So Cal shops

[rockdogz]

Has anyone heard anything about South County Auto Body? I'm considering them... very near me. Any other recommendations for paint/body shops down this way?

Thanks,

[TurboLark]

My Skylark has been going to Magnolia Street Autobody in Ontario. they have had reasonable prices and quick turnarounds. I'm not looking for super duper show quality, just a nice street job.

[Radlark]

I would second that notion from Turbo Lark, I know there are a few of the guys here that have had there cars done by Dave! If you go to the VB garage you can take a looka at my Skylark that they did. It is under Radlark I beleive it is like the 5th page in the middle.

[inSANe DIEGO]

south are you looking to go?

John

[rockdogz]

the closer the better, so probably not all the way to san diego...

[KrisHorton]

I think I would also recommend Magnolia if you're going for a decent and cheap paint job and a good turnaround time. I would not recommend them for show quality work as quickly though. Our car was expedited, so I am not as good a judge as Larry or TurboLark would be.

To be completely honest, my paint is already falling off in places, there are some bondo cracks, and there was little to no serious prep-work done on the car other than re-skinning the doors, patching holes, and shaving the door handles. There are still bare spots in the trunk by the rear deck, the doors don't line up, and they only color sanded one side of the car completely. They had a huge task though with almost no time to do it, so with more time, I'm sure they could do better. For what they quoted and charged us, I think we got what we paid for. They were also good about not exceeding the budget we set for them, though that may have played a part in the overall quality of the work done.

I have to say though, they were great to deal with and very understanding. Dave even loaned us his shop the day before SEMA so we could do some final assembly. So going with them had its ups and downs.

Kris

[Steve1968LS2]

Well if you have the cash then Hot Rods and Custom stuff in Escondido is very good.. ask for Mike

Yea, Kris's car had some rough spots.. and other issues. For a driver it would be fine but for a show deal.. well, just re-read what Kris typed..

[rockdogz]

My car is at South County Auto Body. I almost went to HRCS, but figured the bill would add up even faster than it already is. I'm already regretting it a little, because I know with the number of people they have at HRCS they could get it done faster. I just had a feeling about this place - I hope I'm right. Now for the waiting... it's the hardest part, right?

[socalfandabodys]

Like Chris sais I took my car to Magnolia and they got the car arrow straight, but the paint in some place is not great. I had to take it back because they never color sanded it and it looked like a 1 day paint job. The car looks decent now but there some cracks here and there and the rocker and lower door and fender areas look like they werent sanded prior to painting. My advice spend alot of money the first time to get a high quality job. If your happy with daily driver status then go with someone like Magnolia.

[rockdogz]

I've decided that I wanted a really nice paint job, plus the car will be black, so that's why I took it to a shop at all - at first I was going to do everything myself. I saw a black truck they were painting and it looked nice. I talked to people who had their cars done there. I'm still nervous about it though.

[race-rodz-inc]

as with everything in life...you get what you pay for, but when it comes to body shops i usually tell customers this..... SPEED, QUALITY, OR PRICE... pick any 2.

if you want it fast and perfect.... its gonna cost LOTS
if you want it cheap and perfect.... its gonna take forever
if you want it cheap and fast..... its aint gonna be anywhere near perfect

im more of a perfectionist, and it seemed like everybody wants something perfect, fast and cheap.... so i basically got burnt out always doing way more work than i was being paid for, just to make the job presentable. thats why i stoped doing cars for other people and started doing strictly bikes.

i see it all the time when people didnt check around before taking a car someplace, paid way too much money, and got a ****job. luckily it sounds like you did your homework, and your car will be what you are expecting. and yes.... the hard part now is waiting...just make sure not to check in too much, nothing will irritate the shop faster than a customer who calls or stops by every 15 mins to see if their car is done yet.... i say once a week would be the max.

[rockdogz]

Heh, it's good to hear it from the other side of the counter... I have been thinking exactly that and have told myself not to bug them more than once a week. I'm subscribing to the 'not quick' and 'not cheap' methodology, so I hope that works out...