how to get a painter to fix it right

[miller time]

I just had my 69 charger painted it was almost completely preped except a few spots and I paid $700 to get the bottom and engine bay painted but what everyone says  is a great shop vs $300 at another shop, well they painted over dirt, missed alot of spots and didn't finish the prep work. So how do I get them to fix it the right way?

I want to drop it off and give him 1 week to do it or get my money back, but I don't know if that's do able. When I dropped it off their was nothing in the car, I pulled everything off, now it has the motor, trans, brake and fuel lines, exhaust and gas tank in it, so this guy has alot of taping to do, I called him and he said to work on it and drop it off later.

Is there any way just to get my money back do you think? Because this paint job is flat and smooth but carelessly done.

[hemi-hampton]

Lets see Pics of the Paint job. Whats wrong with it. Why put the Motor in if not happy & want it redone? LEON.

[69bronzeT5]

Lets see Pics of the Paint job. Whats wrong with it. Why put the Motor in if not happy & want it redone? LEON.

My exact thoughts. If the paint wasn't up to par and you knew it would have to be redone, why put the motor, trans and everything else back in?

[bill440rt]

If there was still "dirt" under there, then it wasn't even close to being prepped.
Prepping an engine bay & undercarriage is very time consuming if you want it to look right. If you gave the shop the car with the undercarriage & engine compartment completely cleaned, stripped, all imperfections repaired, and primed where all they had to do was mask, scuff, & paint, then $700 bucks sounds barely sufficient to still have it come out right.

I think we really need to see some pics....

[elitecustombody]

Lets see Pics of the Paint job. Whats wrong with it. Why put the Motor in if not happy & want it redone? LEON.

My exact thoughts. If the paint wasn't up to par and you knew it would have to be redone, why put the motor, trans and everything else back in?

I agree as well

[jeryst]

I too, have to ask why you would put the motor in if not happy with the paint job.

But lets move past that for a moment.

If you had it all spelled out in a contract, you might stand a chance of getting your money back, but you would still probably have to go to court, and it'll wind up costing you more than $700 to get your $700 back. You lose either way.

If it was all word of mouth, good luck. He painted your car. You paid him and picked up your vehicle. End of story. If you were unhappy with it, you should have made a point of it as soon as you saw the car. If you take it to court, the judge will just say that you got reasonable work for the money you spent. Perfect paint jobs cost A LOT!

I would hazard a guess as to what really happened. You picked up the car and liked it. You took it home and started to put stuff back in it and noticed a few small flaws. Now that you know they are there, they seem bigger than they really are, and are driving you crazy.

Unless you take it to someone that has a dedicated, filtered paint room, the chances of the paint being perfect are very slim, and if you find someone with a setup like that, you wont get the work you want for $700.

[miller time]

I typed this out and my computer shut down so here it is short.
No pictures, cant post them never could.
I paid alot for this job compared to other places.
They had to scuff anywhere I missed and remove and black paint left on the car, very little was there.
I was told to start rebuilding it.
I have a recite for painting the car. enough for court.
Everywhere there is metal sticking up under the car, (where a crevis would be) there in paint on 1 side and not the other.
I have a shock mount in the engine bay that wasnt full painted.
Under the car where it was up on the lift the didnt paint where the pads were to lift the car.
Also the left the car outside a few nights
And they dented the rear quarted panel
I rebuilt the car because I had nowhere to store parts, at all it was in the car or in the rain, and I was told by the ower of the paint shop to go ahead.

Really if you dont believe me then be a skeptic, its fine, most people are, just for the people that want to help me out after this guy screwed me out of 5 paychecks for a half-butt job, how can I say it, or what can I do to make him more adept to fix the problems he made?
I cant pull everything off the car agian because we got lucky puting it in once probably wont happen again, and he told my to build it back up, so thats under his request., I'm going to drive by every night and check if my cars outside, I can go there everyday and just hang out if that would work? Ill do anything except pay him more money.
Oh and my excuse when I called and sked if he really didnt think I would look under my car was that he, the owner, didnt check the car out
I want to give him a week to fix it and I'll come back then and scower the car with a freind for problems, even though I cant really give him a time frame since I dont owe him money.
Im going to take alot of pictures of the car so if it comes back with a new dent
So what do you all think?

[bill440rt]

What do I think? 

1) For $700 you got what you paid for.

2) Obviously it wasn't prepped right if they still "had to" scuff other areas.

3) ALWAYS inquire if your car will be stored indoors whenever it's left at a repair shop.

4) You accepted the job without looking at it. (Really??  )

5) No one held a gun to your head to put the car back together.

6) I'd love to know what the other places were going to do for less than $700. Dutch Boy & a roller? 

You're asking for "opinions" here, so I'm not sure what other help we can offer. In regards to your new dent, that's something you might want to bring to the shop owner's attention. Be prepared to have pictures of that area BEFORE he started the work on your car.
Good luck.

[Silver R/T]

So he told you to put it together? Is it HIS car or YOURS? If it's yours only YOU decide when it's time to put it back together, no one else!
You should post some pics of it for further advice. Maybe is salvageable.

[Cooter]

I sure am glad I can half ass paint for less than $700.00..............I'd pull it back apart, or tape it up and paint it myself before I let dude do anymore to it...I'd go after him about the "New dent" though...Remember, if you want it done right, you will HAVE TO do it yourslef, as YOU are the ONLY one that cares that much about YOUR car...All the painter sees is the money...This is why I learned to do my own bodywork (No matter how shi**y it may be), My own paint work, My own trans work, My own engine work, etc..I took my first car a 1967 Plymouth to a body shop cause I thought Body work was kinda Taboo..Turns out when I paid him 2 weeks @3.35/hour $260.00 for the work, only to find my body line over BOTH rear fenders just kinda disappeared halfway along...I HAD to redo it myself and after about 3 weeks of work, it was BETTER!?! than the body shop I had just paid to do the work, and I was only 16 Y/O at the time....I've never been taken by a body shop since....

[lisiecki1]

I sure am glad I can half ass paint for less than $700.00..............I'd pull it back aprt, or tape it up and psint it myself before I let dude do anymore to it...I'd go after him about the "New dent" though...Remember, if you want it done right, you will HAVE TO do it yourslef, as YOU are the ONLY one that cares that much about YOUR car...All the painter sees is the money...This is why I learned to do my own bodywork (No matter how shi**y it may be), My own paint work, My own trans work, My own engine work, etc..I took my first car a 1967 Plymouth to a body shop cause I thought Body work was kinda Taboo..Turns out when I paid him 2 weeks @3.35/hour $260.00 for the work, only to find my body line over BOTH rear fenders just kinda disappeared halfway along...I HAD to redo it myself and after about 3 weeks of work, it was BETTER!?! than the body shop I had just paid to do the work, and I was only 16 Y/O at the time....I've never been taken by a body shop since....

I have a similar story that ends with "I've never been taken by a transmission shop since"

[Patronus]

No one will ever touch my car

[billschroeder5842]

Sorry Miller but I think you are going to get screwed.

From a legal perspective you accepted the job, paid for it and began to "work around it" by installing some engine stuff. If you rejected the car and/or made a stink at the time of delivery you might have some standing.

At this point, too much water has passed under the bridge. Also, 700 (while being yours I understand is a lot) is not so much legally---less than most auto deducatables.

Finish your car, drive it and enjoy it.

[miller time]

Thanks?
I have to atleast try to get this guy to do it right.
Now I'm really screwed because my truck needs a new door and fender but all the shops around here suck or wont do it.

I'll let you know how it turns out if he refuses or what.

[MichaelRW]

If you could post exactly what the repair order (the contract) stated the repairs would be it would eliminate a lot of "speculation" and give you a solid basis in how to proceed. Perhaps small claims court might be the answer which will not cost much except for a small filing fee. But that will depend on the specifics of the contract.

[69DodgeCharger]

If there was still "dirt" under there, then it wasn't even close to being prepped.
Prepping an engine bay & undercarriage is very time consuming if you want it to look right. If you gave the shop the car with the undercarriage & engine compartment completely cleaned, stripped, all imperfections repaired, and primed where all they had to do was mask, scuff, & paint, then $700 bucks sounds barely sufficient to still have it come out right.

I think we really need to see some pics....

Sounds typical for you. Cut corners, didn't do the proper prep work, used garbage materials (I am guessing) etc. You never listen to anybodys advice anyways so why do you even bother coming here to ask for it?  You are in way over your head and should trade that car off to somebody that actually might be able to save it instead of whatever it is you have going on. You could get yourself into a  nice Chevy, or "cool" 4 wheeler with a straight across trade and then you could "look cool" It sounds like it's all about the image to you anyways so what do you care as long as it's new and shiny? You'll never get $20,000 for the car and nobody outside of the resource room would ever trade a newer Dodge diesel pickup for it. You know it, I know it....everybody knows it. And to top it off your "smart" enough to want to take it back to the hack shop for a repaint? Just so you know not too many business owners are scared of "puffer" high school kids so you probably aren't going to get very far with your threats. You bring this crap on yourself and then come here looking for sympathy, but then get all mad when you hear the truth. Do yourself and that car a favor and turn it over to an owner with the brains, skills, ambition....and most importantly, CASH! to actually make something of it. Hey I got an idea! You should take it back to that shop. Maybe this time he'll hold it hostage and put a mechanic's lien on it and you won't get it back. Think it can't happen to you? Try it and let us know how it works out for you. By the way this is my engine bay I have right around $400 into and had to do it twice because I was not happy with the first try, this also includes converting the firewall for an air conditioning car to a non AC car. This price does not include the 30-40 hours of hand stripping and repainting the underside. Sounds like you got off cheap for all that work. And cheap results are what you got so maybe you should reavaluate your overall plans for the car and try listening to some advice for once. That is if your head is not already overflowing with "I know everything

[miller time]

If there was still "dirt" under there, then it wasn't even close to being prepped.
Prepping an engine bay & undercarriage is very time consuming if you want it to look right. If you gave the shop the car with the undercarriage & engine compartment completely cleaned, stripped, all imperfections repaired, and primed where all they had to do was mask, scuff, & paint, then $700 bucks sounds barely sufficient to still have it come out right.

I think we really need to see some pics....

Sounds typical for you. Cut corners, didn't do the proper prep work, used garbage materials (I am guessing) etc. You never listen to anybodys advice anyways so why do you even bother coming here to ask for it?  You are in way over your head and should trade that car off to somebody that actually might be able to save it instead of whatever it is you have going on. You could get yourself into a  nice Chevy, or "cool" 4 wheeler with a straight across trade and then you could "look cool" It sounds like it's all about the image to you anyways so what do you care as long as it's new and shiny? You'll never get $20,000 for the car and nobody outside of the resource room would ever trade a newer Dodge diesel pickup for it. You know it, I know it....everybody knows it. And to top it off your "smart" enough to want to take it back to the hack shop for a repaint? Just so you know not too many business owners are scared of "puffer" high school kids so you probably aren't going to get very far with your threats. You bring this crap on yourself and then come here looking for sympathy, but then get all mad when you hear the truth. Do yourself and that car a favor and turn it over to an owner with the brains, skills, ambition....and most importantly, CASH! to actually make something of it. Hey I got an idea! You should take it back to that shop. Maybe this time he'll hold it hostage and put a mechanic's lien on it and you won't get it back. Think it can't happen to you? Try it and let us know how it works out for you. By the way this is my engine bay I have right around $400 into and had to do it twice because I was not happy with the first try, this also includes converting the firewall for an air conditioning car to a non AC car. This price does not include the 30-40 hours of hand stripping and repainting the underside. Sounds like you got off cheap for all that work. And cheap results are what you got so maybe you should reavaluate your overall plans for the car and try listening to some advice for once. That is if your head is not already overflowing with "I know everything

All good ideas , you cant put a lean on a car that has no vin or registation numbers, and you cant put a lean on a job thats been paid for
Unless I sign a paper with a new price that cant happen
I'm not as stupid as you lead others to believe.
Also I thought asking how to deal with a shop that rips people off would be a decent question but if you dont think it is, hey I'm not puting a gun to your head and telling you to reply, you can roll your eyes and click the back page button, also you cut conors when you paint your car in your garage not when you bring to to a shop and let someone who knows what there doing paint your car

[bill440rt]

"you cut conors when you paint your car in your garage not when you bring to to a shop and let someone who knows what there doing paint your car"


Uh, I painted parts of my car in my garage. Even parts of it, *GASP*, outside!     And I didn't cut any corners.
I know this might be hard to comprehend, but there are shops out there that don't know what they're doing when it comes to these cars. Especially more so when you don't tell them EXACTLY the type of quality you expect, or even look at it when you pick it up, or assemble it just because that shop "told you it was OK".

You're digging your own hole here.
And don't forget to try the spell-check feature, so others don't put you across as stoopid.

[69DodgeCharger]

If there was still "dirt" under there, then it wasn't even close to being prepped.
Prepping an engine bay & undercarriage is very time consuming if you want it to look right. If you gave the shop the car with the undercarriage & engine compartment completely cleaned, stripped, all imperfections repaired, and primed where all they had to do was mask, scuff, & paint, then $700 bucks sounds barely sufficient to still have it come out right.

I think we really need to see some pics....

Sounds typical for you. Cut corners, didn't do the proper prep work, used garbage materials (I am guessing) etc. You never listen to anybodys advice anyways so why do you even bother coming here to ask for it?  You are in way over your head and should trade that car off to somebody that actually might be able to save it instead of whatever it is you have going on. You could get yourself into a  nice Chevy, or "cool" 4 wheeler with a straight across trade and then you could "look cool" It sounds like it's all about the image to you anyways so what do you care as long as it's new and shiny? You'll never get $20,000 for the car and nobody outside of the resource room would ever trade a newer Dodge diesel pickup for it. You know it, I know it....everybody knows it. And to top it off your "smart" enough to want to take it back to the hack shop for a repaint? Just so you know not too many business owners are scared of "puffer" high school kids so you probably aren't going to get very far with your threats. You bring this crap on yourself and then come here looking for sympathy, but then get all mad when you hear the truth. Do yourself and that car a favor and turn it over to an owner with the brains, skills, ambition....and most importantly, CASH! to actually make something of it. Hey I got an idea! You should take it back to that shop. Maybe this time he'll hold it hostage and put a mechanic's lien on it and you won't get it back. Think it can't happen to you? Try it and let us know how it works out for you. By the way this is my engine bay I have right around $400 into and had to do it twice because I was not happy with the first try, this also includes converting the firewall for an air conditioning car to a non AC car. This price does not include the 30-40 hours of hand stripping and repainting the underside. Sounds like you got off cheap for all that work. And cheap results are what you got so maybe you should reavaluate your overall plans for the car and try listening to some advice for once. That is if your head is not already overflowing with "I know everything

All good ideas , you cant put a lean on a car that has no vin or registation numbers, and you cant put a lean on a job thats been paid for
Unless I sign a paper with a new price that cant happen
I'm not as stupid as you lead others to believe.
Also I thought asking how to deal with a shop that rips people off would be a decent question but if you dont think it is, hey I'm not puting a gun to your head and telling you to reply, you can roll your eyes and click the back page button, also you cut conors when you paint your car in your garage not when you bring to to a shop and let someone who knows what there doing paint your car

So how's your stuff looking there Chief? I have less than $700 into my engine bay and underside. But of course I don't know Jack right? Maybe you could give me some tips so I don't have to "cut corners" in my garage anymore. Then my car could be half as nice as yours.

[Highbanked Hauler]

  I am NOT pouring gas on the fire. When you refer to the "bottom" I am guessing you mean the underside of the car?  How much of the underside did they paint?  You say that they didn't paint where the lift pads were so I am guessing they painted back to the rear end at least?? Did you prep the bottom yourself or did they just paint over it?? What was the condition of the engine compartment, was it thoroughly sanded original paint,was it primed and not sanded? As a shot in the dark I would say they used at least $250. minimum in material so I don't see how any shop could paint it for $300.  Also is this a licensed shop or someones back yard?  Did you sign a repair order or was this a verbal agreement??   PM me as I am curious of the whole story.

[Patronus]

 

[bull]

miller time, I think there is only one of two options at this point short of going to court (which probably wouldn't get you much satisfaction). If the guy is willing to do it over and do it right you're going to have to pull everything back out so he can do the work. Sounds like it's going to have to come back out no matter who does it so you might as well start taking it back apart. Your second option is to try getting your money back and I think most guys would prefer to do the job over than return the money unless they think getting the customer out the door for good is worth $700.

I would go see him in person, tell him why you're not satisfied with the job and then ask him if he would consider one of those two options. He's pretty much got you over the barrel now since you paid and took the car back so at this point it's kind of up to him what happens next. Technically he is not obligated to do anything at this point but ethically he probably should.

[harlandodge]

i know how you feel ,,i  do not have the talent to do paint myself so i have gotten my ass set on fire a time or 2,,,no matter if i pay 7 , 700 , or 7000 dollars i expect the man's best work,,i got lucky and found a guy in kingsport TN. that gives me show quality work and for a price i can afford, he's finishing up my 3rd car now ,, there's still a few honest one's out there

[miller time]

miller time, I think there is only one of two options at this point short of going to court (which probably wouldn't get you much satisfaction). If the guy is willing to do it over and do it right you're going to have to pull everything back out so he can do the work. Sounds like it's going to have to come back out no matter who does it so you might as well start taking it back apart. Your second option is to try getting your money back and I think most guys would prefer to do the job over than return the money unless they think getting the customer out the door for good is worth $700.

I would go see him in person, tell him why you're not satisfied with the job and then ask him if he would consider one of those two options. He's pretty much got you over the barrel now since you paid and took the car back so at this point it's kind of up to him what happens next. Technically he is not obligated to do anything at this point but ethically he probably should.

Thanks, I'll try that

i know how you feel ,,i  do not have the talent to do paint myself so i have gotten my ass set on fire a time or 2,,,no matter if i pay 7 , 700 , or 7000 dollars i expect the man's best work,,i got lucky and found a guy in kingsport TN. that gives me show quality work and for a price i can afford, he's finishing up my 3rd car now ,, there's still a few honest one's out there

Yeah the hard part is finding them
Hopefully this guy will man up.

P.S. I'm done with this thread so everyone that has no life feel, free to bad talk me and be tough, I feel bad for you all and dont want to take away the only thing you live for

[hemi-hampton]

It's not easy to paint a undercarriage with out a Rotisserie. If you wanted it done right you tell them you want it turned on it's side on a Rotisserie, blasted to bare metal, epoxy primed, surface primed with 3 coats if rust pitted, every inch & crack & crevise hand sanded till smooth. Then Painted. Then you inspect while on it's side. Job looks mint, your happy, off you go. Problem solved, case closed. Only downfall or Disadvantage is figure you'll spend a few Thousand $$$$$$    LEON.