Seattle Mechanics Seattle, WA

Company, consumer collide over auto repair

"My Volkswagen Jetta was in an accident, so I brought it into Autohound Collision Center of Seattle, where I've been a customer for more than six years. There was extensive damage to the front passenger side, and I needed a new bumper. Autohound performed all the repair work.

"However, I have since continued to bring the car back for numerous faults in the body work. The passenger side is uneven and sticks up from the hood, as opposed to the driver side, which is flush. There are gaps in my bumper. In addition, the bumper was damaged on the inside as if a crane was used to bend it in place. Later, I found pieces were missing from the engine frame.

"Autohound cost me more than $1,000 to have it all replaced elsewhere. They have stopped taking my calls and won't reimburse me."

DESIRED RESOLUTION: "I am seeking reimbursement of $2,072 for the faulty and missing replacement pieces that Autohound charged for, but did not replace, as well as the cost to fix the faulty passenger side."

COMPANY RESPONSE: Robert Perez, general manager, Autohound Collision Center

"There are certain guidelines an insurance adjuster must follow according to their company's policies as to what parts to use. Some companies have the option to use aftermarket parts, which have measurements that are not 100 percent accurate. Aftermarket parts are used and specified as cost effective alternatives to original manufactured parts. In the repairs done on the member's VW Jetta, several aftermarket parts were selected by his insurance company's adjuster. Repairs were done according to what that company authorized, not to Autohound's standards. The member agreed to proceed with the repair as specified by his insurer.

His is a common frustration with many collision shops during the repair process on vehicles with insurance-specified and paid claims. Autohound is not going to pay him just because another technician says things are missing, especially when someone else touched the vehicle in the area of concern."

STATUS: Stalemate

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