Body Shop Etiquette

[DaddyTorgo]

Okay, so through no real fault of my own (damm ice as i came over a hill to a stopsign the other morning) I need to make some minor repairs to the motor vehicle. First bodyshop i went to quoted me $1371. Now if I want to go around and try to get someone to beat that quote what's the etiquette. Do I show them the first quote and say "beat that" or do I say "I have talked a couple other places...what's the best you can do" and wait for them to come back to me and then show them what the first place got?

[Bee]

I'd just take it to a couple different places and ask for a quote. If you show them the previous estimate it's possible they'll raise their estimate to be just below the first one if it's high.

[DaddyTorgo]

figured that would be the case and the problem

[stevew]

I'd check a couple other places. Let them give you an estimate, then call them and tell them you got an estimate for 10xx somewhere else, and wondering if they could maybe do a bit better.

Either that or look at the itemized bill the first place sent you, and try to haggle with them a bit. Like take the total cost amount of labor in that first estimate, and 1/2 or 3/4 that amount, re add it up, and use that as a basis to try to get them down.

[wishbone]

As you are shopping around, ask when they will be ordering the parts. They should be able to order them before they receive the car to repair, if not, the car will sit around waiting for parts to arrive.

I once paid to rent a car for 4 weeks due to "parts issues" at a body shop. The repair itself took 4 days, they had quoted me a week. The shop started disassembly expecting to have parts the next day and didn't. They could reassemble because they had already sent the bad parts out.

[Lorena]

Brag of your WW skills and you're bound to get a good discount :eek:

[DaddyTorgo]

As you are shopping around, ask when they will be ordering the parts. They should be able to order them before they receive the car to repair, if not, the car will sit around waiting for parts to arrive.

I once paid to rent a car for 4 weeks due to "parts issues" at a body shop. The repair itself took 4 days, they had quoted me a week. The shop started disassembly expecting to have parts the next day and didn't. They could reassemble because they had already sent the bad parts out.


did some comparison shopping today. the first price actually ended up being right in the middle and not that much more expensive than the cheapest and as i've had these guys do bodywork before I'm going with them. he's ordering the parts today and i'm dropping the car off tues and should pickup on Thurs/Fri (he said 3 days). Convienence was a big factor, they're in a car dealership with a Hertz counter right there, so the rental car will be a snap.

[Toddzilla]

Make sure that you let them know you are getting an estimate - they know the game.

[wishbone]

did some comparison shopping today. the first price actually ended up being right in the middle and not that much more expensive than the cheapest and as i've had these guys do bodywork before I'm going with them. he's ordering the parts today and i'm dropping the car off tues and should pickup on Thurs/Fri (he said 3 days). Convienence was a big factor, they're in a car dealership with a Hertz counter right there, so the rental car will be a snap.

Sounds great!

[DaddyTorgo]

Sounds great!

well $1371 isn't exactly GREAT. but eh...whatcha gonna do.

[cuervo72]

In the olden days, this would have begged for a "Body Shot Etiquette" parody thread.

[I. J. Reilly]

but eh...whatcha gonna do.

Well, you could stop running into shit.

Geez, I'm only thirty and I'm already turning into my dad. Don't mind me; I'll just pour myself a glass of scotch, look out the window and curse the kids running through my yard.

[DaddyTorgo]

TBH though it wasn't all my fault. i mean sure it was 6:30 in the AM and I was preoccupied/dreading the day at work with satan-boss. but the ice...i swear it was like a roadrunner cartoon and the ice was the wiley coyote trap...it was in the worst possible place with no way to avoid it.