[Kochilin]

What was I thinking? Taking my GTO to the dealer to let them to
the body work? I thought that they would know how to put the car back
together. So it's been almost 3 weeks and as I am driving by, I see my
car sitting out front. Hood is on, everything is painted. So I flip a
U-Turn and head in. The guy is surprised to see me but tells me the
car is ready and wants me to sign off on it. RED FLAG! Sign before an
inspection?!? The bumper sticks out on both sides. I can put my hand
under the hood when it is closed (RK Sport. Who claim that if it is the hood thats bad, they'll replace it within 30 days). There is a 1/8 chunk missing from
the hood. The bumper was obviously pryed back into place and they
chipped the paint. They claim that the bumper is fiberglass and they
can't bend it correctly. I am worried that the unibody is screwed
because they possibly lifted it wrong. Thoughts? Who should I be
complaining to? Phone numbers and email address's are welcome. THANK YOU RYDELL PONTIAC IN VAN NUYS, CA! :shutme

 

[b_a_betterperson]

Not sure what's going on with your hood, but the front and rear bumpers on the GTO are extremely difficult to attach with a proper fit.

The real problem areas are the vertical seams below the headlights and tailights. The front and rear bumpers are so darn big that there's a fair amount of slop in the sizing.

What the dealer should have done is test fit the pieces before painting -- and do all the adjustments right then and there. That way, final assembly would have been a snap.

All hope is not lost. However, professional intervention is required. You should demand that the car be sent to a body shop of your choosing. A professional body shop can do a couple of different things to adjust your bumper:

1. They can work on the alignment holes so when the mounting studs are tightened everything will come together correctly.

2. They can adjust the metal mounting brackets inside the bumper skin to achieve the same result.

I had my rear bumper replaced due to factory, transit or dealer damage. The friggin' body shop they sent me to had good color match and spray guys -- but the assembly guys were little more than monkeys. Sounds like you ran into the same thing. In my case, I just took the damn bumper off the back of the car and rebuilt it myself -- and it turned out fine.

Wish you the best of luck.

 

[Braman'sGTO]

Dont take posession of the car untill it is to your liking, they cant make you take the car. If the dealership wont fix the problem or sub out the work to a better body shop you can go straight to GM and they will make it right. I had some paint issues with a pickup and the dealership F Uped the paint 5 times in 6 months, couldnt keep the paint and clear coat from pealing off. After the 5 time I got pissed off enough to call GM and told them my problem, they sent someone out to inspect the crappy work the dealership had done. The GM rep allowed me to take it anywhere I wanted to do the work to get it fixed.

 

[NoBMWforME]

I too have been less than impressed in my dealings with the dealer in question. I ended up purchasing my GTO from Martin in West LA/Santa Monica. Olympic and Bundy if I remember correctly. You may wish to call them. From my experience, they are a first class operation with a sizable service operation. Their number is 800-843-9511. I don't know if this is particularly helpful, but I trust them. Good Luck.