Dibbons
Well-Known Member
- Local time
- 3:18 PM
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2014
- Messages
- 4,855
- Reaction score
- 5,751
- Location
- La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
Contracted with Jesus, who was the painter that the inattentive driver who hit our parked 1992 Cherokee paid to repair the damages to our left rear taillight and left rear (driver's side) fender. It was fairly severe damage and it looks "OK" now, considering it was a quick fix and we did not have to pay for it.
Turns out this Jesus is my spouse's first cousin (but she has never met him). He gave me an estimate of $20,000.00 pesos which is $1,428.00 U.S. dollars at 14/1 exchange rate. That is labor only, I pay for materials. His adult son helps him do the painting. He works at home, has few tools, and no paint booth (just hangs up a sheet or something to block the wind). Lives about four blocks away.
I agreed to pay him in 20 stages, $1000 pesos ($71.00) per stage. After five stages and having him do exactly the opposite of what I asked him to do every time, I gave up and I decided to look elsewhere.
Right down the street (about six blocks away) is a body shop where I spoke with "Nacho". He has a full body shop, tools, spray booth, and a lot of customers. He quoted me "10,000 bolas". I asked: was that dollars or pesos. He said pesos (about $714.00 U.S. dollars) Then I told him I wanted it done the best way, which is first removing all the old paint from the two previous times (factory paint and one repaint). He said if I wanted that, it would cost double or 20,000 pesos, exactly the same as I was going to pay Jesus. Then he said that he supplies the paint and materials. Now that makes it hundreds of dollars less than Jesus, because paint these days is expensive! I'm considering single stage acrylic enamel.
So I lost $350 so far in the process, or I paid $350 for the experience, depending on how you look at it. Now the question is, will Nacho come through as competent and honest?
I asked Nacho to show me the enclosed booth where he does the final painting and he took me inside. There was a blue pickup truck parked inside that had just been painted. Behind the truck, there were two men standing and examining their new paint job. It was a little dark in there because the lights were not turned on. I looked at one of the men and it was someone I knew: my spouse's brother and my brother-in-law (probably the best auto mechanic in town). Then I looked at the other man, and it was my spouse's nephew, the son of the mechanic. It was their vehicle that had just been painted. Weird. Well, I said hi to my relatives and left.
Nacho said to bring my car in on Monday. On Sunday, the newest hurricane, Blanca, is scheduled to possibly make landfall. We'll wait and see what happens.
Turns out this Jesus is my spouse's first cousin (but she has never met him). He gave me an estimate of $20,000.00 pesos which is $1,428.00 U.S. dollars at 14/1 exchange rate. That is labor only, I pay for materials. His adult son helps him do the painting. He works at home, has few tools, and no paint booth (just hangs up a sheet or something to block the wind). Lives about four blocks away.
I agreed to pay him in 20 stages, $1000 pesos ($71.00) per stage. After five stages and having him do exactly the opposite of what I asked him to do every time, I gave up and I decided to look elsewhere.
Right down the street (about six blocks away) is a body shop where I spoke with "Nacho". He has a full body shop, tools, spray booth, and a lot of customers. He quoted me "10,000 bolas". I asked: was that dollars or pesos. He said pesos (about $714.00 U.S. dollars) Then I told him I wanted it done the best way, which is first removing all the old paint from the two previous times (factory paint and one repaint). He said if I wanted that, it would cost double or 20,000 pesos, exactly the same as I was going to pay Jesus. Then he said that he supplies the paint and materials. Now that makes it hundreds of dollars less than Jesus, because paint these days is expensive! I'm considering single stage acrylic enamel.
So I lost $350 so far in the process, or I paid $350 for the experience, depending on how you look at it. Now the question is, will Nacho come through as competent and honest?
I asked Nacho to show me the enclosed booth where he does the final painting and he took me inside. There was a blue pickup truck parked inside that had just been painted. Behind the truck, there were two men standing and examining their new paint job. It was a little dark in there because the lights were not turned on. I looked at one of the men and it was someone I knew: my spouse's brother and my brother-in-law (probably the best auto mechanic in town). Then I looked at the other man, and it was my spouse's nephew, the son of the mechanic. It was their vehicle that had just been painted. Weird. Well, I said hi to my relatives and left.
Nacho said to bring my car in on Monday. On Sunday, the newest hurricane, Blanca, is scheduled to possibly make landfall. We'll wait and see what happens.
