Last Wednesday was the worst day I've had in 10 years

Guy brought in a 2018 F-150 that he 'just needed the bumper replaced' on. Three hours later I found frame damage hidden behind the bumper that doubled the quote. Has anyone else had a customer completely miss obvious damage like that?

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2 Comments

derekgibson2mo ago

Frame always moves before the bumper cover does. I learned that the hard way after a few "just a bumper" jobs turned into sitting there with the customer staring at a crumpled rail. Now I do a quick visual check with a flashlight before quoting anything. If you see any ripple in the frame horn or the bumper brackets are twisted, you already know the impact structure took a hit. Saves everyone the awkward "well actually" conversation later.

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christophermorgan2mo ago

Wait, did the guy actually get mad at you when you showed him the frame damage? I'm curious how he reacted once he saw what was really going on under there. Seems like a lot of people just see a dent and assume it's a simple fix, but they don't get how cars are built these days, you know? Idk, maybe it's just the area I work in, but I've had guys argue with me for ten minutes about why a bumper replacement turned into a bigger job.

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