Frame Repair Epoxy Overspray

So I decided to have a Safe T Cap certified installer fix my frame rather than sell the truck as is (it's only got 130,000 miles on it and runs great). I got it back the other and it feels rock solid, so that's good. I thought it looked a little dirty when I got it back but I'm sure it needed a wash when I had brought it in. I noticed today that the dirt is actually overspray from the epoxy they put on the frame to seal it. I tried using a bit of compound on one spot to see if I could get it off and it took an hour to get a small section of my hood somewhat cleaner. On top of this, they also failed to seal in where the lift feet were on the frame. I paid full retail for this and it wasn't inexpensive, should I have expected better? Any recommendations for what to do now would be appreciated!

 

Welcome to the forum!!

Did you not inspect the work before you left the shop??

If they are decent they should address your concerns.

What if anything does the work order or any paper worked you signed state ? About any warranty once you have left the property?

Best of Luck!

 

Did they clean or treat the frame before applying the coating?

 

Get a clay bar kit from auto parts store to clean the rest of your truck.

 

That's nuts, I'd be ticked. They probably don't have anything safe to remove the hood over spray so probably good you did it yourself but those two things combined demand a discount. I'm sure they'll just want you to bring it back to fill in the missing frame areas though, unless you can counter with what your wasted time scrubbing is worth

 

Fawk that! Take it back to those lazy bastards.

 

That’s a poor job, no two ways around it. Take it back and don’t take any crap from them. I doubt you’ll have to.

 

They should have wire wheeled the rust away 1.)before they welded and 2.)before they put undercoating over it.

Do you have any more pictures of the frame/SafeTCap?

 

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I need to email them pics of the untreated areas tonight. I'll mention the epoxy overspray as well but I'm not sure how to estimate what it's going to take to fix it. I'll call up a car wash/detailer to see if they can give me an estimate to restore the exterior. What I'm worried about from all your messages is if this really was a rush job and they didn't do any real prep like sanding everything down. I see a bit of pitting under some treated areas and I'm worried that's evidence they didn't actually sand anything down. My line item charge for sanding "everything" was $1,050. If they didn't do that, the whole epoxy job is basically worthless and I'll have to dispute the claim through my credit card company. Attached is the invoice if you want to see what a $3500 frame repair looks like (a couple other things were addressed to bring the total over $4k).

 

I'd remove the personal info on your invoice before your share it with everyone.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

I'll take some tomorrow and post.

 

Fuck, 1200 for cutting out and welding in some new pre-cut plates?

 

Had the same exact thought, holy crap. I did the prep & SafeTCap install on mine in the dark having never done any significant frame repair before & it honestly looks better. Would be /pissed/ if I paid $2250 for somebody to 'cut out rotted area to weld' and 'sand down everything and epoxy coat'.

 

I'd be reluctant to send it back for the overspray, or even have someone else do it. Most likely they will go at it with abrasives and a buffer and there goes your clear coat, it will look fine for a few months then the clear coat gone blotches will appear. . . .

If you've previously waxed it (or even if not) carefully scrape at it with a plastic knife or edge to get any of the larger the epoxy lumps off. Go over it with acetone (lightly, don't rub hard and don't let it soak) and some of the smaller lumps should come off. Now carefully buff it either by hand or with a buffer but go lightly or the same thing will happen. I've worked a lot with epoxy and once it's cured it can be tricky to get it off, patience and care.

 

Oh boy, it gets worse. I just noticed that the truck bed is now tilting away from the cab. I'm guessing that when they jacked it up and cut the frame to weld the cap in, they didn't support the rear end. This is a nightmare. This shop is listed as an installer on SafeTCaps website but this work seems completely amateur or incredibly rushed and thoughtless. I don't have much faith in them correcting these issues since they all have to do with their quality of work. It's not accidental.

 

damn, i don't even know if you can fix that. i'd file an insurance claim with the shop's insurance. that's awful. i wonder if the frame is even aligned properly.

 

Did you not ask around about this shop before committing to have them do the work.

just what qualifies a shop to be listed as a safety cap installer did you not look into that?

 

You are absolutely right.

 

go back and tell them the frame isn't straight. they will either have to fix it properly or buy you a new truck.