[Trulyvintage]

Originally Posted by MPKind

Please take your time when choosing a painter, don't be cheap or let get too far from home, get everything in writing, and make sure you're not financing other people's cars with your money because the painter is usually broke.

This applies in general to any service you pay for.

Jim

[tiretread]

Dang, very sorry to hear about your ordeal. This thread is definitely having me lean towards painting my own Pontiacs when the time comes.

[mgarblik]

A great body man and painter are treasured individuals. I guess that's why they charge accordingly. I had a little 2 man operation I used for decades and finally they got old to the point they retired and closed the shop. Now, when I need quality bodywork, I have to drive from Dayton, OH to Flint, MI. It's a long drive, but the work is great. They can sort of stay on a schedule if it's not a total restoration. If it is, 2-3 years is typical.

[Ben M.]

I had to do this 2 years ago. One car sat outside uncovered for 2 years after he stripped the glass out of it and essentially rotted away (I ended up scrapping it). The other he actually finished painting but I was so mad at how horrid the entire process was the car just sits in my garage collecting dust and I can't even look at it anymore. I've been trying to sell it as a result for any amount despite how much money flushed down the drain.

The worst part is I can barely bring myself to pick up a wrench to do anything on cars anymore because of how miserable that paint hell experience was. Maybe one day I'll get a car I can enjoy again.

From now on, if a car needs paint, I'm doing it myself. I've lost 4 cars over the last decade to these shenanigans and no more.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by Dick Boneske

LOL--That's my wife's '64! I'm torn, also.

Here's how it looked in 2015. What an ordeal it was to find front fenders & doors & a deck lid.

Dick

lol...I, of course, knew that was your wife's car. I actually followed your restoration thread. Love that color combo.

[Stuart]

MPKind, this is the '65 Catalina in your album? I'd be interested in knowing the name of the shop, since I'm local - you can send it in a PM (or if you'd rather keep quiet about the name that's okay too,)

For future reference, for anyone in the Minnesota / Wisconsin / Iowa area looking for a good shop to work with I had a great experience with these guys: http://www.bremsethbodyshop.com A father and his son run the place; they're in Wykoff down in SE Minnesota so they're kind of off the map but they work on anything from old farm trucks to Rolls-Royces. They restored my 1986 BMW M535i a few years back, there's a picture of it at the bottom of their projects page. Their pricing was fair, they worked on the car pretty steady and sent me weekly updates with pictures, and their dedication to making sure the work was done right was great. The only thing was it took nearly 18 months from when we shook hands until they were actually able to get the car in and start working on it but that was fine since I still had the car and it wasn't trapped in paint jail.

I don't know if he's still working for them but the young guy who did the final prep and the actual painting on my car really impressed me with how he went the extra mile to make sure that car was straight before he put down the color. Top notch shop and good people to work with, plus they know how to run a successful business.

[CDN2PLS2]

Went through this with my '68 GTO Also!

[1966Lemans]

Threads like this are why there's a good likelihood that my car's current paint might be it's last paint, no matter how crappy it is.

[lucky1]

I've had three cars painted, all involved waiting, paying and aggravation. Last one took almost four years, after reading this thread I've got an idea of how bad it can be. "PAIN" seems to be a major part of PAINT.

[Simple Man]

Originally Posted by MPKind

Thank you to all my Pontiac brothers for the encouragement.

I'll be contacting the painter to **** or get off the pot, AND that I'll be making a trip to visit his shop within the coming weeks. At a minimum, I have to see what the status of the car is and gather any parts not attached to the car. If there's a commitment on his end to finish it within the following 4 weeks (which is very doable) I'll let him finish, do the bare minimum of what he promised, and deliver it back to me. If he's balks at the idea of wrapping it up, I leave and return with a trailer (that I have to borrow) and bring it home. I'll take the major hit on the money I lost and get on with life. From what I do know, there was a fair amount of work done on it, but I have no idea where they stopped.

Until I learn more, I can't elaborate on anything else.

Why wait a couple of weeks? Why give him another chance? How many commitments to finish has he already given you, that weren't honored? Cut your losses. Maybe you should take the advice you were going to give him.

A friends truck was held hostage for over 5 years. He finally got it back, painted, but unassembled. Parts missing. Paint job was nothing to write home about.

[The Boss]

Theft of services, it's a crime - talk to the local police.

[dhutton]

You are wasting your time expecting him to finish the car. He has all his money and zero incentive to work on it, especially since he obviously has cash flow problems. He needs more cash coming in and working on your car generates zero cash. Negative cash actually because he has to pay for materials, overhead, and and any salaries for his employees if he has any.

Pick up the car before he starts selling off your parts....

Don

[Pontiac Drive]

Add me to the body shop jail club !
Put my 70 G.P 4 speed car in the body shop.
Was supposed to be done in 3 months.
Brought them a car cover in case they had to let it sit outside since the car was apart for paint.
Glass was out,hood and trunk lid removed, etc.
Went to check on car and found it sitting outside in the rain and my car cover protecting the owners car from dust in the body shop !
Went home got my car trailer.
Started the car, loaded it up and strapped it down without anyone in the body shop ever coming out to see what was going on.
Went in and had a heated discussion with the owner and left.
Body shop # 2 specialized in classic cars, owner drives a 70 GTO that looks great.
Promised car would be ready in 3 months.
2 years, lots of heated discussions, and 10K later I got it back and it looks...not great but OK.

[eric65]

Go get your car and DIY you can do anything those morons can do

[Larry Navarro]

problems like this is why I started to paint and finish my own cars.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=432401

[Simple Man]

Originally Posted by The Boss

Theft of services, it's a crime - talk to the local police.

...nd the cops will say "take it to small claims court". Been there, done that.

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by eric65

Go get your car and DIY you can do anything those morons can do

That's actually why I'm starting to learn how to do body work and paint. There's no way I could let a car sit at a shop for over a year!

[MUSLCAH]

Iam glad to read all these stories....and to see that nothing has changed in the business I have been in for ovah 40 years....Nothing has changed...and that includes the labor rate.... I have had customers Up set with me as well.....but iam a quick learner...and never took in another "Planter " . I just refused to do a California car...that been bead blasted ....convertible...no rust.....customer has 10 K in his hand....plus materials....He said...he can't find anyone to do it....and the resto shops around here are 3 years out......It's tempting...but I have to restrain myself...

[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by The Boss

Theft of services, it's a crime - talk to the local police.

It's the other way around. It's considered "theft of services" if your car was repaired and you came at night with a second set of keys and took the car without paying. Just like having dinner at a restaurant and skipping out without paying the bill.

The OP's issue would fall under "Breech of Contract" for not finishing the work within the contractually stipulated period of time in a workman-like manner. No contract, no breech. The OP's only option is Small Claims Court but his case is weak for lack or a written agreement. If the OP paid cash, even worse. With cancelled checks, there is proof he paid for services. In all likelihood, the OP would prevail in small claims but the amount of the settlement would be left up to the judge in the absence of proof of payment.

Never never never pay in full, in advance, If a partial payment is required, insist on a receipt on the company's letterhead listing the work to be performed total amount of the work, the amount of the deposit and the balance due on completion of the work.

I had an issue a while back with a father and son transmission shop. I paid 1/2 in advance for a trans and rear end rebuild. I got a receipt as per the above. The work went on forever but the trans and rear end were finally completed. There was a point where the owner requested the balance due in advance and I simply told him "I have already paid half so the sooner you finish, the sooner you get paid." I got to know the owners son who confided that he hadn't been paid in 16 weeks. He told me his dad's MO is to get half up front to pay their vendors and himself. He advised they had at least 10 transmission pulls sitting in the lot for over a year with no money to finish them and had I paid in full, my car would have joined what he called "death row".

Many body shops are no different. Your money is long gone and they have no intention of ever finishing your car unless legally compelled to do so.

[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.