Exposed Engine Bay at Body Shop

2012RAM1500RT · Dec 14, 2021

I keep under my hood clean and shocked how clean it stays after driving through rain storms and such. Dust under my hood is usually my worst enemy.

Stephen Riley · Dec 14, 2021

2012RAM1500RT said:
I keep under my hood clean and shocked how clean it stays after driving through rain storms and such. Dust under my hood is usually my worst enemy.

I wipe mine engine bay down every now and then. We went and got xmas trees towards end of November and I was surprised at how dusty some of the forest service roads were, but we hadn't had a lot of rain or snow yet. You could detail engine and after one drive up in the mountains around here, would be dust everywhere, although usually more of issue in the summer.

Stephen Riley · Dec 14, 2021

Sherman Bird said:
Are you a problem solver? Do you believe in one-upmanship? If so, take pictures (you have), go buy a tarp, go back and cover YOUR own hoodless engine and take another round of photos, get the facility owner or manager, and cooly and calmly let them know these photos will be posted on social media. Let them know that you will seek to do business elsewhere in the future and will shake your head in quiet, sad knowledge when, in the future, you drive by their out of business facility.

I stopped by the shop first thing yesterday and asked the individual who had set up everything to come out to my truck so we could have a conversation. I let him know how good service had been on the front side of everything, but let him know how frustrated I was when I found the vehicle as shown in the pictures and why I felt that way. Rain and more snow are in the short term forecast and so I did take a small tarp and cover the bay. Took about a minute. I even showed him how I'd remove it to direct water away from the primary areas I was concerned about. More worried if there was potential heavy rain before it converts to snow. I was not rude but I think he got where I was coming from. I let him know I had documented everything. Said he had never thought about it. I told him I'd like to hear from the general manager or owner of the place (wasn't available when I stopped by and I had to get to work). As of this time, haven't heard back yet. When I asked him if he'd leave his hood open before a storm (he also owns a dodge ram}, the look on his face was priceless. Based on what most of the posters had shared on here, end result will hopefully be just fine. But just something I have never experienced before and was really caught off guard. My objective here is to make sure I cover my a**, and make them aware of how this practice could concern their patrons. I don't wish to see anyone fired or the business adversely affected.

Stephen Riley · Dec 14, 2021

Tim7139 said:
This is very common, and rarely a cause for concern.

Had a vehicle getting hail repair that had the engine exposed like that for over a month. When I checked during the inspection they had detailed the engine bay, so I was glad I had not gone off prematurely. In your place I'd keep the pics handy, inspect the under hood area for any excess dirt or abnormal debris when inspecting the other work at pickup, and ask questions about the condition if there is a concern.

Covers tend to cause more issues than they solve. The hardest rain or snow is not equivalent to a power washer's ability to push water past weather protected seals or into unsealed areas. Snows and ice don't tend to promote rust when still frozen. Not too much worse than parking in a humid climate. I'd be more worried in the fall with leaves trapping moisture in place promoting rust and offering comfort for critters that might want to snack on things.

Used to travel all over the country for a former job and always wondered what kind of issues folks in humid areas had to deal with that we don't encounter where I live.

JF19Longhorn · Dec 14, 2021

..yeah, I'd be ******.

You also have to think about the UV eating your plastics / rubbers under the hood.

gfh77665 · Dec 14, 2021

Sherman Bird said:
I doubt a tarp will trap any more moisture than a closed hood. I live in Houston, by GOD!, Texas. So, I'm all too familiar with "torrential rains". But, how many times have you observed some moron foraging through surface water on the freeway, kicking up a 10 foot rooster tail? The matching water deluge on the INSIDE tire trac is very devastating to the underhood, or is it?

A tarp would definitely trap more moisture than a closed hood. The difference is a tarp if closely wrapped could stay wet for days or even weeks and not allow air circulation. Someone earlier mentioned being concerned about wet leaves in the bay. Splashing through water and throwing rooster tails in Houston of course gets the bay wet temporarily, but it rapidly drains off and dries out as soon as the the vehicle is parked. Engine heat and air circulation speeds the process.

gfh77665 · Dec 14, 2021

Stephen Riley said:
Used to travel all over the country for a former job and always wondered what kind of issues folks in humid areas had to deal with that we don't encounter where I live.

Humidity alone does not typically cause rust or other issues. When an engine is run, the heat inside the bay drives out moisture, as does the massive air circulation while going down the road. As long as moisture is not trapped somewhere, all is good.

Dodge 1500 4X4 · Dec 14, 2021

The truck needs to be brought inside to dry out, I would use a heat gun to speed up the process, moisture corrodes things and with all that snow on there who knows get that hood back on there and disconnect that light thats on there.

Socalramfan · Dec 15, 2021

2012RAM1500RT said:
Nobody is asking the whole truck to be tarped, a simple piece of tarp to cover the engine compartment with 4 small 4x4 to put on each corner to hold it down or a bungee cord or 2 would have taken 2 minutes to show some care. The light on the battery and is "on" shows the lack of attempt, another 10 seconds to unplug and put inside cab. I still don't think it will hurt it but it definitely doesn't make the shop look good.Some of the comments on here shows the American work force that I'm ashamed of. If you're under 40 you probably won't know what I'm talking about when I say it use to be a handshake between 2 people was more valuable back then than having your moms signature notarized today to hold her to her word. Sad!

Well said

Sherman Bird · Dec 15, 2021

Socalramfan said:
Well said

Integrity. It's a lost character trait, so it seems. My late father, when he gave his word, he delivered 100% of the time. I even witnessed it costing him money to KEEP his word a handful of times while I was growing up. Trust has been lost in the fray as well, and few people value these virtues anymore.

Octane · Dec 15, 2021

They wouldnt get away with doing that to mine.My truck and hood would be leaving immediately.There is a reason why there is a hood and not a screen door on a vehicle.lol

18CrewDually · Dec 15, 2021

I wouldn't have been happy either but if the alternative was them painting the hood while it was still on the truck and the engine bay got covered in overspray I'd tolerate the snow cover. Maybe they'll detail the engine bay prior to the return.
Point is I've seen worse treatment.

Jeepwalker · Dec 15, 2021

1" rain = 10-12" snow (depending on ambient temp). So ...not that much water.

Loudram · Dec 15, 2021

Stephen Riley said:
I stopped by the shop first thing yesterday and asked the individual who had set up everything to come out to my truck so we could have a conversation. I let him know how good service had been on the front side of everything, but let him know how frustrated I was when I found the vehicle as shown in the pictures and why I felt that way. Rain and more snow are in the short term forecast and so I did take a small tarp and cover the bay. Took about a minute. I even showed him how I'd remove it to direct water away from the primary areas I was concerned about. More worried if there was potential heavy rain before it converts to snow. I was not rude but I think he got where I was coming from. I let him know I had documented everything. Said he had never thought about it. I told him I'd like to hear from the general manager or owner of the place (wasn't available when I stopped by and I had to get to work). As of this time, haven't heard back yet. When I asked him if he'd leave his hood open before a storm (he also owns a dodge ram}, the look on his face was priceless. Based on what most of the posters had shared on here, end result will hopefully be just fine. But just something I have never experienced before and was really caught off guard. My objective here is to make sure I cover my a**, and make them aware of how this practice could concern their patrons. I don't wish to see anyone fired or the business adversely affected.

I feel you handled it properly. They got the point and you did it without being a jerk. Well played.

Dan90 · Dec 15, 2021

Agreed you handled the situation properly. I understand your frustration. With the amount of water, snow, mud and pressure washes my engine bay sees. I'd be shocked if you have any issues resulting from this.

Had my vehicle pointed in the wrong direction during a snow storm before. Blew the snow so hard it literally packed my engine bay with snow. Not exaggerating, it was packed in to the hood. Dug out as much as I could, cleared the belt, fan, alternator, battery, etc. Started right up, ran fine... Never had any issues.

Jdemp · Dec 18, 2021

This sounds dumb but…I learned from some bad experiences to create a relationship with the body shop prior to paint. I have two places I can go now that I feel comfortable with. I literally have the managers cell at one place and he is a car nut so he understands when I set “ground rules” on my trucks.

I had a similar situation with an 85 CJ7 that I had repainted. When I picked it up it was obviously left outside with the hood off as I had repainted or detailed everything. Far less electronics but it was ok…still ****** me off.

I think you handled it the right way…they now know you give a crap and they will take care of you in the future.

ColoradoHemiDude · Dec 18, 2021

He’s clearly asking if he should be concerned with water intrusion, not lack of care or if he should be upset. Just like chopperman1 said, engine bays aren’t water proof. All of your electrical connectors have watertight seals in them to prevent and moisture getting inside. Saying the snow probably melted in a couple of days or so. Now, if it was like that all winter long, you could worry that water could get within small areas, freeze and then cause the connector to expand a little thus allowing water to get in. The biggest thing I would worry about is your alternator. If water gets in there and freezes, it could cause issues with the brushes inside and cause an internal failure within the alternator. Your main harness connectors in the bottom of the fuse block are also water tight sealed.

67440dodge · Dec 18, 2021

Body shops run on razor thin margins, I've been friends with a owner of one since we were teenagers and I see side of the business that a customer doesn't. Insurance doesn't pay them sh*t for labor, pays them only for aftermarket parts that take twice as long to make fit right (ie a Gen 4 fender is $10 less than OEM, but takes 2hrs to make fit right, and shop only gets paid .5 to fit it). So what most likely happened was they had the delay on your truck (parts or whatever), backed it out to get another car in they could get done quick. Happens all the time, and will continue to happen, whether that shop or another. Doesn't matter if it's a 7yr old Ram or a 1 month Lexus. If they can use that space to work on something that will bring money in, out goes the one waiting parts. As for not being covered, some shops cover cars being worked on because of dust/primer overspray, others don't.

All I can say is that must have been one hell of a hit if they had to pull grille and headlights to swap the bumper out.

mtwofeathers · Dec 18, 2021

LemmysDad said:
I too would be annoyed as eff. It’s not their right to get your business it’s their privilege. YOU chose them, they should be honoured to work on your vehicle. They are making money from your business whether insurance pays for the work or you do. Lack of customer service/care is rampant these days. My 2 bits.

One of my trucks i had a Allison put into it. I had them build it and add a paddle shifter. 1.6year the tranny gave out and they wouldn't cover the warranty. We are talking 13,000 dollars. I was in a wheelchair at the time after rolling one of my 4x4's, so I couldn't do it. I rarely trust other mechanics. This shop left out most of the bullet stuff I ordered ahead of time. 2 weeks ago I took it apart and saw that after it failed. I was passed, doesn't really cover how I felt when I found it out, or how I feel now. And after that bad job, everyone in town that knows me will never go there again. I wasn't quiet about it. Nor will I be. Both input and output shaft were gone, thats 1300 plus in parts alone. And critical if your running any type of power. Found a jasper build plate on it. Yep they bought a jasper rebuilt with 1/10th the quality i wanted. Not to say jasper is not good rebuilders. But I expected my billet parts to be used. They said they did not know anything about billet parts being missing, and refused to cover their work. Shop's name is holdens, kingman Az., they claim certified mechanics. Well every certified i know do better work. And wouldn't short work the job. And a big reason I won't go to many shops.

TomB 1269 · Dec 20, 2021

I regularly put about 20x that amount of water on my engine to clean it. The snow on that truck would not make enough water to fill a gallon bucket (most likely its around a quart or less of water in total on the engine). Its not an issue, you get more water than that in the engine bay in a heavy rain storm. Now if they'd left the window open or something like that I could see it being a problem.

Exposed Engine Bay at Body Shop

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