This post is a month and a half after the fact, but thought I'd share my experiences. In the beginning...

I'm taking my '05 Alb. white Limited XF (with 6 speed) to the dealer for 15k service, carefully driving through the packed lot, to pick up my guaranteed loaner (one of the perks for owning the XF). The dealer is Rothrock in Allentown.

Apparently the stars, sun and moon align, or I have a momentary lapse of reason, but I SWEAR the pole jumped out in front of me.

WHAMMO! I hit one of those square light posts and V the front end right between the passenger side headlight and engine compartment, stopping me dead in my tracks and spilling parts and liquids everywhere. I figure my speed at 7 - 8 mph, so no airbags - in fact, didn't even feel it.

So, instead of going into service, it goes to the body shop. Next day they call and say it looks like a 2-3 week job. I'm on vacation the next week, so only a week or so until she's back.

After the second week, another call. Dismantled the front and found more damage. Need to order a lot of little parts that were broken.

Fast forward to 1 month after accident and I go to the dealer who is now covering the cost of a loaner since my insurance coverage for loaner ends. Dealer provides - no questions asked.

I go into the shop and there she is, splayed open like the crash investigation of the space shuttle. Broken parts on one side, new parts and painted body work on the other, taking up 2 bays in the body shop.

I meet with the manager (again) and the tech doing the repairs. They seem genuinely concerned, point out all the repairs they are doing to make it "better than new!" They did additional paint on the undamaged fender and doors to get everything to "color match" All parts are new and factory-direct (hence all the time required). No gray - or third-party stuff.

The insurance is covering everything (except deductible) and the body shop manager keeps me posted (now that I'm into the 6th week). They checked the frame, did a 4-wheel align, and will now do the service I was originally in for.

So, I should get her back this week and will let everyone know the outcome. They guarantee the body work "for life," so they claim "better" than original. I certainly hope so!

 

sorry to hear about your incident.

as for... the "better" than original claim ... never equal to (but possibly close).

 

I would cry! Mine was in the shop for little "issues" (grrrr) and I had to have a loaner (a 300... it was HUGE) nothing compares to having your own car you will be just giddy when you get it back it will be like new because you will have forgotten how nice it is. Good luck!

 

Sounds like...I repeat...Sounds like you have a great shop and mechanic though. Better than some we have heard about! Good luck!

 

i'm from around the allentown area and i've heard nothing but horror stories about there body shop and tech area...i work for a local body shop and we order a lot of parts from there...one there very slow with there work 97% of the time...they say guaranteed for life but come up with excuses if you have problems lets say with the paint chipping a year or so down the road, due to a bad prep job on there part... they'll say something like oh its the elements where you park your car, nonsense like that...and usually if something happens like they aligned like the door and it unaligned itself after a while. they'll say it was aligned when it left and might try and charge you do do the simple task of re-aligning it. just stupid **** that they never take the blame for... unfortunately the accident happened there and not somewhere else where you could have taken it to a different service shop...i hope everything works out for you tho...keep us updated!!

 

Trust me, that is one of my constant worries. Since the shop is "insurance approved" by my insurance company I hope to also have some recourse there, if anything happens. I did make regular visits to see the progress, but not being an expert, have to make a leap of faith (that could be off a cliff).

Hopefully, they'll have done a good job. If not, and too much hassle to resolve, I'll need to accept that it is just a car (and I don't mean this in a negative way) and trade for something better - maybe a roadster or SRT.

I figure the best shop can still do a lousy job and fair shop a great job. But when I bought the car I did search for reviews and ratings, and generally they faired OK. I also spoke to people who bought there and my own experience in the year I've had the car has generally been good.

For some personal comparisons:
I previously had a VW Passat and after I bought it the dealership no longer knew me.
My wife bought a new Subaru Forester and after 1 week a tire went bad and they refused to replace it (obvious defect, not damage).
We've had Volvos and they treated us like royalty - never a question on service issues, but you paid for it - to replace a broken headlight was $500.

So, cars can't live with 'em, can't drive without 'em...