Touch ins/paint work

[Mistermuttley 19]

Have done full bumpers in the past and done long key marks on panels with varying success. Spraying solid colours on complete panels is ok as long as the colour match is good. Did an Aygo bumper and the match was really good. Then i did a turquoise metallic which had a long key mark down 3 panels ,frustrating as I got the paint matched but you could tell where the new paint had been applied. With metallics its much harder to get a good match and blend /hide the new and old areas. If you arent careful when painting you can make the car worse with your 'repair'. I tried a bodyshop who seemed reasonable on price and did a mint job on a 207 wheel arch, thought at that point that I had found my 'paint guy'. The next quote from him was laughable though so found another who is a smart repair guy. His price is decent and his work is faultless even with metallics so I will stick with him. He can do bumper scuffs and bigger, but touch ins and really light marks I will touch up myself. If you find a decent paint guy, look after him and even give him a bit of work every now and again that you could do. If you do decide to do large areas yourself then my smart repair guy reckons use acrylic/waterbase for the colour and 2k for the laquer as you then have the tough hard coat protecting the colour underneath. And of course use a mask with 2K! You need filters which are  B inorganic (ioscyanate 2K) , and P particulate.
 

[Mark101 536]

1 hour ago, Mistermuttley said:

Have done full bumpers in the past and done long key marks on panels with varying success. Spraying solid colours on complete panels is ok as long as the colour match is good. Did an Aygo bumper and the match was really good. Then i did a turquoise metallic which had a long key mark down 3 panels ,frustrating as I got the paint matched but you could tell where the new paint had been applied. With metallics its much harder to get a good match and blend /hide the new and old areas. If you arent careful when painting you can make the car worse with your 'repair'. I tried a bodyshop who seemed reasonable on price and did a mint job on a 207 wheel arch, thought at that point that I had found my 'paint guy'. The next quote from him was laughable though so found another who is a smart repair guy. His price is decent and his work is faultless even with metallics so I will stick with him. He can do bumper scuffs and bigger, but touch ins and really light marks I will touch up myself. If you find a decent paint guy, look after him and even give him a bit of work every now and again that you could do. If you do decide to do large areas yourself then my smart repair guy reckons use acrylic/waterbase for the colour and 2k for the laquer as you then have the tough hard coat protecting the colour underneath. And of course use a mask with 2K! You need filters which are  B inorganic (ioscyanate 2K) , and P particulate.
 

I do exactly that - Lechler Hydrafan water based base coat and 2k lacquer - with a 2k mask (should be air fed really but I only do touch-ins now and then)

[Screenman 47]

I go with WB as well far better match and fade out.  

7 hours ago, trade vet said:

Are there any successful,wealthy and profitable car dealers left out there,I cannot think of any..... can you ?

I know of quite a few, do you remember 40+ years ago saying, you cannot buy stock, bloody insurance has gone up again, unreliable painters in the pub, and the list goes on 

[trade vet 703]

12 hours ago, Screenman said:

I go with WB as well far better match and fade out.  

I know of quite a few, do you remember 40+ years ago saying, you cannot buy stock, bloody insurance has gone up again, unreliable painters in the pub, and the list goes on 

High Screenman....You know quite a few ?...I have to say,if you press the button on them at Companies House you may get a different story.I know guys with the big pitches,talk the talk and walk the walk etc,nice houses,big rolex’s ,keep up appearances etc and the truth is entirely different.....they are treading water ! not like 40 years ago.

[Mark101 536]

23 minutes ago, trade vet said:

High Screenman....You know quite a few ?...I have to say,if you press the button on them at Companies House you may get a different story.I know guys with the big pitches,talk the talk and walk the walk etc,nice houses,big rolex’s ,keep up appearances etc and the truth is entirely different.....they are treading water ! not like 40 years ago.

Exactly - finance is cheap.  I look in awe at some people's websites - Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc etc and wonder, how do they ever get to this - amazing.  Then............, I take a look on Companies House, see Stock of £500k ish and still think wow, scroll to liabilities (£600k) - Balance sheet -(£100k) - who's the winner - me!

[BHM 994]

I agree with the big-talking R-R Sport driving brigade but the other side to this is that I wouldn’t necessarily believe every persons or companies accounts. I’d guess there’ll be a few who are struggling ‘on paper’ but seem to get by quite adequately.

[Stephen 21]

Most have good accountants and looking at mine you think I struggle to buy bread and water I don't lol

[trade vet 703]

1 hour ago, Stephen said:

Most have good accountants and looking at mine you think I struggle to buy bread and water I don't lol

Good accountants .....if you pay them a lot of money they may be able to make your accounts look better.Just look at Carillion and what about that wiz kid Essex dealer with little experience who was getting all these awards before his balloon burst.

HMRC will tell you,if you employ an accountant and he makes a mistake or messes up,you are responsible for his actions and you will have to pay up.......I have been there !

[It's me 615]

2 minutes ago, trade vet said:

Good accountants .....if you pay them a lot of money they may be able to make your accounts look better.Just look at Carillion and what about that wiz kid Essex dealer with little experience who was getting all these awards before his balloon burst.

HMRC will tell you,if you employ an accountant and he makes a mistake or messes up,you are responsible for his actions and you will have to pay up.......I have been there !

me too

[Stephen 21]

Sorry to pry but how did your accountants mess up? Surely if they mess up they are liable and at fault. That's is what they get paid for

[Rory RSC 596]

1 hour ago, trade vet said:

 what about that wiz kid Essex dealer with little experience who was getting all these awards before his balloon burst.

 

This one

[trade vet 703]

2 hours ago, Stephen said:

Sorry to pry but how did your accountants mess up? Surely if they mess up they are liable and at fault. That's is what they get paid for

Hi Stephen

It does not work like that.Chartered Accountants are like GP’s,they cannot know everything but do their best.You just have to look at how the HMRC inspectors manual is written, to give you an idea.The other thing is tax inspectors can often interpret tax regulations differently amongst themselves.......In the last year or two there have been several multi millionaire footballers declare bankruptcy having been faced with massive HMRC penalties after being advised by top accountancy firms to set up legal tax avoidance schemes which were later outlawed, not the accountants fault.As for HMRC,we had a case for instance where we (our company) being from the North East bought a flat in London which was handy for staying during the week as we bought most of our stock down there.After 10 years,HMRC made a ‘discovery assessment’ that because it was ‘availible to us’ at weekends,it was a taxable benefit although we were never there at weekends.I was taxed personally on 2/7ths of the open market rent ( which was a lot) backdated for 10 years with interest/penalties etc.I argued that how was it therefore ok for Arthur Scargill who had allegedly awarded himself on retirement  a rent free for life multimillion pound London apartment.It is apparently owned by his employers  the miners union yet he must be getting away with it as he would have had to pay a grand per week in tax on the benefit......Of course they cannot comment on other taxpayers.....I am sure you get the picture now. 

[Stephen 21]

Ouch get your point 

[tradegirl 112]

On 4/6/2018 at 0:06 AM, Mark101 said:

Best thing I have bought so far (Smart repairs is how I started in the trade originally)

Heavy stuff = Bodyshop Under £3k = I do it

Here's before and after - passable 

 

Looks like I have been rumbled 

Mark, you're a talented man. Need an extra income?

[Mark101 536]

30 minutes ago, tradegirl said:

Mark, you're a talented man. Need an extra income?

Thanks for the compliment Trade Girl but no thanks for the extra income - I absolutely hate doing paint, it is just a means to an end on my own stock.

[tradegirl 112]

11 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

Thanks for the compliment Trade Girl but no thanks for the extra income - I absolutely hate doing paint, it is just a means to an end on my own stock.

Mark, I was (halfway) kidding. Nice skill to have though in our line of work!

[Tim H 16]

Reminds me of the old line Q : "how do you become a millionaire car dealer"

 

A: " Start off with two million..!!