I've been doing body work for about 12 years now and always thought those stud welder kits were a waste of money. Figured a good set of glue pull tabs and a slide hammer was all you really needed. Last week I was working on a 2017 Ford F-150 door in San Antonio that had a crease right along the body line. Pulled out the glue tabs like always but after the third one snapped off clean and left glue residue all over the paint I was pretty frustrated. My buddy down the shop brought over his stud welder and showed me how fast it worked on that same spot. He welded on maybe eight studs in five minutes and the pull was way more controlled than what I was doing. Ended up finishing that door in half the time and with way less filler needed. Now I'm thinking about picking up one of those cheap units from Harbor Freight just to try on the next job. Does anyone here use a stud welder regularly or do you stick with glue tabs for most stuff?
Honestly, I was at Allstar Collision in Houston last month watching a guy knock out a Mercedes hood. He looked at my buffer and just laughed, said I was running it too slow and using too much compound. Called me over and showed me a two step process with a wool pad at 1800 rpm and then foam at 1200. I tried it on my own car that night and got a finish with zero haze for the first time. Has anyone else had an old timer wreck their whole technique in like two minutes?
That 'professional' HVLP gun was nothing but trouble from the start, so has anyone else had better luck with mid-range brands like DeVilbiss or should I just stick to my old Sata?
I worked on a 2017 Civic that came in with what looked like minor rear damage, but the unibody was twisted bad underneath. Took me three full days just to get it straight on the frame machine, and the insurance adjuster fought every hour I claimed. Then the very next week, a 2023 Tahoe with a dented fender breezed through in four hours start to finish with zero issues. Has anyone else had jobs that should be easy turn into nightmares, or the other way around?
I was picking up some paint supplies from a shop near the freeway and saw three guys all using those cheap harbor freight sanders. Not a single 3M or Dynabrade in sight. The owner told me they just buy a new one every 2 months cause they're like 30 bucks. Has anyone else switched to cheaper tools to save money or is that just asking for trouble?
I was working on a 2018 Honda Civic at the shop over on 5th street, and the rear quarter panel just would not sit flush no matter what I tried. I must have spent a good 45 minutes adjusting the mounting tabs and even tried a little heat on a stubborn spot. Finally I realized I had the inner structure pinched out of alignment from when I welded it, so I had to grind out a couple tacks and redo it. Once I got that sorted, the panel dropped right in with a perfect gap. It felt so good to step back and see it all clean after wrestling with it for two hours. Has anyone else fought a Honda quarter that just won't cooperate?
I spent 3 hours with a DA sander on a aluminum hood repair last week and still had waves everywhere. Switched to a mill file and got it flat in 45 minutes. Anyone else find power tools just push the metal around instead of actually removing material?
He showed me his worn-out spray gun tip and said he measures his mil thickness every 5 coats now, has anyone else switched to a wet film gauge after a bad peel?
I learned this the hard way after a repair on a 2018 Ford F-150 in Phoenix last summer. Used my regular body filler like I always do (you know, the good stuff) and had the whole thing bubble up within 3 months after the first hot day. Switched to a specialized aluminum filler for the redo and it's been 8 months now with zero issues. The chemical reaction between regular filler and aluminum is no joke when temps hit 110+ out here. Has anyone else run into this problem with aluminum panels in hot climates?
Spent a Saturday painting a fender with it and the orange peel was so bad it looked like a golf ball. Has anyone else had luck with cheap guns or should I just stick with my Devilbiss?
Had this guy pull up in a 2015 silver Camry last Tuesday with a scratched rear door. He stood right behind my shoulder while I was spraying the blend, not saying a word, just watching every move. After I finished he goes "you know, I used to paint houses for 20 years and I never realized how much patience this takes." Then he tipped me $40 and left. Has anyone else had customers just hang around and watch you work like that?
I was doing a bumper repair on a 2018 Civic at my shop in Austin. This guy in his 70s just watched me work and finally asked if he could watch me mix the paint. Turns out he used to do body work back in the 70s before he retired and he wanted to see how modern primers and paint systems work now. He said 'you kids have it so easy with these waterborne paints compared to the lacquer we had to deal with.' It was cool talking shop with someone from a different era. Made me wonder how many old timers are out there that would love to just hang out and chat if we had the time.
Was talking to a PPG rep at the shop last Tuesday and he showed me their test results. Their new urethane primer was fully sandable in 45 minutes at 70 degrees. Blew my mind because my old mentor always made me wait overnight. Anybody else still stuck on old curing times?
Turns out it was a loose penny stuck in the window regulator track. Customer swore it was something major. Has anyone else found weird stuff like coins or toys inside doors?
Had a 2018 Civic come through where the customer's previous shop used bargain tape and it left adhesive residue all along the window trim, took me 45 minutes with goo gone to clean it up. Now I spend the extra $12 a roll on 3M fine line and it pays for itself in time saved. Anybody else had a nightmare cleanup from cheap tape jobs?
I thought I was being smart saving money on filtration for my basement booth. Bought a no-name kit off Amazon for around 350 bucks back in February. First job was a Honda Civic bumper, looked fine when I sprayed it but sanded through the clear after two days. Second job on a Ford fender had fisheyes all over. Took me a while to figure out the filters weren't catching oil from the compressor. Swapped to a proper SATA setup for 600 and now I have to strip and repaint both of those panels. Has anyone else had paint fail from cheap filter systems or was it just my bad luck?
Picked up one of those cheap electronic gauges last month to check some panel work before a respray. It kept reading 200 microns on bare metal, so I learned the hard way to stick with the old magnetic pull-off gauge my mentor gave me back in 98. Anyone else had bad luck with budget tools for measuring paint?
Had a chat with an old timer at the NAPA counter in Fresno last Tuesday who told me I'm wasting time sanding between primer and paint on modern urethanes, said the solvents bond just fine without it. Made me think about all those hours I spent on that 2017 F-150 job where I wet-sanded every panel for nothing.
Picked up a Devilbiss FLG5 last month for $200 and it laid down metallic way smoother than my old purple gun ever did. Anyone else notice a big jump going from budget to mid-range equipment?
I see guys on here all the time dropping $500 on a PosiTector before they even own a dent puller. Last month I bought a $35 no-name gauge off Amazon just to check my work on a 2017 Honda Civic I was painting in my garage near Portland. I figured it would crap out after one job but it's held up fine over 6 jobs now. The readings match up pretty close when I borrowed a buddy's fancy gauge for comparison. Look, if you're running a big shop with insurance requirements sure get the pro tool. But for DIY guys or small mobile operators I think it's dumb to blow that much cash. Has anyone else tried a budget gauge and had it work out okay?
Tbh, I used to fight with those plastic bondo spreaders on big jobs like hoods and roof panels. About 6 months ago, a buddy at a shop in Phoenix told me to grab a 12 inch drywall knife instead. The flexible metal gives way smoother coverage and cuts down on sanding time by half. Has anyone else made this swap or do you stick with the traditional spreaders?
I saw a truck I fixed up back in 2021 come through the shop last week and the filler split right along the seam I thought I'd sanded smooth, what causes old repairs to fail after all that time like that?
I had this old guy bring in a 69 Camaro last month, said he wanted me to help with some bodywork. He watched me sand a patch for like 30 seconds then asked why I was going back and forth in straight lines. I told him thats how I always did it. He showed me to do small circles instead and now my feathering is way smoother. How do you guys lay down your sanding strokes on filler?
I spent 20 minutes with my stud welder and slide hammer fixing that same dent myself, so why do so many shops jump to replacement panels instead of actually learning to do dent repair right? Has anyone else noticed this trend getting worse or is it just my area?
I had a 2018 Ford F-150 come in for what looked like a simple rear bumper swap. Customer said they backed into a pole, no big deal. Well I get the bumper off and find the whole rear crossmember is bent, frame horns are tweaked, and the bed floor has a hidden buckle. That turned a 3 hour job into a 3 week nightmare. Then on the same day my frame machine decided to throw a hydraulic leak all over the shop floor. I spent $400 on new seals and a tow truck to get a rental machine. What really got me was the customer calling every single day asking why it was taking so long. By Friday I was ready to throw my tools in the dumpster. Has anyone else had one of those weeks where everything just snowballs?