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algrajek

Well Known Member
Has anyone here dealt with Loehle Aircraft Painting in Tulahoma Tn?
They are the ones that had the series of articles on Painting in the KitPlanes Magazine.
I brought my newly completed RV8 to them on Januray 28th and they STILL have it. It has been one excuse after another. After trying to get in touch with them numerous times, I finally got someone in March and was told the Airplane in front of mine had some problems, then it was the weather, then this, then that!
Well, it will be FOUR MONTHS in 2 weeks, and still no airplane!!!
My question is:
Do I have any legal recourse? I guess I HAVE to pay them when it is finally done, but they dont HAVE to agree to a discount etc. And I feel like they have my airplane hostage.
What would any of you do at this point, beside steer everyone away from them?:confused::mad:
Thanks
Nordo
 
Is it to late to start again?

If they haven't started on it yet then go and get it back. An start fresh with someone else.
 
Unfortunately there are many reports in the archives regarding poor service from these folks.
 
Dooh!
Why didn't I check that first!?
Unfortunately they HAVE started(finally), and it is in process, so kind of hard to get it now!
Nordo
 
Yep, check the archives. I didn't get mine painted, but had to have my Visa card people withhold payment for an order of smoothprime (which I never got). I would NEVER deal with these folks again - there are too many good vendors that deserve my business.

greg
 
Sorry

Sorry to hear of your troubles.
I was wondering if anyone had long term experience with their paint purchased and DIY. Seems their primers make it easier to see flaws when sanding and the article in Kitplanes showed some very nice results. Supposedly they have planes they painted years ago that look like new. Any feedback on this?
Can a buddy fly you there to check on the facts of your project?
Good luck!!
 
Al,
Not to ask or state the obvious, but I take it that there is no contract with this shop? I have never had an aircraft painted, but with others (house, car, etc.) I have demanded a completion date in the agreement. Barring that, I would give the owner a brief of the consequences of not making this right.
As others have suggested, it is time for a trip to TN to visit this shop. You need to see that your plane is indeed "in progress", and get an estimate for completion. While there, you need to have a frank conversation with the owner about the level of your displeasure. I would start with the following:

1. Median time to required to do the job. Sure there are always contingencies, but their conduct is not good and accepted practice.
2. Let them know that you are a member of VAF, and that there are at least 2000(?) members who have and will continue to read your saga. Stress to him that there will be many builders in need of paint, and that he has an opportunity to make this right and be the "good guy" in your future report . If he chooses not to work with you, you can pass this information to this forum and any others that you may belong to.
3. Threaten a complaint with the BBB. It is a bother, but well worth following up on if you don't get satisfaction.
4. If he was written up in Kit Planes, I would send a letter to the editor with your experience.

If your plane is still sitting, I would grab it and get it out of there. My hunch is that they disassembled it ASAP, and then left it sit. I am sure that all you really want is to get your plane painted and be done. Your course of action also depends on how much up-front payment you made.
My concern for you is that this seems to be a low rent shop, and your plane may suffer for it. I would certainly be there to oversee it's reassembly.
Good Luck!

PS: Looks like a pretty good sized shop. http://www.loehle.com/ I notice that they state that they specialize in RV's. Apparently, not so much!
 
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algrajek said:
Do I have any legal recourse?
Click to expand...

What was your original agreement with them? You DID get something in writing I assume?

A good contract contains a description of the service to be performed, the compensation terms, and a schedule for completion. If they are not meeting the terms of the contract, then you have legal recourse. If any of the three contract elements are not described in the contract, then you may have problems enforcing what are at this point only your expectations rather than their contractual obligations.

Not an attorney, but I do watch The Peoples Court frequently : )

Short of legal action, I suggest an unannounced site visit during business hours followed by a sit down with the owner

erich
 
We did sign an "agreement". not a "contract". My attorney says there is a difference. In the agreement, it states Approximately 4 weeks. When i dropped it off there was a RV7 in front of mine that they said was one week from being done, so I figured ,with that in mind I would be happy with 6 - 8 weeks. But here we are. I DID also give them $5000 up front. They are not cheap. I figured You get what you pay for so I didn't mind paying a bit more.
I plan on flying down Friday to "see for myself" where we are.I do plan on contacting KitPlanes also.
Thanks to everyone for your support.
Nordo
 
Well no expert here but I am painting my plane parts as I go, and the weather excuse thing is a myth. One of my best paint sessions was during rain.
 
WOW!!!.......Four months to paint a RV8! Average time for me to paint one is 4 weeks and I usually work on two at a time. RV's are really easy to work on. Thinking of taking that long blows my mind.
 
4 Weeks

Another data point, my '8' took 30 days from disassembly to launching for Oshkosh. Four weeks and a couple of days for flying and a little tweaking. Might have been faster if I hadn't "helped". :rolleyes:

John Clark ATP, CFI
FAA FAAST Team Member
EAA Flight Advisor
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
flyingriki said:
Sorry to hear of your troubles.
I was wondering if anyone had long term experience with their paint purchased and DIY. Seems their primers make it easier to see flaws when sanding and the article in Kitplanes showed some very nice results. Supposedly they have planes they painted years ago that look like new. Any feedback on this?
Can a buddy fly you there to check on the facts of your project?
Good luck!!
Click to expand...

I used the Loehle paint system on the painted portions of my plane -- fiberglass, bottom, rudder, elevator. That was two years ago. It's holding up very well and still looks great. I really liked the primer (I used black). When you spray it on, it is glossy. After sanding, it turns dark grey making it very easy to see flaws. I used the Wonderfil pinhole filler as well. It helped but I still had to spend a lot of time filling and sanding. I don't think a "silver bullet" for pinholes exists. At the time I had no trouble dealing with the company -- put in my order and received the product right away like every other RV vendor I dealt with.
 
OOPS!!!

algrajek said:
...
I plan on flying down Friday to "see for myself" where we are...
Click to expand...

Nordo, you probably just told them when you'll be there. Don't you think there's the slightest possibility they may be reading this thread? I suggest you go another day and not tell them. The sooner the better. But that's just my opinion and advice and may be worth only what you paid for it. :)

I really do hope you get a good paint job for your RV at a reasonable price. And I do appreciate your willingness to share your experience with the rest of us. I had assumed, apparently incorrectly, that Loehle was a reputable business as they have been supplying aircraft kits and components for many years. Surely they have been doing something right. Perhaps the painting division is a separate operation from the kit division of the company.
 
Just a fond memory. I purchased a beautiful J3 Cub on the south side of Atlanta. The owner related how the first person that was involved in the restoration had possession of the Cub for about 10 years and never finished it. He went down near Macon, GA and retrieved the Cub on a trailer. He then took it to a well known recover and restoration expert at Griffin.

As the first person was owned some money for his work the owner decided that he would dictate the payment plan which he faithfully completed. He paid the debt back over the same period as the restorer had chosen to take. After 10 years he was fully paid, without any interest of course. Not much he could say or do since he had not fulfilled his side of the deal. :)
 
Loehle?

Have you been able to visit the Loehle's?
Are they flooded?
Emails bounce back, the phones are not answered and the message machine is full.
Waiting for paint.
 
There is a nice stream running through their place between Tullahoma and Shelbyville but I'd guess the paint shop is at Northern Field. If it's flooded there, they have bigger problems. And so does my Mother just off the end of 18. Katie B lives in Shelbyville, maybe she's heard something. I'll be there myself in a couple of days and ask around but you'll probabily have an answer by then.
 
Got my Plane Back!

OK:
I picked up the plane yesterday from Loehle, and I must say, It is just Beautiful!!
I will post some pics later today. After waiting so long I must say it was worth the wait. The paint job is just PERFECT. I can see why they take so long. Mike is a perfectionist. He was literally wiping dust off the plane as I taxied away!!
He really did a great job on the fiberglass and everything.
I think they just need to communicate better with their customers. They run a family business and are just covered up sometimes. VERY nice people, and they did a great job, so I can recommend them, as long as you get an Idea as to how long they may take at the beginning.
Thanks to all for your comments.
Nordo
 
algrajek said:
OK:
I picked up the plane yesterday from Loehle, and I must say, It is just Beautiful!!
I will post some pics later today. After waiting so long I must say it was worth the wait. The paint job is just PERFECT. I can see why they take so long. Mike is a perfectionist. He was literally wiping dust off the plane as I taxied away!!
He really did a great job on the fiberglass and everything.
I think they just need to communicate better with their customers. They run a family business and are just covered up sometimes. VERY nice people, and they did a great job, so I can recommend them, as long as you get an Idea as to how long they may take at the beginning.
Thanks to all for your comments.
Nordo
Click to expand...

Pictures?
We'd love to see it!
 
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