in Bodyshop...waiting. Should I cut bait and run?

[d9103365]

So I set an appointment with a local body shop to bring my car in to start painting it. The car needs minor finishing on the quarter panels and I already detrimmed 90 percent of it. I setup the appointment 10 days in advance to bring it in. This was a few weeks after they did a thorough estimate for me. Its been at the shop a week now and hasn't been touched.

Is this an omen of bad things to come or should I give more time? he originally told me it would be a 2-3 week job. Just wondering if I should go get it and take it somewhere else before anything bad happens.

 

[flypaper]

that is a tough call
that could be good or bad.
i would tell you to follow your gut...

 

[wsutard]

I would speak with the owner, in person and then make a judgement based on that.

 

[toolmanmike]

A 2 or 3 wheek job if they work on it steady which they won't. My 66 is in the shop. Free storage as long as they don't charge me for it. Lol
I wouldn'tget too excited. To the owner it's just a paying job. The body techs probably aren't excited to work on it. They can make more money on deer hits.

 

[1967coronet]

Depends, Is the shop a body shop or restoration shop ? If its a body shop the insurance work that comes in the door is going to the top of the list, that's the bread and butter and they don't want to PO the insurance companies that route work their way.
You can get 2 weeks behind in one good day lol.
I wouldn't get to worried at a week of setting, and {minor finishing} covers a lot of ground.
If its a busy, clean, established shop I wouldn't get to worried yet.

 

[MarPar]

a week? grace period.

after like 2-3, then I would get ornery...

 

[d9103365]

A 2 or 3 wheek job if they work on it steady which they won't. My 66 is in the shop. Free storage as long as they don't charge me for it. Lol
I wouldn'tget too excited. To the owner it's just a paying job. The body techs probably aren't excited to work on it. They can make more money on deer hits.

View attachment 493577

thanks....makes sense. They got mine sitting outside in the yard though...and I usually garage it.

 

[MarPar]

thanks....makes sense. They got mine sitting outside in the yard though...and I usually garage it.

is she leak-proof at present?

 

[d9103365]

Depends, Is the shop a body shop or restoration shop ? If its a body shop the insurance work that comes in the door is going to the top of the list, that's the bread and butter and they don't want to PO the insurance companies that route work their way.
You can get 2 weeks behind in one good day lol.
I wouldn't get to worried at a week of setting, and {minor finishing} covers a lot of ground.
If its a busy, clean, established shop I wouldn't get to worried yet.

It is a body shop...one of the few in the area that is well known for painting old cars like this.

 

[d9103365]

is she leak-proof at present?

It will leak around the side windows in a car wash..and I've seen a little water in the trunk after a heavy rain. I took the vinyl top off and most of the trim around the roof, doors, and windows. I have not observed significant leaking but again i do keep it garaged, so I'm not sure. We are getting tons of rain around here.

 

[MarPar]

It will leak around the side windows in a car wash..and I've seen a little water in the trunk after a heavy rain. I took the vinyl top off and most of the trim around the roof, doors, and windows. I have not observed significant leaking but again i do keep it garaged, so I'm not sure. We are getting tons of rain around here.

does she have some sort of cover? rain sucks to have to clean off of paint.

 

[slimt]

what would be the rush... you have takin it in.. let them finish what they have on the go.. I bet your car will be there a month... if not longer.. depends whats left..

My fear is they wait till the last moment.. then bang it through I hope you took pictures prior to sending it there.. also... that thourough estimate is just that.. a estimate.. it can be risen to a point.. make sure they contact you with any adjustments in the quote prior to extra work..

Ive seen it all to often in the trade.. where expectations are all over the place..

Im a body/painter tech.. have been for 45 years.. seen a lot of things and behaviors over the years..

 

[MFP]

For what it's worth ... if the body shop is good and produces a consistent high standard of work / finish and ( I'm assuming you have checked their end results prior to booking your car in for work ) then I would wait .. but , I would be gently nudging them with a few well timed " how's it going? Do you need any cash ATM ?" Phone calls ...

 

[aeon280]

I just went through this similar situation. I sent my car to a guy i use for a lot of flip cars and he said 2 weeks but 2 months later my car was done. In my situation he communicated with me the delays. Mainly as others mentioned, insurance work took precedent. Also when they get used to working on civics and camary,s they forget the time it takes to sand these big body cars with real paint. Basically if they communicate with you and your happy keep it there. if they keep stone walling move on. Its hard to find good body shops these days for classic cars. That,s why the guys who deal exclusively with them charge 20Gs for a paint job.

 

[eldubb440]

his first mistake was telling you its a 2-3 week job

 

[eldubb440]

if I had to deal with body shops, I'd be out of the hobby........... but 1 week? you need to scale back your expectations

prep, paint, buff and cleanup is worth 100 hours, after getting it into shape....... how much was the estimate? any up front money?

doors, fenders, hood, and decklid being removed? jambs and backsides being painted?

the answers to these questions would help answer your question

 

[Bruzilla]

I've been down this road, and it is an ugly one.

First thing is, what did you get in writing? Did they say 2-3 weeks in a written work agreement or work order? If they did I would absolutely hold them to the letter of that agreement. If all you have is a verbal understanding, you better start keeping a log of every contact you have with the shop. Date, time, location, contact method, and details of the discussion. Make sure any agreements you make via voice are backed up with a written statement., and if the guy won't give you one, get your car out of there.

Also, if you have a smart phone with a recording ap on it, record your conversations. Make sure on the first one you say "Do you mind if I record this conversation?" so you can prove he knew he was being recorded. That was a major point in a case I brought against a shop owner here in FL. The State's Attorney told me recordings weren't admissible, and I said they were if I can prove he knew he was being recorded and I was able to do that.

As has been mentioned, shop owners will put other jobs ahead of yours if they can get a better return from their time, and unless you seriously hold their feet to the fire, and make them honor their agreements, your car could be in there for years.

 

[d9103365]

Update: So its been in the shop two weeks now, and from what I can tell from my clandestine drive bys the car is still sitting in the yard untouched. I called with a friendly "how's it going" call yesterday and he immediately got defensive, and stated that they tried to get the bumpers off and the bolts were seized. He said he would have to cut them off with a torch and would get to that on Monday.

Should that really be necessary? My car is in pretty good shape for its age. This guy has an excellent reputation locally and has done lots of old cars, but everytime I talk to him he keeps saying he's going to break this or bust that. "oh, we might bust your windshield", "oh, we might foul the plugs in your car because we only move it 20 feet at a time". "we might break the bumper filler pieces when we take it off". He even complained that he would have to charge me to remove the glue residue on the roof from where the vinyl top used to be ( I removed the top myself and asked for the roof to be painted).

What do you think? I'm seriously considering yanking my car out of there before he does any damage. I'm not really worried about the time, or the fact that he hasn't touched it in two weeks...but his attitude concerns me. Could just be his personality...should I be inferring something from the kinds of statements he's making? Is he trying to set me up or just being thorough? Is this a body shop behavior that is a red flag or just business as usual?

 

[slimt]

Update: So its been in the shop two weeks now, and from what I can tell from my clandestine drive bys the car is still sitting in the yard untouched. I called with a friendly "how's it going" call yesterday and he immediately got defensive, and stated that they tried to get the bumpers off and the bolts were seized. He said he would have to cut them off with a torch and would get to that on Monday.

Should that really be necessary? My car is in pretty good shape for its age. This guy has an excellent reputation locally and has done lots of old cars, but everytime I talk to him he keeps saying he's going to break this or bust that. "oh, we might bust your windshield", "oh, we might foul the plugs in your car because we only move it 20 feet at a time". "we might break the bumper filler pieces when we take it off". He even complained that he would have to charge me to remove the glue residue on the roof from where the vinyl top used to be ( I removed the top myself and asked for the roof to be painted).

What do you think? I'm seriously considering yanking my car out of there before he does any damage. I'm not really worried about the time, or the fact that he hasn't touched it in two weeks...but his attitude concerns me. Could just be his personality...should I be inferring something from the kinds of statements he's making? Is he trying to set me up or just being thorough? Is this a body shop behavior that is a red flag or just business as usual?

Ya some are real charmers. I know a few up here. Not good people friendly guys. I wouldnt give them any buz. If yhere not up on there good game. Truth be known most of those resto shop shows on tv are pretty much what there like up here. The sad part about restos. They sit on the back burner till everything else is completed. If hes giving you atitude now. Just wait. Im sure he has more.

 

[oldbee]

I had my rt rear fender fixed last year, big dent to the rear of marker light right at all the curves/bends on a 68. My guy said 2 & ended up 3weeks. He's only a 2bay garage so he had to have it inside and get it done or insurance type work would've been a pain. He had 2 bumper bolts strip off coming apart so it's not exactly uncommon. If it was me, 1 more week to see some progress; if your door handles are off you definitely have water getting in!(also mirror holes)