Specialty Car Craft, LA: The Experience

[swistun]

In a nutshell…

Workmanship / Attention To Detail: Excellent.
Paint color match: Freaking Outstanding / Flawless. Best feature.
Turnaround time: As Expected
Communication: No Problems
Responsiveness to client demands (no matter how trivial): Unbelievable!
Would go back / would recommend: Definitely / Yes

The details…

You may recall that someone was less than kind to my Elise recently while I was away on training. See this thread for details…

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28065

Needless to say, it found its way to SCC for front clam / crash structure replacement. Total bill: $20,600, covered by insurance. The experience was excellent, and I would go back to SCC for my next repair, as well as recommend them to anyone here. The single thing they do which I value the most is, they will stand on their heads to satisfy your desires, no matter how trivial. Aside from that, they have an awesome paint guy which took 12 paint samples to match up my color, and they pay huge attention to detail and perfection.

Here are some pics of the car after the repair: mind you, it’s been photographed after a weekend of me making up for lost time, so please ignore the dust and bugs. For anyone who knows Graphite Gray, that color has several personalities, depending on the light. The paint guy got them ALL right; here are some photos in ambient light, followed by some in bright sun… note the perfect match on the tone, as well as the perfect match on the metallic. The rear is included, since they blend through the door… and of course, NO blend lines.

[swistun]

...more pictures in the shade...

[LARRY]

Looks great! I had heard they were really wonderful...

[swistun]

... now some pics in strong sunlight. Note the metallic match again...

[swistun]

... and a few more...

[swistun]

- per request, they combed my radiator to get all the imperfections out and make it look like new
- they informed me of the progress on the car, and were always available when I called or came over
- they stayed 2 hours after closing on a Thursday afternoon to buff out a swivel mark I pointed at, as I was picking up the car
- they assisted me immediately with realigning my headlights after I showed up completely unannounced on a Monday night, 45 minutes before closing, thus AGAIN staying 2 hours after closing, without a word of complaint
- I got some small freebies I’d rather not publicize (thus avoiding inadvertently obligating SCC this way to future clients)
- a couple minor adjustments I requested were attended to flawlessly (seams between the clam and rest of car)

[swistun]

SCC’s only mistake which I had to come back for, was not getting the lights aligned after they placed them on the new clam. Apparently, every clam is different, and this needs to be done. Unfortunately, the beam cutoff shutter also moved down on my passenger side lightbulb, taking it out of play completely. This was fixed on the spot when I showed up 3 days later with no questions asked. This is completely forgivable in my book, as they have a right to a learning curve on an Elise (god knows we all do), and because they were so eager to remedy the problem, no matter what (or how long after hours) it took.

Other than that, nothing SCC did could be better. My beef is more with Sticker City, since the application of my StarShield is far from perfect, and at this point it cannot be removed, since there is a risk of peeling the paint off with it. In this matter SCC has little choice – the options are: stock StarShield which yellows after time, or the Sticker City version, which is reputed to be far better, and has a great track record on EliseTalk, to my knowledge. My car got an unfortunate bubble 2 inches above the Lotus emblem (rather prominent), which, as it appears, someone tried to then smooth out with a Brillo pad (???). I still have the mark after the bubble, but now it’s surrounded by 2 inches of deep swivel which looks god-awful, and cannot be buffed out. My only consolation is that this is not in the paint but in the StarShield, and eventually (once my paint cures), it can be replaced… I hope.

[swistun]

My other (minor) issue is with the detailing service that SCC hires for final detailing of the car: Cut back on the ArmorAll a bit, especially on the smooth part of the driver’s floor mat, where my heel actually NEEDS traction to be able to operate the pedals… for the first few days I was sliding all over the place!! Please guys, practicality over appearance is key in the Elise.

[swistun]

- New occasional vibrations in the dash / behind my head… whatever, it’s a Lotus!!
- Dirty patches on my Magnolia leather… hardly a surprise with Magnolia, when combined with test drivers in mechanic work suits. These came off with a little Lexol on a dishwashing sponge. No problems.
- Masking Tape scuff / mark across the length of the rollbar cover – very minor, but very long. I wish they used blue painter’s tape, I’ve never seen it do that… It may come out with a little Zymol HD Cleanse, we’ll see.
- My lights are still not aligned right, they actually cross at 15 feet; we used a wall 5 feet away, so we missed this – the use of standardized diagram is in order.
- New swivel marks on the rear clam which were not there before… most were just from the buffing (excess wax), which washed away in the first car wash, but a few stayed, evidencing that at some point the car was dusty, and handled by a lot of people… these are so minor, they will never be noticed by anyone but me.

[swistun]

Overall though, EXCELLENT JOB. The most important points (original parts, color match, mechanic work) were nailed spot on. The other important and reassuring factor is that SCC was responsive to anything I asked, and wanted to make me happy, no matter what the cost. For that especially, I would recommend them.

luke

[swistun]

Originally Posted by LARRY

Looks great! I had heard they were really wonderful...

Thanx! Overall does look great. I think this was the best choice... even though it was made in my absence It was awesome breaking her back in again.

luke

[cspak71]

Thanks for the review. I was deciding between them and another shop, both seem pretty reputable and do good work. Will give these folks serious consideration.

Originally Posted by swistun

In a nutshell…

Workmanship / Attention To Detail: Excellent.
Paint color match: Freaking Outstanding / Flawless. Best feature.
Turnaround time: As Expected
Communication: No Problems
Responsiveness to client demands (no matter how trivial): Unbelievable!
Would go back / would recommend: Definitely / Yes

The details…

You may recall that someone was less than kind to my Elise recently while I was away on training. See this thread for details…

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28065

Needless to say, it found its way to SCC for front clam / crash structure replacement. Total bill: $20,600, covered by insurance. The experience was excellent, and I would go back to SCC for my next repair, as well as recommend them to anyone here. The single thing they do which I value the most is, they will stand on their heads to satisfy your desires, no matter how trivial. Aside from that, they have an awesome paint guy which took 12 paint samples to match up my color, and they pay huge attention to detail and perfection.

Here are some pics of the car after the repair: mind you, it’s been photographed after a weekend of me making up for lost time, so please ignore the dust and bugs. For anyone who knows Graphite Gray, that color has several personalities, depending on the light. The paint guy got them ALL right; here are some photos in ambient light, followed by some in bright sun… note the perfect match on the tone, as well as the perfect match on the metallic. The rear is included, since they blend through the door… and of course, NO blend lines.

[Chococar]

I was very happy with them also. Similar experience.

[LARRY]

Does Specialty replace the starshield too?

[Serebo1]

Originally Posted by LARRY

Does Specialty replace the starshield too?

Not in house. They've been using Sticker City, or you have the choice of having Starshield come out and do it.

[LARRY]

Anyone else use Sticker City for your Starshield? Did you like them?

[swistun]

They had an excellent track record around here, my experience seems to be ususual. Ask again when Alan's on (Serebo1), I think he knows the owner personally.

Luke

[Serebo1]

Originally Posted by swistun

They had an excellent track record around here, my experience seems to be ususual. Ask again when Alan's on (Serebo1), I think he knows the owner personally.

Luke

Yes, they (Sticker City) are normally excellent.

[swistun]

Anyone know how long paint should cure before it's safe to peel off the clear bra? I'm still hoping that Sticker City will redo my front one at some point. You should see this swivel, it looks horrid! and right over the emblem, too!

[Serebo1]

Originally Posted by swistun

Anyone know how long paint should cure before it's safe to peel off the clear bra? I'm still hoping that Sticker City will redo my front one at some point. You should see this swivel, it looks horrid! and right over the emblem, too!

I don't know, Luke...remember, I peeled the factory Starshield off the side of the car a YEAR after delivery, and it took every bit of paint with it. You should phone Sticker City and ask them if they have another solution.