Blown 346 Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 My parents 05 Cadillac SRX was rear ended last month. The body shop has given my parents nothing but grief from the get go. So I stepped in to help them out and to make sure they dont get screwed on the repairs. The very back end of the factory exhaust had to be replaced as it was bent. I was told the caddy came with factory stainless steel exhaust. I went to pick the SUV up today and looked underneath. To me the exhaust they replaced looks like its aluminized and not stainless steel. I have been told to check with a magnet, if I get a slight pull its stainless steel, If I get a strong pull its aluminized. The body shop didnt replace that much of the exhaust, and wants to charge almost $700 for what they replaced. Its not OEM, but a walker brand. The shop already did a horrible job on the body work and there is tons of dirt in the paint, and over spray on the passenger fender. So the caddy stayed there to get re sanded and sprayed. How else can I tell by looking?? Heres what they replaced.... Im going to complain about the exhaust clamp as it should be welded in my opinion. Heres the factory setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chawkins6789 Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Im 95% sure those pipes are aluminized, and factory I believe were mandrel bent. Those obviously arent mandrel bent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOWN SS/T Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Ya those look like aluminum to me, and bends are shit. Walker makes a lot of bends and reducer pieces, if they weren't gonna replace the whole exhaust they should of at least used mandrel bends to weld in. Idk what state your in, and not sure if it varies per state but here in Cali I know if you don't like the work it has to be done till your satisfied and you have the choice of using your shop of choice. If your parents aren't gonna extremely picky and the paint is fixed I guess it's not big of a deal, unless you have rust worries. But I'd personally be pissed off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown 346 Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Here in Illinois we do have the law where the work will continue to be done until we are happy. My parents dont know anything about cars which is why they asked me to look at it before they picked it up. Ill be talking to the adjuster in the morning about the exhaust, since its supposed to be equal to GM. Looks like the insurance is going to pay for a brand new GM stainless catback after i talk to them. Im beyond pissed off. I was lied to 3 times today by the manager trying to cover his tracks telling me its normal for dirt to be in the paint. I agree there might be a spot or two here and there, but not all over every panel that was re painted. Not to mention the orange peel and it not matching the original paint from the factory. I told the shop manager there is so much orange peel I feel like Im in the produce section of a grocery store. He had nothing to say at that point. Thanks for the advice. I knew it didnt look normal, its the same crap that the parts stores sell for a few bucks. I looked up the part number and that small section I can get for $82.99 each. they are trying to charge $688 for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOWN SS/T Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Ya those walker parts you can pick up at an o'rileys parts store. I ordered a reducer from them for my setup. I mean the part works by I don't have any crimped bends like that. The exhaust will work the way they set it up in the SUV, but if your insurance is paying them for work your not getting the heck with that. What mufflers did they end up putting on thier? Doesn't look like it has the heat shields, because the last picture is of what a stock SRX would look like right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Looks like someone took it to Midas for a cheap, quick fix to me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1BAD2K Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) Those are aluminized and ill tell you why. Those crush bends dont come out that way on stainless. They come out much deeper but smoother, and damage the pipe pretty bad, almost unusable. Ask me how I know....lol Edited March 19, 2014 by 1BAD2K (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown 346 Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Ya those walker parts you can pick up at an o'rileys parts store. I ordered a reducer from them for my setup. I mean the part works by I don't have any crimped bends like that. The exhaust will work the way they set it up in the SUV, but if your insurance is paying them for work your not getting the heck with that. What mufflers did they end up putting on thier? Doesn't look like it has the heat shields, because the last picture is of what a stock SRX would look like right. The mufflers are stamped with the name Quiet flow. Yes the last picture is how the factory exhaust is setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rays B4U Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 Looks like a hack job to me! I'd contact your insurance adjuster and tell them. It could be the body shop is getting paid for a GM OEM factory exhaust system but are hacking a system together to make more profit at your expense. Hopefully the adjuster isn't in cahoots with the body shop. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown 346 Posted March 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 The adjuster is in cahoots with the shop and are trying to illegally steer my parents my parents into only using the insurance companies preferred shops. I already called the Illinois insurance commission. next step is to call the states attorney and file charges on the body shop for insurance fraud. I have proof of different part numbers, pictures and a document from GM management stating the vehicle had stainless exhaust and that what is on there is anything far from OEM standards. It helps that the dealer also serviced this vehicle in the past month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coal miner Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 A magnet won't stick to 304 stainless. It will stick to the cheaper stainless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilkeSS Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 Looks like galvanized steel to me. They're really trying to bend you over backwards on that. I'd be freaking on them if I seen that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown 346 Posted March 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) Turns out after I called the Illinois insurance commission yesterday and told them all the crap of what is going on. The owner of the body shop (Gerber) finally confessed to using parts that were not even close to GM quality, overcharging for parts that were supposed to be GM, and pocketing the difference. He confessed to the insurance company after I told them Im calling the states attorney Lisa Madigan and filing charges for Fraud. As of now I have filed a charges against the body shop for damages, Fraud and theft. Looks like he wont be doing business anymore and will be spending some time behind bars. The insurance company is also filing those same charges separately on there own behalf. I guess the body shop has done this many times before, Since I was the only one to notice and really go over the repairs those other people had no idea they got less than what they were supposed to. He is under investigation going back the last 3 years that this insurance company has used them as a preferred shop. It will be interesting to see how many other people he has screwed, and how much money he has pocketed from the insurance company within the last 3 years. LMAO.... Edited March 20, 2014 by Blown 346 (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballincustoms Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 That's why I don't trust shops anymore and prefer to do it on my own, but glad you got it on time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coal miner Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Should have got the insurance company to cut you a check and fixed it your self. I will never trust anyone to work on my stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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