I do mind… I think I will leave that out of the conversation.
GTO - Sport Appearance Package (SAP) Archive
121 - 125 of 125 Posts
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Ok just just trying to ballpark if the price I was given was fair thanks.
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Comparing bodywork/paint prices is always an apples to oranges comparison as you’re paying more for the experience (labor rate) and shop capabilities (ability to custom mix paint) than the base hours and raw supplies to paint “x” part. Those also vary a lot from region to region.
The shop I trust is an hour away from me and I live in a populous area with countless decent body shops near me. I pay a premium for this guy as he mixes his own paints and does spray-out cards until he gets the shade perfect. I spend a lot of money on the first part he ever paints for me for a new vehicle as there is generally a lot of time spent perfecting the color formula.
The cost to paint the same part close to me by a shop that simply pulls the color code, orders a pint, and paints said part, is significantly less.
The shop I trust is an hour away from me and I live in a populous area with countless decent body shops near me. I pay a premium for this guy as he mixes his own paints and does spray-out cards until he gets the shade perfect. I spend a lot of money on the first part he ever paints for me for a new vehicle as there is generally a lot of time spent perfecting the color formula.
The cost to paint the same part close to me by a shop that simply pulls the color code, orders a pint, and paints said part, is significantly less.
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348 Posts
Hence “ballpark” not firm quote…
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11,795 Posts
Still sort of hard to offer ballpark figures as there are simply too many variables to consider unless you both live in the same area and are utilizing the same type of shop.
For example, and in my particular instance during my last painting project, I decided to ask a local shop for a quote to paint my SAP side skirts. They pulled up a repair tool showing how much labor should be applied, inputed the cost of purchasing a pre-mixed pint of paint and clear, and printed off a repair bill. $600.
The place I go to is a specialty shop who handles restorations and the owner is the painter. He's transparent with all of his customers that he never knows what it will take to get the color and finish perfect, so will not offer a dollar estimate. I know he does amazing work so gave him my rockers. He calls me 2 weeks later when he's done with them and tells me what I owe him. In this instance, "You're bill is $1200 plus tax". He's fair, and does phenomenal work, so I just go into it knowing the cost is what it is if I want a quality job. I've paid him extra labor on certain projects in the past as he wasn't happy with the results and either needed to spend more time doing spray-outs, or had to re-paint parts that didn't meet his/my expectations.
So, there are 2 different approaches with one shop being twice as much (and sometimes even more). My $1200 ballpark figure for my project wouldn't be a good comparison to someone who's getting a quote from the first type of shop I stopped into for a quote.
My suggestion to anyone is to simply find a shop that cares, does great work, and pay them what they are worth.
For example, and in my particular instance during my last painting project, I decided to ask a local shop for a quote to paint my SAP side skirts. They pulled up a repair tool showing how much labor should be applied, inputed the cost of purchasing a pre-mixed pint of paint and clear, and printed off a repair bill. $600.
The place I go to is a specialty shop who handles restorations and the owner is the painter. He's transparent with all of his customers that he never knows what it will take to get the color and finish perfect, so will not offer a dollar estimate. I know he does amazing work so gave him my rockers. He calls me 2 weeks later when he's done with them and tells me what I owe him. In this instance, "You're bill is $1200 plus tax". He's fair, and does phenomenal work, so I just go into it knowing the cost is what it is if I want a quality job. I've paid him extra labor on certain projects in the past as he wasn't happy with the results and either needed to spend more time doing spray-outs, or had to re-paint parts that didn't meet his/my expectations.
So, there are 2 different approaches with one shop being twice as much (and sometimes even more). My $1200 ballpark figure for my project wouldn't be a good comparison to someone who's getting a quote from the first type of shop I stopped into for a quote.
My suggestion to anyone is to simply find a shop that cares, does great work, and pay them what they are worth.
121 - 125 of 125 Posts
