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    Results 1 to 20 of 28
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27

      Body Shop Price Gouging

      Does this sound right?

      Considering I have no experience in paint and body I may be wrong in my opinion. My 68 Camaro Vert is in a shop for a full rotisserie. Halfway through teardown they lost their body guy and hired a kid out of tech school that got a certificate for welding and sheet metal with no one to work under.
      The original quarter panels were replaced before I had it and were hardtop where they cut off the top and used Bondo to shape the top, so we decided to replace the quarters with the correct ones. The new kid removed the quarters and the strip between the trunk and the convertible top. then he said the wheel wells needed replacing (didn't look that bad to me) so he removed those. The shop charges by the hour and bills weekly.
      To just remove those 5 parts I was charged for 29 hours. That seems excessive to me and makes me wonder what in the world they will come up with for putting back on which I figured would be the most time-consuming part. Again, I am not a body guy.
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    2. #2
      Join Date
      Oct 2015
      Posts
      362
      Country Flag: United States
      To remove them including drilling the spotwelds should be under 8hrs IMO. I'm a home body guy and removed and replaced the 1/4's on my 70 around 10hrs each side.
      My half a$$ed build thread.https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...elle-6-0-4L60E

      Tighten it till it strips & back it off a quarter turn.

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Mountain Springs, Texas
      Posts
      4,489
      Country Flag: United States
      Seems high but at this point your only options are to pay up or pull the car imho. They are not going to change their ways moving forward.

      What is the hourly rate?

      Don
      1969 Camaro - LSA 6L90E AME sub/IRS
      1957 Buick Estate Wagon
      1959 El Camino - Ironworks frame
      1956 Cameo - full C5 suspension/drivetrain
      1959 Apache Fleetside

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27
      Quote Originally Posted by Alwhite00 View Post
      To remove them including drilling the spotwelds should be under 8hrs IMO. I'm a home body guy and removed and replaced the 1/4's on my 70 around 10hrs each side.
      I wish I had the skills to do it myself as well. Definitely not afraid of some hard work but without the skill you have to depend on others and hope they don't take advantage of you in the process.
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27
      Quote Originally Posted by dhutton View Post
      Seems high but at this point your only options are to pay up or pull the car imho. They are not going to change their ways moving forward.

      What is the hourly rate?

      Don
      $75 per hour
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Feb 2019
      Location
      Kankakee IL
      Posts
      362
      Quote Originally Posted by timuh60 View Post
      $75 per hour
      $75 hr for a quality shop is a bargain. For one taking advantage of you is another matter.
      Tracey

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27
      Quote Originally Posted by Tsaints1115 View Post
      $75 hr for a quality shop is a bargain. For one taking advantage of you is another matter.
      I know the $75 per/hr isn't bad at all. The issue is the number of hours he is charging. Before he lost his real body guy, he billed less hours to remove my door handles and install Kindigit handles with all the metal work (look and work great) than he is now billing me to just remove a quarter panel.

      BTW ... He just posted online he is raising his hourly shop rate starting 1 January.

      Personally, I think he lost a lot of revenue when his body guy left and trying to make it up by milking me.

      Does anyone disagree with me and think he may be billing fair hours?
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Jul 2019
      Location
      Ohio
      Posts
      314
      Country Flag: United States
      Did you ask the shop why so many hours?

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27
      Quote Originally Posted by srode View Post
      Did you ask the shop why so many hours?
      Yes I did. He got very defensive and mad that I dare ask about the work on my car. In his words "The way I feel, we're in a relationship ... I work on your car and you pay me. It doesn't matter who does the work, or their skill level"
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Jul 2019
      Location
      Ohio
      Posts
      314
      Country Flag: United States
      No written agreement describing details of hours billed and how they are arrived at. Obviously he's not going by book time like a body shop would, he's going by the time his body man took which could be 29 hours since he doesn't have experience, but still hard to imagine. Don's probably right on your choices. Note it probably will continue unfortunately, might want to look for another shop.

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27
      Quote Originally Posted by srode View Post
      No written agreement describing details of hours billed and how they are arrived at. Obviously he's not going by book time like a body shop would, he's going by the time his body man took which could be 29 hours since he doesn't have experience, but still hard to imagine. Don's probably right on your choices. Note it probably will continue unfortunately, might want to look for another shop.
      I am going to look for another shop. I have to somehow figure out how to get my car from his shop as I drove a fairly nice car to his shop. Now its in a million pieces and sitting on a frame table striped down with no wheels. He also has a crap ton of parts I bought for the car that I have to get. This sucks!

      BTW ... The body guy that he lost was his son that said he couldn't work with him.
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Mountain Springs, Texas
      Posts
      4,489
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by timuh60 View Post
      I am going to look for another shop. I have to somehow figure out how to get my car from his shop as I drove a fairly nice car to his shop. Now its in a million pieces and sitting on a frame table striped down with no wheels. He also has a crap ton of parts I bought for the car that I have to get. This sucks!

      BTW ... The body guy that he lost was his son that said he couldn't work with him.
      You are pretty much pregnant now and will likely have to see it through until your car is moveable imho. Try to limit the scope of the work.

      Don
      1969 Camaro - LSA 6L90E AME sub/IRS
      1957 Buick Estate Wagon
      1959 El Camino - Ironworks frame
      1956 Cameo - full C5 suspension/drivetrain
      1959 Apache Fleetside

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Dec 2008
      Location
      Detroit
      Posts
      2,584
      Country Flag: United States
      Yeah, like others have said. He seems to be billing based on actual hrs vs book time. The guy is using your car to gain experience and figuring it out along the way...
      Big dreams, small pockets....

      Chris--
      '72 Cutlass S LSA/T56 Magnum
      Bowler Performance, Rushforth Wheels, ATS, Holley EFI, KORE3, Ridetech

      Project Motor City Madness

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27
      Quote Originally Posted by dhutton View Post
      You are pretty much pregnant now and will likely have to see it through until your car is moveable imho. Try to limit the scope of the work.

      Don
      I am normally a pro-life guy but in this instance I can make an exception. 😀
      He made a comment to me that if I'm dissatisfied I can take my car some where else. I said I have to figure it out. He said he didn't care and just sent me pics of taking what is left of the body off the frame table, straped it to a body cart, packed up all my parts, and said I had to get it out of his shop by the 9th. Then charged me over $600 for packing it up plus a $200 for the body cart. What an ass!
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27
      Quote Originally Posted by csouth View Post
      Yeah, like others have said. He seems to be billing based on actual hrs vs book time. The guy is using your car to gain experience and figuring it out along the way...
      I wonder if I can get a tax break for funding an advanced tech school?

      The kid seems like a nice kid but should be working under an experienced body guy. As of now he is the ONLY body guy and I am sure my car is his first out of school.

      But the owner said the skill level of the people working in the shop doesn't matter.
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Mountain Springs, Texas
      Posts
      4,489
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by timuh60 View Post
      I am normally a pro-life guy but in this instance I can make an exception. 😀
      He made a comment to me that if I'm dissatisfied I can take my car some where else. I said I have to figure it out. He said he didn't care and just sent me pics of taking what is left of the body off the frame table, straped it to a body cart, packed up all my parts, and said I had to get it out of his shop by the 9th. Then charged me over $600 for packing it up plus a $200 for the body cart. What an ass!
      Wow. At least he made it easy for you.

      Don
      1969 Camaro - LSA 6L90E AME sub/IRS
      1957 Buick Estate Wagon
      1959 El Camino - Ironworks frame
      1956 Cameo - full C5 suspension/drivetrain
      1959 Apache Fleetside

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Dec 2008
      Location
      Detroit
      Posts
      2,584
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by timuh60 View Post
      I wonder if I can get a tax break for funding an advanced tech school?

      The kid seems like a nice kid but should be working under an experienced body guy. As of now he is the ONLY body guy and I am sure my car is his first out of school.

      But the owner said the skill level of the people working in the shop doesn't matter.
      LOL... I don't know how he figures skill doesn't matter when he bills by the hour. Seriously, I hope things work out for you....
      Big dreams, small pockets....

      Chris--
      '72 Cutlass S LSA/T56 Magnum
      Bowler Performance, Rushforth Wheels, ATS, Holley EFI, KORE3, Ridetech

      Project Motor City Madness

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Jul 2019
      Location
      Ohio
      Posts
      314
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by timuh60 View Post
      I am normally a pro-life guy but in this instance I can make an exception. ��
      He made a comment to me that if I'm dissatisfied I can take my car some where else. I said I have to figure it out. He said he didn't care and just sent me pics of taking what is left of the body off the frame table, straped it to a body cart, packed up all my parts, and said I had to get it out of his shop by the 9th. Then charged me over $600 for packing it up plus a $200 for the body cart. What an ass!
      It's a gift in disguise, be happy. Your relation with that shop was doomed, time to move on.



    19. #19
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Richmond Hill, GA
      Posts
      27
      Quote Originally Posted by srode View Post
      It's a gift in disguise, be happy. Your relation with that shop was doomed, time to move on.
      In the long run you may be right. But in the short term I am really in a bind. With 1.5 weeks to get something figured out and get everything out of there it is hard to be happy about it now. Finding a good shop that can and will take on this in such short notice is proving very hard.

      I still have a bad feeling when I think I drove a nice car there and now I have to figure out what to do with the skeleton of a car and truck loads of parts. Years flying combat missions was less stressful
      Tim

      68' Convertible Camaro SS (eventually PT)

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Mar 2010
      Posts
      4
      Might be time to try a local community college welding class. It’s only a few months and with practice you could finish this up yourself imo.

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