HOw to tell a body shop you want PERFECT results?

R

RCK

New member
My car went in for paint today ( I hit a woodchuck). Anyway, the shop I took it to paints lots of cars but mainly does Ferrari's, Mercedes, BMW's etc. It's my nature to say " do a good job" but I don't want to insult him as he regards himself as an artist. Should I just keep my yapper shut otr is there a way to approach it gently yet still get my point across?



I am a bit concerned as my car is millenium yellow which is a 3 coat process and apparently very difficult to match.



Thanks,

Joe
 
The new version of the ebook covers exactly what you need to know. If you have not bought it yet, now is a great time to try it out! :up
 
Just tell him you really like your car and you need the paint to be perfect. You can be a nice guy while telling him your going to be a huge ball buster and refuse payment if the car is not painted correctly.



ONE MORE THING, put the spare tire on the car when it get's painted, better than seeing your car on the road as the guy painting it takes it back and forth to work. Alot of those bozo's DO borrow cars. I just slap on the spare to prevent this.
 
.. or take the license plates off while he has it. Several modded Z06 owners do that at the local GM dealership so the mechanics don't "road test" their cars.



Good luck with the whole ordeal!
 
Pascal, they can always slap on a dealer plate... I was just using the spare tire for example because it's more of a paint to demount the spare and remount a full size tire, not to mention where they would find one laying around in the dealership.



I was also stopping by every other day to check on my car so I think that may of held them off ;)
 
do what I do with a nice smile tell him your a perfectionest....its a nice way to say if it isn't perfect im not taking it!
 
" This is a huge investment, not as big as some cars you get, but it is big. I like to keep my investments looking perfect, and that's why I brought the car to you.."



Then check up all teh time. Atleast 1cec a day. Just show up for a little visit.
 
Let him know your expectations. Tell him/her that the reason you choose this shop to do work on your car was the fact that they do great work and are known to match the paint perfectly.

You will get more with honey than vinager. Do not cross the bad results topic at this point. That can be dealt with later if necessary. DO NOT threaten him with non-payment if not satisfied the results. You want him as a friend at this stage.

To prevent your car from being used as a shop car is as simple as having him write the mileage on the work order and get a copy( I need it for insurance and rental ). If he knows you know the mileage he will be more likely to use some other car in his shop. Not need to mount spare or remove plates.

The bottom line is if you do not trust this shop find another. This is your baby. You would not just have a strange physician take care of your child/wife/mother/father unless it was an emergency. This is not an emergency.

You would look for the best and state your concerns. This is your figurative child and he is the paint physician...nicely states your concerns. :xyxthumbs
 
I've been lucky with my dealings with a local bodyshop. They've always done excellent work. I always bring them a clean car. I always remove my hubcaps on my steels or put on my steels if my alloys are on. If you take in a clean car, they get the picture.



I always ask what areas are going to be masked, and make it clear that overspray is a bad thing. This body shop uses 'spray mask' to mask off the car. This is instead of paper and masking tape. They spray it on, and when they're done, they wash it off. It works VERY WELL. They spray it everywhere, wheels, wheelwells, glass, door jams, etc.



However, we recently got backed into in March of this year. We have a Satin Silver 2000 VW Golf which has a pearl effect in the paint. They painted the front fender 3 times before they got the paint to match, and it's still not perfect. The colour we have is like a chameleon as it changes colour with different light. So, we have a perfect body repair, with a very close colour match. As I'm a big fan of original paint, I refused him to blend into the hood and doors. It's OH WELL :bow



Good luck in your repair,

Harry.
 
Cruzmisl



How would you feel if you were going to detail someone's car and they say "be sure to do a good job..I want perfect results" ?



I am sure that you would feel insulted. If this shop is doing Ferrari's and other high end cars..they must be doing something right!



If you feel like you have to say something... an approach like "your shop was highly wreckamended" (pun intentional) is a good icebreaker.



I used to do detailing for a limo company part time. One of the drivers used to come up to me and say "be sure to do a good job...a clean limo means a big tip!"... for him, the cheap bastard.



I confronted him and told him that I thought that it was an insult to insinuate that I would not do a good job. I also told him I only answer to one person in the company...and that he wasn't the one! Eventually, he got promoted to a management position...the first thing he did was cut my hours... so I quit. There was justice...he got fired two weeks later for being incompetent!
 
Well, I went in there on Friday and told the guy I was in the neighborhood picking up a loaf of bread. (I really was). Anyway I told him about a brake duct that needed to be replaced. He said he had it ordered. I then asked if the yellow was tough to match, he said no problem, we'll take care of it. I told him how glad I was he was able to squeeze me in and when I get my car back I'd take care of him. That was it. I said I'll pick it up next week.



I don't want to insult anyone but I think he got the idea. I'll slip him a few huindred extra so he can go out to dinner if it's cherry which I have no reason to beleive otherwise. How is that approach? It was a very casual conversation.



Joe
 
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