I called the service manager at the suspension shop this morning and explained the scenario. He more or less said he was pretty certain his tech did not cause the damage and implied he didn't believe me. I asked if he would like to see the pictures I took that clearly show the imprint of the lift pad in the top of the dent. I even offered to drive the 45 minutes over to their shop rather than emailing or snail mailing them. His response was that the pictures really didn't matter much to him, as "every shop in town" uses the same type of lift. I know for a fact this is not true. There's a lift manufacturer locally that businesses generally work with when purchasing a light to medium duty lift. This shop's lift was not an ALM brand lift.

Not once did I bring up the subject of compensation for the damage...he didn't let me get that far. Our conversation ended abruptly, as he supposedly heard his cell phone ringing. Nothing was accomplished.

I would have liked to said something to him about the amount of business that could be sent to a quality suspension/exhaust shop, especially from the VW crowd, but I didn't get the opportunity.

Oh well, I guess I'll just chalk this one up to a lesson well learned.

__________________
Lance Allison
Lance@LanceAllison.com

Current:
11 MB S550 4Matic, 55k miles, Designo Black/Black
14 Ford F150 XLT Lariat Crew, 73k miles, 5.0
Coyote V8 4x4. Black/tan.
09 GMC Envoy Denali, 5.3 V8, 4x4 SWB. 38k miles,
Jewel Red/Med Gray.

Gone:
87 MB 300SDL, 320k miles, Astral Silver/Blue.
98 VW Jetta TDI, 488k miles, Classic Green/Gray.
85 Olds 98 Brougham FWD, 4.3 DIESEL V6, 80k
miles, 3x Gray.

MBCA Member, Chicago Region

It's these things that I worry about when taking my car to the shop. So many things can happen that the shop can easily deny. In this day no one wants to be held responsible for anything, makes me think twice about buying a really nice car.

__________________
1992 Mercedes-Benz 400E
2002 Mercedes-Benz ML500

The thing that would bother me the most about this incident is the lack of responsibility of the shop. Making up false excuses and not recognizing your concerns or even willing to hear you out would make me want to go after them.

They damaged your car. They are being sneaky. If it were me, I would not let it go out of principle.

__________________
Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

Lance, don't let the muffler/brake shop off the hook that easily. At a minimum report the incident to the Better Business Bureau. The local TV stations in Philadelphia have reporters who thrive on stories where consumers have gotten ripped off. Check if your local TV stations have any reporters devoted to consumer protection. I'm sure the muffler/brake shop would dread the poor publicity and associated loss of business. You might check with the local Law School to see if any young lawyers want to take on your case 'pro bono' ... no charge to you. Press on. It's the principle more than the money involved.

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Fred Hoelzle

Yeah, they suck and it's a major PITA that they don't take responsibility. Definitely file a report with the Better Bus Bureau to forewarn others. Whether you pursue him in Small Claims depends on how much time and agravation you want to go though. You'll probably find it best to move on...

__________________
85 300CD Signal Red/Tan sold
83 300D Manganese Brown 109K
97 E420 Midnight Blue 197K sold
98 BMW 328i Vert White 100K, sold
95 BMW 525i White 125K, sold
93 BMW 525iT Red 193K, sold
95 E320 Green Wagon 125K, sold
94 E320 White 127K, sold
85 300SD 156K Grey (Annie), sold
84 300D Lapis Blue 170K (Judy), sold
99 ML 320 Black (lease), 1998 C230 White (lease)
00 Honda S2000 Red (lease)
86 Mercedes 300E (sold)
84 Porsche 911 Red (sold), 1965 Porsche 911 White (sold)

The Better Business Bureau is a joke. Been there; done that.

__________________
Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"