Body work contract?

[TXcharger70]

Hey guys I was wondering when you guys took your cars to get body work done/paint does the shop have a contract that they have written up stating the work that will be done and time frame? Or is it just an oral contract? I was just wondering cause i am about to take it to a guy that has a shop but just wanted to be prepared on what to expect so that in the event something does happen i don't get screwed and take half of my money before the car is even done. Not that i think this will happen just trying to cover my ass.

[TylerCharger69]

Well....you are basically "contracting" out the work to be done.  Yes...I would have, on paper, the work that will be performed, the exact products that will be being used....brand names, etc....how many base coat and clear coat passes on the car,  any body work, etc.....in detail...So if you prefer, for example, PPG paint, you want to make sure they don't use anything else, not to mention reduce the paint so bad in order to save money on paint for their benefit...(Maaco is notorious for that).  And of course a reasonable time frame, but as far as a time frame is concerned...that's always subject to change, so they may have a clause in there about that....but yes!!!   get it all in writing!!!   And signatures!!  The days of a verbal agreement and a handshake are pretty much a thing of the past.

[jesterCT]

I agree with Tyler 100%.

Add: write down the price in total, and of course what you paid in advance (if).
Also make sure, what kind of payments are "expected".

Sometimes the story behind the "kind of payment" (e.g. cash in an closed envelope) is very strange. And you have to re-think about your order.
Here you have a direkt clue if your "contractor" is trustworth or not.


Always keep in mind:
There are no handshake-contracts.

[TXcharger70]

does anybody know of a form that would exist or just write it out?

[jesterCT]

does anybody know of a form that would exist or just write it out?

from my point of view, this is not your concern.
These forms must be provided by the "contractor". Its normally their stuff to do this.

And of course they should have these "forms".  Is normally a normal piece of paper where you can read the company name. And on this paper normally eberything is hand written on it.   Or its writen on the PC and printed out. And they have to know how it is to fill put.

If a company doesnt have such a stuff, perhaps they should start thinking how to deal with their customers.
At my company we call this papers "acceptance of order", "confirmation of order" or easy " contract node".


On the other hand, you should make sure (for your own safety), that your "contractor" is licenced and insured.
If something happens and e.g. your frame is damaged, who will pay it??

[TylerCharger69]

I would say as far as the form....You and the "contractor" should sit down and go through all of the details.   It's not like an oil change.  there are many details and questions that you need to ask before the contract is agreed upon.  And....Since this is a serious job....I wouldn't accept a written "estimate" because with that word in there....the price could legally change.  You want the entire cost....out the door on that paper.  Most body shops give you an "estimate" but seeing as how this is an old car, they should have the experience to know that there will be some hidden issues and judge the cost accordingly

[Dans 68]

"Being" a contractor (albeit a Landscaper  ), the paint/body shop needs to have the required forms on hand to explictly state what work is being performed, at what cost and when it will be completed. If you want more detail (always good) you will need to negotiate that. Never do a verbal. Keep everything in writing. Know what monies are due and when. When I write up a contract I have a list of tasks that I will perform, and I bill every week depending upon the percentage completed on those tasks. Everyone knows at any time what is remaining to be done and the remaining balance.

Did I say to never do a verbal contract?  

Dan

[MichaelRW]

Well....you are basically "contracting" out the work to be done.  Yes...I would have, on paper, the work that will be performed, the exact products that will be being used....brand names, etc....how many base coat and clear coat passes on the car,  any body work, etc.....in detail...So if you prefer, for example, PPG paint, you want to make sure they don't use anything else, not to mention reduce the paint so bad in order to save money on paint for their benefit...(Maaco is notorious for that).  And of course a reasonable time frame, but as far as a time frame is concerned...that's always subject to change, so they may have a clause in there about that....but yes!!!   get it all in writing!!!   And signatures!!  The days of a verbal agreement and a handshake are pretty much a thing of the past.

Any respectable and reliable shop would expect to "put it in writing" regarding the specific repairs in the form of a Repair Order that is essentially the contract between the shop and the customer. This will describe exactly what is to be repaired on the vehicle. In many states it is a legal requirement to do this. In fact, in some states it is not legal to work on a vehicle without a signed repair order. If someone starts insisting to write down the specific name brand products and the procedures used, the service writer is going to look at you like you are from Mars. Sure it's ok to ask what paint is used and I'm sure they will be happy to tell you.

Also, shops usually use just one brand of paint. There are exceptions to this but one brand is most typical. The reason for this is buying power. Some shops enter contracts with paint suppliers to lower their costs. Another reason is painter familiarity. A painter is much more efficient shooting one brand by becoming very familiar with the mixing ratios and how the paint lays out. Mixing brands can lead to mis-mixes and problems.

I must ask you about the statement you made about Maaco over reducing their paint. Where did you get that idea from? Over reducing can cause problems such as dieback and causing runs. Now maybe you have information that a Maaco might have done this but to make a blanket statement that "Maaco is notorious for this" is simply false.

[TylerCharger69]

I used to work at Maaco.....dont tell me that's false....i was not only told to do it, but seen it happen with other employees too......

[MichaelRW]

I used to work at Maaco.....dont tell me that's false....i was not only told to do it, but seen it happen with other employees too......

I owned a Maaco until I sold it last June. And you proved my point, you based your statement on one Maaco apparently.

[TylerCharger69]

Well...i commend you for running an honest shop....The ones here in deep south Texas are always exchanging owners.  They made us always reduce the crap out of paint in order to try to get multiple jobs out of as little expense as possible...That was usually done with common colors....and metallics.  And they used the lousiest quality paints possible.  Even Nason was too good for them...it was  "get 'em in....get 'em out"  I wish you owned the ones here where I worked...I always heard crap over the quality being an employee....but those cost cutting ways weren't my choices.  The instance I remember most was  two Chevy Z71 pickups that were used car lot pieces,  both were that goldish pewter color...They ordered enough to do one truck and told me to double up on the reducer to squeeze the spot job out on the other....One truck was a full paint, the other was hood, fender, and driver door.  We squeezed all of that out with 1 gallon....and the clearcoat as well.

[MichaelRW]

Thanks for the explanation. I owned a Maaco in California from 1997 to June of 2009. Used Nason Single Stage paint with only the best 2 binders. Didn't even stock the cheapest binder. Used DuPont's Chromabase for base coats and a decent quality DuPont clear coat. I wanted a happy customer base and nothing is worth more than customer referrals.