scratch repair

[jerryharrow]

got some scratches (keyed) on my 996 which i wish to repair as I wish to sell the car. So dont want anything super expensive but want obviously want a decent quality finish. can anyone recommend a cost effective body shop or SMART scratch repairer on the Harrow (north west london) area. Did try Chips Away, but they qouted close to £500 which seemed a bit much

thanks

[paintman]

Some idea as to which & how many panels have been keyed and the colour of the car might help. As would pictures.
Bear in mind that with car refinishing there are 3 choices - quick, good, cheap. Pick any two of the 3.

[jerryharrow]

in which case I go for cheap and good Scratche are on 3 seperate panels, front offside wing, on the boot and just by the convertible roof. Colour is seal grey. Heard differing views about SMART finishes. dont have pics with me just yet

[paintman]

Won't be quick then which means the bodyshop will do it when they've got the odd hour or so. In my case I'm booking jobs just over 4 weeks ahead & no shortage of work even with that timescale. So if you're looking to sell that's probably not an option

Run it round a few local bodyshops for a reality check. Bonnet, roof & boot generally require the whole panel to be repainted to avoid visible edge issues & that's not mobile SMART repair territory. Last time I spoke to the local bodyshop I refer that size of work to they were talking £300 + VAT for a medium sized bonnet.
Be careful with SMART franchises. You've no way of knowing whether its someone who's been doing it for years & is very good, or if you're their first live job.

[Anatol]

paintman said:

Be careful with ANY BODY REPAIRER. You've no way of knowing whether its someone who's been doing it for years & is very good, or if you're their first live job.

Edited for accuracy ;-)

Every body repairer, SMART (franchised or indy), bodyshop apprentice, whoever, has a first live job that they are let loose on by themselves.

And actually, of course, you do have a way of knowing - you can research the company and ask the individual. Doesn't every body repair business maintain a website with a who's who page of their staff listing experience and qualifications? Ok, maybe only modern, professional ones ;-)

I would consider £500 a pretty aggressive price given the region, the location of the damage described and the metallic content of the paint, both meaning wide blends possibly needed. IMHO what is described is very unlikely to be legal to be repaired outside of a booth, and given that both the repairer and the customer face a fine of unlimited size if the repairs breach the COSHH regs, it's not something to mess about on.

As for quick, good, cheap, pick any two - it's a little more analogue than that. And as technology and technique move on, the continuum changes - repairers who reject investing in new technology, or don't believe that new techniques or equipment could ever add anything to what they learned in their apprenticeship 40 years ago (etc) will be unable to offer the same combination of quality, value and convenience as a repairer that's kept up with the times.

[paintman]

Think that translates as 'bodyshop only'
If Tol doesn't think its suitable for Chipsaway then best forget the SMART repair side of things.

[Anatol]

I'd say it's not quite that black and white. Plenty of businesses branded as "SMART repairers" (ours included) have full spraybooth facilities (and plenty of "bodyshops" also offer SMART repair).

It's a mistake to assume that ChipsAway/SMART is the same as mobile/uncontrolled environment. There are about 30 ChipsAway bricks-and-mortar fixed sites across the UK at the moment, and growing fast. :-)

Tol

[JulianHJ]

Anatol said:

I'd say it's not quite that black and white. Plenty of businesses branded as "SMART repairers" (ours included) have full spraybooth facilities (and plenty of "bodyshops" also offer SMART repair).

It's a mistake to assume that ChipsAway/SMART is the same as mobile/uncontrolled environment. There are about 30 ChipsAway bricks-and-mortar fixed sites across the UK at the moment, and growing fast. :-)

Tol

They've got a fairly big building just outside Worthing - is this likely to have a spray booth?

[paintman]

If they're doing large area refinishing inside premises and not using a booth I wonder where HSE would stand?

Edited by paintman on Saturday 25th June 19:46

[dentmanwarren]

I think £500 sounds extremely reasonable, where i am down south you'd be looking at closer to a grand for a decent quality repair. i see a lot of "cheap" paintwork and it completely ruins the look of the car and potential purchasers are going to be inclined to think you had a lot more damage there than a simple scratch. There are hundreds of porkies for sale out there why would someone buy one that's had a cheap paintjob? they're just going to walk on by and keep looking for a mint one.