Bodywork quote sensecheck

[s2kjock]

It's long time since I have had any work done on a car outside of an insurance claim so was wondering whether this quote is reasonable?

12 year old Skoda Yeti, metallic paint
Rust bubbles on bottom door edges of all 4 doors and a couple of inches up each door panel, with the odd small patch/chip elsewhere
Rest of bodywork seems fine.

4 doors, 20 hours work @ £45ph, and £485 for 248dm2 of paint - it's not clear if blending is included in this - the quote mentions it but has no time allotted against it. I am guessing they may plan on respraying most the bottom of the door and replacing rubbing strips.

For a car that age it seems daft spending £1,700 to make it look a bit nicer, but the owner likes it and does not want to change (which would cost at least £1,700 for anything remotely comparable) and has had it from new.

Any thoughts on whether this is excessive and getting another quote is worth doing, or is this near enough the going rate these days? I can imagine a fair bit of work involved in stripping everything back and removing/reinstalling trim.

[jeff666]

£45.00 per hour is a good rate,

and 20 hours seems fair as it is only 5 hours per panel.

A couple of other quotes will only cost you time so worth it if you have the time to spare.

[s2kjock]

jeff666 said:

£45.00 per hour is a good rate,

and 20 hours seems fair as it is only 5 hours per panel.

A couple of other quotes will only cost you time so worth it if you have the time to spare.

Thanks, that makes sense.

The quote is from a small independent who seemed to know what he was talking about according to the "customer".

Worth getting at least one more quote I think.

[indigochim]

Would replacing the doors with 2nd hand ones in the right colour not be a cheaper/better option? I've seen a few rust repairs that never seem to last more than a few years before it returns.

[s2kjock]

indigochim said:

Would replacing the doors with 2nd hand ones in the right colour not be a cheaper/better option? I've seen a few rust repairs that never seem to last more than a few years before it returns.

It would be too much hassle for the individual concerned, and the car is relatively sought after on the used market apparently so parts in decent nick would be difficult to find. To be honest, if they get 4 or 5 years out of a repair they will be happy.

It is meant to be a common issue on these, but I have never seen it on any other Yeti myself - it is kept outside so that can't have helped.

[Summit_Detailing]

jeff666 said:

£45.00 per hour is a good rate,

and 20 hours seems fair as it is only 5 hours per panel.

A couple of other quotes will only cost you time so worth it if you have the time to spare.

As above defintely get a couple more quotes but £1700 and the cost breakdown seem very reasonable.

Cheers,

Chris

[VeeReihenmotor6]

Another factor to consider is how does the bodyshop propose to sort the rust? Rub it down, bit of filler and repaint will see that rust come back within 6 months.

I'd get some better doors and have them painted to match.

[Dog Star]

Rust repairs always fail. Spending that sort of money to sort it is pointless.

Get used doors and repaint, or trade the car in against a non rusty similar one - £1700 is quite a lot.

[steveo3002]

is this a common thing that theyre all rotten? dont tend to see rusty "moderns"

its reasonable for the amount of work involved but you need to be asking if they will warrenty the work , how long can they realistically be expecting it to last

i wouldnt warranty it unless fitting new panels

[Peanut Gallery]

How is the rest of the car? - underneath, engine, gearbox, etc - after you have done 2k of work on the doors will it still need a whole suspension, new gearbox etc.

[steveo3002]

s2kjock said:

I, if they get 4 or 5 years out of a repair they will be happy.

need pics and what theyre planning to do with it , but some repairs will be back again in a year or two

would scuffing off the rust and stonechip painting the bottom 2 inches be an option to keep it going ...like folk did in the old days

Edited by steveo3002 on Friday 15th November 10:26

[Dog Star]

steveo3002 said:

is this a common thing that theyre all rotten? dont tend to see rusty "moderns"

its reasonable for the amount of work involved but you need to be asking if they will warrenty the work , how long can they realistically be expecting it to last

i wouldnt warranty it unless fitting new panels

I used to work for a body shop - nobody is going to warrant a rust repair. It will come back.

I got rid of an Alfa 159 wagon this year. Loved the car, beautiful thing, bright red. It was on an 11 plate so one of the last ever made, but I just couldn’t keep it nice, it was just getting tatty; bubbling arches and actual holes in the sills on what I consider to be a modern car.

Replaced with a 2012 C class estate with 200k on the clock and in comparison it’s extraordinary- not one single speck of rust, even under the arch lips. Like new underneath.

[ARHarh]

My view would be it's a 12 year old car, nothing of any great value. If you want a rust free version just buy one there will be loads around. If the doors are rusting you can pretty much be sure other parts your not looking at are rusting as well.

If it was mine I would just not look too closely at the rusty doors and run it till it dies.

[dhutch]

I would consider if there are any more 'back street' type garages that would do a cheaper job, while also checking they plan to use some rust converter, and likely slosh some cavity wax into the door bottom.

If there is a full width rubbing strip, just paint up to that, and half an inch round the inside?

Is this a cosmetic or life extending paint job? What about just rattle canning a 2inch silver strip on each door bottom?

[s2kjock]

Thanks for everyone's replies.

The replacement doors (or car!) would make most sense, but in this case the hassle would be too much for the person concerned as they are getting on a bit, which I can understand.

The rust is not so bad that a a rattle can job would be an improvement, and in fact would look worse - the need is probably a mix of life extending and cosmetic, and if they get a few years out of a repair they would be happy enough with that.

By my man-maths I think they would get £500 of the £1,700 back if they were to sell the car when sorted - my own 12 year old Norfolk farmer built contraption now seems to require c £1k a year in something or other needing replaced due to age so this is maybe not so bad.

Definitely worth getting another quote though I think and getting more detail on how thorough a job it will be.

[steveo3002]

what does £1700 plus their car get them into ? get rid and buy one thats been looked after a bit better?

or if they need it to last , get a family member to spray a masked off stripe along the lower edge every year to stop it falling apart £10 can of hammerite or such sounds more wallet freindly

i do my own repairs /paint and fixing up rust is a mugs game when no ones paying , handing over 1700 for it to come back next year doesnt make sense

[steveo3002]

are there any pics? is it a hint of rust or poke your fingers through it ?

if its terrible most modern doors can be swapped in minutes

[s2kjock]

steveo3002 said:

are there any pics? is it a hint of rust or poke your fingers through it ?

if its terrible most modern doors can be swapped in minutes

It's some bubbling and a few rust patches - definitely not poke your fingers through. Too far away from me to get some pics, but not so bad that me having a go with a rattle can would not look an awful lot worse.