General body shop question

[mjb765]

So how much do you tip the guy that is painting your car?? He also is kind of managing the prep and re-assembly of the grill, moldings, etc. I already bought lunch for the 10 man shop since I didn't know who was doing what as far as body work, prep, etc.

[anlauto]

How much is the total paint job costing you ?

[GoodysGotaCuda]

I must be in the dark, I hadn't ever considered tipping for automotive work. 🤨


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[JS29]

I have been tipped before! Especially when I give them A break on something. I have been told to keep the change on tow job's and bought lunch on occasion as well. 

[71-440]

I must be in the dark, I hadn't ever considered tipping for automotive work. 🤨


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You and me both buddy. I never heard of that.

[jimynick]

Follow Alan's advice here. If the guy is doing you a favour and/or giving you a cheap price, that's one thing. If he's charging you $1000's of dollars, then the "tip" is built in. The final proof is in the pudding as they say and if he's given you both a nice paint job at a good price, then perhaps a good bottle of whisky or a gift card for him to take mommy out for a meal wouldn't be totally out of consideration. It doesn't have to be exorbitant.   

[RUNCHARGER]

People bioch about finding good bodymen and painters all the time. When I brought my orange car home the trunk lid got damaged in the stripe area (lucky for a change). I found a guy that repaired it perfectly in one week, his price was fair and I was really happy with his work and timeliness so I gave him an extra $200, a few years later when I decided to get some paintwork done on my Stealth he did a complete repaint on it in one week as well. Perfect job on time at a fair price so again I gave him an extra $200. I'm hard to please but I also know how much effort is involved so I don't mind paying a bit extra so a good body guy can buy himself and his wife a steak dinner. People think nothing of tipping for poor service for a half hour meal at a restaurant or a crappy haircut.

[1 Wild R/T]

People bioch about finding good bodymen and painters all the time. When I brought my orange car home the trunk lid got damaged in the stripe area (lucky for a change). I found a guy that repaired it perfectly in one week, his price was fair and I was really happy with his work and timeliness so I gave him an extra $200, a few years later when I decided to get some paintwork done on my Stealth he did a complete repaint on it in one week as well. Perfect job on time at a fair price so again I gave him an extra $200. I'm hard to please but I also know how much effort is involved so I don't mind paying a bit extra so a good body guy can buy himself and his wife a steak dinner. People think nothing of tipping for poor service for a half hour meal at a restaurant or a crappy haircut.

DING DING DING..... 

Bunch of Cheap Ass Bastards.....   Sorry, you find a body man that takes care of you you damn well take care of him....

I tip allot of guys who work in the trades.....   And back when I was working in the trades I got tips.... Usually turned them down but they were certainly offered.....

Only thing is I seek out the guy who did the work, I may tip the man that writes the job but I make a point of tipping the guy who does the work......  That goes back to when I repaired a vehicle for a customer that came in on a hook Friday around quitting time... I stayed a couple hours late & got him & his family back on the road.....   And a month later found out he'd kicked down a $500 tip.... That the POS Service Writer kept.....  I didn't do the job expecting a tip but if anyone deserved it.......

[anlauto]

I can see tipping on certain things like Sheldon described, but when I get charged $20K+ for a paint job that takes 3-4 months....I don't feel I need to tip...

[mjb765]

Thanks all. Let me just say I was thinking of tipping the guy that is doing most of the work...not the owner of the shop who determined the price of the job and is the one making the profit. Since I bought lunch for the shop, maybe I will throw the guy $50 or $100.

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[RUNCHARGER]

Yup: The hands on guys are the ones that deserve it if they are doing a good job. When I supervised guys at the Railroad it used to tick me off when customers brought in stuff at Christmastime and the office people looked after themselves. I made sure the guys that were out in the snow and cold got first dibs on any goodies. Respect goes a long way but even if it didn't I like to treat people as they deserve.

[71-440]

I don't mind tipping people for good work. Do it all the time. I guess I don't get a lot of cars painted so I never thought of that.

By the way if you knew what the body shop charged my insurance company for that little crunch I had in the quarter panel you would probably have a heart attack.

[kawahonda]

If it's not under-the-table, then you do not tip, period. Hard to tell from your OP what situation you are in.

Under the table jobs or personal jobs, I tip. My painter does get tips. Nothing outrageous, either. My detailer got a tip, because he worked his ass off on Saturday (when he should be closed) to get my car done before a show and did a bang up job--and I know it was off the books because he said he preferred cash. Tips could easily just be 15-20% and no more to send a good message.

But if you've dropped it off at the body shop, do not know anyone there, are not allowed to walk in the shop and are not on a personal basis then you really shouldn't tip. They already deemed the price that you and them agreed upon before the start of the job profitable to undertake. The incentive for them to do good work is to see you back again and is based on references. They know it's going to car shows, and they know that their name will be mentioned, it's free advertisement. Actually, most body-shops make almost all of their money based on insurance jobs and it's risky and easy to get screwed since it's a harsh business. For many, it's a breath of fresh air to work on something cool that isn't an insurance job and easier to get more money that way.

In many cases, "under the table" simply just means that the painter/bodyman is working on "his own time" to do your car whilst still working 40 hours a week doing their primary job. That means weekends or lunch time. It's free overtime. That's already a huge incentive for him without a tip. The shop carries the wholesale cost of paint/supplies, and all he's charging you is for his own time so that he can have lots more money to spend during the holidays. In this case, you should apply your tip appropriately (which means, not much).

It all depends. But like I said, if you dropped it off, do not know anyone personally, isn't under the table, then I'm not aware of any expectation of a tip.

[1 Wild R/T]

While it's true there is no expectation of a tip & certainly it isn't a requirement... But we all know how many of these cars wind up in "Bodyshop Hell" If the shop is willing to take on a complete paint job on a vintage car you've already found a rarity in the age of bang it out & collect the insurance world of Auto Body Shops....  And one who actually get's the job in & gets it done in a timely fashion?  You've struck gold..... If you don't throw the man a tip so he knows you appreciate the hard work & being treated right then IMO your a fool....  


https://forum.e-bodies.org/body-shop/5/time-for-paint/8691/;topicseen

[mjb765]

It's not an under the table job...it is being done during regular shop hours and nobody is working on it on their own time. I should mention they have done work for me in the past, just not this sizable of a project. I am not friends with any of these guys on a personal level, but I can walk in and out of the shop at will to check on the car and speak to any of the guys working on it. It's not like "you are a customer and not allowed in the shop." Most of the guys in the shop know me and they all thanked me the day I bought lunch for them. At the end of the day, the main guy doing the paint work and kind of supervising the job does make the extra effort to be sure everything is done right so he is going to get some $$$ from me personally to show that I appreciate that effort. Probably about $100.....

Thanks for all the opinions.

Mike