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Body Shop Selection Questions

spikesputnik

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spikesputnik Enthusiast

spikesputnik

Posted
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So y'all may have seen in another thread that I had a parking lot altercation this weekend and the right rear corner of my Silverado was damaged. The "bumper" or shell was pushed into the body below the tail light about 1/4-1/2" and that body was pushed underneath the tailgate 1/8", and the the bumper recess in the body has been rolled in. And the taillight was scratched. This week I'll start to find a bodyshop to hopefully do the repair job.

 

What questions would y'all suggest I be asking of the body shop manager or estimate writer about this repair? What I'm trying to avoid is the "spray, pay and pray it's ok" situation where they did just enough to get paid but with the end results far from original condition and appearance. I want it done RIGHT THE FIRST TIME without the usual "we can work on that" after they think they're done already.

 

Although the body/bed damage seems to be confined to below the tail light, should the whole side of the bed be painted to avoid blending problems, or just the corner? FWIW it is a metallic black or Black Granite metallic if that makes any difference.

 

Any suggestions would be apprecaited, especially any insight from any of you body shop guys out there.

 

TIA ( this is a PIA too)

C. Charles Hahn Senior Enthusiast

C. Charles Hahn

Posted
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I would definitely want the entire side of the bed as well as the tailgate painted in order to properly blend out the color. The color blend won't likely have to go that far away from the damaged area, but the whole panels will need to have new clear applied over the base/clear-base blend.

 

Being a metallic, you not only have to worry about a different shade, but also whether the metallic "lays" properly to match the rest of the truck. A good painter should be able to get this right, but be on the lookout for problems with the flake standing up in the finished product. It will stand out BIG TIME if you're looking at it in the sun.

 

Ask them where they'll stop the paint repair (where the tape line will be) -- you don't want it landing outside the rail of the bed; if you have rail protectors or anything of that sort they could either blend the repair to a spot they'll cover, otherwise see if they can put the tape line where an "under the rail" bed liner would go.

 

Also, find out if the shop plans to just pull the dents and use filler, or if they're going to replace any sheet metal. If they are just going to fill, make sure the repair area isn't going to be any deeper than 1/8" to 1/4" deep at any point as using filler thicker than that can show through a paint job and could even crack/fall out over time. If the metal is being replaced, be sure they use GENUINE GM panels to repair -- no aftermarket crap.

 

Honestly, if you're interested in knowing as much as possible going in, head over to SpikeTV and watch the Trucks! episodes on the "Second Chance Silverado" -- their truck is a lot worse than yours in terms of damage to start with, but you'll get to see the proper way of doing dent repair, color match/blend painting, etc. and learn some terms to use with the body shops as you talk to them. It's worth the time to watch. http://www.hulu.com/search?query=trucks+se...hance+silverado

REV353 Enthusiast

REV353

Posted
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If your not sure on a body shop, go to your local dealership. They either have there own body shop or one they use and GM trusts. From what I have seen in the past, they do not charge anymore than the small guy thats worth a crap.

C. Charles Hahn Senior Enthusiast

C. Charles Hahn

Posted
Posted
If your not sure on a body shop, go to your local dealership. They either have there own body shop or one they use and GM trusts. From what I have seen in the past, they do not charge anymore than the small guy thats worth a crap.

 

I've actually had some pretty bad experiences at dealership body shops.... you have to feel them out just like the independent shops when it comes to quality of workmanship and price. Plus since I'm guessing in his case insurance is footing the bill, price is not really a chief concern....

cerbomark Senior Enthusiast

cerbomark

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never stop painting at the end of a panel. Halfway down the panel will blend better. I would ask them to keep the repair a small as possible but with that being said it usually goes further than most would assume. I just had an 08 Malibu door done like that. You can t see any color difference at all. They did a rear door and blended in halfway down the front door and halfway down rear quarter which wasn t damaged at all.

spikesputnik Enthusiast

spikesputnik

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Thanks V8GMTGUY.

Yes I was going to have them replace the OEM bed rail cap so that the top "line" can be covered. As far a only painting the corner then blending going forward say 1/2 of the bed side, might I be better off getting the whole bed panel side painted to avoid different lays of the metallic?

 

cerbomark -so you're saying that IF there is a problem with the tint or lays, would it be less noticable within one panel instead of noticing it when comparing the whole bed against the cab?? Yea this cool metallic color is concerning me....

 

And thanks for the linky- I'm going there next!

cerbomark Senior Enthusiast

cerbomark

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yes, but then again my bed is factory painted and is slightly off color. :thumbs: and it shows more cause it stops at the end of that panel. The job will only be as good as the guy working on YOUR truck that day no matter who he works for.

spikesputnik Enthusiast

spikesputnik

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yes, but then again my bed is factory painted and is slightly off color. :seeya: and it shows more cause it stops at the end of that panel. The job will only be as good as the guy working on YOUR truck that day no matter who he works for.

 

So true, and concerning. :thumbs:

C. Charles Hahn Senior Enthusiast

C. Charles Hahn

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Thanks V8GMTGUY.

Yes I was going to have them replace the OEM bed rail cap so that the top "line" can be covered. As far a only painting the corner then blending going forward say 1/2 of the bed side, might I be better off getting the whole bed panel side painted to avoid different lays of the metallic?

 

cerbomark -so you're saying that IF there is a problem with the tint or lays, would it be less noticable within one panel instead of noticing it when comparing the whole bed against the cab?? Yea this cool metallic color is concerning me....

 

And thanks for the linky- I'm going there next!

 

Well, they'll have to respray the whole panel with clear base and fresh clear, but the blend area won't necessarily stretch out quite that far. Again, that Trucks video explains the process used quite well, so you can quiz the body shop to see if they use a similar method.

 

Being that the carbon black metallic is a special color (IIRC it's one of those $295 premium charge colors) it is a bit harder to match, but a good painter should be able to do it without too much headache.

spikesputnik Enthusiast

spikesputnik

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As long as his headache keeps me from getting one. :thumbs:

On the subject of color matching, is is as simple as checking the paint code in the glove box? Or are there variances beyond that. In other words do shops just enter the code and shoot what the paint distributor brings them, or do shops usually test spray and "tweak" the paint based on the test appears?

C. Charles Hahn Senior Enthusiast

C. Charles Hahn

Posted
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As long as his headache keeps me from getting one. :lol:

On the subject of color matching, is is as simple as checking the paint code in the glove box? Or are there variances beyond that. In other words do shops just enter the code and shoot what the paint distributor brings them, or do shops usually test spray and "tweak" the paint based on the test appears?

 

Usually shops will have to do some tweaking by using spray-out cards to determine the right color to spray. The paint code from the glove box gives them the proper paint to order from their jobber, but there can be 4-5 different formulas that can be made within that by tweaking the tints in the paint slightly. A sprayout card tells them what (if anything) needs to be added to the paint to get the closest color match to the factory finish -- but even then the color needs to be blended using a step-down technique to get it to "match" properly, or at least give an accurate illusion of a perfect match.

spikesputnik Enthusiast

spikesputnik

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Thanks Charlie. I hadn't gotten to watch much of that link cuz I was at work, I'll catch up tonight.

As far as the illusion of a perfect match, I guess that will be ok as long as I don't know it. :D Kinda like the illusion of a bump-able bumper....

 

I went by the body shop of the dealer where I bought the truck and the mgr said all the right things from what I've gathered here and from that link. Now wether they can execute remains to be seen. At the other dealer's shop the manager was MIA/called in sick and the employees were just sitting around BS'n with apparently nothing better to do....I don't think I'll go back there. :lol:

One good thing is that this apparently is a very common truck trauma, thanks to the Flex-n-gate. My friends '76 has a REAL bumper that feels to weigh 100# and is just plain rigid-me likey. Fugly, but functional.

Stylous Enthusiast

Stylous

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I would just swing by a couple shops you have in mind and see how well they did matching the paint on cars they finished.

 

Not only do you need to check color, you also need to check texture.

Zembonez Senior Enthusiast

Zembonez

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Personally I would go to an ACTUAL professional shop and stay far far away from the GM dealer body shops. I've dealt with dealerships for 20 plus years and I've never seen a top quality dealer body shop. The best are mediocre at best. They are typically patch it and ship it shops. Quality is not their strong suit. They just take advantage of people "believing" that they are good because they are part of the dealership. Don't fall for the "OEM paint scam some try to pull either. GM doesn't make paint.

 

Look at shops. See how well maintained they are and how neat and clean they are, The shabby and rundown ones are not likely to be any better at fixing your car than they are at taking care of their shop. Take a CLOSE look at their finished work and see if it matches the type of quality you are looking for.

spikesputnik Enthusiast

spikesputnik

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One other casual observation from today. The "better" of the 2 dealer's shops I went to had 3 vehicles in there getting body work done. A Dodge Caravan, a Kia whatever and a OBS Chevy truck....significance :lol:

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