We have a 2005 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 40' DP. The whole coach, but especially the exterior metal and paint, are in really beautiful condition. We get comments on it rather regularly. The almost-all gold colored paint doesn't seem faded, I treat it with a UV protectant, and it looks great.
- History: the wife was driving about three years ago and as we entered a park she got too close to a gate post and gouged one compartment door on the driver's side. We took it to a shop in Indiana, paid about $1,000, and the fix is perfect. You couldn't then, nor can you now, tell which door had been damaged.
- Current: I was driving a few months ago, just about to pass through a highway toll booth, and was carefully navigating through the concrete barriers which "guide" cars up to the booth. I thought I was doing a good job until I got to my park and saw that I had brushed up against the barrier on the passenger side. There was a scuff and light scratch about 10 feet long along about four of the compartment doors. I could feel the scratch by rubbing my hand across it, but it was nowhere near a "gouge". Just a moderate scratch, though it would require some filling and sanding.
Ok, we left Asheville, NC and headed west toward Knoxville. I googled and found an RV Collision Center near Knoxville. I visited it and found that it was a full-blown professional (appearing) service center. Large, probably 10 full-size RV bays, and their own paint "barn", for lack of a better word, large, temperature and contaminate controlled, with heat lights to help the drying process. And they said that they did regular jobs for my insurance company, so, feeling somewhat confident in their abilities, I gave them the job.
Skipping lots of detail here, but they had the coach for 3+ business days. When I went back to pick the coach up, I could see from thirty feet away that it was a horrible job. The new paint was too dark, I could clearly see the delineation between the new paint and the old, and the clear coat was badly applied; not smooth, but with a somewhat rough finish.
I told the guy who did it that it was clearly an unacceptable job and he didn't argue. Just complained that he'd "only" had it for three days, and that the lights in the paint barn made it look great in there, but that it didn't look as good in the sun. Interesting that he didn't call me earlier and say "Dave, the paint job didn't come out right. We're going to do it again, but I'll need more time". I'd have been fine with that. Instead, he says nothing, hoping that I'm either sight-impaired, or will just let it go.
I talked to the manager, said that it was unacceptable, and he willingly agreed to have it redone. I told him about the damage repair on the other side (see "History", above), and that that was my standard: after they're finished, I shouldn't be able to tell which doors had been damaged and repaired. I said that at least twice, so we were clear about my expectations.
As of the end of the day, as I write this, the coach is still in the paint barn, drying, I guess. The guy who did (and redid) it, and the manager, told me "It looks pretty darned good!" but they won't let me see it until tomorrow morning. Interesting that they were able to *redo* it in one day, but the first time they were pressed to do it in three.
The shop estimated almost $6k to do this job. The insurance company wrote me a check for the whole amount, which is on its way to me. I was planning on paying the shop via my credit card, and getting a few flight miles.
If it turns out that this guy was able to do a beautiful job the second time, then I make the payment, and I'm on my way. But I do not expect that. I just can't imagine a guy turning out a job like he did the first time, and then turn around and do it flawlessly the second time. Maybe he will. I'll be impressed.
So, my dilemma: what to do if the job isn't what it should be? I see two possibilities:
1. The job is just barely acceptable. Not as good as it should be, but not as glaringly bad as it was the first time. Maybe at first glance it looks okay, but if you look closely you'll see that it's been repainted.
2. The job is bad. You can see it from 20 feet away.
In the case of #1, do I pay full price? Offer half price and keep the balance as a consolation prize? I plan on selling the coach in 1-2 years and I had looked forward to seeing prospective buyers commenting on how great the body looks, and now I may not get that experience, instead having to assure them that it wasn't a bad accident, just an inadequate paint job.
In the case of #2 I clearly don't want to pay anything. But how to handle that? Just drive away? Or, put it on my credit card, pull out of the driveway and call the credit card company and cancel payment?
I'm thinking I'll need to call a local attorney in the morning after I see the coach, to see where I stand legally, and how best to proceed. I think #2 will actually be easier, if it's just obvious it's a bad job. If it's a judgement call, and I honestly think it's an inferior job but not everyone else might, that'll be harder to deal with.
Anyway, I thought I'd run it by here and see if anyone has had a similar experience, and how you handled it.
Thanks-
Dave
PS....is my expectation that I shouldn't be able to tell which doors were damaged reasonable? When you take your car in for a repair and paint job isn't that what you expect? I've talked to one fellow who thinks that may not be reasonable. Opinions?
