Paint shop jail... No parole!!!

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That sucks, hope everything works out. The first rule of hiring any contractor, never, ever pay in full before the job is done!
 
FJ5 said:
Boosted, There has been progress. just slow progress. the complete floor pan was replaced, patches in the quarters, sand blasted fire wall and trunk. under coating applied. 1/8 inch gaps on all panels. just waiting supposedly on one or two more days of sanding before it is ready to paint. but it seems to have stalled at this point.
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That's way more than a paint job. I think a year is reasonable.
 
805moparkid said:
we build a whole car in 9 months, from the day we get the order to the day the customer gets it... call in the muscle...

this one appraised at 137,500...
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Nice car..... But that appraiser is on Crack. That car would sell for a hell of alot less than that in this market.
 
Mad Dart said:
Nice car..... But that appraiser is on Crack. That car would sell for a hell of alot less than that in this market.
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Yeah, I have to wonder how a non-numbers car can be worth more than the sum total of its parts......of course the labor is factored in too though.
 
Mad Dart said:
Nice car..... But that appraiser is on Crack. That car would sell for a hell of alot less than that in this market.
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cudavert said:
Yeah, I have to wonder how a non-numbers car can be worth more than the sum total of its parts......of course the labor is factored in too though.
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That appraiser has been watching too many Barrett-Jackson auctions.
 
Now that I have been screwed more than once with life lessons like this. I don't prepay for work, doesn't matter if it's the gardener, painter, or whatever. I will do reasonable deposits and progress payments. I don't really care what they tell me I make decision on what I see. The key here is "actions speak louder than words".

Sounds to me only based on what you're saying. That it's time to cut your losses and pick up the car and move on. Maybe small claims court if you have a written contract and proof of payments.

Good luck!
 
I've been doing body/paint work for 30 yrs. What I'm reading here is that the guy doing the work has taken in more than he can do in a reasonable time frame. Nine projects should have four full time employees working on them. Pizz the guy off and your car will be put at the back of the line. Be polite but assertive that it's time to finish your car, your patience is wearing thin. If he gives you flack, take your car home and cut your losses.
Resto jobs are a HUGE labor intensive project. Unless your working on one 10 hrs a day 6 days a week, a year is not unreasonable. If you figure a job has 500 hrs of work at 40 hrs a week, that job will take three months to do.
 
I have paid for everything paint, chemicals and all materials.
 
FJ5 said:
He says he just needs one more day of sanding. But I have been hearing this for weeks though.
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Sanding.... You mean blocking. Have you ever blocked a car?

I mean, you "can" block a car on a weekend if that's what you are after.

But to block a car correctly, perfecting every square inch of the body, can take weeks of priming, blocking and re-priming.

How much did you pay and what are your expectations?
 
If you have paid everything in full already...he's probably lost interest in finishing it....

I'd say like some the other members...cut the loss and take the car away...FAST
 
2darts said:
If you have paid everything in full already...he's probably lost interest in finishing it....

I'd say like some the other members...cut the loss and take the car away...FAST
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No, the timeline is normal. He had major sheet-metal replacement, custom panel fitment to 1/8" (this alone is labor intensive and time consuming), and rust repair.

I see that he has paid for materials, I wonder if he has paid for labor.
 
He does really clean work. I have definitely paid for quality work. I want it done right. So i guess i'll keep waiting.....But what a PARTY it will be when she comes home. I'll post on here the day I go get her.
 
FJ5 said:
He does really clean work. I have definitely paid for quality work. I want it done right. So i guess i'll keep waiting.....But what a PARTY it will be when she comes home. I'll post on here the day I go get her.
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The problem is there is no reason to work on your car. You have paid him everything. He may or may not of already bought the materials with the money you gave him. Regardless there is nothing in it for him to finish the project now. Possibly the best thing you could do if your set on rolling the dice and you think he really has the paint material is to offer him a bonus if he gets the job 100% complete in the next four weeks. Maybe $1,000.00 but don't pay him another cent till it's finished! That includes blocked, painted, cut, buffed and anything else a painter would possibly do. Your money is your leverage.

Don't let him use your car as leverage against you, if that **** starts and it sounds kind of like it has, get the car out.
 
zhandfull said:
The problem is there is no reason to work on your car. You have paid him everything. He may or may not of already bought the materials with the money you gave him. Regardless there is nothing in it for him to finish the project now. Possibly the best thing you could do if your set on rolling the dice and you think he really has the paint material is to offer him a bonus if he gets the job 100% complete in the next four weeks. Maybe $1,000.00 but don't pay him another cent till it's finished! That includes blocked, painted, cut, buffed and anything else a painter would possibly do. Your money is your leverage.

Don't let him use your car as leverage against you, if that **** starts and it sounds kind of like it has, get the car out.
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He is into it for 20k. If he pulls the car, another shop may finish it but the new shop wouldn't stand behind any of the work, including the paint.

And he would have to pay for paint materials all over again.
 
Here's a question for everyone here: You own a bodyshop. You have rent, bills, overhead, kids to feed. Times have been slow and things are tight. THEN things start picking up. You get two or three small easy collision jobs that the insurance company will pay top dollar for but ONLY WHEN THEY ARE FINISHED! You figure you can bang out maybe one a week if you really bust *** and get your bills covered. Then a few MORE come in!
Do you work on THEM or do you do the one that's been sitting in the corner covered with a tarp for a year? It's already paid for and nets you NOTHING! No bodyman is going to lose the paying jobs for the paid one. Ever.

I'm not talking "morality" here, or "best intentions".. I'm talking cold hard facts of life.
Dude, as long as there's ANYTHING else in that shop, you will not see your car.
 
I knew a dude that did nothing but "professional" body and paint work. he did great work, some jobs were paid a little at time as afforded, those jobs were the ones that were constantly worked on, and were priority . he only took those jobs when he needed a quick buck. the jobs that were already paid up front sat in a corner in a layer of dust. right before the owners would come by to see how they were coming along , he would pull those cars out in front, blow the dust off, shoot a little primer or stage a DA on top of the car, and then when they left , they went right back in the corner of the shop. there was a 66 ford truck that was there for over 2 1/2 years. i learned to do it all myself after seeing all that BS
 
FJ5 said:
He works at a nationally known resto shop in Oklahoma. I spoke with the owner of that shop and he recommended my guy ( his employee). The owner said "he is the best metal fabricator and painter i have seen"(still talking about my painter). Their cars have been featured on PowerBlock and other publications. He works in his shop every other week. So if i try to convince myself this is really like he has only had it six months. I'm just really tired of waiting and worrying if it is ever gonna get done.
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Hmmmm.....that's a little weird, the fact that he's working there only part-time...? I don't like that; it sort of starts to look like he's some kind of independent contractor, not so much an actual employee of that "nationally-known resto shop". So who is more your "go-to guy"?......the shop owner or the actual painter? Sounds like this guy must have too much on his plate.
 
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