Body Damage HELP!!! - Painting On-Site

Hey guys,

Looking for a little advice on autobody repair. Two weeks ago I went on vacation with some buddies and left my truck at a friend's house. The girl who was watching his dog clipped my rear backing out of his driveway damaging my rear bumper and tail light. Although minimal, the paint has been scrapped off of my back bumper. Earlier this week I had a local body shop provide an estimate (seemingly reputable company recommended by my insurance company for other repairs). They valued the repairs around $540. When I provided the quote to the girl, she informed me that she has a family friend who does on-site repairs in under 3 hours. To humor her I spoke with the guy, who said he would come to my location and fix the bumper. When I inquired if he needed the model, make, or color of my truck he told me he didn't need it, as he'd be doing the repairs on-site.

Am I crazy in thinking that there is no way he can do a quality job in a few hours on-site when a reputable shop quoted $540 and two days work? Also, I've attached a picture, which doesn't show the damage clearly (the paint is gone in the damaged areas), but does $540 sound outrageous for these repairs?

Any help or input would be very much appreciated. I don't want a half ass job on my almost new Tacoma.

 

Yes!
Paint colors are overrated. Just pull into dirt driveway and let him have at it. What's the worst that could happen? Trucks already 2yrs old

 

The power of American freedom allows you to follow through on your own terms, I don't know why you're giving her option the time of day when it wasn't your fault.

 

I work in a body shop (paint dept.) so let me chime in on my two cents, that $540 estimate is a round about price for fixing your bumper, Yes that sounds about right. Now, going with the chango who can do it in 3 hours can be done, BUT, there are monkeys who butcher jobs good enough to get you to next week, month, etc. Now someone who can pull it off in roughly 3 hours (professionally) is possible (I myself could pull that off but I don't speak for everybody). Anyways you'd be taking a gamble if you went with the monkey, stick it to them and run it through a shop! And yea, you do need a color code, white is not white these days! Hope this info works for you, good luck!

 

Take it to the shop. No way can someone fix that in 3 hours outside. It's her fault. Fix it the right way. different story if truck is 10 years old.

 

Thanks guys. The estimate seemed to be in line with other I've had done in the past. The sticky part is that she's a friend of a friend, so I'm trying to handle the situation delicately. My intuition says that there is no way it can be done, but my friend, the girl's dad, and her guy who wants to do the repairs, have all confirmed that he does this regularly for a few of the dealerships around town.

If this was a damaged truck that I owned for awhile I'd probably feel differently, but I've already agreed to ignore the damage to the tail light (I'm tinting/buying new ones).

Thanks for the opinions.

 

you seem to want to let this driveway repair guy do the job to avoid conflict. Ask for the names of other repairs he has made on site and see what those customers have to say.

 

Is the girl hot?

 

Mobile repair is used by dealers all the time. It's the bread and butter of their lives. Some of the repairs they do are actually quite amazing.

Problem is, they generally aren't a long term fix (as in vehicle life) where a good body shop repair will never have evidence of happening.

There are times the mobile repair method is a great choice. This doesn't appear to be one of them.

 

She's a very attractive, recently 21 year old. Haha, my friend and one of her friends have already drifted the idea past her that we could do "private negotiations." Both her and I declined the idea, haha. I'm not sure I could keep up anyway.

Thanks for the opinions......The jokes help too

 

Yeah no. I'd ask her either for a check or for her insurance information. I'm not screwing around with that.

Paint NEEDS to be done in a 100% closed and controlled area. At least to be done to my standards.

I still to this day don't understand how people back into things lol

 

Forget that. I get it trying to avoid conflict but I would not settle for a sub-standard repair just to avoid conflict.

 

From tiptoeing around the subject, all signs point to cell phone usage.

 

Yeahhhh
I would probably be a highly forgiving person if it was a true accident, but when it's sheer stupidity I'd likely not be a very accommodating person on the fix lol.

 

tell her you are gonna PIITB

that is paint it in the booth because you're gonna use a normal body shop

 

I would say no thank you. That is polite enough.
I say this for I have spent a lifetime taking care of other people's feelings & not taking care of me (not saying you are).
Now through much frustration and disappointment (life lessons I guess you call them) I now take care of me.
If I was in your shoes, it would be no thank you. That is a complete and polite response.
Take truck to place to get fixed right.
If others do not like it oh well