[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Bob's GTO

Good advice from everyone, I'm going to add my 2 cents. When looking for a reputable painter, drop by your local Automotive Paint stores and talk to the sales manager. Those guys know who is good at what and who you can trust. If you start hearing the same name or two a couple of times, that's where you should go. They also know about the guy that doesn't have a commercial shop but does great work in his home garage.
Good Luck!

I think that's a great idea I had never thought of. They would also know who paid their bills on time and bought allot of supplies meaning they were getting work out.
Interestingly, just today my March issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines came. On the last page Jim McGowan has an entire column about "Paint Jail"!. He claims he coined the phrase in the 1970's, so this problem is certainly not new. It's fun reading.

[MPKind]

I have a work order on the companies letterhead signed by the owner with a flat fee price and a brief description of work to be performed.

For some reason I don’t think it holds as much weight as one would think. But I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say for sure.

I also have correspondence via text and a letter reiterating the work to be performed and any extras I wanted.

[Johnnygoose]

I think you've got a pretty good case, you got the amount and description in writing. Hopefully you have receipts for what you've paid. Unless a judge is a total idiot he would have to see that the amount of time he's had the car is more than a reasonable amount of time to finish it. Probably not worth suing him though unless it's a decent amount of money and he has the ability to pay it.

I think the best plan is to go check on the car and if anything is missing get it out that day. If everything is still ok have a talk with him and set a deadline. Tell him you'll be there with a trailer to pick it up done or not on that day and if it's not done tell him you're going to sue him. I had a similar problem getting a guy to finish my driveway, I pushed him and he rushed it and did a crappy job. Since he really has no incentive to finish it maybe you can give him a bonus if he finishes it by a certain time.

These are just ideas, you'll be there in person and be able to make the best decision based on what he says. Good luck.

[Zoojelly]

I also made the mistake of paying a"friend" who used to be one of the best mechanics in the county to tear down and build the short block for me because I wanted it to be done right and not have to worry about reliability.
The shop got closed down due to alcohol and my engine was found in the machine shop which I had to pay for again. So I paid $800 for a tear down and a few parts missing.
I decided to paint my own car and practiced on daily driver before, and painting turned out to be the hardest part of the project, it won't be show quality paint and I'm intending on driving it often but at least I have a great feeling about doing everything myself (except the convertible top and alignment) and hope you either go to mayco or do the job yourself.

[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by MPKind

I have a work order on the companies letterhead signed by the owner with a flat fee price and a brief description of work to be performed.

For some reason I don’t think it holds as much weight as one would think. But I’m not a lawyer so I can’t say for sure.

I also have correspondence via text and a letter reiterating the work to be performed and any extras I wanted.

Much better than your word against his if you opt for small claims court. You will also need documentation of your protests over how long the process was taking. The body shop will say you never complained and they assumed there was no urgency to finish. A decent judge will find in your favor since no one expects to wait for 2 years for paint work.

The important part is to get your car first and worry about the money afterward.