How to pick a good body shop

[buck12]

I got a nice doe this afternoon with my 09 F150. My question is how do you select a good body shop. I have not been satisfied with past experiences with auto body work. Several years ago I hit a deer with my wife's car. The repair looked good but the paint on the repaired areas has not held up like other areas on the car that were not repaired. A couple years later a kid hit the same car. Used a different body shop for that repair. The paint has held up but they got over spray on trim parts.

I keep a truck long long time. This one is just over a year old and just hit 10,000 miles. I don't want to look at poor workmanship for the next 15 or 20 years. The hood, grill, bumper, headlight, transmission cooler, and radiator will to be replaced.

 

[whistlepig]

I got a nice doe this afternoon with my 09 F150. My question is how do you select a good body shop. I have not been satisfied with past experiences with auto body work. Several years ago I hit a deer with my wife's car. The repair looked good but the paint on the repaired areas has not held up like other areas on the car that were not repaired. A couple years later a kid hit the same car. Used a different body shop for that repair. The paint has held up but they got over spray on trim parts.

I keep a truck long long time. This one is just over a year old and just hit 10,000 miles. I don't want to look at poor workmanship for the next 15 or 20 years. The hood, grill, bumper, headlight, transmission cooler, and radiator will to be replaced.

Word of mouth would be my first choice. My second would be a reputable restorer of classic cars. My wife and I have hit deer the last two years. Our Chevrolet dealer does awesome body work but getting good work done by a dealer is rare in our area.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I agree, word of mouth. I would not trust someone your agent recommends solely. Many times there are kick backs given in the insurance game.

Chris

 

[Sumpter]

I agree word of mouth and someone who restores clasics. They are more meticulous and usually genuinely care about their results. My ex backed into a pole in a parking garage once and I was recommended to a place. When I went there he asked me what I needed fixed and explained that he will not work on junk. He also had photos of past restorations and collision damage repairs. In short he did an excellent job.

 

[Inkomodius]

I agree with not going with what your insurance company recommends. Also in my experience I would not go with a restorer to do a repair job. Mainly the equipment that is out there to match the existing paint is expensive. And most restorers do not need that as their paint jobs are completes and do not need to worry about proper color matching which is especially important on todays different materials in the vehicles (plastics, smc's, steel, aluminum) as these all play into the final finish.

What I look for in a shop is word of mouth reputation, go in talk to them and if they have nothing to hide they will always show you around their shop. Also I use Dupont myself, so I always look for what products the shop uses. Small things like abrasives (Norton or carborundum are my fav's) because when a paint finish truly cures in a few months down the road, it shrinks and any aggressive sand scratches become more prevalent when the paint cures and reduces.

Also you can tell a shops reputation on the quote. If they have included all parts, and parts that may or may not need to be replaced I would lean more towards them. Shop that leave out the little things on quotes are trying to lowball and get the bid from the insurance company. Then when they get the job they have to go back to the insurance company and say "hey we also need this and this" and the final price is more expensive. And those are usually the shops that give kick backs to the insurance company.

And since yours is an 09 there are no jobber parts for it, it usually takes 3 years for an aftermarket supplier to start manufacturing body parts.

Also ask if the employees get paid by the hour or by the job. The ones that get paid by the hour usually put out better work as they get paid the same no matter what. Where as the ones that get paid by the job can make a LOT of money. I've seen guys bill out 35 hours in one day.