SMART repair

Hi all,

I'll try to put myself across as open to feedback and open-minded but I like to be straight and to the point. I appreciate others who do the same. If my post comes across as market research, well, then a part of it is.

As per the title of the post I'm a SMART repairer and a very good one. I know us Alfa owners are a fickle bunch and treat our cars better than our women. Just wondering what blows your hair back when it comes to paint repairs and if you have really thought it through. After so many years doing what I do, I'm still wondering why perceptions are at odds with fact.

I take great pride in my work--whether it be a simple bumper scuff or spending a whole day fixing vandal scratches down both sides of a car. The satisfaction of a perfect repair or even just bringing back a faded red by machine polishing is fantastic.
I charge for this service and I charge what I think is a fair price. It is not dirt cheap. I turn away customers who try it on and think I will spend 3 to 4 hours doing a scuff for £20. Everyone is an expert and I get my fair share of customers telling me to just ' blow it in'. Good luck and goodbye.

I offer a premium service with a good guarantee ,at a premium price. Not because I have delusions of grandeur but because I do excellent work and my customer service is second to none. Cars are bloody expensive and everyone has their 'baby'. I understand that, whether it be a 1995 astra or a DB9 and I am never prejudiced even if it is a Reliant Robin

The problem is nowadays is that there are ' smart' repairers and big chain stores offering the service for dirt cheap. Now I know a lot of you have had repairs done by privateers and franchisees alike, with wildly differing results. Unfortunately this is the way now. People can do a days training and be a ' qualified tech'. It's bringing the industry down and it ****es me off. If you only knew what actually goes on behind the closed doors of ' bodyshops' and dealers.

Anyway, I could go on forever but my question is this: would you pay for for a repair you know would be top notch and lasting or just a quickie that looks crap but it's fine because it's cheap?

I think everyone on here will answer the same to be honest - I would want the best repair I could get for a price that I would consider reasonable - having experience of working in a body shop I have first hand experience of some truely shocking repairs which are then just "blown over" to hide the crap. So I would never go with the cheap option - however I also wouldn't pay over the odds either

Excellent post Sipe: I obtained the Smart repair CD, which was very impressive, but decided that I was too old to venture out in pastures anew.: As I said, the results looked excellent, so should I require that type of repair work, Smart, the one and only, will be my first port of call.:

Originally Posted by Alfa Vincent

I think everyone on here will answer the same to be honest - I would want the best repair I could get for a price that I would consider reasonable - having experience of working in a body shop I have first hand experience of some truely shocking repairs which are then just "blown over" to hide the crap. So I would never go with the cheap option - however I also wouldn't pay over the odds either

In one.

Those Smart guys have quite an outlay to find with all the tools and special equipment they require when setting out, plus of course the fairly lengthy intensive training required.: If I were minus about forty years, and had the wherewithal, I'd possibly of set up as a Smart repairer.:

The thing is, apart from your word - how is the suctomer supposed to know that your work is excellent, and the SMART repairer down the road is crap?

It's not as easy as choosing on a sliding scale from cheap and crap to expensive and excellent. As a customer, the worry is that regardless of what I decide to pay, I have no idea whether it's going to be a good job until afterwards.

SMART repair, was the title of the system I enquired about, Oh, must be about two years ago now. So, I guess it's just bcome a general term since then? Presumably Sipe represents THE Smart Repair system I am referring to???:

Originally Posted by bazza

The thing is, apart from your word - how is the suctomer supposed to know that your work is excellent, and the SMART repairer down the road is crap?

It's not as easy as choosing on a sliding scale from cheap and crap to expensive and excellent. As a customer, the worry is that regardless of what I decide to pay, I have no idea whether it's going to be a good job until afterwards.

As bazza says.

If you can find a way of demonstrating quality upfront you'll have more work than you could handle.

If I had of kept the CD, (didn't) I think you all would of been most impressed, watching the various repair operations involved, and the superb end results achieved?: But as I have said, the outlay for the Franchise and equipment for setting up as a SMART repairer, was expensive.

If I remember correctly, it was shown once being used on a 'Men and Motors' programme?' :

k - I am in need of a SMART repair right now.

Someone "brushed" my rear bumper - scraped the paint off over a 9 inch long area (6 inches tall) down to the plastic in one spot. No actual damage to the bumper itself. Metallic silver paint.

About how much? - then I'll tell you whether I am willing to pay that amount.

Hi Sipe. Why not contact Mr Alfaowner and get yourself affiliated with the Club? We have an insurer, a valeter so a top notch SMART repairer would, IMHO, be a great addition to AO!

Hi fellas, been away this week so excuse the non-replies.

Those Smart guys have quite an outlay to find with all the tools and special equipment they require when setting out, plus of course the fairly lengthy intensive training required.: If I were minus about forty years, and had the wherewithal, I'd possibly of set up as a Smart repairer

It is quite an extensive outlay. Training is around £200 per day with 4 weeks being the minimum as far as I'm concerned. Plus public liability insurance, non consumables, van, advertising etc. it all adds up.

The thing is, apart from your word - how is the suctomer supposed to know that your work is excellent, and the SMART repairer down the road is crap?

It's not as easy as choosing on a sliding scale from cheap and crap to expensive and excellent. As a customer, the worry is that regardless of what I decide to pay, I have no idea whether it's going to be a good job until afterwards.

A very valid concern bazza. All I can say is do the research and go with your instincts the same way you would with a builder, plumber or lawyer. Ask questions, lots of them. Ask if he has the proper insurance to put it in the bodyshop for you if it does go wrong and what guarantee is offered--2 years minimum I'd say. Bear in mind that when painting out in the open, things will and do go wrong. Give him the chance to rectify it free of charge. Nothing in this world goes perfectly every time.

SMART repair, was the title of the system I enquired about, Oh, must be about two years ago now. So, I guess it's just bcome a general term since then? Presumably Sipe represents THE Smart Repair system I am referring to???

Yep ZF, SMART is a general term. Small to Medium Area Repair Tech.

As bazza says.

If you can find a way of demonstrating quality upfront you'll have more work than you could handle.

I would love to do that. Unfortunately a good repair takes at least 3 hours. New regulations have decreed that all switch to water-based paint, thus a repair takes a lot longer due to drying times. The upshot is that orange peel is all but eliminated. Thus to do a ' show repair' at a promotion asks a lot of the public to be able to stand and watch for such a length of time. That is why word of mouth makes up a large part of the business.

k - I am in need of a SMART repair right now.

Someone "brushed" my rear bumper - scraped the paint off over a 9 inch long area (6 inches tall) down to the plastic in one spot. No actual damage to the bumper itself. Metallic silver paint.

About how much? - then I'll tell you whether I am willing to pay that amount.

Paul, hard to say without seeing it but from what you have described, I'd say between £100 and £120 to paint it. Could be that a bit of wet/dry and a compound will remove most of it and soften the main scratch to make it hard to see. In that case then it would be less.

Done my best to answer the questions. It is hard to give a definitive answer to some but feel free to ask more.

Take care

The best way of finding out about a service provider is word of mouth. A dissatisfied customer tells a dozen people, a happy one tells 2 or 3. The amount to spend on a repair really depends on the value of the car. It makes little sense to spend £500 on a car worth £2K, whereas not spending that amount on a car worth £20K is a going to cost you when it comes time to sell/ trade in.