One for 'Tol and the SMART guys

[Nightmare]

got a booking from someone who had 'scraped the bumper of their silver mercedes' follow-up phonecall to discuss before actually driving there goes something like...

"So its just a scuffed bumper then, any other damage?"
"yes, just a scuffed bumper"
"no splits or dents or cracks as we only do light repair work?"
"no just light scuff"

25 minute drive to North London.

I got a text with 'Strictly speaking i should be allowed to knock people out who call me to stuff like this"

[Anatol]

A network colleague was called to a lead for "a few chips and scuffs" - for a car that had clearly rolled...



We still get people saying that they have "a chip" when they've staved doors in. I think they must hope that somehow by describing it as a Chip we'll be able to magically Away it...

[Eddie 4 2]

lol and some people think i must have magic dent tools I must get 10 total time wasters a week.iv started to make everyone email photos before driving around wasting me time.
Got a call last week told me he had 4 small parking dents down the O/S on a Toyota VVTI turnd up and the side of the car looked like a lorry had hit it lol


ed

[Vette]

Come on, where's your sense of adventure!

Yes, we do get them don't we. I had one quite similar recently and even though the wing had literally been torn apart (metal ripped), the lady still thought it was something I could simply put back together in her driveway.

Customers - doncha love 'em!

Cheers
David
www.cardoc-cornwall.co.uk

[Whitean3]

This has the makings of a great thread in my opinion! Maybe even call it the "PH T-Cut it'll polish out" thread

You smart repair guys, please keep uploading photos of these wrecks that waste your time! I trust you do tell these customers they have wasted your valuable time?

Although I'd be interested to know, what is the cut-off for a smart-type repair? Would be good to know as I suspect you guys can fix more than just a scratch or minor door ding.

[Eddie 4 2]

Whitean3 said:

This has the makings of a great thread in my opinion!

yeah better then how to wash me car lol.im sure i will have some photos this week to post uplol



Ed

[Anatol]

Whitean3 said:

Although I'd be interested to know, what is the cut-off for a smart-type repair?

From a legal perspective, the HSE guidance is that if the repair involves:

painting full or multiple panels, or an equivalent area, or
use of full-size spray equipment, or
more than 25ml per coat, or
a spray visit of more than a few minutes,

then SMART repair type controls are insufficient to satisfy the COSHH regs.

An individual technician may have the skills and equipment to paint the whole side of a car, leaving aside the legalities, but there does come a point where the amount of finishing made necessary by the uncontrolled environment means it becomes uneconomical not to use a booth to reduce (never eliminate!) contamination.

Some repairers won't touch anything that needs filler, even a small gouge in a bumper. Others will happily fill larger or more complex dents. Most will accept that limited-area resprays are a poor choice of repair for bonnets, roofs and horizontal boot lids. Others will attempt them.

In short, it's next to impossible to put a neat description on exactly what is or isn't a SMART repair. And things are confused more by some businesses that are branded as a SMART repairers having bodyshop-style facilities and being able to take on a lot more than traditional SMART repair - and traditional bodyshops having their own in-house SMART repairers. The bodyshop/SMART distinction is a very fuzzy one, if it exists at all nowadays.

Edited by Anatol on Tuesday 31st August 07:10

[Vette]

Tol has hit the nailon the head. It is very difficult to define a SMART repair and is a continuing discussion within the trade.

Some experienced bodyshop people who have moved to SMART are quite capable of performing 'bodyshop' type repairs in a SMART environment successfully - it takes a lot of confidence in one's skills. Most of us however, try to keep to a single panel repair as a maximum, but sometimes we are forced to extend a repair to an adjoining panel to get a good blend. Basically, common sense must prevail.

More SMART repairers are getting units to work from in addition to the mobile jobs - it eliminates the bad weather problems and for those jobs which are really outside the scope of SMART, a unit enables the work to be carried out. I have a fully equipped unit, but I still mainly do SMART repairs.

As Tol says, the line is becoming very blurred.

Cheers
David
www.cardoc-cornwall.co.uk

[Eddie 4 2]

I aways thought a smart repair was a small repair ie stone chip,light bumper scuff sort of stuff bodyshops did not want to do.


ed