painting, molding body kit prices

[darksobsession]

i had the andys knockoff kit installed (from ebay and looks as good as the andys kombat) and i was wondering what a fair price is for fine tuning it - sanding, molding etc. i was quoted 200, which sounds good.

for painting the kit (front, back, sideskirts) i have prices ranging from 800-1200. (maaco was around 1100!) do these prices sound reasonable?

it was great to see the faq on mesh grills. i think i can do it myself (i was quoted 150!).

[clutch1]

Don't get it fully molded unless it's a trailer queen.. it'll crack eventually.. or you'll want to take it off to do something.. intercooler, lambo doors, etc.

good price for molding though.

[bdyman]

custom bodywork is not cheap the labor where i work is starting at 90 an hour, regular body labor is 65, the prices you were quated are cheap, real cheap
any good tech can make fiberglass look like a piece of metal or plastic, if were paid enough to do so , my price would start at 1,200 and goes up from there

[DansGen1Alero]

I think the paint prices are too high, the molding and sanding for 200 is kinda cheap, I am not sure if the place knows what they are getting into. but if you trust um, do it.

Fiberglass isnt rocket science thou, I did all my prep work, just a lot of time to sand, and then repair (I had a tendency to crack fron and rear ends once a year) but I repaired my front bumper every time. in 06 Some guy in a minivan smashed my front end to hell, and I repaired it all. lil here and there, and it was back to looking brand new.

I have gotten my kits painted off the car, and its like 500- 800 at a shop, and I had 2 guys I know charge me only like 500 each time i had a kit painted.

[FrankTheTank]

Don't get it fully molded unless it's a trailer queen.. it'll crack eventually.. or you'll want to take it off to do something.. intercooler, lambo doors, etc.

good price for molding though.
really? you shouldnt even be putting ideas like that in people's heads.

[clutch1]

sorry :P , one of my friends molded his bodykit and side skirts on and now wants to put them on his car.. but he can't get the fenders off LOL. Talk about a good deterrent ;)

[lonnie]

i had the andys knockoff kit installed (from ebay and looks as good as the andys kombat) and i was wondering what a fair price is for fine tuning it - sanding, molding etc. i was quoted 200, which sounds good.

for painting the kit (front, back, sideskirts) i have prices ranging from 800-1200. (maaco was around 1100!) do these prices sound reasonable?

it was great to see the faq on mesh grills. i think i can do it myself (i was quoted 150!).
Uhm I wouldn't personally go to maaco, but they should be having a bumper sale of 129 for a bumper, so I don't know when you got that quote but you may want to check on that this week.

[darksobsession]

found a place that did kit finishing, painting, detailing for $950. should be done tomorrow.

[darksobsession]

ok, so like a sucker, i agreed to pick the car up at 8p. i did bring a flashlight, however, and the area was lit (not light enough, though, in hindsight).

the owner's brother tells me to bring the car back in a week for buffing and to fix some dents and scratches he did not have time to fix. buffing? well, ok.

stupidly, i pay him cash and take off in my car.

i go run some errands and notice the paint is off. will buffing fix this? dunno. the kit's edges and corners weren't properly sanded and bondo'ed. i call the shop owner and he says he'll work on it himself.

i keep on doing some running around and notice there's curbage on the front bumper! this was hidden by the curb at the shop! i didn't look closely enough.

also, in bright light i can see that he didn't detail the interior properly. there's gravel, dirt and other nastiness that were supposed to be removed! when i picked it up, i only did a quick scan and was reassured by the clean smell of whatever it was that they used.

so i call and am gonna take it back in on monday and try to work things out. he mentioned refund if i am not happy and i am not happpy.

[bdyman]

why would you bring the car back to be buffed?? we buff cars the next day, maybe you hit a curb with and didnt realize it, or they did and tried to hide it shit happens in this buisness
bring the car back and talk calmly to the guy you start freakin out, he`s going to tell you get the fuck out of my shop

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

ok, so like a sucker, i agreed to pick the car up at 8p. i did bring a flashlight, however, and the area was lit (not light enough, though, in hindsight).

the owner's brother tells me to bring the car back in a week for buffing and to fix some dents and scratches he did not have time to fix. buffing? well, ok.

stupidly, i pay him cash and take off in my car.

i go run some errands and notice the paint is off. will buffing fix this? dunno. the kit's edges and corners weren't properly sanded and bondo'ed. i call the shop owner and he says he'll work on it himself.

i keep on doing some running around and notice there's curbage on the front bumper! this was hidden by the curb at the shop! i didn't look closely enough.

also, in bright light i can see that he didn't detail the interior properly. there's gravel, dirt and other nastiness that were supposed to be removed! when i picked it up, i only did a quick scan and was reassured by the clean smell of whatever it was that they used.

so i call and am gonna take it back in on monday and try to work things out. he mentioned refund if i am not happy and i am not happpy.
well, let this be a lesson for everybody....if you take your car to a place to get detailed/painted/whatever with body work....pick it up in the day time!

sucks all that happened to you dude. hopefully you don't get stiffed on the refund.

[darksobsession]

looking at the car today, the paint seems to have set or something, but it looks good!

there are still scratches/dents to be fixed and two areas on the kit that need work, but it looks a lot better than before.

[bdyman]

so this shop charged you 950, and there is still work to be done, whats wrong with this picture, that car/kit wouldnt leave my hands until i knew it was perfect, and i would never see your car again
and iam sorry paint does not settle as you say, this isnt the 80`s when we used enamle

[darksobsession]

i dunno, it looks better today.

and yeah, i shouldn't have paid before everything was finished, but my car is a daily driver an i need it, it's a hassle to be without a car.

[paulyb]

pics or im calling b.s. lol j/k

[Nate's Alero]

pics or im calling b.s. lol j/k

agree without the j/k part

[lonnie]

1st I hope you have a before pic
2nd I hope you have a after pic
3rd I hope you have a pic detailing the damage thats done etc even if it isn't anything major

Now I firmly believe that if you pay for a job and expect it a certain way that is agreed upon buy both the customer and the company then that job should be complete upon delivery no if ands or buts about it. Plain and simple if they let that car out of there possesion with out it being perfect or damn well near it I would raise hell. Thats bad buisness and to think that (not saying they did) someone would leave dents, scratches, and nics is unacceptable. If its a good buisness they will be upset at the quality of work and get if fixed with no hassle.

[darksobsession]

car's in the shop again, took it in this morning. they now say that they cannot repair all the scratches because they go beneath the clear coat, but will fix what they can, as well as a few major dings. 'buffing' or something. the bad scrape on the front bumper is 100%, so i am mostly happy. the latest i have to wait to get it back is sunday. i dun really care about most of the scratches, and for $950 its all good. will post pics when i get her back. do i upload them directly to this site, or do i have to have them hosted somewhere else?

[darksobsession]

SO i get it back... the deep scratches look like they have been crayoned over. they did not cover the grill when they painted, so now it's silver. there was masking tape on my lights. i just figure wth, i dun wanna deal with them anymore, so f it. but then i take off the bumpers to add grills to all the open areas...and wtf?! the bottom of the bumpers haven't been painted! what's more, the paint starts flaking off! no sanding...no primer! wtf!? so i call the place, say i'm not happy, ask for some money back, don't want to take the car in again and get talked into anything else. done wastking my time, can't get around w/out my car! i dun wanna hear that he doesn't know what his brother promised, etc etc. i had a car diagram with problem areas circled, so he knew exactly what i wanted. what's more, he did do a good job fixing up a big dent/scratch! so i know they can do really good work... why not paint all of my bumper instead of just 40%? owner told me to bring it in and 'it'd only take 15 minutes'?! like i'm taking my car back there. he also proceeded to yell and call me an 'f'in c*cks*cker'... omg, i'm so pissed. i took pics of all the shittiness. i'ma complain to bbb and action line... this means i can't freakin work on the pieces now. at least i have the CAI and B&M shifter kit to work on. aggravating.

[darksobsession]

http://i38.tinypic.com/2ikawpc.jpg
'fixed sideskirt'
http://i34.tinypic.com/2qivko6.jpg
underside of bumper
http://i38.tinypic.com/2qtwb51.jpg
painted without removing bumper... my insides got painted
http://i35.tinypic.com/hrk8pv.jpg
paint flaking off

[darksobsession]

http://i37.tinypic.com/2vvmjbl.jpg
bottom of bumper not painted!

[Cliff8928]

I guess this just goes to say that you get what you pay for.

[darksobsession]

I guess this just goes to say that you get what you pay for.

the cost was just a little under what my normal guys charge... just wanted to save a few bucks and my friend said they were ok. :(

[darksobsession]

edit.

[Cliff8928]

.....your link fails.

[darksobsession]

let me check on this

[darksobsession]

here we go:

-Mike from Prestige agreed to paint the front and back bumpers and sideskirts of my bodykit, detail the car (clean the interior and exterior), and fix the many scratches and few dents/scrapes on the car for $950. I was told this would take 2-3 days.

-When I picked up the car, I was told to bring the car back in a week because the paint 'had to set' and needed 'buffing.' The scratches were still there, but would 'be buffed out.' It was night and I thought the car was illuminated well enough. I paid Mike $950 plus $30 tip.

-At home, I noticed major scrapes to the front right of the bumper, as well as other imperfections. The dents were not fixed, including one he had singled out as an example of what he could repair. The car had not been detailed. The interior, while it smelled fresh and cleaned, had not been touched.

-I called the owner, Bobby, and was told to bring in my car the following day. He would work on it himself, he said.

-I drop off the car to Bobby the next day, along with a diagram which clearly indicates which areas of the car need work. He informs me that several of the scratches cannot be fixed regardless of what Mike had said, because they penetrate the clear coat. We agree that he will work on ALL the areas which I have outlined.

-Several days pass and I go to pick it up. (My father went along with me.) Upon examining the car, I find that every area which was supposed to be worked on had not been touched, except for the front bumper's right corner.

-Mike swears multiple times at me and becomes aggressive. He asks what I expect for just $950. My dad protects me, taking him aside while I talk with Bobby. Bobby claims not to know what services Mike agreed upon with me and not to know anything about what I wanted fixed. They point to an area by the rear wheel where they claim to have fixed a large scrape/dent, however it was the opposite side of the car that had it, and it was still there.

-Bobby and Mike say that the only way to repair the scratches is by repainting the whole car.

-We initially ask for 50% back, but finally agree that they will 'touch up' the scratches that they can and fix the other damage. They say the lighter scratches will be fixed by 'buffing.'

-Bobby tells me to call him so I can pick up the car in a few days. I phone him later and he asks why I'm calling him and to call Mike at the shop instead.

-I pick up the car. The deep scratches have been painted with a color that does not match. No buffing has taken place; the scratches are still there. I figure I'll take the loss and leave.

-While working on my car a few days later, I remove the front and rear bumpers and see that
the underside of both had not been painted (about 35% of the surface area).

-The bodykit pieces had not been removed to be painted.

-The front of the left sideskirt was not affixed to the body of the car and a gooey substance was visible.

-The grill on the front bumper had not been covered during painting. Instead of being the natural metal color, it was silver like my car. Furthermore, the negative image of the grill was painted onto the front of my car under the bumper.

-The paint has started to flake away, revealing that no sanding and primer were used on (at least) some areas of the bodykit.

-I notice scratches on my car that were new. The mirror mount is scraped and scratched. There are red scrapes on the car which were not there before.

-Masking tape rims the lower portion of my headlights and is gummy.

-I call Bobby to ask for a partial refund ($300) and say that I do not want to bring in the car again and I have been inconvenienced enough (I rented several cars over the course of the 'bodywork'.) Bobby says to bring the car in immediately, that it can be ready 'in 15 minutes.'

-When I do not agree and mention that there needs to be sanding and priming, he gets irate and calls me 'f*ck*ng c*cks*ck*r' etc. etc.

[darksobsession]

i opened a case with the bbb, office of consumer affairs, local tv station's action line. am sending the shop (prestige) a certified letter tomorrow to advance my cases.

what's funny (and i mention this in the letter/complaints i filed) is that their business card says 'Satisfaction Guaranteed!' and they have multiple ads on craigslist that say 'are (sic) work is guaranteed if you dont like you dont pay'

i'm pretty frickin aggravated. my car has been offline for weeks, i can't get to my jobs, my dog can't go to the dogpark.

[bdyman]

this sounds like a shop that just wants money from people, and its things like this that give us bodymen such a bad rep, like i said a aftermarket kit especially fiberglass kits should be fitted 100% before any preping and painting takes place

the way i would have done the rockcer moldings, make metal brackets, tops side and underneath, use panel bond on top of the molding, and use a gm screw for the bottom, and used the factory clip up front, its fiberglass can shaped to any size you want it too, looks like these fucking hacks used double sided tape and never fitted nothing

the front bumper yes was painted on the car, why they didnt take it off or at least remove the headlights to give some what of a decent job, the re-bar take laquer thinner to it, if it doesnt come off it is plastic, so scuff with a red scuff pad and use black trim paint, but i wouldnt touch anything to prove a case

i would file compaints, but sueing wont get you anywhere and might get you more in deeper shit, count your losses take it to a shop that has the good quality rep that a shop should, and you have no choice but to pay again to have it fixed the correct way

this shop is going to continue to hack your car to pieces, so another shop is in order right now

[bdyman]

here is a good example just happened a few weeks ago
chrysler pacifica fixed at cars collision its a huge chain of shop corperate assholes, a tech fixed the front end, and for got to put coolant in, customer drives off, a day later they blew the engine

insurance refuses to pay, and cars collision pays for new engine, well the shop that did the engine calls us asks if i could come llok at the car, wow, was this car hacked out, no clips under the bumper, upper tie bar was rusting only after a week!!!

headlights were loose, no hood pad, the gaps were horrible, its state farm so we had no choice but to fix this car, anyway i worked next to the guy that fixed this car and becasue he booked over 200 hours, we was untouchable, managment loved him, he never got suspended, a ass reaming, nothing!

why , hes making the company money saving parts, hacking out every car he touched and not a care in the world, could be the same case for you maybe the hack that did your car is the same way, and the owner doesnt give a shit, complain all you want but going above that wont get you no where