CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

...and going back to the paint/body shop.

I haven't paid yet because they really did a horrible job. I told them what I wanted, told them i'll be taking it to car shows and such and this is what they give me.

Back in 07' my car was broken into. They really jacked up my lock and all the metal around the lock cylinder...to fix this...he simply hammered any high areas, then "welded" it up, and slapped some bondo over it.


There are at least 10 dents I can still count throughout the body...this is just one of them.




Overall I am very disappoined by their work, I really could have done the same quality of work they did by myself and not had to take it to a "professional" body shop(also found several paint runs throughout the car). After pointing it all out to them, they said they'd fix it free of charge. They had the car for 3 weeks and didn't need it back so soon so they could have taken more time if needed on it. Hopefully comes out good the second time around.

Anyway, the color is Dark Shadow Gray.

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Also, I requested to have the bird decals air brushed on the sailpanels and front bumper in black, he's supposed to do that sometime soon.

webeeZ28

iTrader: (2)

.....That just sucks! Did you know if this was a good shop before taking it there? Good luck for better results.

juanillox8

iTrader: (7)

my advised to u as a painter is if you paid good money for that "paint job" and you noticed runs Be Veeeerrryyy careful since they told you they were gonna fix it, the runs they will just try to buff them out but you might end up with either burns or sags b/c they wont be able to get it completely off.... also i notice some paint was peeling off, that shows poor prep work so hope they sand the rest of the car down properly

92 Camaro

iTrader: (1)

that's some bad orange peel too.

Blind Driver

Agreed. Should have painted the car orange

firebird fixer

that is just nasty work!!!should of went to maco....LOL.

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

I had 2 friends of mine who have taken their car here. One had a 240sx that came out nice. The other had a Celica. This Celica had a lot of money invested into it. It had a widebody kit you can only get in Japan added to it and a really nice candy apple red paint job applied. So when I went to see the results, this is why I was so surprised to see such poor work.

firebird fixer

hey.maybe you guys can help me.im trying to upload pictures from my computer to display here.how do i make them small to be uploaded.im new to this computer stuff.but i love this site and will enjoy conversing with you all.thanks for any help.

laiky

I got you beat. When i got my car painted in 2002, i took it to a shop that my old Boss does business with (he owns a repair shop i used to work at) . I spoke to the owner and explained what i wanted. Simple, new front fascia, paint the whole car the factory blue, no decals, no stripes just blue.

i got the car back, wrong color with an RS nose mangled onto the z28 chin spoiler. 2 years later the paint was bubling everywhere. I told him to go screw himself when he offered to fix it. If he couldn't get the color close, will he really do ALL the work over again??

I would keep your money and tell him to go screw.

LTL_DMON

iTrader: (1)

Wow, just wow... if that were my car I'd get it out of there as fast as I could... your painter/body man looks like he has no idea what he is doing. The lock is not only on the wrong side of the metal, but it's not even straight. That job is not worth the money, you might want to talk to another paint/body shop and see what they say.

juanillox8

iTrader: (7)

uuuuuh girl with a thirdgen SSSSSEEEXY

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

I'm thinking of not letting him try to fix it right a second time around and just take it to another shop. Problem with that is I have to pay him regardless. Otherwise(don't quote me on this), I believe he has the legal right to hold my car until any dues are paid.
I talked to my friend who took his 240 there, he doesn't understand why they did such a bad job. They do much better work than that.

LTL_DMON

iTrader: (1)

You can almost bet he won't let you take your car unless he is paid. Give him a chance to "make it right" pay him, if it still looks like crap, take him to court for the cost to get his work fixed! Let him know that's what you have planned, he might do a better job, but make him pay for the replacement door.

Orinackra

well on the good side, the color is nice!

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Thanks, I decided on that color because I have a 02' Mustang Cobra that comes to my work all the time and after carefully studying it on sunny and cloudy days, it's what I wanted.

Talked to the owner again today. His excuses were "You didn't say you wanted show quality", "we must be having a communication problems", and my favorite "You didn't point out all the dents to me." I didn't pick up the car today like I was going to, and I haven't paid him anything yet either. When I said something about the door lock again he did take blame on it though and said he should have replaced that metal instead of doing what he did. Don't know how much longer it's going to take now but I was hoping to have it finished before The Gathering in Atlanta and have a few other things done to the car. Don't know if i'll have it all done by then.

80schild

iTrader: (5)

Don't feel bad, my car has been at the body shop since LAST SUMMER . I bought high temp hardener for the clear coat so that was his excuse during the winter (no heat in paint booth). Now that it's warmer we'll see just how fast he gets to it.

In my case I let the guy repaint my car in exchange for a few rent payments. A mistake on my part and that will never happen again.

Spikeophant

That sucks man, I hope they sand it down, and do their prep right for you this time. With orange peel like that already, that paint isn't going to last long. Here's hoping you get some quality work out of them now. Oh, man, and that thing about you not pointing the dents out, that's a load of ****, good prep should show them the dents.

t-top havoc

iTrader: (3)

Unless he's a PHENOMINAL artist, personally, I WOULD NOT let him airbrush anything!!......

What plans do you have for getting done the RIGHT way? It's almost show time, & cruises are starting to be planned!

Good luck, & looking forward to the finished product!......

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Actually it's another guy who doesn't work for this shop who is suppose to air brush the birds on. But, he is down in Miami(6hours south) and will not be back for awhile SO...I searched and found another guy to do the job. I saw some of the work he does and it's very good. So the birds should be easy for him to do.

The owner is going to redo the door(correct this time), and then sand down the roof and everything back from that, fix the dents, and paint/clear. The orange peel he says is the clearcoat and once it's wetsanded/buffed "it'll look great." He also says the runs are from the clearcoat, not the paint, and will also come out easily. We'll see.

rybread11

My guess is when he did the lock, he must have thought the lock was bigger - meaning it would cover the hole, not sit inside of it. Thats the only thing I can think of though, still its amazing they would call it finished like that. For one reason or another they must have thought they would give it back to you, and if you didnt say anything, then they dont have to do anything to make it better. How much was this suppose to cost?

juanillox8

iTrader: (7)

remember where the runs were when u get the car back dnt look at them straight up look at them from different angles also if they try to deliver it to u under the sun tell them u wanna look at it inside the shop or on the shade.
the reflection of the sun will not let u see the clear imperfections (sun hides runs and sags). sun helps you see swirl marks thou.

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

The total cost is $2200 + tax. Now, it was going to be more but he didn't want to change my weatherstripping for some reason(not having to do with my car specifically,) didn't want to redo my hatch(it leaks so it needs to be resealed,) and aside from painting, didn't want to install my front ground effects. Really all he did was sand, "fix" the door, and then paint. He did fix a couple dents but left the rest there even after I pointed them out in the early stages of him getting the car. Any parts that the car needed like front bumper, the ground effects, new locks and the metal that needed to be replaced on that part of the door, etc...I took to him.

Thanks for the tip, i'll inspect it in the sun and shade.

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Update. I took them a door and they cut out and welded the metal around the lock...looks factory, did a good job on it. The dents have been removed, paint has been done, the airbrushed birds have been done, clear is done, tomorrow it will be buffed to remove orange peel and it'll be ready to be picked up.

When I get it back I still have to change the lower pin on the driver side door(should have done it before taking it I know, my mistake,) align the hood better, then change out the weatherstripping, install the front ground effects because they are missing many of their mounting points. He didn't want to install them and be responsible for them flying off and damaging any paint on the rest of the car, and lastly re-seal decklid to the glass on the hatch so it'll stop leaking.

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

I know it's not factory centered or size BUT...I wanted to add something that was subtle not overpowering and yet custom in it's own. Rather than being an outline like the other birds, this is solid colored. What do you think?

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

Not bad.

steve87ta

iTrader: (4)

I would not trust anybody who presented a car to a customer with a lock hole like that!

I do feel bad for people that have a bad paint job thread. I know what a bummer it is when you pay an "expert " to do a job and it sucks. This is why I do it myself and that is what has drove me to learn how to do most things car related!

Hopefully they will fix all the stuff!

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Got the car on Friday. I was very frustrated and just wanted the car back. I started to change the window sweeps when I accidently forgot to put the window guides back on the front window triangles( don't know if you know what part i'm talking about )...well they came apart and when I went to check the passenger side to see how to put them back together I noticed it was missing them. They were down on my passenger floorboard broken. Also, the driver side lock they installed upside down. When they tried aligning my hatch they removed the back roof trim piece to get to the bolts and they just left it there dangling. Don't know where the screws are for that. The airbrushed birds are not in the same location on both sail panels, and the front bumper cover bird is left of center. The guy who was down in miami came back up and did them.

Anyway, today I changed the driver side lower door pin and the door no longer has any play in it. I tried to align the driver side fender and found that underneath the car where the fender bolts to was really bent up. Tried bending it back into place but it needs more work. I also need to figure out how i'm going to lower my radiator because it's keeping my hood from aligning with the front bumper. Haven't looked at that yet. Car is in desperate need of a cleaning once I get that done too. This car is my daily driver for now and I got caught in some rain on sunday. I do have covered parking but it leaks in some places. Need to fix that also.

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

I cringe every time I read horror stories like this. This is exactly why I'd prefer to completely disassemble the car down to a rolling chassis before getting it painted and do all the prep and reassembly work myself. Obviously this isn't practical for everyone, but it does ensure that some of these issues can't happen.

itsMikey

hope to see it lookin good soon!

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

The factory didn't center them either. More like.....Low & forward of center. Maybe he tried to get them close to that? Yet doing the placement himself, he couldn't even match his own, side to side? :roflmao:

steve87ta

iTrader: (4)

Wise words 87.

I put the car together, and do stuff like hinge pins, fit doors and then take back apart to do paint and body work. It is more work and there is usually still some issues but it helps keep it to a minimum.

But then I am usually putting two or three together to make one car.

Interesting with some of the bumpers I prefer to paint, sand and then mount before buffing and polishing. Maybe I need more time with the buffer....

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Yup, exactly what he couldn't do.

Today I ground the brackets of my hotchkis strut tower brace because the hood was hitting them slightly. I looked at the radiator and decided I will just go with an aftermarket one. I measured the height of it to 18.5" roughly and i've seen some that were aftermarkets that were 16.5"...anyone recommend one? I also washed the car for the first time today, took some pictures. I may have gone a little darker than I wanted to go with the gray also, looks kinda brownish when not in direct light. Still looks good though.

Having fitment issues with the radiator.





I do like how the black birds looks against the gray body color.






Still have a lot of work to do. The interior is very dirty from all the sanding they did. Also you can see in the last pic the rear panel dangling. Need to go to the junkyard and get the screws for that since I can't find them. The wheels used to make the car look better, now they don't help the look since the paint is so shiney...will be getting new wheels/tires soon.

Orinackra

I like the black birds.
I cannot believe however, how off center that front one is. And that hood is nowhere near being lined up. I would have been PISSED! And who just leaves a trim piece dangling from the roof? What the hell is that about? Its a shame you needed that car back, cause it still needs work. Sorry to hear...

92 Camaro

iTrader: (1)

you sure it's the radiator? i would think the radiator would make both sides go up. could it be the hood stop?

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Yes i'm sure. I put lotion on both sides of the radiator and when I put my hood down and lifted it back up, it was on the bottom of the hood. I took the hood stops off when I checked also. Monday i'll move the radiator out of the way and try to close the hood fully, install the rest of the new weatherstripping, clean up the interior and then install the front ground effects.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

wow man, when I saw the first pictures I assumed that you dropped your car off at a Maaco and paid them $200. But then I saw that you were paying 2 GRAND I was kinda shocked. That lock was utterly horrible... did they think you were blind or stupid? But at least you're getting it fixed. But to be honest I would've given him a lot of sh** for that. Sorry if I'm just preaching to the choir lol. Now when you said that they can hold your car until they receive the money, did they leave it parked outside? I would've just taken my spare keys and stolen it at night lol.

But it's stories like this that are encouraging me to prep/paint my 91 TA on my own.

And this is a stupid question... but how can you avoid orange-peel in a paint job? Sorry if I'm thread-jacking.

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

They left it outside, but it was fenced in and locked. You may be better off doing it on your own. I really thought this place was going to do an outstanding job since they did such a good job on my 2 friend's cars.
I actually have never done any body work before other than trying to align panels, so I can only speak from what i've seen and read, but I don't think you can really avoid orange-peel. What you can do though is minimize how much there is. Plus once it's dried and cured you can wetsand it.

Sonymaster20

iTrader: (3)

You can minimize it to a miniscule amount. its a technique when shooting a clear coat. Shoot the first coat kind of dry and orange peely, then let it flash. Then shoot the second coat tuning up your fluid *** to allow more fluid and you get just the right amount of spray. You are able to do this because you are allowing the second coat to stick to the first tacky coat of clear. This is all of course if you set it up right in the first place.

juanillox8

iTrader: (7)

agree but it varies from clear to clear, for example on ppg clear if you shoot it that way you will end up with the worst orange peel ever do to the viscosity of the clear, the truth is orange peel doesnt really matter as long as they spend the right amount of rime color sanding and buffing

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Would 30 days be enough time from the time it was painted to buffing? They sanded the car to get rid of some of the orange peel and runs but they left sanding marks and clouds on many areas. I'll post pics soon.

juanillox8

iTrader: (7)

WOW half of that time is what it takes us to do a full size motorhome lol i wonder what the heck is on their minds

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

Don't know if you understood what I meant. I've had the car back for 3 weeks now(they sanded before I picked it up.) Aside from washing it I haven't done anything else to it because I don't want to put any sort of chemicals on it. There are sanding marks and clouds that are still there, is it okay to buff once it hits 30 days being painted?

steve87ta

iTrader: (4)

FWIW I can sand and polish a car in 30 days. And I have to go to work (production paint so my arm gets kinda sore) fix things around the house ect. This is just on weekends and when I feel like it. It is something that you can't rush but even in my spare time I could get it done.

Depends on the clear, but I prefer to color sand as soon as I can. It is a little softer then. I do not usually un mask it either, helps with the mess.

I here shops tell people not to wash fresh paint for 30 days. Wax no but I can color sand right the next day or 12 hrs .

I think they don't want the customer to look at it that good right away...

juanillox8

iTrader: (7)

sorry i miss understood... why would they wait that long i've buff cars even the next day they are out of the booth, but thats only when the customer its eager to get it the ideal is 2 days if you leave it more than that and its already sanded down it will be harder to buff since the scratches already have dirt and other stuff in them they will need to wash it off really good and maybe wet sand it some more but yea it can be buffed no matter how much time has passed after being painted.

juanillox8

iTrader: (7)

is not because of that is because after the car gets out of the paint bay the clear keeps gassing out so when u apply wax you start adding layers of a chemical so it doesn't allow the clear to cure completely and with time the clear starts to loose its shine.

CharcoalBird

iTrader: (4)

I asked him to get rid of the orange peel and runs so I can only assume(my mistake,) he sanded and buffed. Since there are still so many sanding marks, perhaps he just didn't do a good job on the buffing? I really couldn't see them because the car was covered with pollen when I picked it up. My own ignorance for not knowing I could buff the car so soon after paint. That and I wanted the car back in my hands and away from his.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

I'd just bring it back to the shop if there are still sanding marks on a $2000 paint job.