[FC] The fan has been hit..... the final Greenbrier countdown...

[Paul Steinberg]

Every time the body shop needs money, then you are the deep pockets that they choose to pick.  You should always get a firm figure and list exactly what is going to be done for that price.  Once the work has started, there will be some adjustment since they have no way of knowing what is under the paint that will be removed, but this shouldn't be any big surprises.  Many times it is more difficult to deal with friends since they abuse the friendship and in the end, you are no longer friends and the job isn't completed to your satisfaction.  I took a car over to the body shop to have some touch up work done 3 weeks ago.  I was quoted a price for doing the complete paint job.  We also agreed on the touch up work price and it was done this past week.  When I picked it up, he told me that he didn't want to do the complete paint job in the fall.  Guess that he had time to look it over and decided that the figure that he gave me wasn't enough.  I am now looking for another body shop to do the complete paint job.  Had he told me originally that he wouldn't do the complete paint job, I wouldn't have given him the touch up work either.  Might be time for both of us to get out the old "flit gun" and start spraying ourselves.  Paul in CT.... 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Merv Krull and or Loretta Prosser 
  To: corvanatics at corvair.org ; corvairs at cybrus.net 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 1:27 AM
  Subject: [FC] The fan has been hit..... the final Greenbrier countdown...


  Hi all!

  Why does this always happen? The body shop buddy had mono so was not able to do much on the GB for the last two weeks.... was supposed to be done today. 

  Scramble..... towed the GB to my BILs shop ... not even in primer yet.... and tore out the drivetrain, split the transaxle and tossed the engine on the table to do seals and flashing and general nicey nicey things. Felt really overwhelmed for a while, but got my wind again and just kept going. Did all the pushrod tubes and a static valve adjustment, stuck the valve covers back on. No time for nicey nicey, just get it done so I can get it rolling back to the body shop by Thursday. 

  Body shop buddy calls and says, looks like another $1500 should get things pretty close, then we will see from there.

  Blood pressure rises but I am nice to the body shop buddy cuz I don't want to tick him off and do anything less than a decent job. 

  What is your advice.... I think I tell him $1500 is the end of the road and you don't get it till it's done. I have already fronted him $2500.

  I think $4000 for a decent job on a GreenBrier that has been smacked in the hind end and buckled a bit is a pretty good end price. What are your thoughts?

  I will be asking him for some paperwork of the time he has put into it... at least his two students he hired. 

  After a similar go around with another body shop buddy where the end product just kept getting further and further away and required more and more money to get there, I am wondering if this is typical body shop practice?

  If so, maybe I'll just get out a can of Tremclad and a paintbrush and hope to see you in Portland....!

  Looking for some humour here... anything to help me through these last 11 days before heading for Portland....

  toodles
  Merv Krull
  Salmon Arm, BC
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