Automagic Gezina - Never again

Automagic Gezina. My worst experience with a panelbeater ever.

I took my Isuzu Frontier 4x4 to them for some very minor accident damage repair to the left rear quarter panel.

I had no communication from them for the first week and a half that it was there, I only started getting updates after I went to the shop to inquire about the progress on my vehicle and to ask why I never receive updates.

I finally got my vehicle back after on 23/02/2024, a bit more than three weeks in the shop. I could live with that, but I got the vehicle back with a whole row of missing mounting *****s for an external panel, this I only saw at home so had to go back to have the *****s replaced.

It went in with a working battery, I got it back with a battery that was so discharged that it refused to accept a charge. We had the battery tested at Willard batteries across the road from them and they confirmed that the battery was as dead as a doornail. When I went to look at my vehicle when it was in the assembly bay the previous week, it was standing there with the doors wide open and the cabin light blazing away. This is of course what drained the battery. However, Sandra refuses to accept that it is their fault that the battery is dead, because the battery was bought in 2019 and she says it just due to it being old, it is mere coincidence that it died while it was in their shop. I had to go buy a new battery that same night, and incidentally, also a new cabin light globe, as the old globe's illumination wore eventually melted from the heat of being left on constantly.

The aftermarket steel bumper was removed for painting, when I checked on the bumper's mounting bolts there in the shop, I found several bolts that were just hand tight. I had to borrow a spanner from some staff members to tighten them myself. And the wiring for the number plate illumination light was not connected. They fixed this while I had to wait. I also saw today that the seat reclining mechanism on my driver's seat is broken.

Worst of all, they have very likely caused unseen damage to my vehicle. It is a four wheel drive vehicle, with a diff lock switch located on the dashboard, this switch was pushed in, and the diff lock warning light on the dash was illuminated, meaning that the diff lock was engaged.

Sandra stated that this probably happened when the vehicle was being cleaned at their washbay on Wednesday, 21 February. But they took the vehicle to have its wheel alignment checked on Thursday, meaning that they drove it on tarred roads with the diff lock engaged. Anybody with even a hint of mechanical knowledge will know why this is a bad thing. I even had to explain to Sandra why this is bad, as she had no idea what a diff lock even does and why it can cause damage if used on hard surfaces that allow for no wheel slip.

Fortunately it did not break a side shaft, as the vehicle would then have no drive if the diff lock was disengaged, but it could and probably did twist one or both of the side shafts. Which means it will break at a later date if the side shaft is subjected to some extra stress, such as when driving off road.

Sandra then said that she spoke to some "professionals" at CV Masters, and they said it would not do any damage on a short trip. I tried to explain to Sandra that the distance does not matter, damage can and very likely will be cause the first time you make a reasonably sharp turn on a hard surface with the diff lock engaged.

Her reaction was the the people at CV Master are professionals and they know what they're talking about, and I don't.

At this stage I might just mention that I am an Olifantsfontein trade tested certified and qualified mechanic, where I passed the earthmoving equipment mechanic trade test in 1998 with distinction. So I am by no means a mechanical ignoramus.

I got a quote from a local private workshop that are Isuzu specialists, where I have been a customer for a few years now, to pull out the side shafts, to inspect them for damage and, if they are not damaged, as we all hope, to put them back with new wheel bearings and new hub seals for R2 581,75, all labour costs, parts and VAT included.

Obviously if the shafts are damaged they will then also have to be replaced, but this can only be determined once they have been taken out and inspected.

Sandra refuses and insists that it has to be taken to CV Masters. I have no more trust in this Automagic branch or in Sandra, as I suspect that her buddies at CV Masters will either say that there is no damage, or if there is damage, that it is old damage. Sandra was already suggesting to me there on Automagic's premises that there might already be old damage. So yes, it is very clear that she is already trying to lay the groundwork to absolve themselves of any responsibility. This kind of cheek is utterly unbelievable.

I will not be taking my vehicle back to Automagic to be inspected by her buddies at CV Masters, even though I'm supposed to take it back to them on Tuesday 27/02/2024 so that CV Masters can inspect the vehicle, and will now have my insurance brokers take this up with Automagic. I have lost all trust in them.

Sandra will act all sweet and friendly as long as you agree with her, but the moment that you dare to question her, she becomes downright rude, aggressive and insulting. And if you dare to raise your voice, which I admit I did, but without screaming or shouting of any kind, just speaking at an elevated level, because she also loves to keep on interrupting you when you are trying to explain something to her, and due to being irritated and frustrated that she refuses to listen to reason and would rather accuse me of not knowing what I'm talking about, then she gets upset and calls out to everyone in the area to listen to the way that I am talking to her.

So, in short, if your insurance company ever wants you to take your car for repairs to Automagic Gezina, please fight them tooth and nail on this. I will rather pay out of pocket next time than to ever trust them to work on any of my vehicles again.