O/T Was I unreasonable? Gave painter 1 week to finish

My painter originally told me that he would paint the car in 4 weeks - maybe 3. Then he took 10 weeks to paint my car and get it into the semi state that it is in now. He quit when I told him I wanted it finished in 1 week. The car has been base coated and clear coated with what he says is 2 gallons of base and 2 gallons of clear(seems like a lot of paint to me). It needs to be block sanded and clear coated again then sanded and buffed. There is some other minor things to finish like wiring the lights, weather stripping, and installing fender welting, etc..

This past Thursday and Friday I spend about 23 hours working on things he should have already done. I wanted to make my club's car show on Saturday and he had assured me in the weeks leading up to the show that that would "be no problem".

I gave him a demand letter (1 week to finish) on Monday with a witness and he agreed at the time. He later called back and said he would not finish the car and to come pickup the other parts.

The money part, I paid him 2k on the 4k job.

Am I being unreasonable?

Thanks
Bo

 

I think you overpaid. Especially if there are more "other parts" to be painted.

 

Painters/bodymen never finish on time. In painter time:

1 month = 3 months (if you're lucky).

 

Everything is painted. It just needs to be shined up a bit.

 

Be happy if you get everything back.

 

Well, if doesn't need more clear, like you originally stated, then it is probably fair. Lots of painters don't want to paint over the top of other guys' work.

Just be careful blocking and buffing. You can always sand more, but you can't unsand.

 

hey, i resemble that remark!

man that sure is alot of base. he might of had 2000 in materials depending on what products/ brands he uses.

 

Is the picture [yellow car w/orange flames] base coat and clear coat what you got for 2 thousand dollars? Texas must be a lot different from Calif. You got a good deal!

 

No he shoulda had it done.. Id wet sand it and buff it and see how it goes. The only reason it should need more clear is because he cant paint! If it goes ok and looks ok then you got the deal and he is a dumb ass for not finishing or actually giving you a deal at 4k. A good job nowdays depending on whats done is like 7 to 8 k.
Dave

 

Yup that is the car.

 

Speaking as someone who does refinishing, it is VERY hard to determine how long a quality paint job is going to take. There are just too many variables. Notice I said "quality job", which judging by the amount you quoted is what you should be getting. Some of the things that can and will prolong a paint job are the overall condition of the vehicle, the type of materials being used, the type of facility the vehicle is being spayed in and even the temperature and moisture level in the air at the time the vehicle is to be painted. Did you prep the vehicle yourself or did you leave that for the painter to do? Most painters are not bodymen, something that needs to be considered when consulting for a paint job. What condition was the body in? How many times has the vehicle been repainted? Was it a complete color change or just a respray? I can tell you now, a show quality color change on an average condition classic car will take months, not weeks. A graphics job can be done in a weekend provided the paint being sprayed over is worthwhile, a color change can not.

Now, I'm not trying to say that you are being unreasonable, the painter gave you an estimated time and clearly that time limit has been exceed. This could be due to a number of reasons, one may be that the painter doesn't have the experience needed to accurately estimate the job beforehand. At the same time, it is not unreasonable for it to take 3 months to do a show quality job. Was your car the only one in the shop? Is this a professional business or is the painter doing the work as a side job? that makes a HUGE difference in the amount of time. I know from both sides how disappointing it is to be unsatisfied, perhaps the painter will reconsider. Incidentally, it is common practice to ask for half of the cost of the paint job up front. that way, the cost of materials is covered and the painter doesn't have to go out of pocket for a project. It is also not uncommon for a full piant job to take more than one gallon of any material, especially if the car is being color sanded.

Good luck to you, let us know how it turns out.

Freddy

 

fuk yeah you got a deal.... obviously i can't see the true quality of the work, but I wouldn't have touched that for 4k. I would have charged at least 1000 just to flame it if the other paint was already nice and didn't need anything... minimum. and i believe the 2 gal of base, yellow covers for shit...

 

Painters and Body men are generally slowwww.

 

That is true, but it depends on the type of guy toy're dealing with. I always take about 3x as long as I think I will, but If I say I will have a car done, I'm usually withing a few days to a week of that. Rather than letting the customer deal with the extra time, I work into the night and sometimes through to meet my goals.

Who said it needed to be blocked and re cleared? Him or you? For 2000, you got a deal IMO. I'd walk away with your parts. While that job is complicated, 10 weeks is too long when you work full-time. Unless of course he did all the body work as well. But for just paint, thats way too long.


Not unreasonable at all.

 

If I could get that paint job other than color sanding and buffing for 2K, just by being unreasonable.......my new attitude has been defined

 

Yep. If you got that paint job with a few things needed to finish up for 2K you got a very good deal.

Hard to believe the guy would pass up 2K. I would have hired someone for 1K to finish it up.

 

There was some body work on the top where it was chopped years ago and the frenched license plate needed to be reworked. This is a professional shop full time. He had a worker strip all the old base off the body not fenders with a razor blade (bad prep when prev owner had it). It was a repaint of the same color. It sat for weeks at a time with very little work being done and a lot of promises while he worked on other jobs. He kept telling me yeah tonight I am gonna get blah blah done and nothing was done the next day while other projects came and went. He kept saying don't worry it will be done for the show. He said it needed to be blocked and recleared - I will get a Pro's opinion or let the Pro do it before I jack with it. I believe the paint is Finishmasters PPG.

Thanks Guys
Bo

 

I'd say you got a hell of a deal. The guy probably realized that he quoted the job way too low and just got tired of looking at it. When a job goes that long there is something else going on. He may had run into someone who told him he was getting the raw end of the deal and the more he thought about it the less motivated he became. Over ten weeks time 2 large ain't nothing. Coupled with the fact that he spent all the money as he went, after ten weeks his pockets are empty and he didn't know how to tell you. That's when they tell you to come get your shit. Remember, if you want it done cheap your not going to get it fast unless your at MAACO. Your the winner in the case but you lost a good contact in the process.

 

I'm not sure I'd consider the painter a "good contact" if that is his modus operandi...walk away knowing you got a deal...and don't go back...find someone else if you are not satisfied...a paint job alone, in Denver, will run at least 5 grand...you got a great deal.

R-

 

A question....and a comment.

How many of you guys that commented about how slow bodymen are and how it took toooo long ...have actually done nice work???(and I ain't talkin' about sanding/spraying/light polishing)
Do you have ANY idea how involved the process is?? Have ya ever just sanded and buffed a car to a NEAR PERFECT mirror finish??????? Do you KNOW how long that can take??

yea....I didn't think so......


My comment to Bo----- Your car looks pretty darn nice. Of course, pics are no substitute for in person, but it looks like it's probably pretty nice. I would be PROUD if it was in my garage
Count your blessings---you got a REAL deal at two large. Yellow, as mentioned already doesn't cover worth a damn and costs about as much as red(the most expensive color family) Clear ain't cheap either, so by my calculations, you paid for materials and got everything else for FREE.
I will concede(agree??) that your guy did NOT live up to his promise(he shoulda known better ---too little time estimated and too little money) But for what it's worth, if you'da given me a "demand letter" on a 4 grand job(CHEAP, btw), I would have rolled your car out of my shop that very minute and asked you to leave the premises or be removed.
I really think you guys had a breakdown in communication and both sides.
I think you would have been better off to set a firm deadline---("hey painter dude, I GOTTA have it done by next week or I'm gonna HAVE to come get it and get somebody else to finish it--I'm SERIOUS, my friend ") --- long before it came to that. I'm really not surprised he quit.
I just hope you guys weren't pals, cause that's prolly out the window

 

I here a lot of guys makin excuses for this guy( the painter ). The guy made a deal with GotRust. I don't care if the paint cost too much or he didn't have enough hands in the pie to get it done!!!!! The guy broke his promises on several occasions. Go get your stuff back and don't feel bad about the fact that maybe he overspent and underestimated the job!!!! BE YOUR WORD!!!!! The guy fucked up and it's his fault. If he under quoted the job he should have come to you at the outset, been a man and explained the situation. Then you could have decided how to handle it. Take your toys to another sand box and screw that guy!!!!!

 

you stole that job. and stay away from my shop. You said it perfect earl.

 

I use Hal's in Woolhand Hill's.
The guy who runs the place "EZ" always gets the job done fast.
The reason, He has no room to store cars. He has to get the car done and out so he can get another one in.
Just something to think about.

 

I need to know what was involved in the "Paint Job" before posting a coment. Replacing rotted out body sections, and getting thing perfectly straight is NOT, part of a paint job IMO.

 

Reasonable, or not, it seems you're holding the upper hand having NOT paid him in full. I'm glad to hear you didn't pay him all up front. Anyway, fuck him. Take the balance of what you owe him and have someone else finish it

 

get your car, leave him w/ the 2k you paid, take the other 2k to someone to finish.

 

I do have to correct myself. For the painter to overrun his deadline he is wrong. 10 weeks is too long on that job, if you take 10 weeks and split that into hours you come up with 400 hours. Whether he worked on other projects was his own decision, and regardless of if the job was underbid, that bad business to put it out of mind. But the way you went about rectifying it was also wrong and I don't blame him for his reaction, I wouldve told you the same thing. I have underbid jobs before and to be honest, once you realize your not going to make the money you thought, it gets to be tedious. But that doesn't mean you just stop working.

Bad deal all the way around, walk away and both should learn from it.

 

I have (as an apprentice). But don't take my comment of 1 month=3 months as critisism (sp?). GOOD bodymen and painters are artists...and art cannot be rushed. They work when they are inspired to work and when conditions are to their liking. Few are good time managers and even fewer are "businessmen". Having apprenticed under one of these artists AND managed his time for him, I fully appreciate that there is a reason it takes painters and bodyment a looonnnggg time to do a job, if you want their best work.

 

Well said!!!!!

 

OH MY GOD!!! I sure hate you didn't make it to your show!!! God forbid all your buddies (who've seen your car thousands of times) and the local girl scout troop... and old people didn't get to see your Chevy. I'm sure it's the LAST CAR SHOW EVER!!!

One week to finish... hell yes. No one can work without a deadline. I'm surprised you didn't give him 4 days ONLY to start with. Hell they do it on TV in less than an hour (with commercials in between!!!).

How much hidden MUD and bullshit did he NOT take into account before painting your Show car? Custom stuff takes time.... sure, shame on him for under estimating the time frame... But I'd think you could miss one show and suck up an extra week or two for a completed nice job.

But then again, maybe I'm wrong.. pull the job and FUCK that SOB out of some $$$. I'm sure that small business owner doesn't have mouths to feed or bills to pay. Good for you... enjoy sitting in your LAWN chair at your next CAR SHOW... Stitch