Help with an estimate

serjik911

Promoted Users
Got a call today.
2012 ram 2500, mega cab. Normal wear damage, dents here and there, hood all in rock chips.no serious damage that requires welding or metal stretching, ho hail damage,No rust damage(car from south). Owner wants to keep the car and wants a complete repaint including jams but exclude engine bay and under the car.the color of vehicle is white.
What estimate should I give for him? 200-300$ will go just for base coat, another 450$ will go for spray booth rent( I think to split painting on 3 times). Also owner doesn't care about buffing,so I'm not gonna buff anything unless runs.
I expect around 2 days fix all dents and 3 days for painting.
What number would you give?
Thanks
 
I hesitate to give you a figure as I'm usually way on the low side when I try to do it in my head. Plus not being able to see the vehicle also doesn't help. Sounds like the owner just wants a quickie type job correct?
Also have no idea of the prevailing labor rate in your area and I'm assuming you are doing this on the side correct? My advice would be to look the truck over very carefully note all the damage, figure the time in R&I, do the bodywork, priming, blocking then masking and paint. Painting the jams is a big extra labor step. Especially if you are going to pull the doors. Almost have to though. Factor in the quality you are trying to achieve. 5 days is pretty quick for a big full size like that. Try to cover everything in your head and give each operation a labor amount, total it up, and add 20%. Multiply that by whatever rate you are wanting to work for, add in your materials (not just paint) and you'll have a total.

Something like what you describe I'd say $3500-$4000. Just a guess.
 
I would at least double your time estimate. To properly clean, sand, prep and tape those jambs will take a good day or more. Paint costs seem very low too. A gal primer kit will cost at least 200 and may not be enough for that big ass truck. Sounds like you're trying to give the customer a good deal but you may be about to learn an expensive and tough lesson. Your time is days of your life that are very valuable. If you do quality work, don't do it for peanuts for someone that's hoping he can get a deal at your expense.
 
On a job like that I would figure a minimum of $1000 for materials,tape,paper,sand paper really adds up - I do this on the side and I would figure at least 80 man hours- gonna need help taking bed off - doors off or whatever- is your helper gonna be free ? The amount of taping off It will take you a day at least and if you figure removing tail lights,chrome, ect that still takes time- maybe 60 hours will get it done but I personally wouldn’t tackle it for less than $5500 bucks - And that’s a scuff and shoot- it’s a paint job and a body shop will be charging him at least $10 grand- my experience tells me that even a scuff and shoot- high quality- is 60 hours minimum but I always end up buffing them out also..... oh and 200-300 paint ? Will take 2 gallons of paint with cheap stuff to get coverage- better double that paint estimate
 
On a job like that I would figure a minimum of $1000 for materials,tape,paper,sand paper really adds up - I do this on the side and I would figure at least 80 man hours- gonna need help taking bed off - doors off or whatever- is your helper gonna be free ? The amount of taping off It will take you a day at least and if you figure removing tail lights,chrome, ect that still takes time- maybe 60 hours will get it done but I personally wouldn’t tackle it for less than $5500 bucks - And that’s a scuff and shoot- it’s a paint job and a body shop will be charging him at least $10 grand- my experience tells me that even a scuff and shoot- high quality- is 60 hours minimum but I always end up buffing them out also..... oh and 200-300 paint ? Will take 2 gallons of paint with cheap stuff to get coverage- better double that paint estimate

I need to think more like you Dave. I'm a chronic under estimator. :)
The problem with jobs like this Serjik (and this is not me encouraging or discouraging you to do it) is when you have a vehicle owner looking for someone to do it on the side (which in the vehicle owners mind is code for "do it on the cheap") you can almost never charge for what the job is actually worth. And most times you don't know what it should cost (so that you can make some money) until you are in the middle of it and have already given him a price. Then comes the pain of having to finish the job and knowing you are making next to nothing. How do I know this? Because I am stupid and have done it multiple times over the years. That figure at first sounds like a lot of money and me bieng an optimist, always think things are going to go fairly smoothly but honestly 9 times out of 10 they do not.
That's why I said I need to think more like Dave. Shine once said it's better to be sweeping the shop floor than working for next to nothing. That is the attitude I'm trying to take now. Just something to think about.:)
 
Wouldn't consider it for less than $5000. At that price you will be working cheap. Are you sure it is not a peeler? Normally, all those trucks require stripping, and the white ones are a pain because they peel in areas and stuck in others. I end up stripping to metal for that reason. That adds another $1000-$1500. Material alone will be way over $1000 to paint that truck. It adds up quick.
 
I painted my 2002 Dodge crew cab, took it down to metal, removed door class and mouldings and door handles mirrors and removed bed. I used all SPI products except for a the color on lower part of body. I used 4 gals epoxy sprayable, 1.5 gal 2k primer sprayable, 3.5 gal white base sprayable, 3.5 gal UC sprayable, also 3 literes Raptor bed liner, and 1 qtr retarder. along with masking paper tape and other stuff..
 
Didn’t Shine always say 110 hours for paint —-quality paint job- and I’m assuming that doesn’t include surprises- I know I always start with an estimate of 100 hours and go up from there - sometimes it’s 80 hours but not often- only when they are taking off all chrome,handles ect. And reinstall themselves. I keep track of ALL hours of everything I paint- it’s an “hours tracker” app where you clock in and out - last 8 cars were all over 100 hours and some were pretty straight to begin with- worst one was 280 hours- by the way - I charge by the hour now - Jim and a few here beat it into my head on a few posts - I was getting screwed on the $5000 quote- ended up working for $15/hour most times - now $40/ hour labor and $25 material - still cheap in central Illinois and I find I don’t skip over shit trying to get it out for the next one to come in- better products
 
I wrote up a "quickie," with a spray-in bedliner, no extra frills, and missing some R&I items, it would start at $6300 here. That's with a $1200 material cap (probably too low), and only 0.5 hr repair time per panel.
 
Need to have disclaimers and limits of liability language on those estimate and work order forms too!
 
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