Tips on finding a good body shop

[ra1nman]

I'm in the process of finding a paint shop to have part of my rear quarter panel repainted. Last month I got a pretty nice scratch in there that went down to the bare metal. I was just wondering if anyone had some suggestions or tips as to what to look for in a good repair shop. Also, what kind of questions should I be asking these people would be helpful too.....

Thanks in advance!

[Bbbutch]

Call your local police department or state troupers and ask to talk to their auto tech. Ask him/her to recommend a good shop.

In my area we have a couple of businesses that will come out and do small repairs at your work or home.

[jack mccarthy]

You'd be better off finding a good auto body man & painter, not just a shop.

Gone are the days when you could easily match colors because they came pre-mixed from the factory. Now every technician needs to mix the paint using a standard base with different tints added. This is normally performed with a computerized mixer which adds the tints automatically, but it is not foolproof and you can never really tell if you are a shade off until you after you clearcoat the part. This information comes from my father who has been an autobody tech/appraiser for the past 40 years.

I recently had to have the passenger door replaced on my tundra and repainted. One trick my father used to avoid having to blend the front fender and rear door with the passenger door was to send out the gas cover door to match the paint exactly. The reason why is that there is no clearcoat on the inside of the door which can be better used to compare the mixed paint with. The downside is that you may have to go through a pint or two of paint to get it exact.

Good luck in your hunt. I will probably have to face your reality in the near future once my father retires.

[Eddie]

Jack's right,it's hard to find a good bodyman/painter.
Go to a Lexus dealer and ask who does their bodywork. Imperial Jade Mica is a OEM Lexus color so matching the paint shouldn't be a problem. I'd have gone to the one we deal with,but he's backed up until July due to the hugh amount of work from a hailstorm last month.

And stay away from Maaco.

[ra1nman]

Ok I tried calling the local Lexus dealer and found out that they send their repairs to their partner dealership across town which they do mostly GM's so I guess I can scratch that idea (I just realized that there is only 4 Lexus dealerships in the state of WI!?).
On a slightly different topic, I’ve noticed that some places emphasize "baked-on finishes". Does that really make a difference, don't all places do that anyways?

Originally posted by damnphotospage
OH...and this is Red's Tundra. I tried to delete this post and post under my usual name, but it wouldn't let me.

lol....I thought that was you from your other posts.
BTW congrats on the wedding (i was reading the sushi thread)

[CollisionConcierge.]

There an easy way to find an auto body collision center that is the best in your area. There are actually only 24. ASE has given it's "Blue Seal" Certification to 24 collision centers nationwide. This certification is the highest achieveable honor available to a collision facility. If you're in Southern California, Collision Concierge is it.