Need Body/Paint Shop

[4DR_DB7]

Looking for referrals to a good shop to get my ride up to speed. Its a 12 year old car, has typical scratches and dings need to be worked out, and a nice paint job. Doesn't need to be the best job int he world, but I don't want to see any nightmares like Obeewon, w/ overspray, etc...

I'm in Upper Darby/Havertown area and have used a couple local places before, no one that really specializes in imports/hondas. I may also want a 98+ front bumper installed.

Anyone have any suggestions, etc.. ? Thanks!

[TROLL]

edit: I can no longer recommend LIP Collision after recently having a very disappointing experience with them.
Keep in mind that quality work doesn't come cheap, but anything worth doing is worth doing well.

[Nors]

I was about to make a similar post, since my car was keyed over the weekend. I am going to check out LIP because every body shop I have ever used ended up being incompetent in the end. Missing parts, covering up stuff, etc..

[Nors]

After some consideration, not sure if I want to do the train/bus/trolley ride home from North Wales, so I may have to find a closer shop.. aka bump

[4DR_DB7]

x2. LIP sounds like a quality shop... just too far for me. Preferably Delaware County, Havertown/UD area. BUMP it UP!

Trying to get # for a guy i went to middle school with who apparently does really nice paint and is in my area, will post it up when I know.

[snackman508]

I had maaco do my car, got the premium package, turned out nice, not show quality but you wouldn't think its maaco if you see it. and ive got a 4year warranty with it. if was going to do it again I would paint it my self, but if you dont have time or a place to do that, get a pro. if you do go with maaco let me know ive got a 10% off coupon you can have.

[4DR_DB7]

Originally Posted by snackman508

I had maaco do my car, got the premium package, turned out nice, not show quality but you wouldn't think its maaco if you see it. and ive got a 4year warranty with it. if was going to do it again I would paint it my self, but if you dont have time or a place to do that, get a pro. if you do go with maaco let me know ive got a 10% off coupon you can have.

how much was maaco? i assume they fill/repair scratches n dents too included w/ that price.

[Got Insulin?]

If you go to MAACO, do all your own prep work. I've helped to prep cars that ended up with middle-of-the-road paint from MAACO, and after our prep, and subsequent buffing/waxing/sanding, it looks phenominal still. Plus it saves you cashola.

[TROLL]

good bodyshops and maaco really cant be discussed in the same thread. two different things entirely... so do you want good or do you want cheap? you're not going to get both...

[Got Insulin?]

Originally Posted by TROLL

good bodyshops and maaco really cant be discussed in the same thread. two different things entirely... so do you want good or do you want cheap? you're not going to get both...

No disrespect meant, but ever seen Black's VR-4's car, or Olmytsi's car? Both look excellent, and both are MAACO. It's not always about cheap vs. expensive, but sometimes if you reasearch carefully and prepare accordingly, it is possible to cut costs and some corners, without automatically sacrificing quality. By doing some of your own work and then letting the professionals handle what you can't, couldn't both of our logics be applied here without one having to eclipse the other? I think so.

[DC2.2GSR]

Originally Posted by TROLL

good bodyshops and maaco really cant be discussed in the same thread. two different things entirely... so do you want good or do you want cheap? you're not going to get both...

very true about maaco and good body shops in the same thread, but wrong about good and cheap. i absolutely guarantee my work is on par with any shop, because i used to paint in a shop like L.I.P. and you do not survive in a good shop if you can't do quality work. good and cheap can be had from someone like me who does work on the side and does not have to over-inflate prices to compensate for a slow month or pay for an insanely high set of overhead costs, like a large shop. the problem is that people like me do work on a much smaller scale and are hard to find in your area. good and cheap can easily be had, you just need to shop around.

however, if you're looking for a legal written warranty, you might as well just go to a large shop. a shop's warranty, while only a bunch of BS to make people feel comfortable, is still for some reason a huge selling point to most people. if something does happen to go wrong, most shops will stand by their warranty and redo the repair. i would do the identical thing, but a large shop will have it written up for you.

[215ek]

kid before me got maaco to do my gsr. looks great, no real complains. i just want things changed up, but the paint has held up pretty well if youve ever seen pics


(btw it used to be green, so it wasnt just another coat of white on top of white)
but if you can go with just a personal guarantee, id go with dc2 gsr because its less likely to be bull **** than with a shop

[TROLL]

I dont disagree with any of the responses... I just meant that for the most part, quality work means not cutting any corners on labor or supplies, and that adds up in a hurry. I've heard many times that maaco jobs can turn out well if you do all your own prep and its probably true, but even then I really think everyone's goals/standards are different so what might look great to one person won't do for another. If you are part of the minority that has a critical eye and high expectations, I do believe there is a difference between a good job and a great job.

[4DR_DB7]

I'm not rich, and I don't need show-award winning quality... This car is driven daily. I've heard rumors about Maaco, etc... nothing ever substantiated. Listen, its body work and paint, not rocket science. Whether its Maaco or Joe's Auto Body, it comes down to who is doing the work, as long as its not some lackey, i'm sure it will be fine.

Still open to suggestions though.

[Nors]

Ok less Maaco talk and more real body shop talk.

I am considering Cavallo's they have locations in Drexel Hill, West Chester, and Newtown Square, anyone have experience with these guys?

[DC2.2GSR]

Originally Posted by Nors

Ok less Maaco talk and more real body shop talk.

I am considering Cavallo's they have locations in Drexel Hill, West Chester, and Newtown Square, anyone have experience with these guys?

from my experience working for two different styles of body shops, try to avoid a place that has multiple locations if you're trying to get an overall paint job or any custom work. Cavallo's may very well do great work, but most of the time shops with multiple locations specialize in collision repair for insurance companies. that work must appear to be up to spec since the companies sometimes come and inspect the work, but there are many time saving shortcuts that become standard operating procedure and those time savers are not always the best for the car. believe me, i've seen and heard some s*** that would make you wonder how a shop would even stay in business.

one shop i used to work for is a former vendor of TST, Excel Collision. those guys did incredible work and did it the correct way. they are very expensive though. i imagine Excel and L.I.P. are virtually the same shop. the smaller, family owned shops usually do better work because they take their time and have more to lose if you should be unhappy with your work. plus, you usually deal directly with the owner and the number of employees is usually pretty low so you can easily get a feel for the shop and its people and how they do things.

on the other hand, those large chain shops (i also worked for Grand Sport Autobody... 9 locations) do work that will probably not last and there will most likely be big problems when you bring your peeling or faded car back to them and bitch about your paint job. a large chain shop like GSA would also take longer to get your car done since your car is not their bread and butter, and is not that important to them. you'll have a tough time getting them to spray your car within a reasonable amount of time. add to all of that, you don't know who the hell will be working on your car since a lot of times multiple location shops share employees back and forth when work is slow at one shop. you'll almost never even get to meet the owner and you'll only be dealing with middle management... which could go either way.

if you have damage and you want a panel by panel repair, go for it. take it to any reputable shop, even large local chains. but, for really nice work try to avoid large chain shops and go with a single location shop.

just my $0.02

[Nors]

Originally Posted by DC2.2GSR

from my experience working for two different styles of body shops, try to avoid a place that has multiple locations if you're trying to get an overall paint job or any custom work. Cavallo's may very well do great work, but most of the time shops with multiple locations specialize in collision repair for insurance companies. that work must appear to be up to spec since the companies sometimes come and inspect the work, but there are many time saving shortcuts that become standard operating procedure and those time savers are not always the best for the car.

one shop i used to work for is a former vendor of TST, Excel Collision. those guys did incredible work and did it the correct way. they are very expensive though. i imagine Excel and L.I.P. are virtually the same shop. the smaller, family owned shops usually do better work because they take their time and have more to lose if you should be unhappy with your work.

on the other hand, those large chain shops (i also worked for Grandsport Auto Body... 9 locations) do work that will probably not last and there will most likely be big problems when you bring your peeling or faded car back to them and bitch about your paint job.

if you have damage and you want a panel by panel repair, go for it. take it to any reputable shop, even large local chains. but, for really nice work try to avoid large chain shops and go with a single location shop.

just my $0.02

I see what you are saying about chains, but Cavallos isn't really a chain, more like a mom and pop that expanded. They work on all high end stuff Lambos etc so I am not sure if what you says applies or not. Really looking for someone with personal experience with Cavallos, going to check out excel though for sure.

www.cavalloautobody.com

[DC2.2GSR]

Originally Posted by Nors

I see what you are saying about chains, but Cavallos isn't really a chain, more like a mom and pop that expanded. They work on all high end stuff Lambos etc so I am not sure if what you says applies or not. Really looking for someone with personal experience with Cavallos, going to check out excel though for sure.

www.cavalloautobody.com

lol i added more in a ninja edit that's not in your quote. never done that before haha

i know what you mean also, that place does seem to be just an expanded local shop, rather than a local thing that has expanded into a large chain. you may hear some positive things about them and in that case i say go for it. i'd just be careful about which location you take it to. again, with GSA, i can tell you from personal experience in multiple locations, there are certain GSA shops i would go to in a heartbeat and certain ones i would never even want to look at my car for fear that they would make my paint peel with mind powers haha

[4DR_DB7]

Originally Posted by Nors

I see what you are saying about chains, but Cavallos isn't really a chain, more like a mom and pop that expanded. They work on all high end stuff Lambos etc so I am not sure if what you says applies or not. Really looking for someone with personal experience with Cavallos, going to check out excel though for sure.

www.cavalloautobody.com

YIKES!!! I just called Cavallo's in D-hill.... the girl on the phone gave me a rough ballpark of starting at $5,000 for my little integra! omg. that is ridiculous. Thats more than I paid for my car!!! lol... SO much for those guys.

Thats the problem w/ body shops.... they get so much business from insurance companies collisions, etc... they don't really even need to take on regular customers' paint jobs... and if they do, they're going to charge u an arm and leg.

Maaco is looking good again to me!!... maybe if i were rich like Troll I could afford a "great" shop. lol

[DC2.2GSR]

yep, you're exactly right. most body shops get the majority of their business from collision work. that's how they survive and they are happy with it. when you go in or call to ask for an estimate for custom or overall work they quote you an insanely high price because they really just want you to go away. they don't want to be bothered by some picky customer who's going to want perfection. if you say yes to their ridiculous price (i.e. $5,000 for a straight respray on an Integra ) then they'll suck it up and do the job because they don't care how much of an inconvenience it will be, they're now getting payed $5k for a job that should realistically cost a third of that.

forget Maaco and all the other ridiculously expensive shops. on the low end, if you're paying +/- $500 for a paint job (Maaco), you're going to get garbage. on the high end, $5k or anywhere near it is a freakin' joke. honestly if it was me that got quoted $5,000 for an OEM respray i would have some words with the shop owner because that's downright rude and disrespectful. that's saying "get outta here, we don't want your business." if you're paying $5k, you had better be getting some kind of high end widebody kit installed or something.

the only reason that some shops get away with charging that much for a simple paint job is because they set the price high and there's always some idiot who comes along with a car that he thinks too highly of and says ''oh man, this job is expensive, this must be soooo much better than that other shop that charges half as much''. people associate price with quality and to a point that's a good association, but there's a place beyond that point where it gets out of control. NO paint job is worth $5,000. believe me. i've been there, sprayed that. i've sprayed a job for a shop that had $6,500 written on the estimate and laughed for about an hour straight because i did nothing different to spray it than i did the week before when i sprayed a $1500 job on the side.