Advice on what to do (bodyshop)

I take on board all the "get it out of there" comments but I'm at a point now where the car is a semi finished job. If it wasn't hard enough to get someone to agree to do the work initially, I'm guessing it will be even harder to get someone to take on a half finished job. ie taking over someone else's work.

I'm stuck with this utter time wasting shithead until the car is done and personally I'd love to name and shame at this point but it's probably against forum rules.
 
You may just sti tight now as he has work started . Before he started work was the time to pull it . Now he can ask you for 3k for what he has done and say there was way more work in it than he thought and your caught . .
Also forget the legal route . It will make things worse . Have a chat face to face will be way better than anything .
If it were my car I’d. Find a differant shop to do it . Call up ask your man what I owed him , pay him and move on . As do you really think it will every get to paint where it is .
 
Face to face talks with this guy are pointless. I've done it twice, put it clearly to him that this was unacceptable, told him how disappointed I was, huge regret giving him the car, told him the "I'll be starting it on Monday" lines just doesn't work on me anymore etc etc.....he still leaves the car sitting there.
 
How does this place make money? Are they flat out with insurance jobs or something?
 
JohnRA said:
How does this place make money? Are they flat out with insurance jobs or something?
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Yes , they painted a car for me 13 years ago and was the same craic then , the work was very good once done though, paint finish was like glass
 
Update December 24th 2022 (these updates are probably more valuable to me at this stage to help me keep a timeline LOL )

5 weeks of hearing nothing I sent the following text on November 23rd "Hi time waster (not his real name), Any progress on my car? Did you get started on the rocker panels?"

No reply.

Sent the following text 5 days later on November 28th "Hi time waster (not his real name), "Any further progress on my Subaru? Have you done any work in the last 6 weeks since you sent me pictures?" (page 5 of this thread post number 88)

Reply was, "Hi wasn't at the garage last week, father in hospital, stable now. One of the lads is working on it at the minute. Chat during the week".
(never heard from him)

Now because he mentioned an ill family member I left him alone for 4 weeks and sent the following text on December 21st....

"Hi time waster (not his real name), Whats the latest on the Subaru? Are the frame rails fully welded yet? Rocker panels done?"

No reply.

So, we go into 2023 with this continuing. When he re-opens in the new year he'll have my car 15 months. I'll give it a week after businesses resume after the New Year and I'll go up to the bodyshop for an assessment of where this saga is. If no further work has been done since October then its legal advise time I think.
 
Yes 100%
Don't leave this drag on any later than 31st Jan I think. He's either gonna do it, or he won't.
Very similar story with my sister.
She was getting an extension/renovation on her house.
Hired a contractor. Came up with a plan.
5 months he said.
She found a short term rental, while she was paying the mortgage still. Go ahead she said.
19 months later, she was still in the rental, with no water or electricity in her own house.
Fired him
Hired new
Moved in 4 weeks later.

Court is still ongoing with first guy, but she's back in her house man.
Thats a very abbreviated version right there lol
 
scoobysub said:
You should have brought the trailer with you and just loaded it up .your exactly where you knew you were going to be . Remove it and store it or bring it somewhere it will get done .
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Just arrive up with a trailer and remove it and ask him what you owe him and take it out . Legal advice is as waste of time . Put your time into finding a differant body shop rather than than legal. Youv no contract . No time scale and all he has to say is it was worse that first thought and needed more work .
Fix up with him and remove it . It’s the same advice I gave in September.

I know this is not what you want to hear but it’s the best course of action
 
I hear you scoobysub but I have nowhere to put the car if I take it back. Most storage facilities are now full for the winter with people putting their "toys" away.

The hardest part, the frame work, is practically done. All the panels are lined up and he said he just needed to permanently weld it all last time I was there at the end of October. The rest of the work (rocker panels and respray) are not beyond his capabilities. If you can replace two complete frame rails then rocker panels should be an easy job especially when I've provided brand new 4 door rocker panels which can be modified to fit the two door to save him time and fabrication. So it's not a case of worse than worst thought and needed more work. The timescale he originally quoted me was 6 to 8 weeks LOL

Anyway, I'll not let this ruin my Christmas. Reassess in the new year after a visit to the bodyshop.

Happy Christmas all.
 
Update January 7th 2023

Frame work fully complete. Engine bay in epoxi primer.

He said he is starting the rocker panels next week (yes we'll see how that goes LOL )
 

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Great to see it in this state , I know you’d like to see it a bit further on but the work is very good to be fair
 
Been following up with the progress avidly and super pleased to hear that the car is slowly getting to where it should be. Fair play for sticking with it for so long and hoping to see it on the road sometime soon🤞😊
 
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