My sister has a pretty new Volvo V70 (maybe a 2020?). She hit a bollard turning out of a gas station and got front fender and passenger door. All cosmetic it took 4 months to get that car fixed due to part's availability.
A friend of mine has a body / mechanical shop. It's a one man deal and he always preferred bodywork but he told me he has almost stopped collision work because he can't get parts easily. He said bumper covers, mirrors and lights were particularly difficult.
I own a Indy shop in Iowa City. Cars are just plain and simple more complicated than they were five years ago. Part supply chain is poop and everything is way more expensive than it was a year ago. Still a good living if your willing to grind it out.
If your somewhat local give me a shout and we will shoot it.
In reply to bobzilla :
So are they totaling cars for that? I mean, as an owner I wouldn't be ok waiting a year to get my car fixed and not being able to drive it at night. I'm sure insurance wouldn't pay for a rental for an entire year....
In reply to docwyte :
Nope. We just finished a $58k repair on a M3 Comp. 58k plus 3 months of rental.
In reply to bobzilla :
That's brutal. I wouldn't want the car back after that much damage fixed. I also wouldn't want to wait however long it took to get it fixed or have to pay out of pocket for the additional months of needed rental car coverage
You couldn't pay me enough to be an estimator dealing with the customers
In reply to bobzilla : I always tell customers, I don't make any money until I finish it. So I want it out of my life just as much as you want it back. We have been very upfront lately and really haven't had many complaints
We have a recall for the Blizzard Pearl paint on our 2012 Highlander. There are some places on the A pillars and hood where the paint is gone and only primer showing. We were told if we get on the waiting list now, it will be a year before they can fix it! A YEAR!!!!
Wow! I guess I'm building a paint booth and learning how to paint after I get the engine in my Si. (I kind of wanted to do it anyway...).
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Do you think we just aren't getting enough kids through HS shop classes or Tech Schools? Or have we just hit a period where the current Generation isn't large enough to support our labor needs?
There is some news reporting that both Russia and Ukraine have such a small current generation that they may never recover from current losses of young men. And that they have a near 20 year gap where not enough kids went to tech school so they are doubly in trouble.
I was at body shop on Tuesday and the owner says, help is hard to get and wages vs what insurance pays leaves little left over, ..... a Honda they did has been sitting there since May because no air bags are available and the owner is trying to get the insurance to total it because he is making payments on a car he can't drive
Where I work we had a 23 Integra total out because after 4 months we still couldn't get parts.
Times are tough, and then you work in the wrong end of the car business.
Body shops, automotive service and construction are all woefully undermanned.
The Honda garage I was at cannot find service techs, advisors or management. Now with no service profit and no sold inventory they are on the brink. They are currently sharing resources with their GMC and Nissan stores.
I am paying over 200% more for an addition to my home just as the housing bubble and economy are crashing. We started this project in 2019. The original estimate was $88k. I'm at $192k now. Same job. Three builders I would have signed with all folded.
TurboFource said:I was at body shop on Tuesday and the owner says, help is hard to get and wages vs what insurance pays leaves little left over, ..... a Honda they did has been sitting there since May because no air bags are available and the owner is trying to get the insurance to total it because he is making payments on a car he can't drive
This is a key ingredient as well. Not applicable to the OP but for the rest of us that get hit by soccer mom on her phone it's terrible. While parts issues are one thing, we may have to literally call and email an adjuster for weeks on end to get a supplement or even the original estimate approved. Then they want to go with used parts or super cheap aftermarket that take twice the labor to make fit.
Don't get me started on the status of used parts. We might get one good part out of 10 we order.So now you're waiting a week to get the original, then another week for the replacement before finally getting approval to go oe. So now it's 2 more weeks of rental so they could save $150 over OE, but in reality they spent $300 in extra rental so they're $150 in the hole AND the customer is pissed because they're now waiting 2 extra weeks.
78CobraII said:In reply to Keith Tanner :
Do you think we just aren't getting enough kids through HS shop classes or Tech Schools? Or have we just hit a period where the current Generation isn't large enough to support our labor needs?
There is some news reporting that both Russia and Ukraine have such a small current generation that they may never recover from current losses of young men. And that they have a near 20 year gap where not enough kids went to tech school so they are doubly in trouble.
The people we're looking to hire don't need technical training, the biggest turnover is in our shipping department. All we need there is a willingness to learn, the ability to read, the ability to show up reliably and no active drug use. I suspect that's similar to the people who do the bulk of the work in a body shop, or work as laborers in construction - as my wife's company has the same problem hiring paving crews.
We're not an Amazon sweatshop, it's a good place to work - you could even end up a member of the coop after two years. Hiring for the technical positions has always been a challenge for us, mostly due to our location. There are hundreds of people who think it would be a dream job but a much smaller number that are willing to do it from Grand Junction CO.
It's been a fairly rapid change, so I don't think it's generational. A friend has the theory that a whole cohort of people learned they could get by on a very low income during the pandemic, and it's easier to do that than it is to take on a full time job. For the sort of pool of worker we hire from for shipping, that's plausible. I don't know if it's actually the case, but it's plausible.
Don49 (Forum Supporter) said:If you have a Maaco nearby, I bet they would do it.
Have had nice single stage work done on the cheap at Maaco. If you do all your good prep it can actually be a good answer.
I finally got a response back ONE response, out of probably 20 emails and messages I've sent. It's from a hot rod shop, they can get me on the list...for next year.
FOR 20K!.
Jesus - no bodywork needed, no masking, no color matching - just roll it into the booth and spray it. No worries about overspray, since EVERYTHING is getting painted the same color. Maybe they think I want it gold plated...
OP, are you calling? Maybe they are too busy to deal with typical customers. You know, like saying it just needs paint and then it comes in and needs a ton of time. They're too busy to need the headache. I would walk in with pictures, maybe find a place with a jeep in the employee parking area that would want to do it.
Having dealt with a myriad of those typical aftermarket bodies. That sounds about right. It's never "just paint" especially with a hot rod shop that has a good reputation. If they literally just sprayed it, odds are there will be waves in the panels, some of the gaps will look off compared to others, and on and on. And then that's their reputation that looks bad when people ask where it was done... as it was literally just a "spray it" job. Plus, if they didn't do the sealers and high build / blocking... doubly so they aren't going to want to warranty it, or do the work on it. It's the name of the game. Obviously if they have a year wait odds are they do decent work and have a good reputation. You'd be shocked how one job like that going sideways can wreck it. So chances are you're paying for *more* than just spray and shove it out the door. Which from their end I get.
You'll have better luck finding a painter at a bodyshop that is willing to do it on the side. Maybe involves tossing the owner a few hundred for booth rental for a weekend on top of a few G's to the painter.
But, honestly, that quote doesn't sound ridiculous from being in the industry and knowing all too well how much work those bodies take to actually make nice.
Emails and messages are a sure way to be ignored. Show you're serious by going in person or at least calling. If you have a trailer, showing with the vehicle itself would be even better.
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