How long should body repairs / filler last?

[68 obe]

I had a door repaired around April this year, it needed a bit of filler work then a spray over.
The door had 2 cracks in the body filler so the bodyshop said they would need to dig out the old filler with a grinder then redo the filler work.
I agreed to the work needed and collected the door a few weeks later.
Fast forward to the end of August and the door has 3 cracks in the filler. I rebuilt the door when I got it back but the vehicle hasn't been on the road, it hasn't even turned a wheel.
I thought that it shouldve lasted longer so took it back to the bodyshop. They said they can do it again and needed to dig out the filler (the quote, and I paid for this to be done the first time)
I left the door with them thinking they would redo it free of charge or only charge me for materials as no mention of any costs and it was to fix their mistakes.
I've got a message saying the door is now ready to collect and they are charging me again, £100 more then I paid the first time.
How long should a repair last?
Is it my fault the filler cracked?
Is it right i should pay again, and more than the first time as I believe its there fault the filler has cracked as they didn't take the filler right back the first time.
Any advice on this matter is much appreciated
Thanks

 

[67panel]

Depends what the metal is like underneath, where is the repair as a flexing panel will cause filler to crack.

 

[Clem]

I guess some of this depends on the original arrangements.
If the bodyshop sold you what they thought would be a permanent and suitable repair, then I don't think it sounds acceptable on any level.
If they had suggested a new panel or a welded repair and you requested a cheaper solution by having it filled and they did a 'we will try our best but no guarantees' type job, then perhaps not*

I would be asking what they have done differently this time, and if it was required, why they didn't do it originally?

* if they did this, they should have more respect for their reputation.

 

[davidoft]

Put up some pictures of the repair before it was filled and after

 

[68 obe]

Put up some pictures of the repair before it was filled and after

I don't have any pictures of the door before it was filled.
I only have 1 photo of 1 of the cracks, think there was about 3 maybe 4 cracks in total but they were difficult to photo.


That crack was about 4-5 inches long

 

[68 obe]

I didnt tell the bodyshop to do it cheap, I told them to do what ever needed to be done.
I also told them I wanted it to be as good as possible.
The door had filler in it before and it never cracked in the 10years I've owned it.

 

[mike202]

That’s terrible service if you ask me. If they did a crap job first time what guarantee have you got second time around?

 

[Clem]

I can’t see how a door could crack like that. To need to fill it so deeply you’d have thought they would have reskinned it, or suggested a replacement.
It’s hard to do battle when they have your door, but, I’d try.

 

[ozziedog]

Whatever the original issue was I’m not sure but I’d like to think this would have been sorted amicably and for free. I’d also be a little concerned about their abilities if this has happened. I would like to ask them if their work has any guarantees and I doubt this, I’d also like to ask them what had caused the filler crack in the first place, and in the second place and could they have any reassurances that it won’t happen again. I personally don’t think that the door was stripped back properly in the first place in order for any filler to be keyed to the metal and they’ve fixed the crack by roughing it up a little and filling straight over so the new filler is mostly keyed to the old and cracked filler. If it was stripped right back, the reason for the crack would have been uncovered and could have been sorted there and then. Filler is great if used in small doses and shouldn’t be used for filling large voids like concrete on a driveway. Depends on where you want to go with this, I’m too peaceful a person to get in to protracted arguments as this will inevitably be. I would however voice my discontent and ask if they really want to charge me again for redoing what you think is poor workmanship in the first place. Id possibly at this stage not use that phrase as you’re still trying to negotiate. I’d also ask if it’s likely to happen again. If they do charge again then I’d pay up and leave and just have to put it down to experience . Don’t let your pleasure be diminished by this experience, life is too short to get angry and bitter about someone trying to short change you big style. Once it’s back on the bus, I’d start keeping an eye open for local recommendations for bodywork for in the future because these busses aren’t getting any younger.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,, The car trade is sometimes fraught with chancers

P.S. If you find a decent garage to work on your van, that would be a top place to ask about a good local body shop.

 

[pierrox]

Are they used to dealing with old cars? A good body repair would involve as little filler as possible, only to smooth out the last imperfections. But it takes time, and craftsmanship. So unfortunately, they often "hide the misery" behind a thick layer of filler, so much faster. And of course when this happens the summer of the heatwave as it's not fully dry, it cracks without even moving.

 

[blackcountrybob]

Whatever the original issue was I’m not sure but I’d like to think this would have been sorted amicably and for free. I’d also be a little concerned about their abilities if this has happened. I would like to ask them if their work has any guarantees and I doubt this, I’d also like to ask them what had caused the filler crack in the first place, and in the second place and could they have any reassurances that it won’t happen again. I personally don’t think that the door was stripped back properly in the first place in order for any filler to be keyed to the metal and they’ve fixed the crack by roughing it up a little and filling straight over so the new filler is mostly keyed to the old and cracked filler. If it was stripped right back, the reason for the crack would have been uncovered and could have been sorted there and then. Filler is great if used in small doses and shouldn’t be used for filling large voids like concrete on a driveway. Depends on where you want to go with this, I’m too peaceful a person to get in to protracted arguments as this will inevitably be. I would however voice my discontent and ask if they really want to charge me again for redoing what you think is poor workmanship in the first place. Id possibly at this stage not use that phrase as you’re still trying to negotiate. I’d also ask if it’s likely to happen again. If they do charge again then I’d pay up and leave and just have to put it down to experience . Don’t let your pleasure be diminished by this experience, life is too short to get angry and bitter about someone trying to short change you big style. Once it’s back on the bus, I’d start keeping an eye open for local recommendations for bodywork for in the future because these busses aren’t getting any younger.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,, The car trade is sometimes fraught with chancers

P.S. If you find a decent garage to work on your van, that would be a top place to ask about a good local body shop.

If you are forced to pay for the further repairs see if you can pay by credit card and maybe make the point that you are " paying under protest" , a legal term that makes it easier to take legal action at a later date if necessary. Then make a claim for the cost of repairs from your credit card company quoting Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act saying that "you hold them jointly and severally liable for the defective goods and services" provided by the repairer. I would extend this claim to include the cost of the original work too.Google may be your friend if you need more chapter and verse of how to make this claim. Good luck!