c/auto-body-repairers

That cheap paint gun I swore I'd never buy actually saved my ass

I've always been the type to drop $800 on a Sata gun and call it a day. But last month my compressor died mid-job on a 2017 F-150 in Dayton, and I grabbed a $60 HF purple gun just to finish. Figured I'd toss it after. Three fender jobs later and that thing laid down metallic basecoat smoother than my pro gun ever did. Has anyone else had a budget tool surprise them like that?

Changed my mind about using filler primer on plastic bumpers

I used to swear by using regular primer on plastic bumper repairs because it was cheaper and I figured it'd bond fine. Last month I was fixing a 2017 Civic front bumper at my shop in Toledo, sprayed my usual stuff, and three days later the customer came back with peeling paint all along the edge. I had to redo the whole job for free, lost like $150 in materials and a full Saturday. That mistake convinced me to finally try that adhesion promoter and flexible filler primer I'd been ignoring. The second time around the paint stuck hard, no lifting at all, even on the flex points. Now I won't touch a plastic bumper without that stuff, it's just not worth the risk. Has anyone else had a similar fail that made them switch up their process?

Switched to aluminum welding for radiator supports and wish I did it sooner

For years I used steel on every radiator support job. It worked fine but took forever grinding and painting. About 4 months ago a customer brought in a 2018 F-150 with a busted support, and I decided to try aluminum welding since the factory part was aluminum anyway. First couple tries were rough but after about 3 practice pieces I got the hang of it. Now I save about 45 minutes per job and don't have to deal with rust coming back. Has anyone else made the switch for structural parts or am I being too risky?

PSA: I was using way too much filler on bumpers for years.

An old timer at the shop in Dayton saw me laying it on thick and pointed out I was just creating more sanding work. Anyone else catch themselves doing more prep than needed on plastic repairs?

Rant: Spent $400 on a paint booth rental that had a dirty intake filter and ruined my whole job

Showed up to a booth in Detroit last Thursday, didn't spot the nasty filter until after I sprayed a metallic silver on a 2018 F-150, and now I've got dust nibs all through the clear coat plus lost the whole day sanding it back down - anyone else run into sketchy rental booths that waste your money?

Can we talk about how PDR tools can mess up your paint if you're not careful?

I was working on a Honda Civic hood last Tuesday and tried a shortcut I saw online - using a smaller tip to pop a dent without heat. The dent came out fine but it left a tiny crack in the clear coat that spread over 3 inches by the end of the day. Now I've got to respray that whole panel for a customer who wanted a quick fix. Has anyone else ran into this issue with cold paint and aggressive tool pressure?

Old timer told me never to use body filler over 1/8 inch thick

Honestly, this guy Ray who worked at my first shop 15 years ago swore that anything thicker than that would crack. I thought he was just being old school and slow. Last year I had a quarter panel on a 2010 Civic that I built up to almost 1/4 inch to save time. Sure enough, 6 months later the customer came back with a hairline crack right through the middle. Ray was right, I should have done a patch panel or used a metal filler instead. What's the thickest you've seen someone try to get away with?

Had a fender fall off a car I fixed 8 months ago because I skimped on the weld

This was in Tulsa last spring, a 2014 Civic I did a quarter panel replacement on. Used the cheap flux core wire from the local parts store instead of the good stuff because I was trying to save $20. Customer came back yesterday showing me the rust line right along the weld seam. Had to do the whole job over for free. Has anyone else had a cost-cutting move blow up like this on a repair?

Old timer at the collision shop told me to stop using body filler on plastic bumpers back in 2018

He said it never bonds right and after trying his method with a plastic welder for a 2012 Honda Civic bumper last month I finally saw what he meant, has anyone else switched to welding over filler on plastics?

Picked the cheaper stud welder over the fancy one, worked out fine

Ngl, I was between a $250 stud welder and a $600 one for pulling dents on a 2018 Civic. Went with the cheap one and it's been solid for 6 months now, even on heavy gauge metal. Anyone else have luck with budget gear or am I just getting lucky?

Spent 6 hours trying to match a single panel of silver paint

I had a 2018 Honda Accord come in last week with a rear door scuff. Mixed up my usual Honda silver, sprayed a test card, and it was way off. Ended up making four different mixing cups before I got close, then had to adjust the blend with a few drops of black and white. What should have been a 2 hour job turned into almost a full day. Anybody else find certain silver shades are just a nightmare to match on these newer cars?

Bought a cheap paint gun off Amazon, thought it would be junk for sure

Grabbed a $45 HVLP kit for a quick bumper job on a Civic last month, figured I'd toss it after one use. Thing laid down two even coats with zero orange peel, I was honestly ticked off I didn't trash it sooner. Has anyone else had a budget gun surprise them like that?

Overheard a guy at the shop saying filler is for hacks

Had this older repairer at a shop I sub for in Denver telling me that using body filler means you screwed up the metal work. Told him I used about 3 pounds on a quarter panel last week and he just walked away shaking his head. Anyone else run into these old school purists who hate filler?

Gave a customer a quote for $1,200 and he turned it into a massive headache

I had a guy bring in an old Ford F-150 with a busted rear quarter panel last month. I quoted him 12 hours labor and $400 in parts, which came to about $1,200 total. He told me I was ripping him off and said he'd do it himself. Two weeks later he drags the truck back in, but now he's bondo'd over the dent without sanding it right, and the whole panel is a wavy mess. I had to grind all that off and start from scratch, plus fix some rust he uncovered. Now the repair is taking me closer to 20 hours and he's mad the price went up. Has anyone else dealt with customers who try to DIY first and then expect you to fix it for the original quote?

Vent: Customer asked me to match a paint color from a cell phone photo

Guy came in yesterday with a 2012 Honda Accord. Fender damage. He pulls up a picture on his phone of the car from 50 feet away in a parking lot at night and says match it to this. I explained why that doesn't work three times. He got mad and left. How do you deal with people who think phone cameras are the same as a spectrophotometer?

That fender I did at a shop in Phoenix changed how I prep for clearcoat

I was at a friend's shop in Phoenix last August helping on a 2018 Camaro that had a bad rear quarter. We laid down three coats of clear and it alligator skinned on me within 15 minutes. Turns out the humidity was way lower than what I usually deal with back home, and I didn't adjust my reducer. Now I'm debating whether I should stick to a universal mix or start checking weather reports before every job. What do you guys do when the conditions throw a curveball?

That Thursday in July when three insurance adjusters showed up on the same job

I was working a 2018 Civic that got rear-ended on the 405. Nothing special, just a bumper and trunk lid. Then the first adjuster showed up, then another one from a different company, then a third guy who claimed he was "supervising." They all started arguing about the repair methods right there in my bay. One wanted used parts, one wanted OEM, the third guy just kept asking questions. Took me three hours to get them to agree on anything. Anyone else ever have adjusters just show up unannounced like that?

Had a pearl white respray go wrong last Tuesday

I was fixing a 2020 Honda Accord rear bumper in my shop outside Seattle. Mixed the paint exactly like the formula said but it came out looking slightly yellow compared to the quarter panel. I had to stop, let it flash, and recoat with a pinch more blue toner. It matched after three tries but man that was a tense 4 hours. Anybody else had pearl whites fight them like this?

Vent: Went with cheap primer instead of the name brand on a Chevy Silverado job

Last month I had a 2015 Silverado come in with a bad door ding repair. Decided to save $30 and use the store brand primer instead of my usual PPG stuff. After three weeks the paint started lifting around the repair area. Ended up having to strip it all down and redo the whole panel. Has anyone else had bad luck cutting corners on materials like this?

Saw a side by side of a 1995 Ford pickup I fixed up last month vs. the same truck from a shop in 2005

The old shop used 3 coats of bondo and called it a day on a fender repair, but mine was all new metal with no filler over an inch thick - the difference in how it holds up over 15 years is night and day. Anyone else notice how much better panel replacement is now vs the mud-slinging days of the early 2000s?

Painted a whole door with a $20 harbor freight HVLP gun and it actually laid down nice

I had to spray a replacement door on a 2015 Camry last week and my usual gun crapped out halfway through. Grabbed one of those cheap purple gravity feed guns from harbor freight as a backup, figured I'd just sand it all out later. Mixed up some Sherwin Williams single stage and it sprayed surprisingly flat. No orange peel issues. I was honestly shocked for $20. Has anyone else had good luck with cheap guns on small jobs or did I just get lucky?

Just noticed a weird thing at a body shop in Phoenix

I dropped off some parts at a shop near 7th Street last Tuesday and saw they had three different brand spray guns all lined up on the bench. It got me thinking, how many of us are actually sticking with one brand vs just using whatever the job calls for? I'm curious if it makes a difference in the final finish or if it's more about what you learned on.

Hit a milestone today: 50th classic car paint job finished at my shop in Tacoma

Had to pick between a $600 spray gun and a $200 one last month

Ended up going with the cheaper Devilbiss model cause I needed cash for a new compressor, figured I'd just deal with orange peel. The gun actually lays down pretty decent with the right tip adjustment but I'm kicking myself for not springing for the Iwata now that I'm spending extra time buffing. Any of you guys used both and think the price difference is actually worth it?

Just saw a guy at the shop next door skip the metal prep step on a quarter panel

He went straight to filler over bare, sanded steel. I gave him a heads up because that bond is gonna fail in under a year, guaranteed. Anyone else catch this shortcut happening more often lately?