Believe me, JC, it's not just 75% of the people where you are, it's everywhere. I couldn't afford to sink the money into a lot of the vehicles that my customers do, but I know what it takes to do a nice job, and that is the only ones that I care to do. There are plenty of other shops near me that don't care what the finished product looks like or how long it lasts as long as they get paid, and will give the customer ONLY what they pay for and not a scratch or dent extra. They use the cheapest material they can find without a second thought. I just don't want my name on something that I would be ashamed to say "Ya, I painted that". I don't worry about that 75% that want it cheap and quick, I concentrate on the 25% that will pay to have it done right, and they are the customers that normally cause a lot less grief.I had a guy ask me to paint his s 10 pick up and change colors from red to white and he said just paint over the dents don't fix them, I said we are not on the same plane here. I told him I would have to fix all the dents and repair rust or I don't do it, He said he would do it himself. That is probably 75% of the people here, They want things done quick and inexpensive. Beware of the hurry up and fix it crowd because they are the ones who cause a lot of trouble.
Putting aside tv show examples, I have a book titled How to paint your show car from approx 10 to 15 years ago. Written by someone that spent time in shops like Jay Leno's & Foose. Haven't looked at in years, but it has some time & materials examples done in some of these shops. I remember 10 gallons of filler being listed as a show car average on what is a pretty straight car metal wise. Of course most is sanded off & I'd imagine a lot is just wasted during mixing compared to those of us paying directly for materials. One example Foose's I think 2002' or so new Thunderbird project listed 400 hours on colorsand & buff, where I've spent 40 hours back then on a larger vehicle to get to what I'd call pretty damn good.
The thing I struggle with is stopping when it's "good enough". I just can't for whatever reason. Not that I have to get everything "perfect" but I have to get to where I'm happy with it.
I have no problem repairing something I screwed up or missed, but if the customer knows they will have to pay for something ridiculous, they will decide they can live with it almost everytime. That is why you never give a set price. I would tell them we can keep working on it from now on, but you will have to keep paying until you're satisfied. As crash said above, an understanding about expectations is mandatory, and what MOST customers think is perfect is just nice to me. If you have a vehicle you painted to show them, that really goes a long way towards getting on the same page as far as expectations. I've seen some of those TV paint jobs I wouldn't even put in the nice category, and would hate to see the mess they turn into down the road. One in particular that comes to mind was a pickup that was painted in pieces and the hood was so far off, it was pathetic. No way would I have tried to deliver it, but they delivered it on TV. I've had a few customers tell me they wanted it perfect. I just tell them my name is not Jesus, and I am not perfect, but the shop down the street has a painter named Jesus, and maybe he can help you.Dhutton01 - that’s what I try to do - I tell everyone I’ll try to get it perfect but don’t expect it cause I just can’t out of my small- no booth- decent lighting but not perfect garage - I also don’t charge them anywhere near what a body shop would. I take pride in my work so the talk about not knowing when to stop and before you know it you made $10/hour - that sounds familiar ... but it still doesn’t stop them from pointing out every tiny flaw the find 2 weeks later after getting it home - then bringing it back to see if you can fix it ! Of course this is after I tell them I’m not perfect and I don’t charge $20 grand ! They still want perfection - I have a couple repeat customers that understand but everyone else expects what they see on TV for $8000 dollars
If I had to sand 10 gallons of bondo off of any car I'd quit That is a gallon per panel! I'd much rather spend my time straightening the metal and aligning panels than making them out of filler.. I remember 10 gallons of filler being listed as a show car average on what is a pretty straight car metal wise.
If I had to sand 10 gallons of bondo off of any car I'd quit That is a gallon per panel! I'd much rather spend my time straightening the metal and aligning panels than making them out of filler.