Body work...things to be aware of

[daneel]

I read the bodyshop article but had a couple of questions for some work that I might need done.

The other day, someone backed into my 6 month old car. The licence plate frame took most of the damage, but the dented plate caused a dent in the bumper behind it.

The insurance estimate states that the dent can be worked out without replacing the whole bumper, but the bumper would have to be refinished and they would probably respray the whole thing.

Questions:

1. What things should I be aware of/insist upon, when meeting with the body shop people? The body shop article mentioned insisting on examining the surface before it is painted. Anything else beyond that?

2. Should I insist that the bumper be sprayed before being installed back on the car to avoid overspray etc?

3. I figure that examining the gaps to ensure the part has been reinstalled properly is important; are there other things like that that I should look for?

Thanks guys!

[gigondaz]

Besides being a professional detailer, I run my own professional spray shop as well, and would like to help you out.

1. The bumper should be removed from the car for any repairs and re-spray.
2. For a good, honest, professional job, pls allocate avg 2 days.
3. The first layer to sprayed must be the primer. This will also cover up the filler/putty
used. If the re-sprayer does not spray any primer...walk away cos the paint will
peel/crack/delaminate later when it's chipped by stones.
4. A top class bumper spray job will also involve the usage of "flex agents" in the
paint. This promotes elasticity of the paint, and helps prevent cracking as well as
increasing resistance from stone chips.
5. For optimum results, bumper shd be properly sanded after re-spray (to remove
orange peel and other problems) and then compounded for a nice gloss. You can
detail your own later to remove any swirl marks. These are most obvious at night
when xenon lights shine on your bumper.

[Flashtime]

I own a small body shop and this repair sounds standard. First, choose a shop
on your own. Don't let the insurer steer you to their "choice" shop. Get referrals.
Second, ask for a written warranty.

Questions:

1. What things should I be aware of/insist upon, when meeting with the body shop people? The body shop article mentioned insisting on examining the surface before it is painted. Anything else beyond that?

A: I don't recommend that all. It's a waste of time for both. You must allow
a certain amount of trust. Asking to inspect each phase of the job is ridiculous.
And if you feel the need to make inspections then you should not have chosen
the particular shop in the first place... That article is terrible.

2. Should I insist that the bumper be sprayed before being installed back on the car to avoid overspray etc?

A: This should be part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for any decent
shop. Again, get referrals.

3. I figure that examining the gaps to ensure the part has been reinstalled properly is important; are there other things like that that I should look for?

A: It's not so much about the job itself but the people you deal with. When arriving
at the shop, trust your instincts and look around for other jobs going on.

There's quite a lot to look for and much to explain. Each shop is different in what
materials they use but there are industry accepted standards. Getting a warranty
in writing general means that they have to repair it correctly as redos for any
shop is a lost in profit not only your car but also delays other jobs.

If you have further questions, join either of these sites and ask away:

Autobody News
Auto body and car paint tips, techniques, and information

I'm a member of both and there are plenty of pros to help out.

[violentveedub]

Take the cash and live with the damage... Body work never turns out well.

[wagonproject]

Originally Posted by gigondaz

Besides being a professional detailer, I run my own professional spray shop as well, and would like to help you out.

1. The bumper should be removed from the car for any repairs and re-spray.
2. For a good, honest, professional job, pls allocate avg 2 days.
3. The first layer to sprayed must be the primer. This will also cover up the filler/putty
used. If the re-sprayer does not spray any primer...walk away cos the paint will
peel/crack/delaminate later when it's chipped by stones.
4. A top class bumper spray job will also involve the usage of "flex agents" in the
paint. This promotes elasticity of the paint, and helps prevent cracking as well as
increasing resistance from stone chips.
5. For optimum results, bumper shd be properly sanded after re-spray (to remove
orange peel and other problems) and then compounded for a nice gloss. You can
detail your own later to remove any swirl marks. These are most obvious at night
when xenon lights shine on your bumper.

The flex agent is only temporary.....it's used for installing flexible items on a vehicle....it has no lasting properties....


And you should ask to see previous work. I have customers all the time who ask. I keep a portfolio if you will of a lot of the work that comes from our shop. See if you can see a car they did. How clean is the shop? A lot of stuff people already stated.

And don't listen to the last person, body work turns out nice its from a reputable and good shop.

[daneel]

Thanks for the detailed replies everyone! Haven't been able to reply because of aa couple of crazy weeks at work. I've made my appointment but forgot to ask about the warranty. Will call and make sure.

[XRL]

When my car got rear-ended, I asked a few of the top line dealerships who they used (BMW, M-B, Lexus, etc.) Turned out they all used the same place, and that's where I got mine done. Turned out great.

[Flashtime]

If it's minor, i'd recommend living with it too. Flex additives are permanent depending on brand used. Also depending on clear, it may not be necessary.
Too much to go into, really...

[Black240SX]

My experience is that body shops make mistakes about 1 time in 3. Perhaps more.

It's nothing to get upset about, just be prepared for having to take your car back to get the repair redone.

[David Fermani]

Originally Posted by daneel

The other day, someone backed into my 6 month old car. The licence plate frame took most of the damage, but the dented plate caused a dent in the bumper behind it.

The insurance estimate states that the dent can be worked out without replacing the whole bumper, but the bumper would have to be refinished and they would probably respray the whole thing.

Questions:

1. What things should I be aware of/insist upon, when meeting with the body shop people? The body shop article mentioned insisting on examining the surface before it is painted. Anything else beyond that?

2. Should I insist that the bumper be sprayed before being installed back on the car to avoid overspray etc?

3. I figure that examining the gaps to ensure the part has been reinstalled properly is important; are there other things like that that I should look for?

Thanks guys!

Make sure the entire bumper is refinished. They'll most likely spray color to the damaged area and reclear the entire bumper(refinish color within panel). How many hours are they putting down for repair to the bumper cover? What kind of vehicle do you have? The only way to repair/refinish your bumper is off the car. If they tell you it will be done on the car, run away fast!!! Make sure the the repair is guaranteed for the life of your ownership of your vehicle. Make sure you test the repair area after it's completed by slightly pushing on the repair area. Depending on what bumper repair kit they use, it should be flexible/pliable. If not, it will end up failing,especially if it takes a slight bump again. If they can't guarantee it, they aren't returning your vehicle to pre-loss condition. Isyour insurance company paying for the damages or are you going through the other carrier? If you go to a shop other than 1 the insurance company recommends, they will not back you up if there's a problem. Make sure you take it to the best shop in town.

[daneel]

Originally Posted by David Fermani

Make sure the entire bumper is refinished. They'll most likely spray color to the damaged area and reclear the entire bumper(refinish color within panel). How many hours are they putting down for repair to the bumper cover? What kind of vehicle do you have? The only way to repair/refinish your bumper is off the car. If they tell you it will be done on the car, run away fast!!! Make sure the the repair is guaranteed for the life of your ownership of your vehicle. Make sure you test the repair area after it's completed by slightly pushing on the repair area. Depending on what bumper repair kit they use, it should be flexible/pliable. If not, it will end up failing,especially if it takes a slight bump again. If they can't guarantee it, they aren't returning your vehicle to pre-loss condition. Isyour insurance company paying for the damages or are you going through the other carrier? If you go to a shop other than 1 the insurance company recommends, they will not back you up if there's a problem. Make sure you take it to the best shop in town.

I'm going through the other party's insurance company, but to a shop of my own choice. I'm tempted at this point to just take the money and not have it repaired. On the other hand, even a minor dent in the car, despite being behind the license plate, is bothering me, and I'd like it to be back to the pre-loss condition, for piece of mind. In terms of referals, the place I'm taking it to has pretty high marks from people I've spoken to, so I'm hoping everything goes OK. The main reason I want to get it repaired is that if there is damage behind the bumper, then I wouldnt even know unless the shop takes the bumper off: the insurance estimator wouldnt take the bumper off to look for damage behind it.

[daneel]

Originally Posted by David Fermani

Make sure the entire bumper is refinished. They'll most likely spray color to the damaged area and reclear the entire bumper(refinish color within panel).

Hmm, they said that they would do what you wrote here: they would spray color to the damaged area, and the panel it's on, and then reclear the whole bumper. I'm actually OK with that because the damaged area is behind the license plate, so I don't have to worry about the rest of the paint matching, since it will be the original color. Is that OK?