the gate and make sure it lines up well with the repaired side. meaning that the gap is even top to bottom and that the gap is about the same as the other side. Make sure when the gate is closed it is level with the bedside (not sticking out further or closing to far). Looks for dirt, hair, crap in the clear coat (those can be buffed out). Make sure the gap between the cab and the bed is even and matches the other side.

 

[mark 55]

well just picked her up. let me first say that the quality lady at the dealership bodyshop was exceptional. when they called last friday and said it would be done that afternoon, i was happy. when they called back 2 hours later and said it wasn't, i was still happy. she had looked over the work and it didn't meet her quality. alot of shops would have left that to me to determine. bravo to her for her dedication to the customer! today when i picked up the truck, she told me she had found "pinholes" in the paint job. What exactly causes these?
anyways upon my inital inspection, everything looked fine. paint matched perfectly, gaps matched, no waves or rings. tailgate operates fine, there is a small difference in the gaps of the taillights, but nothing most would notice. aamf, the repaired taillight looks to fit better. lights work fine but not sure of hitch connection. its hooked up but i don't have anyways to check it. found no overspray. but alas, it must go back in a month. i did find 2 things that were unacceptable to me. first is the textured coat along the bottom, they forgot to put it on! she said it was there the first time but when they repainted they forgot to replace it. second was the plastic bumper cover(black top). it as scratched in several places. when i showed her she called the parts department right then so he could see it. needless to say they are replacing that when they do the texture.
overall, i am impressed with their customer service end! excellent. i'm also happy with the work they did correctly. i'll post back in about 5 weeks when they finish. oh ya she is trying to get me a 07 tundra for the next repairs!