problems with repair shop

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by jeffspower

Taking it to another shop probably won't work out too good. I've worked in shops all my life, owned one for 11 years. Shops HATE working on jobs that someone else tore apart. They take longer just to put together than if doing the whole job, because of missing parts, rechecking any assembly work that has already been done (which usually means tearing stuff back apart) and so on. Due to these issues, the hours to get it done can't be quoted accurately. Time & a stall is held up while the owner tries to find missing parts. So, many shops will charge you however many hours it takes to get it done, and might push it outside until you find the missing parts. That puts you on the back burner again, time is money.

Originally Posted by mfarmer

I have had my sons truck at the body shop for almost 2 months. They are replacing all of the typical body pieces that rust out. I told them that I understand that these type of jobs are not easy to turn and by no means "easy" money compared to some jobs. We go by every week and check on the progress and there is alway notable progress. I then pay then for their time involve and they continue to work on it in between the "easy jobs". They are doing good work and we expected it to take a few months. This was understood up front and there is no hard feelings. I was just happy to find a place that would do the work and do a good job. Where we are live nobody wants to touch cars that are over 10 years old let alone rust repair. I suggest you tell the the owner you are going to spread the word about his lack of service on your behalf.

Mike,

I would support that taking it to another shop is a little dicey, but you the owner, has every right to be taken care of. If some other shop screws it up or you get reamed in a deal the only person you have deal with is yourself---especially if YOU know they are doing it to you. In other words, the guy that is taking forever and is brushing you off--is putting you in a compromising situation and he is in charge of YOUR life right now. Once you decide that you want the truck out the door, get a trailer and a couple of friends--go to the shop ask him what you owe him up to date and PAY his bill, DO NOT tell him that you are there to remove the truck until it is paid. NOW back up to the door---TAKE the truck right then and there--don't let the shop have it after you show up and want it or you could become a victim. IT IS your truck and if the bill is paid he has no lean. After you are out of the door you can spread his name as you wish, BUT definitely wait until you have ALL of your stuff. He may dislike you, but he has created this mess on his own--A man's credibility is not only his word but his actions.

Hopefully you did some more research and you have found another shop before removing it from this one, It is not good to have the truck open and sitting around waiting for repairs. Tell the owner of the next shop that you have had a bad experience and explain what had been done previously to the truck, BUT DO NOT give names. That is your business and not his. IF you have to spend a little more to have them catch up it is better than the botched job or the mess that you were in. OWN YOUR LIFE, don't let the world own you. If you think this input is not aligned with your situation, OK; however there are people out there that do things like this daily.

By the way the shops that have the signs that say you are not permitted in the shop due to insurance reasons. That is only one of the real reasons, what you can't see is good for them. Ask for regualr tours or find a shop that is amiable to your being involved in your stuff.

THE other comment about the easy jobs---NO SHOP that does body work for a living REALLY wants to do a whole body and paint, because of the hours and the lack of parts money made. In many cases the owner already has all of that and brinngs it to the shop with him. The work on a whole job is time plus materials and you want it to be perfect. As for a body job, the insurance runs it in, they pay for it and the work is short and sweet for the shop. They get chipped hard if they don't use the Chinese aftermarket parts--because that is what the insurance company is paying for---and they will take work away from the shop that does not support their desires. So a majority of those jobs are done with cheap substandard parts. America doesn't care, they will trade their car in a year or so anyways. If you can find a shop that does that kind of work between jobs, then that is outstanding. I actually had one that would let me do some of the work myself in their shop, and direct me to what I needed to know, but it is now owned by another person and he is not on my list of trade..

There are shops that deal directly with restorations, but they want the control of the work from the get-go. That means parts off and parts back on. That is where the really high dollar vehicles come from. It is not abnormal for a $100,000 vehicle to come out of these places. I have one of those just a few miles from my house and it charges $45.00 an hour for shop work and $65.00 for paint booth time. You can get involved, but they do the assembly and they guarantee their work standard.