I was fixing a spot on a 2012 Ford F-150 in my shop over in Springfield last month. Did my usual grind and fill routine, but six weeks later the rust is already showing through around the edges. Now I'm wondering if I should have taken it all the way down to clean metal even though it would have taken twice as long. What's your cutoff point for going all the way down vs. just treating what you see?
I had a 2018 Civic hood that needed stripping to bare metal after a bad paint job. Couldn't decide between high-build urethane or an epoxy sealer for the first coat. I went with the epoxy because I heard it bonds better to bare metal and less chance of lifting. So far so good after sanding and topcoat, but I'm wondering if anyone has seen urethane fail long term on direct metal? What do you guys normally use for stripped panels?
Had a 2017 F-150 come in last Tuesday with front end damage. Customer was breathing down my neck to get it done fast, so I rushed the measurements on the frame rail. Ended up being 6mm off and had to redo the whole pull on Friday. Cost me 3 extra hours and a bruised ego. Anyone else have a job bite them in the rear because you let someone hurry you up?
Brought in a 2014 Ford Focus with sun-faded red paint last week, used my new SpectroCam and it matched PERFECTLY first try. Back in 2012 I'd spend 2 hours mixing and still get a 3-tone blend. Has anyone else noticed how much easier color matching has gotten?
Back in '08 I was lucky to get 3 good pulls out of 10 without something ripping. Hit my 500th today on a rusty F-150 in Austin. How many jobs did it take you to feel like you really knew the metal?
Guy named Dave at the shop in Denver told me he always scuffs along the tape line by hand instead of with a DA, saves him from those weird paint ridges afterward. Has anyone else tried this or is it just an old timer thing?
I had this guy last Tuesday at my shop in Miami, he insisted I break down every line item on his 2018 Accord. Said it felt shady to lump it all together like I was hiding something. But my old mentor always said one price is cleaner and customers don't nitpick the hours. Which way do you guys handle it for bigger jobs? I'm torn on what's actually better for everyone.
Bought one of those no-name HVLP guns off Amazon for my side work. Figured it would save me cash for a few quick jobs. First use on a Honda hood, whole clear coat came out orange peel city. Stripped it, tried again, bubbles everywhere. Tossed it in the trash after that. A buddy at the NAPA counter finally told me to just get a Devilbiss. Anyone else get burned by cheap spray equipment?
My buddy brought his 69 Mustang into the shop last week and I couldn't believe the difference from when I helped him paint it back in 2019. The roof and hood were faded and chalky while the sides under the garage overhang still had that deep red shine. Has anyone else noticed how uneven clear coat failure can get after a few summers in the sun?
After swearing by Sherwin-Williams for 5 years, I saw a 2018 F-150 that got PPG's Deltron 8000 and still had zero peeling or yellowing after 8 months of Tennessee sun, so who else has switched sides on a product they were sure was overpriced?
Had a 2018 Silverado side panel come in with a dent that looked like a simple 20 minute pull job but every time I thought I had it, the light showed another low spot. Three hours later I was still swapping between my stud welder and a slide hammer, feeling like I'd never learn to read body lines. Anyone else ever get beat by a dent that seemed way easier than it actually was?
Had a 2018 Accord come in last week with a deep scratch on the quarter panel. Picked the $25 can of generic filler primer over the $60 3M stuff to save the customer some cash. After sanding it down, the primer had pinholes all over and I had to redo the whole section with a second coat. Now I am telling people to bring their own primer if they want to cheap out, because that extra hour of labor cost me more than the 3M would have. Has anyone else had luck with a specific brand of budget primer or do you just stick with the good stuff?
Guy with a 2018 Camry swore up and down we put a crease in his rear quarter panel. I pulled up the timestamped photo from his check-in and zoomed in on the exact same mark. Some people just refuse to look at the evidence right in front of them. Anybody else deal with customers who won't back down even when you show them proof?
I was swapping out a broken passenger side handle and that little white plastic clip just would not seat right no matter what angle I tried. Took me 20 minutes of swearing and dropping it three times before I realized I had the retainer spring flipped backwards. Anyone else have those jobs where a 5 minute swap turns into a half hour headache?
Last month I had this older guy bring in his 2004 Silverado that had clear coat peeling all over the hood. He pointed at a small chip and said just blend the clear on that spot, save me some money. Tried explaining that clear coat failure doesn't work like that, you gotta strip and respray the whole panel. He got kinda mad and said other shops do it all the time. Anyone else run into customers who don't get how clear coat actually works?
I was staring at a used Snap-on for $200 on Craigslist versus a brand new Pittsburgh slide hammer for $40. I went with the cheap one figuring I'd upgrade later, but after 10 pulls on a door panel the threads started stripping out. Anyone else find that the expensive stuff is worth it for tools that take real abuse?
I always swore by solvent-based primer, but Carl said I was burning money on booth time. He showed me a door he did last Tuesday that dried in 20 minutes with zero fisheye, so I grabbed a gallon to test my next job. Anyone else have luck switching over?
I was trying to get a lower control arm bolt out of a 2012 Ford Focus last Tuesday. That thing was so seized I went through 3 cans of PB Blaster and snapped a breaker bar. After welding a nut onto it and still getting nothing, I finally broke down and grabbed my propane torch. Heated it for maybe 30 seconds and it came right out with a regular ratchet. Felt like a total idiot for wasting all that time. Anyone else have a job where the simple fix took forever to figure out?
I had a 2015 Ford F-150 tailgate with a decent dent, and a guy named Mike who's been doing this since the 70s told me to go with a metal repair panel instead. I didn't listen, slapped bondo on there, and two months later it cracked right down the middle. Has anyone else found that certain panels just don't hold filler well no matter how careful you are?
So I was working on a 2018 Honda Accord last week, trying to blend a door. Pulled out my paint gauge just to check things, and I was shocked. The factory layer was like 4.5 mils on that panel. I always figured it was thicker, maybe 6 or 7. I found this chart online from some detailing forum that broke down OEM specs by make and year. Hondas are basically sprayed thin from the factory. No wonder I was burning through clear coat on my first pass. I had to redo the whole job. Anyone else ever assume factory paint was thicker and get bitten by it?
The customer wanted to spend $400 total, but I knew the paint would peel in a year. Has anyone else caved to a tight budget and regretted it down the line?
Was working on a 2015 Ford Focus last month in Houston and couldn't figure out why my primer kept fish-eyeing. My buddy came by and watched me for a minute, then asked why I was sanding in circles instead of straight lines. Felt like an idiot. He showed me how cross-hatch sanding gives a way better mechanical bond. Has anyone else had a basic technique they got wrong for way too long?
So about 2 years ago I was painting a 2017 Ford Focus in the shop and my coworker Jim walks over and says 'hey you know the tape rips cleaner if you peel it from the bottom instead of the top.' I thought he was messing with me but he showed me and my mind was blown. I had been peeling 3M tape from the top roll for like 8 years and always fighting with jagged edges. Has anyone else had a dumb little trick like that hit you way later than it should have?
Been doing this for 15 years and I swear the 80s single-stage jobs I see coming through my shop in Austin still have better color retention than the 2010s clear coats that are peeling after 8 years. Am I the only one who thinks we went backwards in durability with these multi-stage systems?