Has any one bought a car that looked great then found out after the fact it had some very terrible body work done to it? Or just seen some body work that was terrible post up some pics or tell some stories.:thumbup:
warranty goes to every owner, or just the one that owns the car when the work is done.. ?Iam from the midwest the more and more i talk to people the more i here flat rate sounds like the perfered way to pay your employees in the body shop buisness.It is very common in these parts you get paid 40 to 45 percent of the dollar amount per book hour that means more for frame more for mechanical. The shop i work at is very high quality even with all comission based employees we offer a life time gaurntee on all are paint and body work . So not all shops that are on comission do crap work . We still manage to do on a average of about 325,000 a month in sales
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most honest flat rate body shops are gonig under as they are NOt on the insurance co.'s "list"
as they won't play "ball" the way the insurance co. wants..
My dad left the bodywork trade as a way of life.. because he could not put out cars the way the insurance co.'s REQUIRED the work to be done..
anyone that says different is LIE'N
HE now does only old cars for friends and club members..
and finally is putting that aside to do HIS cars..
most of todays bodymen only know replace.. they'd never be able to look at a wreck, pull it and straight'n the mess. without cutting out any metal..
and with limited filler.. or god help them if the owner wants it pick and filed.. and/or lead work..
I suck at bodywork.. as I just don't have the Patience..for it..
I can do great job of it.. as I've learned the pick and file/lead etc.. but I have to walk away from it.. as I just get fustrated..
unlike my dad that enjoys it, he's in heaven working on cars straight'n panels and prides himself of the amount of cars they say can't be saved with it's original metal.. and mouths drop when it's at the local show..[/QUOT
You are so right about insurance companies and their policies for repairing vehicles. What they don't realize is that they are in a situation where, because they don't pay enough (time wise and dollar per hour for repair) they are going to run into a problem in the future. The problem is that they won't have any certified technicians in the trade. Why would someone get into a trade where they get paid 1/2 of what a mechanical shop gets paid? I have taught at several local College's and sometimes they don't have enough people to fill the seats and the class get's cancelled.
And being on the "preferred list' of shops from an insurance company often means "kick Backs" to the insurance company. So the "preferred shops" are actually paying to be referred by an insurance company. It's disgusting and has been going on for years. To all the people that feel that they need to take their vehicle to a "preferred shop" because that is what the insurance company told them, well you don't have to, it's your car, take it where you want. If they tell you that if you don't take it to their preferred shop they can't warranty the repairs, that's BS as well. The insurance company doesn't warranty the repairs, the body shop does.
Your also right about pick and file, and led work, it seems to be a dying art and an art it is. I still use led when I replace a full quarter on a restoration to match a factory seam, I still pick and file as much as I can. I realize that the metal used on cars today is thinner than than it used to be but, it's still possible and I do it to stay sharp. I did a 1930 model A Ford a while back, picked and filed all 4 fenders, running boards and then used led.
Ray