Vent: A customer in Cincinnati brought in a car with a 'quick' quarter panel repair from another shop.

They just slapped filler over rust and didn't weld in a patch... it fell apart in six months. How do you guys handle explaining why a proper fix costs more?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_reed11d ago

I used to get annoyed at the price difference for rust work too, until I saw a job like this. A friend's truck had a "cheap" rocker panel fix that was just bondo over cardboard. When I poked it, my finger went right through into the door frame. That's when I realized you're just paying for the same job twice.

hayes.jake11d ago

Honestly that cardboard and bondo trick is way too common. Seen it on a few old jeeps in my time and it never holds up. Tbh you gotta cut out all the rust and weld in new metal, anything else is just a cover up. Paying for a real fix once hurts the wallet but saves you from doing it again in a year. Ngl it's one of those jobs where the cheap option ends up costing way more.

thomas.tyler5d ago

Look, sometimes a proper fix just isn't in the budget for someone. Not everyone can drop a grand on rust repair for a car they just need to get through the winter. That quick bondo job gave them six more months of use, and for their situation, that might have been the whole point. It's easy to say "do it right" but the right way needs the right money. There's a place for a cheap temporary patch if it gets someone to work a little longer while they save up.