Just had an auto body shop talk its way OUT of me going with them

Kinja'd!!! "cobleymj" (cobleymj)
08/14/2014 at 16:52 • Filed to: None

Kinja'd!!!3 Kinja'd!!! 12

Background: A few weeks back I got rear-ended, damage was superficial and the guy paid me cash for the estimated repair cost (~$2500). Every estimate had me paying way over the odds for a replacement trunk/reshaping the damaged one ($400-700), and tacking on an extra $50 for my taillights. So I decided I would source the parts myself and then take the trunk lid to one company (Glen's Polish and Paint, Salt Lake, UT) to get painted.

They just called me, after I finished explaining that I was going to source the parts myself the guy gets angry (not verbatim)...

Him: "Can I ask WHY you are getting the parts yourself?"
Me: "It's cheaper that way"
"Are you planning on installing it yourself?"
"Probably"
"Well sourcing parts is part of our overhead"
"...........okay...."
"So we would not usually take on the job without sourcing the parts ourselves"
"Then I guess I should take it elsewhere?"

A few seconds of silence

"WELL GOOD LUCK WITH THAT"
*click*

$1500 of their quote was just blending and painting the rear end of the car. I'm sure a decent portion of that was profit. Oh well. Some people just don't want to make money I guess


DISCUSSION (12)


Kinja'd!!! quarterlifecrisis > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 16:57

Kinja'd!!!2

I can't put too much on the body shop, the guy was pretty up front on that.

Don't tell them that you're sourcing parts yourself. Tell them you have x, and need it painted. If they ask why, don't get into it.


Kinja'd!!! RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 17:01

Kinja'd!!!0

Lots of shops doing that, not just body shops. I wanted to get harder control arm bushings installed, and the shop refused — they wouldn't do anything with parts they hadn't sourced themselves, i.e. cheap "OEM-equivalent".


Kinja'd!!! DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 17:07

Kinja'd!!!1

When my Volvo was hit, I asked the body shop if they cared about me bringing in the parts. They were cool with it, but it probably helped that this was the sixth or seventh time that my immediate family had dropped off a car with them...


Kinja'd!!! Zibodiz > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 17:08

Kinja'd!!!0

I experienced that with a motorcycle tire. I wanted the best of the best, so I bought it myself online, but couldn't find anyone willing to install it. If you ask why, they'll tell you that they make most of their money on the tire and basically give the installation away, so they won't do it without, even for a higher fee. Just stupid.


Kinja'd!!! cobleymj > quarterlifecrisis
08/14/2014 at 17:09

Kinja'd!!!2

Will do in future, this is my first experience with it. But still, its a toss up between making money and not making money, trying to angrily convince me to spend more money for no other reason than it makes them make more money is just poor business strategy


Kinja'd!!! JGrabowMSt > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 17:10

Kinja'd!!!0

The body shop I went to for painting my bumper was super cool about it. More than I wanted to pay initially, but they fixed a few deep scratches, and blended the paint job incredibly well. It was worth the money I paid them, and I provided all body panels because had I not, the bill would have cost way more than it did.

I got a new bumper and a replacement hood for less than the cost of the body shop's estimate just for a new hood. The first body shop I went to said they could get the parts cheaper than I could. Needless to say, I didn't go back to that shop. for a couple reasons.

The second shop guided me towards what to look for, and their tips not only ensured they would get the job, but also helped me cut the cost of the work in half, literally. I have their initial quote, and the bill I paid, and it was literally half the cost. Even buying the parts, I didn't reach the cost of the first quote from the first body shop.

$1500 isn't an unfair price for having the rear painted with blending though. I know it's not cheap, but it's about the going rate in my area. I made sure I went to a place that would truly blend the paint extremely well, and I definitely got what I paid for because the job is great. As with any shop, you're looking at the time to blend the paint, the time to take the panels off, spray them, dry, clearcoat, put the parts back on, make sure the panels align correctly. A good shop will bend over backwards for you, but I can't say you're going to beat that cost easily.


Kinja'd!!! cobleymj > JGrabowMSt
08/14/2014 at 17:18

Kinja'd!!!2

I understand, it wasn't about them beating any cost, they gave me the most expensive of the quotes I received. My point was more that the painting made up the vast majority of their estimate and I'm sure there is a decent profit margin included within the $1500, but they would rather take no money than give up a small profit on sourcing parts


Kinja'd!!! jariten1781 > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 17:19

Kinja'd!!!0

Not abnormal, nor is there really anything wrong with it, but it can be frustrating.

I've had that issue with exhausts, upholstery, body work and more. In addition to what the guy said (built in overhead on parts) another thing mentioned to me was that they warranty their work but they wouldn't be able to with parts of unknown provenance. They had apparently done some work with customer sourced parts in the past and later had their online reviews torn up because the guy was pissed that they wouldn't give him the warranty everyone else got.

Keep lookin around, you'll find someone.


Kinja'd!!! JGrabowMSt > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 17:22

Kinja'd!!!0

The shop may try to primarily do insurance jobs, so they have a limited set of vendors and a limited set of experience with parts. Not really their fault, but I don't blame you for seeking another shop. I would myself in this case.


Kinja'd!!! BZiel > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 17:53

Kinja'd!!!1

One of my lifelong friends has been operating a body shop for 26 years. One reason they don't paint and install customer sources parts is because of the questionable quality of a lot of aftermarket Chinese and Taiwanese crap that customers bring in and want painted and installed - and then think there's a lifetime warranty on it. If their name is going on the work, they want to know what they are working on.

Yeah, that $200 hood panel you found on the Internet *seems* like a bargain over the $600 mfgr one...until it starts rusting out from the inside 14 months from now. And who does the customer blame? The body shop.

Or, the POS Chinese plastic bumper cover someone finds online that "fits" all models between 1994 and 1999...except that it doesn't.

My favorite story he told was of a kid who brought in a plastic bumper cover for a 2007 Sentra he bought on the Internet that was made in Taiwan and was to be painted black to match the car. Kid went to college at Clemson. Late July - 107 degrees - parked over black asphalt - Albedo effect temperature, probably 150 degrees. Bumper melted into something that looked like a Picasso painting. Kid came back and tried to complain and get his money back.

There's a reason good body shops charge good money - because they source parts from suppliers they trust and know, and because they know what they're doing. And, they know not to put their name on aftermarket crap.


Kinja'd!!! Prophet of hoon > cobleymj
08/14/2014 at 18:12

Kinja'd!!!1

it really pays to find the part from a similar color car...


Kinja'd!!! quarterlifecrisis > cobleymj
08/16/2014 at 01:08

Kinja'd!!!0

Yeah, I completely understand your side of it. But I get his too. The thing is, and I've made both sides of this argument on a variety of topics, if you cut into his margin by a big enough amount, and there's other work coming in the door, it's worth it to turn the business down. So it's not poor strategy, it's focusing on the higher margin.