Scratch this
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 80
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From: Metro-Detroit Michigan
Scratch this
A nice sunny day today so I decided to take my Vette to the local custom car shop. I have a scratch on the front of my 1996 C4 and it's about 4 or 5" long and about 1/8" wide. It's been touched up a little, along with other various very small chips from rocks. The front end still looks very good.....but it bugs me a little that it's not as perfect as I want (I want it perfect!). So, I asked the owner of the shop what he would charge to paint the front bumper/nose of the car. He priced it out at over $1,000. I thought about it and left. On the way home I almost passed the Chevrolet dealership, but turned in quickly to see what they have to offer. On their window it stated that their paint work is guaranteed for as long as I own the car. Their price was $500 and it would be done immediately. Guess what I did? I left it at the dealership and they gave me a ride home. I've had a lot of good luck with dealership body shops because of the standards they set for themselves.......but why would they be half the price of the other shop?
Last edited by Vette28; Mar 4, 2010 at 09:39 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 17,551
Likes: 26
From: El Paso Texas
The first shop thought you'd pay the "Corvette Tax".
Even $500 to reshoot a bumper is kinda steep...but if they do good work and it's guaranteed and they will actually stand behind that guarantee, I guess it's worth it. It's kinda rare to see a positive thread about a dealership in any realm.....
Sooooo.....we will be looking for a "The Stealership ripped me on a bumper repaint" thread in a couple of weeks, right?
Even $500 to reshoot a bumper is kinda steep...but if they do good work and it's guaranteed and they will actually stand behind that guarantee, I guess it's worth it. It's kinda rare to see a positive thread about a dealership in any realm.....
Sooooo.....we will be looking for a "The Stealership ripped me on a bumper repaint" thread in a couple of weeks, right?
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,615
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Fl
My father hit his grill with his ssr and the dealer charged 400 bucks to repaint the top part of a front fender.They did a great job so I would say 500 is reasonable from a dealer and they will do a great job.
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Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: Metro-Detroit Michigan
It's going to be fun seeing how well the dealership paints my Vette. I'll send some pics and hopefully they will show how good they are, or not. I've had such good luck with Chevrolet dealerships the last several years that I'm confident they will do a nice job. I love the warranty and that alone is a good thing.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,228
Likes: 698
From: Clifton Park, NY ............Clearwater, FL ... 85 Original Owner
I had a temporary road sign fall against my 85 in high wind while stopped at a light. One of the workers called his boss. I took down his Ins company and had a check 2 days after I faxed him the estimate.
Took to the local Chevrolet - Pontiac dealer and they fixed a pretty good gouge that went from the drivers door into the rear panel. Probably about 10 inches long. They charged $550 to fix it and they did an awesome job matching the paint. You could not tell it was painted.
Took to the local Chevrolet - Pontiac dealer and they fixed a pretty good gouge that went from the drivers door into the rear panel. Probably about 10 inches long. They charged $550 to fix it and they did an awesome job matching the paint. You could not tell it was painted.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,270
Likes: 26
From: Winchester VA
Cruise-In V Veteran
Any written estimates that you could compare notes?
The difference is in the details I'm sure. Maybe one shop going to scratch and paint and not do any blending while the other shop is going to remove and completely refinish the bumper and do some extensive blending. The $1000 job might be the better value (still $$$, but you get the idea)
The difference is in the details I'm sure. Maybe one shop going to scratch and paint and not do any blending while the other shop is going to remove and completely refinish the bumper and do some extensive blending. The $1000 job might be the better value (still $$$, but you get the idea)
