[Harleyx2]

That is an excellent idea, Why didn't i think of that?

Just be aware ahead of time some shops wont touch it if you prep it yourself. Our shop warranties the work for as long as you own the vehicle and we cant take a chance of improper prep work being a problem we have to redo for free.

[kevin2502000]

That is an excellent idea, Why didn't i think of that?

+2

[Mojoe]

Just be aware ahead of time some shops wont touch it if you prep it yourself. Our shop warranties the work for as long as you own the vehicle and we cant take a chance of improper prep work being a problem we have to redo for free.

your shop would be the kind of shop I avoid. whenever I needed a paint shop, and someone gave me a bunch of talk about warranty and crap, I would tell them straight up that I wasn't looking for a warranty, but only someone who can spray paint. then I ask to speak to the guy who is likely to be the one to spray it, all while seeming to be a potential customer. my excuse is that I am really really fussy and like to talk to the person who will be working on my shit.

why would I ask to speak to the guy who will be spraying? for the same reason I ask to speak any "employee" in a place of business like that. to see if they do work on the side at home. I took my boat to the local marina just one, for an oil change. it gave me a chance to speak to the mechanic. now if I need a marine mechanic, I have his home number, and he will only charge me $25/hr instead of the $65/hr that the marina charges. if you do a little searching, you can find painters the same way.

[rexazz2]

Just be aware ahead of time some shops wont touch it if you prep it yourself. Our shop warranties the work for as long as you own the vehicle and we cant take a chance of improper prep work being a problem we have to redo for free.

your shop would be the kind of shop I avoid. whenever I needed a paint shop, and someone gave me a bunch of talk about warranty and crap, I would tell them straight up that I wasn't looking for a warranty, but only someone who can spray paint. then I ask to speak to the guy who is likely to be the one to spray it, all while seeming to be a potential customer. my excuse is that I am really really fussy and like to talk to the person who will be working on my shit.

why would I ask to speak to the guy who will be spraying? for the same reason I ask to speak any "employee" in a place of business like that. to see if they do work on the side at home. I took my boat to the local marina just one, for an oil change. it gave me a chance to speak to the mechanic. now if I need a marine mechanic, I have his home number, and he will only charge me $25/hr instead of the $65/hr that the marina charges. if you do a little searching, you can find painters the same way.

I had a rust bubble repaired on my trunk lid
The work was payed for by Krown rust proofing under their warranty
Krown was sure to tell me that the spot repair was now the body shops to warranty
My car is 12 years old and with yearly application since new that is the only rust spot to ever appear
The underside looks like a car that is only a year or two old

[PhoenixZip]

it gave me a chance to speak to the mechanic. now if I need a marine mechanic, I have his home number, and he will only charge me $25/hr instead of the $65/hr that the marina charges. if you do a little searching, you can find painters the same way.

Crafty, I like that thinking and might have to take a stroll across the street to the auto shop and test this theory later

[Harleyx2]

Every body shop in America that does any insurance work is required to warranty the work. Our dealership is so busy I doubt a technician has time to talk to someone that wants a cheap paint job.

[arsenic]

Every body shop in America that does any insurance work is required to warranty the work. Our dealership is so busy I doubt a technician has time to talk to someone that wants a cheap paint job.

Body guys are called technicians now? I must have missed that meeting. Don't get me wrong, body work is an art all in itself. I sure can't / won't do it. We just never called them "technicians".

[superbike]

Anyone remember this guy?

In the 1950s, Earl Scheib expanded his company with locations across the nation and started a national ad campaign. Earl wrote the commercials and became the company spokesman. He became famous for his slogan, "I'm Earl Scheib, and I'll paint any car, any color for $29.95. No ups, no extras." This campaign and slogan was maintained until Earl died. However, the price was slowly increased over the years.

[Harleyx2]

Body repair technician is what they call it now. Lol. I didn't choose the tittle but most body guys make 80 to 120k a year.

[boomer_95]

Body repair technician is what they call it now. Lol. I didn't choose the tittle but most body guys make 80 to 120k a year.

........ sooo this will be the 5th time today that i have said "i'm in the wrong fuckin trade!".. but then again paint and I have never gotten along very well

[T McCall]

Anyone remember this guy?

In the 1950s, Earl Scheib expanded his company with locations across the nation and started a national ad campaign. Earl wrote the commercials and became the company spokesman. He became famous for his slogan, "I'm Earl Scheib, and I'll paint any car, any color for $29.95. No ups, no extras." This campaign and slogan was maintained until Earl died. However, the price was slowly increased over the years.

I remember Earl! Yesterday's maaco.
Us older fellas in the paint business still use the word "earl" to jack with each other.

[Mojoe]

Every body shop in America that does any insurance work is required to warranty the work. Our dealership is so busy I doubt a technician has time to talk to someone that wants a cheap paint job.

I am afraid I have to disagree with you, or at least partially, simply because you make it sound like they CAN NOT do any body work unless they warranty the work.

Yes, if it is an insurance job, they do have to warranty the work. that goes without saying or they would be blacklisted by the insurance companies.

However, not every body shop does just insurance claims. you basically have two kinds of body shops. you have the big multi-bay shops that have a half a dozen or more cars in the shop at any one time, mostly being insurance claims because they have "agreements" with insurance companies. then you have the small shops that would be lucky to squeeze 3 vehicles in a garage. and some even smaller, like my dad's business was before he retired. for as long as I remember, he ran a "one vehicle at a time" business. his clients ranged from members of car clubs (for a few years he was the "go to" guy for a big Jaguar club in the Greater Montreal area), to the average Joe who just wanted his old beater car looking "better" than the rust bucket it was. and my dad being the "fair" guy that he was, often left you with a few bucks in your pocket after the work was done, if it was an insurance job.

and that is why some of these companies only do insurance work, because the insurance companies pay out TOO MUCH. my dad has had the insurance companies contact him after giving a quote, and tell him that the quote wasn't high enough, so requested he submit another quote that was higher. often it was at least $500-1000 more than his original quote, so he would cut the customer a check after the job was done....which was anywhere from 40-60% over what his original quote was.

anyway, if you are looking for a body shop that will do small jobs, like spraying your bike after you do the prep work, but can't seem to find any or are under the assumption that they only do insurance work and have to warranty their work, then you are looking in the wrong places and/or listening to the wrong people. you can't just pick up the yellow pages because they are mostly full of "big business" shops. there are many many small shops out there, like my dad's, who run solely off of "word of mouth". my dad ran his shop for like 35-40 years with ZERO advertising. it was strictly word of mouth and repeat customers.

the best place to find these kind of shop is at your paint and autobody supply stores. most of these guys, like my dad, are loyal to their suppliers, and vice versa. if you walked into the supply store my dad bought his supplies from and asked where you could get a nice new coat of paint on your car without breaking the bank, there is a good chance he would have given you my dad's contact information.

anyway...that's it. I think some of you guys are "generalizing" the trade a bit too much. probably because all you are seeing of it is "big business" shops. but the fact is, there is a whole lot of "underground" shops out there. I don't know what else to call them really....you know...the ones that aren't "mainstream". you just need to ask the right people in order to find them. the yellow pages and tv commercials are for the chumps who want to get raped financially, or don't care because the insurance is covering it.

as for body men being called "technicians".....no offense, but I find that kind of funny. imho, there are no real body men these days, or very few. in most cases, if they can't just change the part for a new one, then they are fucked and can't do shit. take your old pick-up truck to any of these big shops looking like this, and they will try to sell you the whole panel which is cheap flimsy tin, and soak you a fortune. that is if they will even look at it at all because they consider it a "waste of time", which to me translate to "umm, I can't do that because I have no skill". take it to an "ol' skool" guy like my dad, and he will hammer you out a panel patch in 16 gauge that will outlast the rest of your truck....and it will probably cost you half of what a big shop will charge. and for sure he isn't the only guy out there doing this. you just need to look for them. the problem is that most are retired or dead now, and the "technicians" are taking over. body men have become like the cars they fix....cheap! I don't mean that as an insult...it's just the way it is. they don't teach how to band and shape metal today, they teach you how to remove and replace with a cheap piece of tin. today it's all about "get it done quick and take the money and run". there is very little room for "pride" in the business today.

[Harleyx2]

You are correct its the insurance companies that want us to warranty our work but we actually warranty all our work. As far as body men today not haveing any skill I have to disagree. Cars inner structures now are High strenghth steel and cant just be sectioned in. You have to replace the entire component at a factory seem. Any one in the industry that has any I Car training knows this. Also knowing how to diagnose airbag problems and using a computerized measuring system takes alot of time and training.
Body men today have to also know how to weld aluminum that most older cars didnt have. I started out a long time ago and grew up in a body shop and I have and know how to work lead and all the old fashion techniics. I think cars today are harder to work on as far as metal work. Like I said you cant just section any panel and alot of them are aluminum. The cheap thin metal alot of fenders and things are made out of makes them alot harder to hammer out and repair because they wont hold there shape.
As far as other repairs we are slaves to the insurance companies these days. They dictate the way we repair cars and what certifications we must have and what type of parts we use. Also they dictate our labor rate. It sux ass that an insurance company can tell a million dollar body shop or any dollar shop what rate they will pay you.
Mojoe is correct though. There are always guys out there that will do you a nice job on the side. Some of them are really good at what they do.

[Mojoe]

yes...you are right, the cars are different today. my dad actually says he is glad to be retired because working with the thin sheet metal they have today is a nightmare.

and I should have stated my thoughts a little differently. I didn't mean for it to sound that there are no "good" body men" today. there are....those with a natural talent. or even those who can develop that talent while learning. I am pretty sure it is the same today as when I was in school. I grew with, and took courses in autobody, mechanics, welding and machine shop. most of it just came naturally because that is what my family does....one or more of the 4 trades I just listed, so like you, Harley, I grew up around all that. so if you took a course in any of those trades, you know what I am talking about when I say that only one out of 5...maybe even 10, have the "natural ability" to actually understand what they are doing. the rest...well, I like to call the "textbook tradesmen". they can do anything they have to to get the job done, as long as it is exactly how they were taught...or as I like say, programmed. as soon as they step out the box, they are lost. those who can step outside the box...they are the naturals.

but ya....if you look, you can find someone who will spray your parts for you. I just found one 6 months ago or so. my xterra needs new rocker panels and a few rust spots fixed up, so I am going to tackle that this spring. normally I would just use my dad's garage to do my painting, but since he retired he always has some project going on in his garage, plus it is almost 2 hours away. so, I went shopping around for someone to paint my truck. I found a place that is quite big. when I stopped in I had to go in the back to speak to the boss. they had at least 15 cars in there that they were working on. the boss even showed me a few that were waiting for the customer to pick up.....they do nice work. anyway, all I have to do is do my bodywork and prep, and they will spray it for $750, including paint. it actually works out to about $400 or so because I am sure there is at least $350 in paint, reducer, clear, hardener..etc, etc.

so ya...they are out there if you look around. If I can get my truck done for $750, there should be no reason why someone can't find a place to do a bike for $250-300, which is still quite reasonable for a professional paintjob.