any recommendations for a body shop for a full respray?

[tcheb]

Most places only want to do collision work through insurance and will just tell me to go away.


So far Tony's on Greenwood and Eurotech in Totem Lake are the only two options I have. Anyone has experience with other shops doing similar work?

[Italian_Tuneup]

Too funny, I was just getting ready to post the exact same thing. I don't know what it is about this part of the country, but nobody touches old stuff. I need to find someplace to do my color change. I'm just going to drop a fully stripped shell, and still no one will touch it. Interested in what others post here.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[tcheb]

FYI. I also posted on quattroworld and got a few responses.

post1

post2

[Italian_Tuneup]

Cool, I'll look into them. My GTV6 is currently at Steves in Portland for deer repair. They seemed excited to work on it, but not the E30... go figure. I'm getting 2/3 of the Alfa resprayed that insurance won't cover for $5k. But it's not a color change so not exactly comparable.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[Dbasher]

Haurys in Lake City is a great shop, both the owners are enthusiasts and supportive of PRO3, although I believe they recently sold their track car. They’re not the most inexpensive but the quality is there.

For a cheap “good” spray job I’d check with American in Renton...I think that’s what it’s called. Located behind the Burger King off Sunset. I was quoted $1500 for minimal bodywork and spray on my fox body. It’s almost like they’re al a carte and will perform as good as you’re willing to pay.
Good luck!

[thenewguy]

Brandon at Brand-X-Custom's in Everett does some stand out work. Not exactly sure on pricing for him though, but the work is sure worth it. Has had multiple cars at SEMA that win all sorts of awards for their paint jobs.

[tcheb]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[DrJosh]

Haurys in Lake City is a terrible shop and couldn't get my car right no matter how many times they tried or how much money was spent. Everything from poor paint adhesion to shitty paint care.

[Munich Man]

Haurys in Lake City is a terrible shop and couldn't get my car right no matter how many times they tried or how much money was spent. Everything from poor paint adhesion to shitty paint care.

Can't say I have ever heard that. I had my Calypso coupe redone there and it looks absolutely amazing. I worked with them there on the car and they were very friendly helping me prep/teach me the right and wrong way of doing things. The car looks stunning and if I ever need another job done right, I will definitely have it done there.

PM me if you want to see close up detailed pics of their work on my car. No corners cut.

[Dbasher]

Can't say I have ever heard that. I had my Calypso coupe redone there and it looks absolutely amazing. I worked with them there on the car and they were very friendly helping me prep/teach me the right and wrong way of doing things. The car looks stunning and if I ever need another job done right, I will definitely have it done there.

PM me if you want to see close up detailed pics of their work on my car. No corners cut.

Agreed. My family has had 2 classic cars fully painted by Haurys and I had my old firebird touched up and blended after some rust repair, never an issue. I know of 5-6 people that have ran their cars through the shop for collision and all were more then pleased with the way they were treated and the quality of work performed.

Josh, it’s hard to believe you had the issues you claim knowing how much the shop strives for perfection and customer satisfaction.

[Preyupy]

I have used Fenders and Fins in Woodinville for everything from minor repair to full respray with great results.

Depending on the quality of work you are looking for there is always Byers Custom Paint in Auburn if you are looking for show quality work.

[DrJosh]

Josh, it’s hard to believe you had the issues you claim knowing how much the shop strives for perfection and customer satisfaction.

It was a complete disaster. The car was in and our of their shop over the course of a year and a half being corrected for various things that they messed up. Each time it was dropped off I wouldn't expect to see it again for another 2-3 months.


Here are just a few notable things off the top of my head

- Disconnected gas line under rear seat causing a leak and lengthy clean-up to remove smell
- Corner panel paint adhesion problems, corrected 2x and began happening again
- Repainted rear bumper to correct runs, ran again, and again
- Marred entire surface of the vehicle, including brand new painted areas
- Over spray on wheels
- Over spray all over interior, including windows, center console, and instrument cluster
- Repainted trunk due to both a deep scratch and embedded hair, both under clear coat
- Visible sanding marks on fender, rocker, and door
- "fixed" rock chips by simply spraying, rock chips still visible under front end
- Trunk alignment more times than I can remember
- Delaminating clear coat


The short story is that the car was involved in a rear end collision so I brought it in. They found some "poorly repaired" previous damage on the quarter panel and that to offer their warranty on the work they would need to do more repairs. Wanting my car to look good and the work to be done correctly I went along with it and wrote the additional check. Then they suggest we blend the door, front fender, and hood. I went along because, yet again, I wanted it done right and the car to look good.


Unfortunately all of this area gave them plenty of places to screw up with long remediation times. All along the way each time I'd go to pick up the car (which was some how only every available right before closing), something would be missing or wrong. Whether that be lights, crooked exhaust, unaligned trunk, damaged window tint, unaligned window (frame less door windows), etc.


Each time they would apologize and arrange for me to bring the car back. Wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt and a chance to live up to their reputation, I would hand them the keys and off I go.


The straw that broke the camels back was one sunny evening I arrived to pick up the car after it's fresh re-paint, the lot tech brought it forward absolutely covered in swirls. Brand new repainted portions, old painted portions, original paint, everything. This thing glistened in the evening sun. Now it's important that I tell I paid to have them do a paint correction on the entire car after the first paint repair (I wanted it to look great, remember?). It was an OK job, not the best, but it looked fine. As this car rolls forward from their alley way, the service adviser and I just look at it, stunned. I don't remember exactly what we said, but they took pictures, noted it, and asked when I'd like to bring the car back to have the paint corrected. At this point, i'm fuming inside. The countless issues and now this. I remain calm, it's not the advisors and it's the end of the day. We make a plan for the car to come back and I go home.


I am then informed by email that Jeff has decided the paint damage could not have been them, and that I had done it with improper wash techniques and that there is nothing that they can do for me.


What? I literally didn't have the chance. After responding, asking how I could have done it when it was brand new paint and the advisor themselves saw it rolling out in that condition.

I don't know what transpired behind the scenes but I was asked to come back with car and speak with Jeff, and that they would take care of it.


In the mean time I took the car to Northwest Auto Saloon to get a quote for the work. Blake, the owner, was the one who looked over my car with me. He felt the paintwork was so bad that I should sue and have it all redone elsewhere, pointing out every blemish and run he could find while just standing in the parking lot. I didn't feel a need for that extreme of action.



I then sat down and had a very unemotional heart to heart with Jeff about what has transpired, past issues, remedied issues, and outstanding issues (such as those pointed out by Blake). I had made a list before hand of all these things so I could make sure each point was addressed.


Jeff was very receptive and apologized profusely. Taking his own notes and mine, we looked over the car together to confirm my complaints. He explained that he was short staff and over booked and was unsure as to how the quality control was so poor. He said he would personally oversee that the current issues were fixed and that he would do the paint correction himself (claiming to be an old pro). At that time they were very busy, and we scheduled another time for me to drop off the car that worked best for both of us.


Upon arriving a couple weeks later, Jeff was like a whole new person. He had no real recollection of our talk, he had none of the notes from our meeting, he was unaware of the multiple additional issues that needed to be addressed, and he had completely forgotten about the paint correction.


Neat.


I start reexplaining the issues, he agrees that the work needs to be done, goes yayaya, and off the car goes.



Fast forward a couple months. I come pick up the finished car. The portions that were supposed to be repainted were, the "paint correction" wasn't nearly as good as the first time (and Jeff didn't do it like he said he would), and there was over spray all over the interior. Jeff was nowhere to be found. The Advisor apologized again, and off I went for the billionth time.



And that was it. I was done trying. I cleaned up and fixed what I could, and as soon as the clear coat started chipping off and the paint adhesion issue started happening again I dumped the car.


So no, Haurys blows.

[Dbasher]

That’s unfortunate, definitely not something anyone should have to go through. I’ve known the shop since the mid 90’s and am glad I never experienced anything close to what you’re saying.

To anyone looking for a shop, I’d be concerned with long lead times. Shops don’t make money by having a car sit around and if it isn’t being worked on it’s not being billed out. My dads 64 Plymouth came in (to Haurys) as a stripped roller and was body worked, complete color change, reassembled and out the door in just over two months.

[Dbasher]

Depending on the quality of work you are looking for there is always Byers Custom Paint in Auburn if you are looking for show quality work.

Byers is no joke. Hands down one of the best custom paint shops in the area.

[Munich Man]

Byers is no joke. Hands down one of the best custom paint shops in the area.

I used to race go karts with his son and have seen some work he's done. No E30 deserves that quality of paint job lmfao. His work is astronomically better than anyone else's you'd find around here.

That's crazy about your experience with Haury's though, Dr. Josh.

You didn't happen to have the red E30 M3 there did you? When I was doing one of my E30's at Haury's that car was there and I heard there were nightmares dealing with that car/insurance behind it.