Specifically in the body shop? My husand has been a painter since 1986 and the last couple years have been really tough, especially this year. There's not much work and if there is, it's small jobs that don't make any money. Does this seem to be a growing trend or just a problem in my area? My husband would love to find another job, preferably in a smaller shop that just restores classic cars, but that's not very realistic and jobs like that are hard to find. It's been very tough paying the bills lately, even with two incomes. :(

Have him check at Deforest Collision Repair. Not all classics, but they do some (like a few Camaros for our buddy Jim ;) )

Many dealerships no longer have a body shop. Seems they can't make money at it. I'm not sure why that is. Insurance companies try to steer customers towards certain shops, and usually it's not dealership shops.

Have him check at Deforest Collision Repair. Not all classics, but they do some (like a few Camaros for our buddy Jim ;) )

Thanks Kurt! "Our" buddy Jim has enough money to do just about anything with his cars... :) Nice guy though!

Thanks Kurt! "Our" buddy Jim has enough money to do just about anything with his cars... :) Nice guy though!

The body shop owner, Todd, is a heck of a nice guy. I don't know what he needs rignt now for staff (haven't seen him in a long time) but he runs a good shop, seems to treat everyone fairly (staff and customers) and I trust him 100% with my car. I have to think it would be a good place to work.

Many dealerships no longer have a body shop. Seems they can't make money at it. I'm not sure why that is. Insurance companies try to steer customers towards certain shops, and usually it's not dealership shops.

I work at a dealership in Minneapolis (not in bodyshop, though). Our bodyshop is not overwhelmed, but not slow either. We DO make money, as insurance companies pay the local going rate (generally held to by most shops in the area). and do not get a "discount". Same price for everyone.

Steering by insurance companied is ILLEGAL. They are not allowed to direct any customers to any specific shop. You have the right to have your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choce, and they must pay. There are stipulations, as they can request LKQ (like kind quality) or QRP (quality replacement parts aka used), though you can also fight that too.

Most insurance companied have programs where they allow the estimating company to write an estimate, and the insurance company does not need to approve it pior to repair. Insurance companies will ofter say that these shops are pre-approved, and they may not allow a repair at another shop or there may be more "hassles" using your own shop. True, but not really a hassle for a competent shop. We are not a DRP (direct repair plan) shop for any insurance companies, and most of our work is still insurance work.

I would not recommend a dealer for a resto job only because of experience. Most dealer body guys are not old enough to have GOOD experience with a resto. They also do not have a good basis for estimating, so pricing MAY be higher. they may also quote low if they need the work (as any shop would do).

Many dealerships no longer have a body shop. Seems they can't make money at it. I'm not sure why that is. Insurance companies try to steer customers towards certain shops, and usually it's not dealership shops.

My experience (granted, 15 years ago) is that dealership bodyshops SUCK. I've seen a lot of dealership work, and it never seems to make the grade as far as quality. Of course, I've sure there are great dealership bodyshops out there, but it always seemed like the dealership shops were an afterthought, and never had top notch equipment, etc. I don't think body work has the same cachet as factory certified mechanical work. Independent body shops seem to have a lock on the market - there isn't the perception that the dealer can fix it better than anyone else like with mechanical work.

a

Bowtie,

I also worked at a dealership, a Chevy dealership, for 7 years. I worked in Parts. The body shop changed managers about every 6 months, never made much money, and didn't appear to do great quality work. I'm aware that "steering" is illegal, but most insurance companies have certain body shops that are "approved" or whatever, meaning you don't have to see an adjuster first...you can take your car directly to the body shop and they can begin work. The independent shop that painted my Chevelle has such an arrangement with my insurance company. After they did such a great job painting my Chevelle, I have since used them for two insurance jobs (once on my wife's Pontiac, once after a minor incident wth the Chevelle) and it was a nice convenience not having to deal with adjusters and such.

On the flip side, I took my 97 Grand Prix to a Pontiac dealership several years ago after a collision in the driver's door. Let's see...runs in the paint, pebbles in the paint, window wouldn't roll all the way down, door weathersrip incorrectly attached, tried to re-attach the door molding with double-sided tape (despite a new molding appearing on the estimate), stole my nearly new Delco battery and replaced it with a used no-name cheapie battery, scratched the window, mirror, and door lock switches all to heck forcing them back into the inner door panel, etc, etc. Took the car back SEVEN TIMES, they never did get the paint decent, I just gave up. GM doesn't care if their dealerships do good work.

GM doesn't care if their dealerships do good work.

Well GM has little control over the quality of work coming out of a dealer bodyshop. I've had several repairs done at a local Olds/Caddy/GMC dealer. They're pre-approved by Allstate. Had a complaint with one of the repairs and talked to the manager. I told him I knew they were capable of better work since I had seen it previously. He agreed and they fixed it, all and all I think they do excellent work.

yep. all dealers are on their own for quality. I agree that a dealer SHOULD be on the top for quality, but there are many many many other shops that are just as good quality-wise. I deal with them every single day, and many have former dealer employees. most do great work, but there's always an exception. then there's the occasional shop that does good work on most, but one slips by. I won't apologize for another shop, but I can say I am at a shop that is proud to do good work, and all our body guys check each other's work when asked to save come-backs and re-paints, its a small time taker that occasionally saves us big later.

"Most" of the dealers around here use the local independant shops for paint and body. That pretty much tells me that they can get more $ per square foot doing something else. It also helps the local shops.