What to ask a body shop

My bright red 08 Speed 3 (perfect condition) recently got rear ended. I want the body and paintwork to be done perfectly (color match, NO orange peel, etc). I have been recommended a few shops by people on here (still taking recommendations in a separate thread) and I'd kind of like to call some places, but I don't know enough about what to ask. I mean, i can ask how they do paint matching, but I don't know what the right and wrong answers to that question are. Any advice on how to separate the high-end body shops from the not so great ones with some questions I can ask them would be appreciated.

1 Ask what the warranty is on the repair

2 will they use OE parts?

3 what will they do if you are not happy with the finished job?

Ask if they match by paint code or by paint sample. The better shops will match by comparing a zillion chips to your paint, as that takes stuff like paint fading into account.

Look to see if they have a computerized paint mixing station, as it makes mixing the right color much much easier. I'm not saying it's a necessity, but it removes the human error element.

Check how closely they look over the car when writing the estimate. Poor shops will ignore frame or unibody damage as long as they can get the exterior in spec.

Look at the cars out front- what do they work on and how does it turn out?

Take a walk through the shop- are the tools organized? Are parts organized? Is there a ton of bondo? Do the techs have a wide assortment of hammers and dollies, or do they have a wide assortment of bondo spreaders?

Oh, and pull a tech aside if you can get a chance. Ask him what the shop's like.

The tech(s) at the front of the shop will always do the best work. It's what the customers see, so the best techs get to work right in the front. So ask who will work on your car (you probably won't get a straight answer). Ask to have a specific person work on it, either because of their location or because they were nice when you pulled them aside.

I'd also avoid "production line" body shops. These are shops where one guy does the panel banging, one does bondo, one does primer, etc. There is less accountability (and therefore usually worse work) at these types of shops. It's better if one bodyman works on your car from start to finish, as he has a vested interest in banging the panels correctly so he can use less bondo, and block-sand less.

ask for a referral from a car they did a year ago. see it for yourself if possible? i don't know.

Look at other cars they've repaired, asked for references.

I agree with the recommendations above. References are always best, but a shop will not supply a reference from an unhappy customer, so there is probably little to learn in that regard.. So your other thread may be the most valuable starting point.

I feel for you. I always cringe when I see a car that has obviously had a panel or two re-sprayed. New paint mixed "to match" a little fade is certain to look different down the road. Bummer.

Insurance companies won't foot the bill for a full re-spray, will they?

I had some work done on my Accord last summer - ask all the above......plus

1. If you grind with my trunk lid open and sparks burn my trunk carpet mat; will you deny it and act like it is minor when I point it out during the delivery inspection?

2. If you grind and sparks hit my rear window and put little pock marks in the glass; will you pretend it never happened?

In reply to Datsun310Guy:

Don't forget the "if you grind and have sparks burn into the fresh paintwork all over the car, will you still tell me that it could not have happened in your shop because you don't use grinders in the shop" when the car hasn't been anywhere else?

Regarding grinders and sparks - it will be a good idea to go over the car closely with the shop when it's dropped off, to note what things are not damaged.

See if they even have a paint booth. The paint won't look right if someone is spraying in a dusty shop. Sounds simple but lots of shops don't have a booth!

-Hamid

OHSCrifle wrote: Insurance companies won't foot the bill for a full re-spray, will they?

Not just no, but hell no. I always laugh at the guys who want their car completely repainted. That's a sure fire way to ruin your resale value way beyond just getting a panel or two painted. But you can't fix stupid.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I've never been through this before and I appreciate all of the input. I think I'll call a few different shops that have been recommended to me (here and other places) with the following line of questioning and see who makes me feel good about the whole thing:

1. I have a bright red 08 Speed3 that was rear-ended. The rest of the car is perfect. Do you think you'd be able to get the back end perfect again? I love this car and I'm not going to be happy until it's perfect.

2. Do you use Mazda parts or aftermarket parts for the repair.

3. What warranty do you offer with all of the work that you perform?

4. How do you match the new paint to my paint?

5. Do you have a paint booth?

Any additional input that you guys have is still appreciated. I think most places are closed today for new years so I'll be calling around tomorrow.

Is the car drivable? I'm guessing that most shops are going to want to look at the car in person before they can respond to question #1.

Personally, I've never seen a body shop that doesn't have a paint booth - regulations on that sort of thing are pretty strict these days.

stuart in mn wrote: Is the car drivable? I'm guessing that most shops are going to want to look at the car in person before they can respond to question #1. Personally, I've never seen a body shop that doesn't have a paint booth - regulations on that sort of thing are pretty strict these days.

You may have a good point with this, I am just voicing my dissatisfaction with some paint and body work done on my miata rear end about 10 years ago. The paint job was horrible (still is) and really rough looking, and I realized that they did not have a paint booth, just tarps. This was in Seattle of all places too!

-Hamid

Even ten years ago they had regulations about airborne compounds. Weird.

OE parts will depend on your insurance. Ask about it!

ddavidv wrote: Not just no, but hell no. I always laugh at the guys who want their car completely repainted. That's a sure fire way to ruin your resale value way beyond just getting a panel or two painted. But you can't fix stupid.

You may not be able to fix stupid, but you might try to explain your humble opinion.

Humor me. Why would total re-paint lower car value below new paint on a panel or two?