tekfx19 Posted August 26, 2004 Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 Hey guys, i managed to find someone in miami to fix my car, i feel bad about not giving it to a "certified caddy guy" but money is tight. Everyone was quoting me 5000 - 6000 to fix it and they told me it was practically totalled. I found this guy to do it for 1700 bucks. Im gonna post pics as soon as can but in the mean time i need to get some issues straightened out first. 1) my traction control light is on and when i press the button it doesnt do anything, iv noticed that the car takes off slower than usuall so im assuming the traction is off and 1st gear isnt engaging, its going straight to second gear. 2) i havent driven the car for so long im not sure if the anit lock brake light is supposed to stay on, but well.... it is. So i hope that doesnt mean both my traction AND anti locks are not working. Im kinda pissed on the paint job they did, they painted the bottom black strip on my rear bumper to the color of the car, which makes it looked worked on to me, my exaust tips are still bent but i had them kinda straightened for 30 bucks from local mufflex. im think im gonna do the camaro exaust tips thing, that looked really cool to me. they also painted over the little metal looking strip across the top of the left side kick panels, so i guess i need to find those somewhere, all in all i got my 1700 bucks worth cuz the car is no longer smashed up, but it just isnt the same to me. I have some codes on the pcm i need to figure out so ill be searching the previous posts.... the pics will be coming soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navion Posted August 26, 2004 Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 The first thing that I would do would be to check the brake fluid level. If it is low, (or maby unhooked) the traction disabled message will be displayed. The anti-lock light will stay illuminated when the fluid level is low also. Good luck with the rest of the issues. As you said, "Money is tight". Just work out the kinks over time. Britt Britt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted August 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 heres one of the bumper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted August 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 ok what the crud..... i seem to have forgotten how to attach a file, i remember there being a button and it saying if it was over the maximum 64k but it just says browse and doesnt have an "attach file" anywhere..... .......and i looked up top and its saying it cant load a jpg file, thats how i put the pics up last time was this feature disabled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted August 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 i went and registered with a photo host to solve the prob, heres the pics... and just to refresh your memories.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted August 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 this was the first one that didnt show up... im really not happy with the glossy factor in the paint, it matches but i want extra shiny to take the eyes off the shoddy work.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted August 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 OH YES ONE MORE THING, i can tell that they didnt put the sound proof plastic on the doors they replaced, because i can hear road noise, but its only from that side and with the radio off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 "I'm really not happy with the glossy factor in the paint, it matches but I want extra shiny to take the eyes off the shoddy work" Did they clear coat it? If not get a buffer and some polishing compound and buff the hell out of it. You can make that puppy look like it was dipped in glass. Just be very carefull on the high points (ridges) or you'll burn the paint off. You can do it by hand but lots of work. I guess you can polish up clear coat too but I'm not sure. If they cleared over "orange peel" there may not be anything you can do. For $1700 they may not have cleared it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJPut Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 Chances are they cleared it, I don't think anyone uses single stage paint anymore. The best way to tell, besides calling the shop, is to take a fine grit piece of sand paper and lightly rub it on a spot that is not too visible. If the residue is white, it is cleared, if it is tan it is single stage. A good wet sand and buff will bring out the shine. I am assuming you had it aligned, if not a good alignment shop will be able to check how well the straightned out the unibody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekfx19 Posted August 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 there is a bit of "orange peel" on it, what does that mean? someone told me rubbing compound should do the trick i hope so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 For only $1700 they sure did a lot of work. Sure it may not be what you had in mind but I think they gave you more then you paid for. "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 there is a bit of "orange peel" on it, what does that mean? someone told me rubbing compound should do the trick i hope so... "orange peel" is the surface finish before being buffed or after a quick once over. The paint surface somewhat resembles the surface of an orange rather than glass. Rubbing compound is way to agressive for that. It will scratch the surface and remove paint. You want to use white polishing compound. It is a much finer grade of rubbing compound and you can work it down to a glass finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franey Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 If you use the white polishing compound , make sure it is in a well lighted area , not direct sunshine , just light, since the primer is gray and your car is kind of a dark shade, you could polish right through the top coat if you are not paying attention to what you are doing,. clean rag and keep it WET, AT ALLL TIMES , use sparingly to start until you get to know what you are doing, you can always buff more , but you cannot put paint back on that you just buffed off. I would say for the price you paid , that it probably is not clear coated, paint is bad expensive now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franey Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 By the way , since it has been off the road awhile , I would suggest a GOOD cleaning of the battery cables. YOU WOULD be surprised what gremlins corroded cables can cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caddydaddy46 Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 For $1700.00 you got a bargain. It may not be perfect but you did have a lot more than $1700.00 worth of damage. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. I think the job looks pretty good for the price and the damage shown in the before pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.