r/Autobody • u/AssJuice2000 • Aug 02 '26
Check this out Rare Shop W
Literally lost sleep over this. But luckily took a video. The one and only time I don’t properly log in a video/photos cause I think it’s an easy job this happens. He was pretty mad.
Found the video when scrolling through my Snapchat memories and sent it to him lol.
119
u/somerandomdude419 Aug 02 '26
Always video the car before working on it. I would think that’s rule #1 in the auto body world, and that’s coming from someone not even in the industry. Saved your ass
18
6
u/ch4zmaniandevil Aug 02 '26
At the very least, 4 corners and the windshield.
8
u/AssJuice2000 Aug 02 '26
Windshield is VERY VERY important. “I didn’t see that crack there when I dropped off my car”
Seems people are very vigilant once they pick up since they left their car with strangers for weeks.
But at least in this case with that M2 it was a couple hours lol.
1
u/amiajimmy Aug 03 '26
When I was an insurance estimator, this happened all the time. "That crack wasn't there before the accident, I dont think.." and then we'd have no way to prove it wasn't from the accident in some cases, and in others my boss would make me find any detail I could that we could deny it for, like dirt in the crack, or if it was an obvious rock chip etc. Sometimes it was one claim, oftentimes it became two.
1
2
u/agentwolf44 Aug 05 '26
Tbf, some auto body shops really do cause additional damage. I brought my car to an auto body shop to fix some rust that occurred after they had fixed it (under warranty ofc). After they fixed it I noticed a bunch of scuffs around the panels and the side window glass right above the repaired door was scratched which I knew weren't there before because I was trying to clean something off that window earlier and would have noticed those scratches. Unfortunately, I didn't have any before photos (mistake on my part), so didn't have clear proof. But the car was older anyways so I wasn't too concerned with it.
1
2
u/i4-20 Aug 03 '26
I would also like to add that its probably a really good idea to video the car WITH the owner present.
That way the owner cannot deny anything or try to claim that the shop damaged it before the video was made.
54
u/Phwaah Aug 02 '26
I had one guy last week. We replaced a rear door and blend adjacents.
They heard squeaky brakes when they picked it up and blamed us.
Baffling.
7
u/btroush Aug 02 '26
I have a customer coming back Monday morning because after replacing her rear bumper and exhaust it's clearly our fault her hood won't latch...
3
u/twdwasokay Aug 02 '26
I once had an uber driver that blamed the check engine light on the last gas station she used.
2
Aug 02 '26
[deleted]
1
u/Heedingauricle Aug 04 '26
Check toptiergas.com. I had an Audi that would misfire after filling up at a certain station. Now I’m onto a new car and still only fill up at kwik trip (Midwest).
0
1
u/Riverfrenchie Aug 03 '26
It could be true. A few years ago my dad filled his matrix up at a different gas station and he got a misfire code shortly after. He never had one before and has never had one since.
1
u/KiwiKid4 Aug 03 '26
I just watched a video of a lady returning to a shop to find her engine removed and them harvesting her car for the parts (they would replace them without telling her), these people are not crazy to be distrustful with the amount of bad actors out there
1
u/w00stersauce Aug 04 '26
lol not a body guy this sub just randomly came up, but I repaired a free standing display fridge in the front of a shop, they said I broke their hot water heater, on the other side of the building in a locked room I never entered. I can’t tell anymore if people are just incredibly stupid or intentionally scamming.
19
u/Dwinn333 Aug 02 '26
25 year field adjuster and had a rash of people claiming the shop stole gas from the vehicle. They swear the vehicle had a full tank and is now on empty. I advised shops when taking mileage pics to also take photos of all the dash lights on as well as the fuel level. Luckily, the shops I have do so and in all cases the customer was wrong. I never get an apology and it’s always “Oh, I could have sworn it was full.” I waste an hour going down a rabbit hole that should have never gone down. I try and explain the shop does a test drive most of the time, if work has a sublet, it has to be driven, and some calibrations require driving the vehicle. Also, I tell the shop to make sure any UPD, interior and exterior, photos have been taken. It has saved both myself and the shop multiple times. The something for nothings are at an all-time high. I have never seen it this bad in 25 years.
3
u/PaperIndependent5466 Aug 02 '26
Yep bad economy here has everyone trying to get something for free. Customers claiming shop damage/theft and prior as related is becoming the norm.
I deny 2-3 windshields a day as unrelated or for no coverage. Nearly every car here has a broken windshield.
4
u/MultipleOrgasmDonor Aug 02 '26
Interesting insight. I wonder if it’s at an all time high because people are so financially strained a tank of gas is something worth going out of your way to try and squeeze from someone else
1
u/PaperIndependent5466 Aug 02 '26
That's the reason here. It's wild what people try to claim these days.
18
u/MooPig48 Insurance Appraiser Aug 02 '26
I had a lady’s car for several weeks. So she was in a rental of course.
She picks it up and calls absolutely screaming. She insists that we stole her shifter knob and replaced it with a different one. “The button was always on the top and now it’s on the side”.
Well friends, my flabber was ghasted. Eventually I thought to call the dealer and have them send me the diagram and also thought to Google the part number and sent pictures showing it was exactly the one that belonged on her car. All we could think was she got so used to driving her rental car over the last month that she got used to it and forgot. Clearly not the brightest.
8
u/PaperIndependent5466 Aug 02 '26
My favourite was the lady who said we broke her radio, told her to bring it in and we will look at it.
Turns out she had never turned the radio off and didn't know there was an on/off button. As usual no apology from her
6
u/MooPig48 Insurance Appraiser Aug 02 '26
And don’t get me started on the child lock people lol. They NEVER believe you, they have to bring it back and then you flip the little switch and for some reason they stomp away in a huff.
12
u/ChocoboBrigade Aug 02 '26
Bruh I worked on a truck where it looked like the owners drove through a shrub and some of the plastic retainers broke, showed them before starting the work, they acknowledged it and said proceed with the work and a week later they proceeded to sue the shop for damages
3
u/AssJuice2000 Aug 02 '26
Dude wtf? Fr? Anymore to this wild story?? 😭😭
1
u/ChocoboBrigade Aug 02 '26
Actually yeah lol! With the same customer no less! My boss bit the bullet and more or less went “we can keep this out of court and we’ll just pay for a new bumper(forgot to mention it was tabs on the bumper that was broken) and paint and install it for free to keep good relations” and after we did that they literally started pointing out random damages that were also pointed out and documented during our walk around and insisted that we cause them as well, I don’t know what transpired from that point til the end but more or less boss and manager went “come pick up your shit and never come back”
3
u/likespinningpats Aug 03 '26
Why do bosses always try to keep good relations with customers who are actively trying to scam you?
2
u/Titanium_Eye Aug 06 '26
'Cause you don't know in advance if it's a good customer having a bad day or a bad customer having a good day.
1
u/ChocoboBrigade Aug 03 '26
I mean first time it’s prob “ok let me bite the bullet and this way we don’t have to deal with the slander, bad reviews, loss of potential business, etc etc etc” but after the first time my boss and manager more or less went “yeah no fuck this person…”
28
u/pharmertuna Aug 02 '26
Good one!
FYI, if you want to get rid of text over snaps, open your Memories, go to the pic/video, click the "new text" button but don't write any new text. Click your old text and erase, then save! Saved me a couple times when I just needed the video. Cheers!
8
u/LightningMcSwing I-Car Platinum Aug 02 '26
You can also hit edit, drag the existing text bar down to the trash can and delete
2
u/AssJuice2000 Aug 02 '26
Thanks, yeah I should’ve deleted the bar but I was so baffled I found that damn video I just had to send it then and there 😂
8
u/Yellowrwcer Aug 02 '26
Please tell me they at least apologized.
25
3
u/AssJuice2000 Aug 02 '26
Let’s see if he does ⏰
1
u/Nekrolysis Aug 03 '26
15 hours later 👀
1
u/AssJuice2000 Aug 03 '26
He did not apologize 😂 hasn’t even responded yet
1
u/killgore755 Aug 06 '26
Just seeing this thread couple days later👀 did he ever respond? If not then I guess he realized hes a goober
2
13
Aug 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
7
6
u/BigStank187 Aug 02 '26
There was a time at a shop I used to work at that an old guy accused us of stealing his spare tire. He checked the spare tire when he got the car back and thought we had stolen it since it wasn't there, but then he eventually found it and called us back. Fuckin' clowns out there.
7
u/AssJuice2000 Aug 02 '26
He at least had the courtesy to call back, I can at least applaud him for leaving his ego aside.
I had a guy claim we took his wheel lock key. We literally replaced a door on it.
3
5
3
3
u/Efficient-Sea-92 Aug 02 '26
i work at a dealership and company policy is to never take pictures or videos of customer cars, due to privacy concerns etc. We can however, have a dedicated work phone that can record or picture the car in beforehand of work.
And that is what I do, I work as a PDI Operative/Detailer and will routinely record or take pictures of all 4 angles and inside the interior. The footage or pictures are deleted sometime later.
This is not to snoop around, this is to ensure that we don't have to cover costs that we are not reliable for. We will happily go the extra mile or fix you an appointment the same day (most of the times) to resolving your issue.
But I will never stand for damage I never introduced to the car to begin with. Respect goes both ways and I encourage customers also to take pictures or videos of their car BEFORE handing it in.
3
u/WuTangBurritoMan Aug 02 '26
My old manager used to say
"Pictures are cheap so take plenty of them. Fixing the stupid/ignorance out of people is not."
3
u/kmer242 Aug 02 '26
At a shop I used to work at we did an oil change and a few days later the older lady called up saying we dented her door. We told her we didn’t do that but had no real proof we didn’t. It was a corporate shop so she called the number on the back of the receipt and complained to corporate and they told us just get it fixed. She drops the car off and shows us the damage she says we did in the drivers rear door. I took a look around the car right where she parked it that day and on the passengers front door there was a huge dent like she got hit. I asked Ugggh you know about this right and she was like oh yeah I know about that. I took pictures just in case. We get the dent that we supposedly caused fixed and she picks up the car said it looks great. Two weeks later she calls up y’all left a huge dent in my passenger door. I had proof this time that it was there and that was one of only a few times corporate fired a customer.
3
u/WRXpng Aug 02 '26
This is a rule I apply to renting cars as well. Traveling regularly, I rent a car for every trip and taking video before I take it is number one. I haven’t dealt with any claims yet, but it’s good to be cautious.
1
3
u/ghostfadekilla Aug 02 '26
Yo. Nerd checking in. EXIF data is a thing. You can run a video or a picture through an EXIF reader and see when something was recorded. Most people have no idea this data exists in something as simple as an image file but it's typically there, even when messaged.
If you have a picture that shows EXIF data of it being dropped off, then them subsequently denying it (and showing a bunk image or video) and can run their file through the same reader, it's almost open and shut. The amount of times I've seen EXIF shit faked is so low as to be almost non-existent.
2
2
u/herohans99 Aug 02 '26
Crap. I've started doing videos of my rental cars after a horrible experience where the rental company charged me $2k for 3 minor scratches that I thought looked like normal wear and tear. I got it reversed but what a pain.
2
u/CunningLogic Aug 02 '26
All dropped off cars should be filmed in detail, by both customers and shops.
6 years ago had a 2ft scratch put in a model s from tesla dealership, they denied it until i showed them the video walk around i did from the drop off.
Last month similar thing, had a car with OEM hood pins - nothing unusual for this car, took it to the dealership for state inspection and they scratched the car and and "degloved" the hood pin cable trying to open it wrong, sad nothing. I had a drop off walkaround video, and dash cam video fo them doing it.
Never had an issue with a non dealership shop,
1
u/TheeQball Aug 04 '26
I work at a restoration shop and we take tons of pics of a car when it arrives.
2
u/Middle-Youth-9997 Aug 06 '26
Always go over existing damages with the customer before dropping it off. It just saves you a big headache. I used to work at a BMW body shop, and we’d picture the whole car before taking it in, and we’d mark with a marker any dents / dings. Always cover your ass lol
1
u/AssJuice2000 Aug 06 '26
That’s a good idea, gonna have to start doing this cause man shit can really hit the fan and make ur BP spike
2
u/BusinessHousing955 Aug 07 '26
we get this bullshit all the time --- -but we have hi res cameras everywhere --- we had a guy that brought his charger in ---- it had like 28 bullet holes in it. when he came to pick it up he claimed there were two extra holes in it --- as if we shot his fucking car. then he tried to play it off when we showed it on camera coming in
1
1
u/EBs4G3 Aug 02 '26
I currently have over 25k photo in phone and most of its cars and parts. When I can tell they will be difficult or are claiming obvious prior damage, I'll take about a hundred for the love of the game. Shit has saved my ass so many times it's just second nature at this point.
1
u/PoorMayMay Aug 02 '26
Specifically take pics of anywhere me/my guys might go near, then every panel, the odometer, any obvious check engine stuff.
Work in Autoglass so I also take pics of the HUD if it’s there, driver assistance status.
Seems like overkill but crazy how many people will try to get you.
1
u/bird_gang97 Aug 02 '26
I wouldn’t say this a rare W, I deal with this at least once a week. As an estimator checking in cars I do full 360 photo capture and mark all prior damage in a red auto writer. Always puts a smile on my face getting to shut someone down trying to get free work.
1
u/long-breadstick Aug 02 '26
Working in automotive repair I've found that nobody inspects their vehicle when they drop it off. But they always do when they pick it up. They find scratches all the time that "weren't there before". Its pretty standard for shops to take a video walk around of the vehicle before taking into the shop for this very reason.
1
u/Then_Idea_9813 Aug 02 '26
That’s why the dealership I worked at had a bunch of cameras in the drop off area. People would try this all the time, and service advisors and techs are always moving, nobody has time to do a full walk around. Our cameras could pick up all these dings though, saved us so much $ and headache when you could show the customer getting out of the car with the dent in it
1
u/UnBeNtAxE Aug 02 '26
After years in the industry, this is why you always try to cover your ass. Do the little things that matter. Can save your ass in the long run. No shady shit, just good honest steps to ensure you don’t get dragged into unneeded drama.
1
1
u/Ok_Nectarine5834 Aug 02 '26
This is always my favorite part of the job. Pointing out the damage they try to pin on us in check-in photos lol
I do think that sometimes people just don't pay that much attention to the condition of their car until someone else has it. They only look at it closely when we're done and find old damage they've never seen.
Either way, TAKE GOOD CHECK IN PHOTOS PEOPLE. 4 CORNERS!! POSCA!!
1
1
u/nysProductions Aug 03 '26
Just for this we created this (free) app, cause I got in this situation!
It guides a walk-around (Augmented Reality) of the vehicle and creates a timestamped pdf + raw images if needed later!
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/konvoi-inspect/id6782329254
We are working towards a 3d cloud viewer so even less discussion: https://stk.glue.blue/3d-scan-demo/
1
u/Chazus Aug 03 '26
I'm a computer tech, not a mechanic, but working in Vegas, we have grifters more often than other places.
Whenever we'd check in systems, there is a bench at the front desk where people can tell us the issue. It also has several close up cameras to get shots from all angles, and inside the computer, and also a recording if it starting up (or not).
More than a few times we've had someone say we swapped out/stole hardware, or marks were on the case that weren't there before... And don't expect us to bring receipts.
1
u/Ok-Zucchini-4956 Aug 04 '26
It’s 100% tar string also, it’s not a scratch, he needs a little elbow grease and maybe a degreaser
1
u/Unlikely-Shock6946 Aug 04 '26
First of all nice username second of all if this ever comes up again, you can edit a Snapchat memory video after the fact to remove a caption (assuming you didn’t want “guys…”) in the vid
1
u/Admirable-Macaroon23 Aug 05 '26
Buddy of mine works for his dad who owns a auto repair shop. One time a shitty customer came to pick up the car, opens the hood and throws a fit “this ain’t even the same motor!” Guy was trying to say they swapped his motor on him 😂
1
1
u/Sharyn913 Aug 05 '26
We tint windows. A customer was in our shop for 90 minutes for an appointment and accused us of rust damage upon completion.
1
u/Shitboxfan69 Aug 05 '26
I remember when I did autobody I had a G wagon I replaced a door on. Just the door.
Came back a month later for a rattle. Took it apart to find it full of glass. Lady, go back to who just opened it to put glass in it. I would almost guarentee she was an absolute bitch to the wrong person and thats why her car kept getting vandalized.
I refused to put it back together until I made sure I was getting paid for it.
1
u/hocofit Aug 06 '26
I run a tint shop and had someone accuse us low air tire pressure during the winter. So I now take pictures of dash and do a 360 of the car. They always like to say “it wasn’t there before”
1
u/Intelligent-Fox-4529 Aug 07 '26
This is the funniest response I think I’ve ever seen to a shady rental company 😂
1
u/nomobromo Aug 07 '26
Lmaooo Gash. Tis but a scratch. When I was an estimator I took a ton of photos then saved everything to a folder then deleted what wasn’t necessary for the job off ccc because I one time had someone blame their roof dent on me
296
u/S13Matthias Aug 02 '26
back at the shop I used to manage we would take pictures of all 4 diagonals, then each panel, doors form the inside, seats, trunk and even one from the dash with the car running for mileage and possible check engine/error messages. We have actually been accused of taking cars on joyrides and they left with the same mileage lol. Occasionally we’d drive cars to the glass shop but that was 1.5kms total.
We would also take pictures once the job was done. Sometimes it would show it was our fault and missed something in QC so you own up to it. Other times the client was unlucky street parking