Alex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKJun 7

Grr - some #toerag scraped the side of my #car when it was parked last night - #bladibarsket

Managed to buff out most of the paint transfer and pull some of the dents from the door, but there is still a ripple and a bit of clearcoat scraped so I will be looking for #bodyshops next week - there's also sub par clearcoat with dust/nibs on this side of the car anyway from where it got repaired by previous owners (likely due to same thing happening) so I will ask the shop to look at that (I was going to wet sand those bits but was wary of wrecking the good clearcoat, and they are likely going to have to blend the panels anyway)

At least that Corsa I serviced last week is likely to be free if I need it..

Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKJun 8

found local #bodyshop (run by two middle aged guys, one about my age and another possibly 65-70+) and got assessment today - not going to be cheap (initially chap was suggesting buying a whole new door in colour from Ebay but it may not match 100%, the ones on EBay were knackered anyway (and might also contain filler) and I've got 0 confidence that couriers would deliver an entire car door from NI or Wales to England without further knackering it)

Price matches with other similar work I've had done in the past, they are going to look at tidying up the previous rough paintjob on that side which was done up North before I got the car

Will be getting this done from next Monday (work will take 2-3 days)

Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK

#GolfGTI now in #bodyshop (ripples in the door don't look obvious in this photo, unless you check the reflection carefully, nor rough clearcoat on rear door (from previous repair) and quarter panel, but they are definitely there.

One of the frontline care staff booked out Corsa last week - although I had first call on it due to being senior management and saving it from scrap and getting it back on road after near 2 years, she would have lost out on work hours and I have hybrid working so can work from home whilst the GTI is fixed.

Also got a "wingaware" and modded it with reflective tape to hopefully avoid a repeat of this if I have to park in the sketchy space again (which annoyingly is the most convenient one outside my house)

#cars #bladibarsket

Jun 15 at 10:06pmWeb
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK1d ago

Got #GolfGTI back on Wednesday - #bodyshop did decent enough job (whole entire side repainted, to deal also with rear right door & quarter panel with poor clearcoat from previous repair job (before I got the car)

*very* slight colour difference (rear bumper wasn't blended, which would have meant waiting few more days, pushed repair cost up to nearer a grand and still been visible *somewhere*), but not easily visible in daylight, you have to stare at #car whilst shining LED mechanics lamps on it in darkness to find it - none of my work colleagues noticed this repair, not even Romanian chap who is into #cars and #detailing

Now parking some distance down the road away from narrow bit outside my house with cars parked on other side (which led to this prang in the first place)

Show threadFrank5d ago
@vfrmedia bloody hell, I hope that's not too costly.
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK5d ago

@vwdasher its a few hundred quid, which is going rate for any private bodyshop work these days in UK (insurance repairs run well into the thousands, and many of those bodyshops won't accept private work)

there's massive shortage of workers as colleges aren't training them on the actual painting (due to the resources required), only first stage of trim and panel dismantling, and a lot of older guys retire as the isocyanates get to them..

Show threadFrank5d ago
@vfrmedia yup same thing happening here. And paint's doubled in price in the past few years, getting any work done costs a damn bomb. And no use going through insurance and sending your rates skyhigh.
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK5d ago

@vwdasher I check the accounts of bodyshops and repair garages before I book work (to make sure they are reputable and not going to suddenly go under) and I notice many are busy but barely breaking even - a chap who ran a really good bodyshop in my town committed suicide last year as he was having money problems, but I wouldn't have even thought it as everything seemed fine there - a lot of them don't post much to social media and even neglect FB/Instagram as they are too busy doing actual work)

https://archive.ph/b0gE1

Show threadFrank5d ago

@vfrmedia good god that's terrible.

I know someone running a shop who tells me overheads just keep on climbing and customers do not get it. They cop the whining about cost when it's out of their hands. Bloody tough times all round.