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  1. #1

    Default Questions to ask when getting estimate from body shop

    I’m thinking about having my car repainted. Earlier this spring I had the hood and trunk done, and now feel it’s time to finish the job. For those of you who have done this,what are some questions I should be prepared to ask when getting the estimate? Obviously I know to ask for a timeframe and price range. However, If I do this, I want it done correctly and don’t want to find things were omitted because I didn’t specifically ask for them to be done. Thanks in advance for the help.
    Last edited by Matt1986gt; 09-05-2018 at 10:46 AM.
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  2. #2
    FEP Power Member dagenham's Avatar
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    First find a shop that doesn't do insurance work as it's main bread and butter. Because all to often a job like you want done will become a "side" job when they are slow and the car may sit in the shop collecting dust for weeks or longer at a time between other jobs. It will probably cost more that way but it will be worth it.
    Ask about what they will remove and what they will mask off as far as trim etc. If you can, do as much disassembling as possible your self to save on labor. Though some shops may not worry about something like that.
    Im sure Trey will add lots more valuable insight for you.
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  3. #3
    FEP Senior Member flyin5-o's Avatar
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    I would say first off to be realistic in you expectations in regards to your budget. For example, if your budget is $4000 don't expect an absolutely perfect Riddler award winning type job. Ask specifically what they will remove. As dagenham said anything you remove trim wise will help in the labor aspect of it. Know your limits though, if you don't feel comfortable with the R&I of a part leave it for them to do. If it is the black car in your avitar expect about $1500-$2000(or more) in materials.
    Ask specifically what they will use for materials, primer,paint clear etc. Just for reference a gallon of PPG Deltron DBC is about $460 for 9700 black, clear is about $500/5qts whether it is DC 2021 or DC4000.
    Have them look over the car closely and figure out what the car needs in terms of bodywork, it WILL need some. Have them give you a detailed estimate and go over it with them so you understand what is exactly being done.

    I don't know what labor rates are in your area but here in Wisconsin body shop rates are about $55/hour for insurance work. so basically every 10 hours is $550. A good quality "driver" complete is going to run a minimum of 40-50 hours.

    I wouldn't necessarily stay away from a body shop that does insurance work as it's main, just make sure you get a realistic and definite time table from them.

    Bring the car when asked and in the agreed upon condition, don't show up with it unannounced a week early not having removed parts you said you where going to remove and then wonder why it's sitting outside not touched for that week. Most of all not 2 weeks late and expect to have it back in the same time previously agreed upon. Don't laugh or get mad at that last paragraph, you'd be surprised at the number of times that has happened to me.

    I'm sure I missed some stuff, good luck!

  4. #4
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Will they be going over top of existing finish or stripping it?

    how are they going to strip it - chemicals or 50 grit? What measures of care are taken to ensure damage is controlled?

    how do they do their prep? Over the old can be bad. Too many layers of build and kiss your lines good bye.

    How are they going to fix problem areas? Is it a bondo and expanding foam type of shop or a waterproof filler or a new panel type of shop?

    Stock style roof skins are still not available. Donor car and a craftsman with mad skills or a carbon fiber roof panel

    As prep goes up so does cost. Near perfection on the lines and how straight they get the car is $$$$$. $10K is a good idea of where it will start but the end result will scale in proportion to the prep work

  5. #5
    FEP Super Member JTurbo's Avatar
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    Also - do you want the {door / trunk} jambs / engine bay painted....
    1979 Indy Pace Car Mustang 302 / 5spd
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  6. #6
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Removing trim, windows, and bumpers or painting them on the car?

  7. #7
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    I think the posts above have touched on most of the points to consider. I will second that there is nothing wrong with a body shop that does insurance work as long as that is NOT their only work. Those type of shops do not have the available space, nor the time and desire to tackle a job such as what you are considering. Its not that they can't do it, just that it doesn't fit their business model.

    I will also warn against getting a cheaper price to use the project as fill in work. Bottom line that is Body Shop Jail and you will not get your car back in any timely manner and most likely will not get it back completed. Bottom line you are paying someone to do the work, either pay the prevailing cost for a quality job done in a timely manner, or don't. Unfortunately there are very few short cuts to a quality paint job that will last. So not only are you going to pay for generally a minimum of $1000 to more likely $1500 or so in material supplies for quality paint products. Add to that the shop rate and you can see how a paint job will generally start around $5000 at most shops. As you add additional labor for any repairs and major disassembly the cost can easily hit $10K and even more.

    As to your main point. Be specific and honest with your body shop. Don't expect a Riddler Show Winner paint job for $5K its not going to happen! If your black convertible is the car in question, understand that it shows EVERYTHING! So generally black and dark colors cost a bit more, because less than perfect body work will only be more visible with shiny black paint. My body work and prep is the same no matter what the color, but with black and dark colors you will still ALWAYS ending spending just a bit more time to make it "RIGHT" and that costs $$.

    I personally prefer to remove all possible items rather than mask because I hate masking and tape lines. If you are that type of person, then tell that to the body shop and discuss what is the best option, you doing removal and reassembly or them. The more you do, the lower the costs. Do you want bumpers pulled to make sure everything gets painted well and completely? Do you want the trim removed or sprayed in place? Do you want all the emblems etc removed or masked off?

    The other big questions will be paint type single stage urethane, enamel, or base coat/clear coat? Next will be the charcoal grey trim and accents. Do you want that sprayed with SEM trim paint, single stage, or base coat/clear coat with a flattened clear to match the original sheen of satin/matte? Do you want the car completely cut and buffed to a mirror finish or is an OEM type finish acceptable? Do you want the jambs, edges, etc. all sprayed too or just the exterior? Are you having the shop do any adjustments or fitting of the body work or is it acceptable as is? Do you need door hinge bushings?

    I am sure there is something I have missed, but that should get a good conversation going with the body shop and hopefully allow both of you to understand what is expected and what is acceptable. Best of Luck!
    Last edited by wraithracing; 09-06-2018 at 05:48 PM.
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

    Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
    Current Mustangs:
    1969 Mach 1
    1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
    1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
    1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
    1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently

    Current Capris:
    1981 Capri Roller
    1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
    1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
    1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
    1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts

  8. #8

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    I haven’t had a chance to check in the past few days, but thank you to all of you who responded. I’m waiting to hear back from the shop with answers to some questions. Yes, it’s going to be for the black car in the agitation. I had them paint the hood/stripe and deck lid previously. I was going to have a few other trim pieces around the cowl completed when I began to wonder if I’m the long run it would just be better to finish the car. Since the hood and trunk are already done, and I obviously don’t have a roof to
    wprry about. They wanted between $3500 and $4000 and then about $800 for the gray trim. They would need the car 3-4 weeks and would be using base coat/clear coat. I am waiting to hear back about things like door jambs, and exactly how they will be handling the prep work etc.. I’m hoping to have that information early next week.
    Previous:
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    Current:
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  9. #9
    FEP Senior Member flyin5-o's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by erratic50 View Post
    Will they be going over top of existing finish or stripping it?

    how are they going to strip it - chemicals or 50 grit? What measures of care are taken to ensure damage is controlled?

    how do they do their prep? Over the old can be bad. Too many layers of build and kiss your lines good bye.

    How are they going to fix problem areas? Is it a bondo and expanding foam type of shop or a waterproof filler or a new panel type of shop?
    Two points here I'd like to comment on. Yes if the old finish is damaged going over old CAN be bad but do not think that the car absolutely has to be stripped to get a quality job done. If the old paint is in generally good condition this is perfectly acceptable and can be used to your advantage in regards to small imperfections, i.e. you can use the existing finish to block some of them out. Also bondo is not an evil word, as long as used properly with proper metal work there is no need to be scared of having it on your car. Expanding foam however belongs on your house.

    Quote Originally Posted by wraithracing View Post
    .



    As to your main point. Be specific and honest with your body shop. Don't expect a Riddler Show Winner paint job for $5K its not going to happen! If your black convertible is the car in question, understand that it shows EVERYTHING! So generally black and dark colors cost a bit more, because less than perfect body work will only be more visible with shiny black paint. My body work and prep is the same no matter what the color, but with black and dark colors you will still ALWAYS ending spending just a bit more time to make it "RIGHT" and that costs $$.
    ^ This, people always think that black should be cheap, it is not, extra care needs to be taken above and beyond the "norm". I'm not saying that Trey or I would be negligent in our prep work but a nearly imperceptible imperfection that would disappear on a light or white car sticks out like a sore thumb on black.

    What paint line does the shop use? If it is PPG perhaps ask if they would have an issue using Shopline JB 9300 base and JC630 clear if it is available to them. (NOT OMNI!!!) While I normally do not recommend the use of Shopline base in the case of a straight non metallic black it matches and looks excellent at a little less than half the cost of DBC. I use it on all the Ford 9700 vehicles that I do. Even 2018 vehicles. JC630 is a very nice budget priced clear that gives excellent shine and is quite durable. I use it as my main "production " clear. Once again about half the cost of the Concept DC line.
    Last edited by flyin5-o; 09-08-2018 at 06:49 PM.

  10. #10

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    I finally got the numbers back last week. Looks like to do the job is going to be $10k. Definitely beyond my budget as I didn’t pay nearly that amount for the car itself. Just not crazy abou the fact that I received an initial quote of roughly $5k, which ballooned to the $10k after inspection, even though the shop had worked on the car previously and knew that this was something I was thinking about. Also, I’d have to likely wait until next fall to drop it off and it would need to stay there approximately 6 months. Sounds to me like thy just didn’t want the job.
    Previous:
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    86 GT
    93 GT Convertible

    Current:
    86 GT Convertible

  11. #11
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt1986gt View Post
    I finally got the numbers back last week. Looks like to do the job is going to be $10k. Definitely beyond my budget as I didn’t pay nearly that amount for the car itself. Just not crazy abou the fact that I received an initial quote of roughly $5k, which ballooned to the $10k after inspection, even though the shop had worked on the car previously and knew that this was something I was thinking about. Also, I’d have to likely wait until next fall to drop it off and it would need to stay there approximately 6 months. Sounds to me like thy just didn’t want the job.
    Unfortunately this is often the cases for many shops. Some will quote low to get you in the door and then upsell from there. Others may quote a low or reasonable price, but just can't/don't deliver on the quality or attention to detail you are wanting.

    I have no knowledge or experience with said body shop nor your vehicle, so the bid may be accurate and reasonable for the work involved. Unfortunately paint and body work is a labor intensive business and there are few short cuts, especially when restoring/repainting older vehicles. The other issue we run into quite often is the additional time and expenses that occur due to rust, corrosion, etc. even for the simple tasks such as removing fenders, doors, bumper covers, etc. Damaged hardware, rust, etc. can cause a job that should take 1 hour or less suddenly becomes 2 or 3. A shop can only absorb so much before having to pass that on to the customer. Not sure if any of this applies to your Fox, but I would assume being in PA you might have some minor issues at a minimum in this regard. Hope you can find a local shop that can take on your Fox, get you the paint job you are looking for, and at a price that is within your budge. Good Luck!
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

    Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
    Current Mustangs:
    1969 Mach 1
    1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
    1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
    1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
    1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently

    Current Capris:
    1981 Capri Roller
    1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
    1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
    1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
    1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts

  12. #12
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    Probably not the case here but if you requested details on how they are going to do prep work says to me you may be a very picky customer. That translates to being very hard to please and someone that will cause quite a fuss when things aren't the way they were imagined. That also translates to a higher price tag, because they are counting on customer issues/redos. I have seen good jobs picked to death because the customer wants a show job on a rattle can budget and when it did not meet their expectations, they raised hell even though they did not pay for a show job.
    Door jambs, trunk and under hood area are a pain to paint and look right unless doors/hoods, deck lid are removed, this will result in a lot more labor which equals more cost.
    I have also had a few jobs where a price was set for X amount of work and the customer keeps adding items during the body work process. There were upset when the price increased.
    I also hope you find a shop with an acceptable job in your budget.

  13. #13

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    Yes, I just like to know what my money is paying for, especially when it’s upwards of $5000. I won’t go into something blindly because disappointment will be inevitable. I have other work I was planning to have done anyway and this other estimate was a “what if” scenario so no harm done. I’ll get what I wanted done in the first place and enjoy the car once complete, and in the process save myself about $8500 as well
    Previous:
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    Current:
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  14. #14
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Paint job prices are so widely varried. It really just depends upon the disposition of the body man and the shop owner.... Good work isn’t cheap and cheap work isn’t good.

    Ive seen spray expanding foam and chicken wire and rot-out used in paint jobs too many times.

    You can usually tell by talking it the shop is for you.

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