Do Bodyshops Feel The Credit Crunch?

[Phil H 16]

Now with the economy on it's knees, what better time to get those outstanding jobs done. The £400 quote for plastering went down to below £200 and the deal was done.

I go to the bodyshop who quoted me £100 to spray my bonnet. Never got it done, due to sorting out or Golf. Take it in today and it's now £150 + vat. I go elsewhere and I am quoted anything between £200 and £250 + vat. Is it that bodyshops are immune to a downturn in trade, or do they have so much work that they are pricing it to deter me?

I'm not suggesting that skilled traders should work for nothing, but I swear I am being quoted boom time prices !

My problem is that I do all my own work (with the exception od AlastairH helping me with a manifold), so rarely use the trade and I probably come across as not being a walkover when I have to use them, or telling them the fault, rather than them diagnosing.

Anyone ese find that when you need the trade, they charge a fortune and who can spra a bonnet for a good price?

[Rom 0]

Im not sure about bodyshops, but i wouldnt think they will lower prices. Unless they literally have no work and are stuggling.

I know my work certainly wont put our labour prices down

 

Paint / body work is one of those things that you need to go somewhere for. I mean anyone can do a service on thier car. But most people couldnt repair / paint something to any sort of standard.

[Quigs 1]

Hi i work in a body shop as a panel beater and the credit crunch hasn't really effected us. we will give a high price to a job if we don't want to get involved but if they go ahead with it then it's worth the effort, (this is the boss who does this not me i just repair it) or they could be busy and don't really need the extra work.

 

all of our prices have stayed the same though.

 

and to paint a bonnet we would prob charge about £120.

 

Quigs

[Sandy 191]

I've got two customers that own bodyshops. One backed off for a bit, but has now returned to doing his big project with me and the other is rolling in work in a big way. It's mostly insurance work and people keep crashing regardless!

[MerlinGTI 3]

Im a fitter in a body shop and its business as usual!

 

As Sandy said the bulk (as in 99.999%) of the work is insurance based, and people are always crashing cars so insurance companys are always paying!

 

Your best bet is to look for a small inderpendant shop, because how the industry is going there wont be many left soon and they probally will be struggling. Dont forget though paint is expensive and theres probally 1 hour prep and one hour paint (or at least thats what they will charge you), small percentage of running costs will be passed on to you etc... £120 aint bad at all if its done well.

[steve@cornwall 100]

Many more bent cars in winter!!! Try again in march, before the holiday crashers hit the road

[Andy_C 50]

Credit crunch or not, bodyshops are generally seeing little evidence of the downturn. As others have said, people keep crashing regardless and someone has to fix their cars.

[Anulfo 22]

Should be a slight reduction in price surely as v.a.t has dropped from 17.5 to 15%.............

[Emmy Seize 8]

Look at it this way:

 

Credit crunch also means that people don't buy new cars but getting their old ones repaired instead.

 

I'm working as a consultant to the automotive industry and most of our aftermarket customers don't seem to be too worried about what's comming.

 

Generally, recessions allways meant thriving repair (-parts) business.

[timb1046 1]

Should be a slight reduction in price surely as v.a.t has dropped from 17.5 to 15%.............

 

 

so on your £120 quoite you'll save a grand total of.... just under £3

[Rom 0]

I think a lot of places will not reduce cost because of the vat. Id imagine they will keep it the same and hope noone says anything

[travill 0]

I work in this industry and know a lot of places that are REALLY struggling only very specialist places not noticing any downturn. insurance claims are down around 30+% over the last year due to people not being able to afford the xs and generally driving less/slower due to the higher fuel prices. The biggest hit though is for bodyshops reliant on work from car supermarkets and retail market as this has near enough stopped over the last 6 months which has led to price cuts and ridiculous panel rates to which the companies are not making any profit on. So yes it is a good time to get some work done though not based on price, more that they have more time on their hands to put into your job. (you always get what you pay for)