E28 Alpina B7 Turbo/1 #0083

[mooseheadm5]

Holy crap. I'm sorry that happened. I had a hard time with my windshield but it looks better than that. Have you talked to the windshield guy? I think your reaction is on part with the issues.

[wkohler]

I never met the guy. Don't even know his name. He was paid $200. He really felt he couldn't charge more than that, but it took him a whole day - and Mike lost most of the day too helping him, so I can't get too upset at them, but a phone call would have been nice. I guess it's one thing when they didn't buy the materials.

[rubix_cube12]

Wow...that's ridiculous. I probably would have been more upset.

Now I'm really nervous about getting my windshield installed after my car gets a full respray.

[Pedi]

I really do not understand why things ended like this.

The gasket looks melted to me.

WTF?? Is he installing windows with a heatgun??

I know the trim is a PITA to install, as I just installed windows/trim on my E28. I have done such work alot of times before, a long time ago though - so I was kinda rusty

But if he is a glass-guy, I cannot understand the problem - he should be used to such challenges.

I am sorry for you, this is not the kind of pics I like to see. Was all the chromed trim brand new, or used?

[winfred]

good god, it looks like the guy had never met lubrication annnnnd was doing it in the freezing cold. i don't know if e28 rubber is the same price as e24 but i just got both ends for mine from ecs tuning for $158 delivered and they came in bmw bags, been years since i did a e28 windshield but i remember it being a whore with the hard curves on the sides and that lower trim, a e30 almost puts itself in it is so easy. hopefully he didn't slip and drag a pick though the new paint

[Kyle in NO]

When you get the car home, IMMEDIATELY remove the trim and cut the seals around the glass. Pull both panes and put them in a safe place. Throw the cut up seals in a dumpster, not at your house. Once you don't have to look at that shit anymore you will feel a lot better. BTDT.

[skip535i]

Damn, Chris. I'm sick for you. I don't have any good advice for you, but i'm feeling your pain and sending you good vibes to get motivated again.

[ldsbeaker]

Argh. This is about the time that the GFH would take me out back and we would destroy something.

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

Damn Chris, sorry to see this development.

[cddallara]

Sorry to hear Chris.

IMO, they (mike and the glass guy) should be replacing any damaged parts.

If I drill a whole in someone's hardwood floor, or put a whole in someone's wall, I have to fix it.

The other day I burnt up (2) led modules that I could have passed on to my employer, but I replaced them and lost a days pay in the process.

As a "professional", one needs to know when to say when. Like the couple of people that "passed" on the job.

[alijonny]

hopefully he didn't slip and drag a pick though the new paint

this.

[uter]

Oh man, that's frustrating.
Whatever happened to "Primum non nocere"

[pleasefixitup]

that is BS! Once they figured out they were doing damage, they should have called you or stopped immediately or both!

[alpinass]

Sorry Chris,

You should've come out and got Jesus - he could've done all the glass in a day. Remember he works on 02's and 3.0 Coupes 6 days a week - He has over 25yrs experience with trim and glass work. He did all the glass in Ron P's 3.0CSL Batmobile. That trim looks like crap- Is it all new? I would buy a set of the polished stuff form Darin.

Good Luck!
Paul

[wkohler]

Every piece of trim I have for the car is new. It's all scratched up and damaged. I am surprised people would think I'd go through all this expense and work to put used trim on the car.

Mike called me about 30 minutes ago. The car isn't coming home today. His PDR guy doesn't work on weekends and he wanted to have a couple spots taken care of. He also told me that he thinks the front glass is fine (I'm not in agreement, but...) but the corner pieces look tarnished. He wants to order a new rear seal from the dealer and try the rear again. I said all of the trim in the rear was damaged, too. Nothing is usable since its all scratched up. He was going to call them today and go from there, I guess. We will see what he says. I don't know anymore.

[ldsbeaker]

Every piece of trim I have for the car is new. It's all scratched up and damaged. I am surprised people would think I'd go through all this expense and work to put used trim on the car.

Mike called me about 30 minutes ago. The car isn't coming home today. His PDR guy doesn't work on weekends and he wanted to have a couple spots taken care of. He also told me that he thinks the front glass is fine (I'm not in agreement, but...) but the corner pieces look tarnished. He wants to order a new rear seal from the dealer and try the rear again. I said all of the trim in the rear was damaged, too. Nothing is usable since its all scratched up. He was going to call them today and go from there, I guess. We will see what he says. I don't know anymore.

I think that's a good sign. He called you and is willing to work with you.

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

Every piece of trim I have for the car is new. It's all scratched up and damaged. I am surprised people would think I'd go through all this expense and work to put used trim on the car.

Mike called me about 30 minutes ago. The car isn't coming home today. His PDR guy doesn't work on weekends and he wanted to have a couple spots taken care of. He also told me that he thinks the front glass is fine (I'm not in agreement, but...) but the corner pieces look tarnished. He wants to order a new rear seal from the dealer and try the rear again. I said all of the trim in the rear was damaged, too. Nothing is usable since its all scratched up. He was going to call them today and go from there, I guess. We will see what he says. I don't know anymore.

I think that's a good sign. He called you and is willing to work with you.

+ 1, from all your other posts, Mike is a quality "stand up" guy.

[scarey013]

I hope that Mike's a stand-up guy. I'm hopefully budgeting a respray on the Bavaria and some body work on the E30. I'd love to throw my money at someone whose work I can verify and trust!

[wkohler]

I've never indicated he's anything but. He's never been anything but honest with me about my car, other projects, whatever is going on. The problem is that I am really in no position to request/insist he does anything about it or get pissed off at him. I don't see really how to handle it further/press the issue without making him upset. What I'd really want is just all the stuff damaged replaced and I'll have someone else handle it. I don't see the point in him ordering a new seal, having the same guy do it with the same difficulty. He doesn't see a problem with the front except that the corner pieces are "tarnished." Well, they weren't like that when I dropped them off and heating them up with a torch did the anodize no favors. If I try to argue that point, I just see a problem. All I know is that he ordered the glass from the part number I provided, original rear window used and every seal, trim piece, etc was delivered sealed in a BMW bag. It should have all gone together without issue.

I've already accepted the original windscreen being cracked despite my never touching it, and he seems to remember that differently than I. On the other hand, he did a lot of work on the car in addition to some extra stuff I don't think he had budgeted for and I've already paid for all of that.

[alpinass]

TOO BAD Jesus isn't with you!
Glad he had the rail gutter tool.

[cddallara]

Is this a bad time to point out the validity of your Sig?

[mooseheadm5]

Sorry Chris,

You should've come out and got Jesus - he could've done all the glass in a day. Remember he works on 02's and 3.0 Coupes 6 days a week - He has over 25yrs experience with trim and glass work. He did all the glass in Ron P's 3.0CSL Batmobile. That trim looks like crap- Is it all new? I would buy a set of the polished stuff form Darin.

Good Luck!
Paul

Man, this guy sounds like he can do no wrong. A savior of sorts.

[wkohler]

Obviously, there's a logistical issue with Jesus what with him being in Orange County and I being here in Phoenix, AZ. It certainly would be nice if there was someone with his skills and abilities here in Phoenix. Sadly, that's not the case.

[johnnye23]

I guess I will be the bad guy here and say imho Mike dropped the ball. I can't believe after two guys turned the task down he let a third guy ( whom he has not had prior dealings) attempt the job without someone observing him doing it. It's not rocket science putting glass in . I have installed many windows using a piece of string,dishsoap and tongue depressors

Damn Chris this really blows. I know it will be made right but I think we all feel your pain as we watch this build progress.

[Brian D]

I guess I will be the bad guy here and say imho Mike dropped the ball.

The first window put in was a mistake, but to continue and do the second window with the same technique was inexcusable. I'm surprised that Mike thinks the windshield is acceptable. I know you have to tread carefully Chris, but I would hope that the least you get out of this is to split the cost of the seals and trim. I really think you should get all the costs back but that will be difficult. I know you'll have it put right in the end, sorry to see the problems.

[Brian D]

Stupid question, does Jesus ever travel for jobs? What would it take to get him over here? I know E30's are easy, but if it would help...

[stuartinmn]

When I had the front and rear glass reinstalled in my car during its restoration, the body shop called in a guy they use all the time for older cars and they said he had a hell of a time getting them in. The rear glass was the original piece, the front was a new OEM part from the dealer.

It came out okay, although they did bend up one of the little corner pieces. Also, the front window can leak a little bit in the lower corner on the driver's side (but I've only noticed it when washing the car and it's hit with the full spray from a hose.)

At any rate, it seems like there's something about these cars and glass installation difficulties.

[Kyle in NO]

I've always installed my own glass on my e28s. I've done about 3 windscreens and 2 rear windows by myself. While tricky, all went in relatively easily with lots of spray lube. It would have been IMPOSSIBLE without it. I know for a fact that at least one of the cars had been hit hard in the right rear and the rear opening was slightly out of square, and it still went in OK with some persuasion. The first front I did leaked a tiny bit between the glass and gasket in one corner, so the next two I did got some clear sealer in the window channel where the glass goes. No issue with those.

I seriously still can't believe what I am seeing from a supposed "glass guy". I mean, I haven't even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in at least 6 years.

[snakebrain]

Sorry Chris,

You should've come out and got Jesus - he could've done all the glass in a day.

Man, this guy sounds like he can do no wrong. A savior of sorts.

Short of Jesus, Chris' next best option at the moment seems to be prayer!

It's a pig of a job they've done, but these things are just tests of character in the long run.

[abdielhiram]

So, the first glass people got into an accident, which ruined our appointment. Fine. They came back the next day. I asked Mike to call me. He said he'd call me when he saw glass going into the car. I didn't get a call until 4pm. He said they gave it a shot, but it was too much for them, so they left. Another guy came, looked at the car and left. Finally, he got a hold of a guy who does nothing buy old stuff. He was on his way to do a '57 Chevy when Mike called. Said he'd swing by after. Mike said he'd follow up with me. No call for the rest of Wednesday. Nothing on Thursday until 7pm. I was in the area Thursday afternoon, but didn't want to just drop in, after all, Mike's been busy with a lot of little jobs and I'm not wanting to annoy him. He calls me at 7pm and said he's just leaving the shop. The windows are in and they took many, many hours. Said the glass guy kept insisting that this car had been wrecked and nothing fit. They both worked at it and got the glass in. Then he said it was the best he could do. Oh no. Said he was going to shoot the black on the rear valance, rockers and behind the grill this morning (Friday), and I could see it this afternoon.

I couldn't eat anything last night. I was really worried about how it would look. So, I kept waiting and waiting for a phone call. Read every thread I could find on windshields and what people have been dealing with and figured it can't be that bad. Looks like everyone has had a hard time, but they work out eventually. Finally, I'm getting annoyed. I call him at 4pm and he said he was just going to call me. I said I was sorta on that side of town, ready to go back to Phoenix and could be there in 30 minutes.

Hmmm. Rear spoiler is on. Looks good.





Looks like a window there.



Windshield made in Germany. Green tint with the darker green band. Heard of some folks getting OE windshields from Columbia.





The windows look absolutely HORRIBLE. I've never seen anything so bad in my entire life. My seals, my trim - all ruined. $600 worth completely ruined. Seals are melted and ripped. The trim is all scratched and bent. Absolutely horrible. Mike said I didn't have to pay for it. Great. You haven't seen pissed off until you show me this and then make me pay for it. That said, I didn't know it wasn't included in what I paid him for the paint job. Issues I decided not to press at the time. The only positives here is that the glass didn't get destroyed, the headliner wasn't damaged and I didn't have to pay to have someone ruin my stuff. I didn't pay the kid in the Jetta to run into my E12 either. Glad I can get these services for free.





Those are just a couple of examples of the excellence throughout the installation. I've got rips in the seals, more melty bits and tons of scratches and damage to the trim.

I tried really, really, really hard not to get super pissed off. I understand the guy had a hard time. I know Mike is not a glass person. He did his own glass in his E30 M3, but yeah, that's different. I must have told him five times that if he had ANY questions, issues or concerns to CALL ME! If it can't be done, it can't be done. I'll have someone do it at my house. Now, all I've got is a bunch of fucked up shit on a car I don't even want to finish, let alone look at. Obviously, getting upset at him isn't going to fix it and he certainly is not going to replace the stuff that was ruined. What's it going to accomplish? I cannot afford to spend $1,000 to fix stuff I already paid for.

Everything had gone very well so far. Mike had been great to work with, the quality of the work was good (though I don't know WTF is up with that area under the lower left corner of the rear glass) and everything seemed to go according to plan. Everyone has stuff that needs fixing with a paint job, but I didn't expect it would be my parts that would get ruined and I'd have to re-buy them all and take a gamble with someone else to do the work.

Apparently, it's coming home tomorrow where it will most likely just sit in the garage unfinished under a car cover for who knows how long.

Sure, you probably think I'm over-reacting, but with the amount of money I have into this project, I can assure you I'm not.

We had issues down here while installing the trim and specially with the front Windshield, but the owner itself of the paint shop took 2 days and the results were OK. It is really hard that trim to install, specially by a person without skills...

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

That's unfortunate, I'd be absolutely livid. This is why I do these things myself.

FWIW, the rest of the car looks great, Chris. Best of luck reaching a resolution.

[shagrath]

I'd be pretty fucking furious.

You are stronger than I here man.

[Adam W in MN]

Fuukk... Sorry Chris. The botched job would piss me off and using a 3rd string glass "pro" but screwing up all that new, oem trim... Jeezus.

[leadphut]

That "workmanship" should embarrass the shop owner.

[DangerWillRbnsn]

I can't believe I've not seen this thread before today....

I spent the last hour reading from page one onward, and I have nothing of substance to add, except WOW. Amazing work, amazing car. Please keep it up - don't let the rear window stop your progress!

[JeepJockey]

He wants to order a new rear seal from the dealer and try the rear again.

Damn, sorry you are having this trouble. Seems to be a pretty common scenario though with body shops. I had the same issues. Three attempts to install the glass and finally I just accepted it ( obviously with the money you have spent and the car that is involved that is not an option). Hell the second glass people dropped the windshield on my fender, so I had to send it back to the body shop. The third time they insisted that I did not order the correct pieces and they needed to get "BMW" stuff to make it fit correctly. I let them order all new stuff another 500 dollars and it still didn't fit correct. Sucks.

[wkohler]

So...

The car was scheduled to come home on Saturday. Couple things ended up preventing that. First, the PDR guy didn't work weekends and with everything going on, Mike forgot to get him in earlier. Then, he decided he wanted to order a rear window seal and the corners and have the rear window done. Essentially, using the rope method got it in without issues, but all the damage had been done before that. I was at the point I really didn't care, as I knew I'd end up redoing it since I was sure he wouldn't buy every piece of trim. He was going to call the dealer and order the parts before they closed. He said to figure on Monday.

Knowing the likelihood that the seal would be in by Monday, I figured it was an impossibility, but I didn't tell him that.

Sunday, I talked with a member about the situation and he figures that since the car will eventually come out California way that I should use his guy. He's been doing it forever and he was really happy, so I figured instead of wasting time or money gambling, why not go for the sure bet. I decided to call Mike on Monday and let him off the hook on the window.

Monday, I called right away in the morning and he basically insisted to do it since he already ordered the seal (not the point, as I will gladly take whatever he ordered). I said fine. Do whatever makes the most sense to you, but just know I'm trying to not be a pain in the ass. Later Monday, Mike called. Turns out the PDR guy had to do two other routes in addition to his because more than one person apparently had some bad guacamole or something on Sunday. Seals were scheduled to arrive Tuesday morning. He ran it by the glass guy and he was fine with it, I guess.

Tuesday, the seals didn't show until the afternoon, so he couldn't get the window guy over. He asked if he could take me up on the offer and I was fine with it. Car would be ready sometime Wednesday morning and he'd give me a call.

This morning, Mike called and gave me the rundown. They had a smaller job to deliver out to Mesa, then get some lunch, and then he'd be back. At that point, he'd call the tow guy (different person than brought the car over). Get the tow ordered and then he'd call again. Around 1:30 or so, he called and said it would be an hour or so (I'm 30 min away). I said I'd start heading that way and would be there about 2:30 or so, but I have plenty to do between now and then, so call when I have 30 min. 30 min later, he called and said the guy was there. Damn. Guess I'll be picking up my wheel bolts, go to the lab, etc later.

I showed up and the car was loaded.



Mike thought the front window was fine, so he figured I should pay for that installation ($100). I completely disagreed but since he did spend an extra $100 on another kit to paint the mirrors and other black accents on the car and didn't charge for that, I decided in my own mind that the $100 went toward that instead. He gave me the seal and the corner pieces he ordered (which cost him $200 - those damn corners are $20 ea now - I didn't pay anywhere near that a couple years ago). I loaded up the touring with that stuff and it was time to head to Phoenix. I told the driver (Inrique - with an "I," yes) not to unload the car until I got there as there was a car in the garage where this needed to go.

Talked to Mike for a couple more minutes as I made sure he was taken care of and he gave me everything he figured was mine. He had pointed out a couple spots on the car that will get attention after I assemble it. He must have said ten times that anything that happens while I put it together will be taken care of and I'll get the leftover paint when it's done. God forbid. God forbid what? I send you another polaris BMW? Hahaha.



I got super screwed traffic-wise. I had to go a different way because two people forgot how to drive and a third hit them at the next intersection south of the shop, so I had to go north. I showed up about 5 minutes after Inrique and did he listen? Nope. Car in the driveway, facing the wrong way. Fine. I'll deal with it. Whatever. How much? $116.50? Tow-4-Less my ass. Turns out he's the same guy that brought my E28 M535i from Mesa where I bought it sans silindur head. So, no $1 bills either for a guy who charges a fee that requires a $1 and two quarters. Plater requires exact change. Great. Now I have to go to the bank.

No photos, but I moved the Alpina to the edge of the driveway, pulled the 533 on the street, moved the M535i out of the garage, around the Alpina and pushed the Alpina into the garage backwards. Moved the other cars in and closed the door. I had errands to run.



Came home and since this update would suck with just three photos, I took these:













I need to take some of the car in the sun. I hadn't seen it in the sun until today and all I can say is it's stunning. Sure, it's not a $20k job, but it looks damn good so far. Mike had the car since November 7th, but not much was done until December, really. I was happy to be down a car. Now I've got eight here.

As I have time to work on it, I'll post more updates. I've already put a couple of little pieces on (the trunk lock and the rubber bumper for the fuel door). Hope to get the fuel tanks in soon and be able to fire it up again. I need to turn it around. I've got a huge order coming of all the parts that are required to install all the parts I've got. My focus with these was to buy all the big stuff I could afford to buy before it went NLA or at least while I could get it here in the US.

[ldsbeaker]

Woohoo! (?)

[ElGuappo]

Very cool Chris!
Super excited for you.
Cant wait to see the finished product....someday.

[Ted in T.O.]

Boy do I want to slap that BMW badge on the BOOT soo bad.