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That quarter panel took me 6 hours longer than I told the customer
I bid a simple dent repair on a 2018 Civic last Tuesday, figured 4 hours tops. Got the car in and the damage was way worse under the clear coat, had to strip it down and find hidden rust around the wheel well. Took me over 10 hours total by the time I finished blocking and priming. Anyone else get burned by surface damage that looks easy but turns into a full day?
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the_susan1d ago
Surface damage hiding more work underneath is the kind of surprise that kills a good bid every time. You probably should have called the customer before you started stripping it down to let them know the price would change. Most shops I know have a standard policy of stopping and notifying before going past the original quote.
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mark_mitchell1d ago
Surface damage hiding more work underneath" is customer-speak for "I'm going to pretend you're trying to rip me off." Yeah, stopping and notifying is the textbook move, but some customers just hear "I found more problems" as "I want more money for no reason." At least now you know exactly what you're dealing with before the real headache starts.
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