Re spray- I wish!

[territheresa8888]

My moggy went in for her makeover 3 weeks ago, we bought new wings and a lot more, my partner and I paid half up front, then 4 days into him getting my car he asked for more money saying he was skint.
Between us we have spent 7 days stripping her and first fix fitting new wings and more.
All the sprayer has done is sand a few bits down and exposed a little metal which is now oxidising.
He says he is pulling out all the stops but has probably done less than 2 hours of pretending to work on her when we are there.
Work has stopped, he moves her from the garage to the spray booth to make room for other jobs even though he said she would be done in 3 weeks.
I now have a pile of metal in a spray shop and no lovely moggy and think he has spent our money, my car should've been done by now, I'm eart broken, I had the car of my dreams 3 weeks ago, no I don't think he will ever her, he has cost me 1750 so far, and he has done nothing, not even zinc'd what is stripped, and sprayed stonechip over the under wings without spinning off.
I don't think we will get our money and don't have money to pay somebody else to do her, this guy is frustrating the hell out of the two of us.
What can I do.

Terri

[MarkyB]

Is the sprayer set up as a legitimate business?
Trading standards or small claims court are possibilities I suppose.

[territheresa8888]

Hi, thanks, he has been spraying for atleast 10 yrs in area, however, I'm now doubting he is legit, or capable of more than a quick squirt on a bit of filler.
I'm worried he is not doing as agreed, in fact he is doing nothing, and I feel small claims and removing my moggy may be the only way, but then there's the problem of where to put her (in pieces) and funding the job elsewhere

[jagnut66]

Hi Terri,
If you let people on here know whereabouts you are located maybe someone from that area could help you out with the storage of your dismantled car, until you can get someone decent to prep / respray her.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[TvdWerf]

My experience is that the better and cheaper guys always have the same problem: The time machine does not start
When the men is doing his job for more than 10 years in the area, and has a low price, he has a lot to do.

And with some bad weather, a restoration project is sometimes moving for a daily car...

I know this, my time machine has problems too...

[territheresa8888]

Hi Terri,
If you let people on here know whereabouts you are located maybe someone from that area could help you out with the storage of your dismantled car, until you can get someone decent to prep / respray her.
Best wishes,
Mike.

Thank you Mike,
I'm in maidstone, I live in maidstone in Kent, I'm gonna try and talk to the 'sprayer' today and see if he can yet again give me a time scale, as he did 3 weeks ago, but I have no faith in him as he has done nothing he said he would do before he go the car, ie, glass blasting, two packing, first fixing ( which me n my hubby actually did, zincing, priming, the stuff he hasn't done is endless, my Betty is sitting naked as a pile of bits, if can can get storage for a little while I could then sort out another sprayer, but there's the cost, we are more than happy to put her back together, it wouldn't be the first renovation we have done, the difference is that Betty is mine, and she isn't just a project, she is for keeps.
I feel a very stressful day off work coming on!!
Thanks mike[frame][/frame]

[plastic_orange]

Did you pay half up front for the spray job excluding the new parts, or did this include the new wings etc? If it included the parts, then perhaps it wasn't too bad, but I'd not expect to pay anything for a straightforward spray job until it was done. However, it is normal when doing a restoration to make staged payments, and it does sound that this is what's being done. 3 weeks is a bit ambitious for a restoration, but you should try and pin him down to a realistic timescale as he's probably taken on too much work. Try and be non confrontational, but be firm, and say no more money will be forthcoming until you see some progress. Trading standards etc is a last resort, but is an avenue open to you.
I'd expected to pay at least £2k for a decent full respray, more if there are major repairs and windows, panels removed etc.


Pete

[territheresa8888]

The price was £2500. We paid 1250 up front, spent 3 days striping n then he said he needed more money. We gave a further £500, he said he would prep, stonechip bonnet. In boot, under wings etc, and glass blast wheels, grill doors boot n bonnet OTC, he has lightly sanded one door and small section of wheel, we went n bought 4 new wings, new grill cos he bent old one, we fitted new wings, he fitted one rear wing n lightly sanded them.
If he was doing as he agreed I wouldn't be upset if it took a little longer, it just seems he I'd doing nothing and shunting her from room to room to make way for cash in hand blow overs for mates, that's when he is actually there, I don't want miracles, but if somebody agreed to do a proper job and says they will start it immediately and pull the stops out, that's what I'd expect, husband to be getting upset by whole thing now, I just want her back and on the road for my wedding in may, but that's unlikely, but I will keep you updated and the more this goes on the harder it is to swallow his lies, excuses and ignoring the calls lol

Terri[frame][/frame]

[plastic_orange]

I really wouldn't have paid much up front - don't mind if parts have to be purchased, but this doesn't seem to have been the case. Take someone with you as a witness to thrash out a timescale, but no more cash. Only pay the remainder on satisfactory completion.

Pete

[ASL642]

Get it in writing, how much has changed hand so far and what is expected for the amount. Just in case it turns nasty (hope it doesn't)

[territheresa8888]

After months and months of "I'll have it primed tomorrow and finished by the weekend', I got a text on Friday afternoon saying my muggy was finished and needed collecting at 2pm the next day!!
Well, needless to say, I haven't picked her up, due to the fact a can't magic a trailer out of my ear on a bank holiday' magic ears don't work on bank holidays unfortunately.
Credit where it's due, the paintwork lookd lovely, the lines are good, (but they would be, as myself and my new hubby fitted the new wings and stripped it out in the first place).
Busy weekend ahead making room at the unit amongst the other cars and tools to fit her in, and then magic a trailer up.
Unfortunately after keeping us waiting for over 4 months, the sprayer wants her out now, he can only find room to store her if we pay for storage, laugh out loud, don't think so!
Can't wait to see her put back together now, doors put back together, mats, seats, dials, bumpers, new wheels, new red hood, etc etc, the list goes on.
Sadly Missed driving her to my wedding, but I'm looking forward to enjoying her this summer, any emotional attachment to her that was destroyed by the sprayer over the stress of the last few months has started seeping back since I saw her lovely new paintwork shining in the sun yesterday and I'm looking forward to building her, although it won't be easy, and seeing her reassembled and parked up outside my house, and driving her again, and hopefully going to a few shows in her, with my hubby in his 1926 singer.
Watch this space!!!!
PS, if you are looking for a decent sprayer, I can tell you who not to use!

[TvdWerf]

When you have a lot of time, and the result is perfect, maybe it is a good sprayer ;)
The most important thing is always the same; is the price ok for the work what is done.

My new prius is also at the sprayer now, since yesterday, I got a Yaris to use for the time, and beacuse of the price, I will wait 2 weeks or more when needed ;)

[territheresa8888]

2 weeks ago he primed, the next day it was out in the rain making room for a car having a scratch sorted out???
Not the best idea I think

[kennatt]

lets hope he has put it in an oven , because primer is porous,and absorbs water