Has anyone got some experience with chips away?
Discussion
Hey
I came back to the car yesterday to find a lovely scrape on the front bumper and I was just wondering if anybody has some experience (quality and price) with Chips away or would be able to recommend a similar service?
I am in the Ayrshire area and I will try and get a picture or two up in the morning as well to give it some more context!
Thanks for any help!
I came back to the car yesterday to find a lovely scrape on the front bumper and I was just wondering if anybody has some experience (quality and price) with Chips away or would be able to recommend a similar service?
I am in the Ayrshire area and I will try and get a picture or two up in the morning as well to give it some more context!
Thanks for any help!
What you're really asking is 'has anybody had a SMART repair done?'
As in any industry there will be good and bad (even within a franchise). The good SMART guys are good and have their reputation to uphold - the bad ones bring down the whole industry.
Sorry I can't help you any more than that.
As in any industry there will be good and bad (even within a franchise). The good SMART guys are good and have their reputation to uphold - the bad ones bring down the whole industry.
Sorry I can't help you any more than that.
A colleague had Chips Away in Aberdeen ruin his 325Ci a couple of years ago.
To say the "technician" devalued the car would be the understatement of the century. The actual stone chips themselves just had blobs of basecoat dabbed in and around the chips. He'd found a none-existant dent on the N/S/F wing and "built it up" with a single-action airbrush. There were clearly visible dry edges all round his "repair" and he'd managed to make a straight panel look rippled into the bargain. He'd had a go at a light scratch on the O/S quarter panel and effectively done the same thing, except there was overspray on the rear window, at the top of the C-pillar, along the boot lid and down the quarter just fwd of the tail lights.
I can be picky at the best of times but it looked truely and utterly awful - a million times worse than just leaving it alone. My colleague came into the office and asked me to come out to help argue with this tosser and once he finally admitted that it looked terrible he went off on the defensive about how you shouldn't expect anything like the quality of an edge-to-edge repair look as per a proper bodyshop.
By contrast, a Smart repair was done by Smart Refinishers also in Aberdeen on a previous Jag I had by the dealer when I bought it, and I couldn't fault that repair.
The moral of the story is that the brand name is an irrelevance. All you need to drive a van with a professional sounding brand name is a bank loan to buy in to the franchise and to attend their basic "car painting for imbiciles" course. The better ones will tell you there's a lot more to being a good repairer than attending that course and setting to work with the complementary single-action airbrush and they're absolutely right. Ignore the brand and find out what the individual you intend to use is like.
Just note that most smart repair materials are of limited durability - i.e. won't take too well to detailing / machine polishing / exposure to solvents etc that your OEM paint won't dissolve at the sight of. These things may become relevant in the future if you like a shiny car or need to go for an accident repair etc. For the cost of a decent Smart repair, you're not really much worse off getting it done properly by a bodyshop in a spray booth who can bake the paint and cure it properly.
To say the "technician" devalued the car would be the understatement of the century. The actual stone chips themselves just had blobs of basecoat dabbed in and around the chips. He'd found a none-existant dent on the N/S/F wing and "built it up" with a single-action airbrush. There were clearly visible dry edges all round his "repair" and he'd managed to make a straight panel look rippled into the bargain. He'd had a go at a light scratch on the O/S quarter panel and effectively done the same thing, except there was overspray on the rear window, at the top of the C-pillar, along the boot lid and down the quarter just fwd of the tail lights.
I can be picky at the best of times but it looked truely and utterly awful - a million times worse than just leaving it alone. My colleague came into the office and asked me to come out to help argue with this tosser and once he finally admitted that it looked terrible he went off on the defensive about how you shouldn't expect anything like the quality of an edge-to-edge repair look as per a proper bodyshop.
By contrast, a Smart repair was done by Smart Refinishers also in Aberdeen on a previous Jag I had by the dealer when I bought it, and I couldn't fault that repair.
The moral of the story is that the brand name is an irrelevance. All you need to drive a van with a professional sounding brand name is a bank loan to buy in to the franchise and to attend their basic "car painting for imbiciles" course. The better ones will tell you there's a lot more to being a good repairer than attending that course and setting to work with the complementary single-action airbrush and they're absolutely right. Ignore the brand and find out what the individual you intend to use is like.
Just note that most smart repair materials are of limited durability - i.e. won't take too well to detailing / machine polishing / exposure to solvents etc that your OEM paint won't dissolve at the sight of. These things may become relevant in the future if you like a shiny car or need to go for an accident repair etc. For the cost of a decent Smart repair, you're not really much worse off getting it done properly by a bodyshop in a spray booth who can bake the paint and cure it properly.
jamieduff1981 said:
Just note that most smart repair materials are of limited durability - i.e. won't take too well to detailing / machine polishing / exposure to solvents etc that your OEM paint won't dissolve at the sight of.
The word 'most' is the important one here .....Whilst now slightly out-dated 1k lacquers will only be used by the cowboys.
Good smart repairers will often be using the same products as a bodyshop.
I'm a softie Suverner so I don't know the geography of Scotland, but I do know these 2 are well respected within the industry
http://www.chiprite.co.uk/
http://www.spectrum-glasgow.co.uk/
http://www.chiprite.co.uk/
http://www.spectrum-glasgow.co.uk/
I used dents and scratches in Aberdeen after some idiot keyed the back bumper on my pearlescent White Leon Cupra R. It was right down to the plastic and they blended it in beautifully to the point even looking you couldn't tell where it's been done.
http://m.dents-n-scratches.co.uk/
http://m.dents-n-scratches.co.uk/
Used Chipsaway several years ago to fix some chips on my Chimaera caused by the previous ham fisted owner putting the roof in the boot and missing the hole. After he'd finished he asked me what I though of his job. First problem I had was I couldn't find the repair! Even under a magnifying glass. This was metallic silver, so not a simple colour. As previously stated though, you need to know the technicians track record.
Hi, I have been in the smart repair business in Aberdeen for over 6 years now. I have built up a huge following of loyal customers and am proud of what I do. What really f
ks me off is the likes of chips away or most of the other franchises that change hands on a yearly bases after the person who bought in to it thinking it would be great to work for themselves and make a mint, suddenly realise there is a lot more to it than they were told when they were cheated in to parting with there cash. So after making a mess of hundreds of cars they sell it on and move on, having ruined a little bit more of the industries reputation and people's pride and joys.
I'm a full home grown business, and the most important thing to me is my reputation and the quality of the job. Part of the problem is that "smart repair" doesn't exist for a lot of the damage found on vehicles. For instance, one of the ecxanples already mentioned about a scratche on a rear qtr panel. The only way to fix it is to paint the panel, that's it! No magic cure. So this is what I do. I paint panels, doors and full bumpers if required, all outdoor and to a very hi standard and cheaper than the body shops. The reason the others don't do this is because they can't paint! Simple as that. Removing a scratch from a panel if its not gone through is one thing, but assessing damage on a door and prepping and painting it is another thing entirely.
There are so many cowboys out there now that you never really now who you are going to get unless they have been recommended to you.
I would like to say that you get what you pay for but it's not really always true. I have spoken to customers that, in the past had been charged 130 quid for a scratch to be touched in
although on the other hand if someone tells you they can fix a scuff for 50 quid then it's probably not going to be good and or last very long.
Unless its a trim or seat repair, it comes on to having the ability to prep and spray! And believe me after the amount of messed up jobs Iv had to repair, it tells me there are a lot of poor smart repair men out there.
ks me off is the likes of chips away or most of the other franchises that change hands on a yearly bases after the person who bought in to it thinking it would be great to work for themselves and make a mint, suddenly realise there is a lot more to it than they were told when they were cheated in to parting with there cash. So after making a mess of hundreds of cars they sell it on and move on, having ruined a little bit more of the industries reputation and people's pride and joys.I'm a full home grown business, and the most important thing to me is my reputation and the quality of the job. Part of the problem is that "smart repair" doesn't exist for a lot of the damage found on vehicles. For instance, one of the ecxanples already mentioned about a scratche on a rear qtr panel. The only way to fix it is to paint the panel, that's it! No magic cure. So this is what I do. I paint panels, doors and full bumpers if required, all outdoor and to a very hi standard and cheaper than the body shops. The reason the others don't do this is because they can't paint! Simple as that. Removing a scratch from a panel if its not gone through is one thing, but assessing damage on a door and prepping and painting it is another thing entirely.
There are so many cowboys out there now that you never really now who you are going to get unless they have been recommended to you.
I would like to say that you get what you pay for but it's not really always true. I have spoken to customers that, in the past had been charged 130 quid for a scratch to be touched in
although on the other hand if someone tells you they can fix a scuff for 50 quid then it's probably not going to be good and or last very long.Unless its a trim or seat repair, it comes on to having the ability to prep and spray! And believe me after the amount of messed up jobs Iv had to repair, it tells me there are a lot of poor smart repair men out there.
collingbroon said:
Hi, I have been in the smart repair business in Aberdeen for over 6 years now. I have built up a huge following of loyal customers and am proud of what I do. What really fks me off is the likes of chips away or most of the other franchises that change hands on a yearly bases after the person who bought in to it thinking it would be great to work for themselves and make a mint, suddenly realise there is a lot more to it than they were told when they were cheated in to parting with there cash. So after making a mess of hundreds of cars they sell it on and move on, having ruined a little bit more of the industries reputation and people's pride and joys.
I'm a full home grown business, and the most important thing to me is my reputation and the quality of the job. Part of the problem is that "smart repair" doesn't exist for a lot of the damage found on vehicles. For instance, one of the ecxanples already mentioned about a scratche on a rear qtr panel. The only way to fix it is to paint the panel, that's it! No magic cure. So this is what I do. I paint panels, doors and full bumpers if required, all outdoor and to a very hi standard and cheaper than the body shops. The reason the others don't do this is because they can't paint! Simple as that. Removing a scratch from a panel if its not gone through is one thing, but assessing damage on a door and prepping and painting it is another thing entirely.
There are so many cowboys out there now that you never really now who you are going to get unless they have been recommended to you.
I would like to say that you get what you pay for but it's not really always true. I have spoken to customers that, in the past had been charged 130 quid for a scratch to be touched in although on the other hand if someone tells you they can fix a scuff for 50 quid then it's probably not going to be good and or last very long.
Unless its a trim or seat repair, it comes on to having the ability to prep and spray! And believe me after the amount of messed up jobs Iv had to repair, it tells me there are a lot of poor smart repair men out there.
A lot of what you say maybe true - but .....ks me off is the likes of chips away or most of the other franchises that change hands on a yearly bases after the person who bought in to it thinking it would be great to work for themselves and make a mint, suddenly realise there is a lot more to it than they were told when they were cheated in to parting with there cash. So after making a mess of hundreds of cars they sell it on and move on, having ruined a little bit more of the industries reputation and people's pride and joys.I'm a full home grown business, and the most important thing to me is my reputation and the quality of the job. Part of the problem is that "smart repair" doesn't exist for a lot of the damage found on vehicles. For instance, one of the ecxanples already mentioned about a scratche on a rear qtr panel. The only way to fix it is to paint the panel, that's it! No magic cure. So this is what I do. I paint panels, doors and full bumpers if required, all outdoor and to a very hi standard and cheaper than the body shops. The reason the others don't do this is because they can't paint! Simple as that. Removing a scratch from a panel if its not gone through is one thing, but assessing damage on a door and prepping and painting it is another thing entirely.
There are so many cowboys out there now that you never really now who you are going to get unless they have been recommended to you.
I would like to say that you get what you pay for but it's not really always true. I have spoken to customers that, in the past had been charged 130 quid for a scratch to be touched in
although on the other hand if someone tells you they can fix a scuff for 50 quid then it's probably not going to be good and or last very long.Unless its a trim or seat repair, it comes on to having the ability to prep and spray! And believe me after the amount of messed up jobs Iv had to repair, it tells me there are a lot of poor smart repair men out there.
I'm ex-franchisee, now independent and there is no way I could say every franchised business is a 'here today gone tomorrow' business.
Some franchises I know have been running happily & successfully turning out quality repairs for over 10 years.
On the other side of the coin I've known loads of 'have a go independents' spend out on training only go to the wall after only a short term in the business
Blow your own trumpet if you like .... but please don't generalise about everyone else in the industry.
CheersSquiggs said:
A lot of what you say maybe true - but .....
I'm ex-franchisee, now independent and there is no way I could say every franchised business is a 'here today gone tomorrow' business.
Some franchises I know have been running happily & successfully turning out quality repairs for over 10 years.
On the other side of the coin I've known loads of 'have a go independents' spend out on training only go to the wall after only a short term in the business
Blow your own trumpet if you like .... but please don't generalise about everyone else in the industry.
I'm not generalising about everyone else in the industry, I'm sure there are loads of decent repairers out there. I never said every franchised business is here today gone tomorrow. I'm just saying what I have seen happening in Aberdeen. And I'm certainly not blowing my own trumpet , just getting my point across. I also know of someone who has been happily going for 15 years or so, but that doesn't mean he has a good reputation.I'm ex-franchisee, now independent and there is no way I could say every franchised business is a 'here today gone tomorrow' business.
Some franchises I know have been running happily & successfully turning out quality repairs for over 10 years.
On the other side of the coin I've known loads of 'have a go independents' spend out on training only go to the wall after only a short term in the business
Blow your own trumpet if you like .... but please don't generalise about everyone else in the industry.
I used ChipsAway in Aberdeen recently, wish I never bothered. The repair was terrible and I now have one complete edge of my bumper looking dull and covered in orange peel.
I complained to the manager and I didnt have to pay. For the price he was going to charge your better off going to a good bodyshop
I complained to the manager and I didnt have to pay. For the price he was going to charge your better off going to a good bodyshop
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