Dealer damaged my skid plates

[82SC]

Man. If it were me I bet I’d be mad and emotions would magnify that.

But objectively I would prob say not worth the stress to fight them about it.

I’ve put my OEM cover plates on and off at least 20 times and those coarse bolts are not precision machine screws and easy to kinda get them started wrong…and if you using a powerful impact gun it’s easy to jam it in cross threaded.

If I were you I’d clearly express my disappointment. Leverage it into a fat discount from the parts department. Use it to buy a bunch of new parts or consumables.

Or if you still trust them get a few free oil changes (but I prefer to get parts at a discount and do them myself)

Fighting them will stress you out and raise your blood pressure. And at best a set of new skid plates without some gouges in it that you’ll never look at.

Your skid plates are just as functional as they were the day they rolled out of BB shop….

 

[hoser]

Man. If it were me I bet I’d be mad and emotions would magnify that.
...

Your skid plates are just as functional as they were the day they rolled out of BB shop….

If functionality was the same as new, why would you be mad? Why else would someone buy skids plates other than functionality?

 

[82SC]

If functionality was the same as new, why would you be mad? Why else would someone buy skids plates other than functionality?

Mad cuz they scratched the plates.
But cuz they still function I wouldn’t go all out to get them replaced. Plus cosmetics on skid plates not as important to me as if they scratched my fender.

I’d leverage my displeasure into. Saving money. That would make me feel like things were even.

 

[snowtaco]

Man. If it were me I bet I’d be mad and emotions would magnify that.

But objectively I would prob say not worth the stress to fight them about it.

I’ve put my OEM cover plates on and off at least 20 times and those coarse bolts are not precision machine screws and easy to kinda get them started wrong…and if you using a powerful impact gun it’s easy to jam it in cross threaded.

If I were you I’d clearly express my disappointment. Leverage it into a fat discount from the parts department. Use it to buy a bunch of new parts or consumables.

Or if you still trust them get a few free oil changes (but I prefer to get parts at a discount and do them myself)

Fighting them will stress you out and raise your blood pressure. And at best a set of new skid plates without some gouges in it that you’ll never look at.

Your skid plates are just as functional as they were the day they rolled out of BB shop….

These are the bolts in question - this is taken from the BB install video on YouTube. As I've said, given who installed the plates, I highly doubt it was cross threaded.

If functionality was the same as new, why would you be mad? Why else would someone buy skids plates other than functionality?

There is more material removed than mere scratches, but will it change how the plates perform? I don't know, and that's the problem.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Regardless of what a skid plate may or may not be meant for, they caused damage to your vehicle, and I would expect nothing less than a full replacement of the damaged part.

If they could not get the bolts out without damaging your vehicle, they should have called you and explained the options, not gone ahead and damaged it without your approval.

That skid plate, like everything else in/on your vehicle, is your property and should have been returned in the exact same condition it went in.

Absolutely unacceptable.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

If functionality was the same as new, why would you be mad? Why else would someone buy skids plates other than functionality?

Would you be okay if someone left similar grinding marks on your driver's side door? After all, the functionality wouldn't be affected.

They damaged the vehicle. Full stop. What the damaged part may or may not be used for is irrelevant.

 

[04UZJ100]

Your skid plates were scratched?

Lol

 

[hoser]

Would you be okay if someone left similar grinding marks on your driver's side door? After all, the functionality wouldn't be affected.

It's a skid plate and it's sacrificial. A door is not.

Difficult to tell the extent of the "damage" from the pics. It looks like a gash. A high grit flap disc could easily level it out. But the OP said it is worse than it looks in the pictures...

 

[CharlieS]

And even if it was an issue, it is easily repaired: lay a tig bead with some filler rod and use a flappy disk and file to clean it up.

 

[linuxgod]

And even if it was an issue, it is easily repaired: lay a tig bead with some filler rod and use a flappy disk and file to clean it up.

This. I was reading the replies and about to note the same thing.

 

[snowtaco]

It's a skid plate and it's sacrificial. A door is not.

Difficult to tell the extent of the "damage" from the pics. It looks like a gash. A high grit flap disc could easily level it out. But the OP said it is worse than it looks in the pictures...

the plates are 4.7mm thick, at the deepest the material lost is around the thickness of a penny, which is 1.5mm. Call the depth 1.25 mm; that’s about a loss of 20%-30% of the thickness of the plate at the attachment point. Smoothing it out would mean expanding the area of thinner depth.

Attached image I tried to get a pic of the depth. Blue circles are the contact area left for the current washer. I think the carriage bolt might have more when I install it but that remains to be seen.

FWIW, If this wasn’t where the bolts attached this post wouldn’t exist.

And even if it was an issue, it is easily repaired: lay a tig bead with some filler rod and use a flappy disk and file to clean it up.

Best guess on cost to pay somebody to do this? It’s stainless, not sure that matters. I’m not a welder so I have no idea.

 

[hoser]

@snowtaco Even with the reduced thickness, I don't think the skid plate would ever pull through.

Here is the issue (as @CharlieS also pointed out), the installation/design calls for carriage bolts. Why, because they have a smooth head and is less likely to shear off. However, carriage bolts are designed for a square hole. The plate itself has an elongated hole for fitment tolerances. There's not a lot of surface area on two sides of a carriage bolt.

The fastening nut on top, even just slightly seized, will make it easy to round out that carriage bolt. If you want to avoid the issue in the future, try using a regular bolts but with head protectors. It will stick a bit more but that's the trade off.

 

[gasman4u]

$13/ea

How many of these would you need for a full set of skids? I'm thinking around 8-10? I can't remember off hand how many bolts are exposed.

 

[linuxgod]

the plates are 4.7mm thick, at the deepest the material lost is around the thickness of a penny, which is 1.5mm. Call the depth 1.25 mm; that’s about a loss of 20%-30% of the thickness of the plate at the attachment point. Smoothing it out would mean expanding the area of thinner depth.

Attached image I tried to get a pic of the depth. Blue circles are the contact area left for the current washer. I think the carriage bolt might have more when I install it but that remains to be seen.

FWIW, If this wasn’t where the bolts attached this post wouldn’t exist.


View attachment 3266310



Best guess on cost to pay somebody to do this? It’s stainless, not sure that matters. I’m not a welder so I have no idea.

View attachment 3266309

$40 and about 5 minutes I suspect. Call a local muffler shop. All they really need to do is weld some new aluminum in that spot and then you can break out a grinder and file it down to smooth.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

the plates are 4.7mm thick, at the deepest the material lost is around the thickness of a penny, which is 1.5mm. Call the depth 1.25 mm; that’s about a loss of 20%-30% of the thickness of the plate at the attachment point. Smoothing it out would mean expanding the area of thinner depth.

Attached image I tried to get a pic of the depth. Blue circles are the contact area left for the current washer. I think the carriage bolt might have more when I install it but that remains to be seen.

FWIW, If this wasn’t where the bolts attached this post wouldn’t exist.


View attachment 3266310



Best guess on cost to pay somebody to do this? It’s stainless, not sure that matters. I’m not a welder so I have no idea.

View attachment 3266309

That loss of metal is much less of an issue than the bolt assembly protruding out the bottom. The skid plate isn't going anywhere. On the other hand, they should have phoned you at minimum before cutting off the heads. If your concern is the functionality of the skid plate then quit worrying. If it's the issue in general with the dealer then I agree; they owe you something.

 

[bloc]

If you do have someone add filler to make it flat again, make sure they shield the back of the plate with argon or similar. Stainless does some not-cool things when exposed to oxygen and getting that hot. (see what I did there?)

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Two others have said it, but I will bluntly repeat it. The shop's ****up was NOT contacting you before doing anything beyond what was asked. What they actually did is no longer the issue. The lack of the notification is the real issue and for that they would pay.

I had something similar happen, took my vehicle in for service which included draining the transmission fluid. Well they screwed the pooch and striped the drain plug. They did not bother calling me, they waited until returned to the shop to tell me. They were getting a used replacement housing but it was a Friday and would not have until it until Monday. Good thing I did need my truck that weekend. They had a loaner car already. I looked at them and said where should I put my bike?? Had they called, I would have just ridden my bike home than ridding through downtown Friday evening traffic. The service manager and I had long chat about to piss off a customer by not communicating with them.

 

[RET2]

Bring anything aftermarket to a dealer with flying monkeys doing the work and this is what you should expect, as unfortunate of a fact as that is.

Even worse is using one of the chain off road shops, they're the training ground for the dealerships.

 

[RET2]

@snowtaco Even with the reduced thickness, I don't think the skid plate would ever pull through.

Here is the issue (as @CharlieS also pointed out), the installation/design calls for carriage bolts. Why, because they have a smooth head and is less likely to shear off. However, carriage bolts are designed for a square hole. The plate itself has an elongated hole for fitment tolerances. There's not a lot of surface area on two sides of a carriage bolt.

The fastening nut on top, even just slightly seized, will make it easy to round out that carriage bolt. If you want to avoid the issue in the future, try using a regular bolts but with head protectors. It will stick a bit more but that's the trade off.

View attachment 3266471View attachment 3266472

OMG you used the same dealer !!

 

[Fisher23]

It looks more like the worker put the wrong size socket on the bolt to begin with, and then rounded it off.
Likely had blue lock tight on the bolt vs cross threaded.
Then when the bolt was rounded off took a cut off wheel to the washer so they could get a vice grip on the bolt.