Podguy

Bummer, it sounds like they sent the car out to one of those overnight paint shops.

Be aware that it is common for dents to show up in new paint that was not visible before. This is no excuse, but if you take the imitative to prepare a car often shops will not be willing to mess with body work or preparations they have not done.

Well with that in mind, from your description not only do you not owe them for the paint job, but they owe you to put the car back to the condition in which they received it. Paint jobs are subjective and shops will often attempt to skate when they screw up. If this is the job you got then most likely - at least from my experience - what they fix will only be worse. Painting cars is more art than science - it is also a lot of prep work before turning on the paint gun.

If I were in your shoes I would first go to another shop with a good reputation and get an estimate for removing the bad paint and fixing the car the way it should be. Be smart and get more than one estimate and make sure the shops have some form of rating from a professional society. Triple A is always a good rating. Then I would approach the owner suggesting things might have got out of hand when he was gone and ask if he can make it right.

The problem most shop owners have is they hate to pay for a job twice. There is no one who is paid a wage who will eat a bad job. The excuses will fill a book. So the owner instead of paying for the job a second time and losing money will attempt to discount the price to recover what he paid out in labor and materials. - Don't go for it!

You have been damaged. To set the car right the paint they put on has to come off. There is no way I would trust the people who did this kind of work to remove the paint. You do not even know if they sanded the old paint. Even if their pride is not hurt they will probably not do a good job. Removing paint can do more damage than putting on a bad paint job.

Now I may be wrong and the owner may be a saint. He may take pride in his workmanship and reputation. But if he did why would he leave the shop in the hands of the bozos that did your work and head out fishing. Instead, if his crew requires constant supervision he should have closed the shop and got to your job when he was well rested and could actually see straight. Seeing straight may be a problem when you refuse to pay for the job and demand more money to fix the problem. Body men and shop owners are known to go completely blind when they have to do over work.

Be prepared to get someone else to do the job. Before the owner can take the imitative to send your account to collections sue him in small claims court for the price of the job (relief of debt) and the cost of stripping the old paint.

Also be careful when you approach the owner to fix the paint. DO NOT TAKE your car to his shop. Since you have not paid he will be able to seize your car and hold it for a lien. Mechanics liens only require the shop owner or manager to have possession of the car. As soon as it is back in his shop he has control and you cannot get it back unless he releases it or you get a court order. The entire time he can charge you storage and even at some point lien sale the car.

Meet him at a restaurant or at your home. He cannot seize your car when it is not on his property. Check the laws in your state. I am not a lawyer and only advising you from my own experience. Good luck and i hope things work out.

If you are really pissed and cannot get satisfaction then look around his shop for zoning and fire code violations. All shops have them. Make periodic checks and call them in. Reports are anonymous and it will drive the owner nuts. Let him be the one pissed - you get your 928 fixed right and enjoy it.

Dan the Pod Guy

Ron_H

I have specific experience with clear coat deterioration on my silver '71 911E. What a mess.

As for bodywork and paint when the shop owner is gone, I've also been there, done that too. I specifically agreed with the shop owner to give me the car back without primer so I could take it to a metal finisher. He goes on vacation and I get the car back primered and with panels not fitting properly. I have a fit and tantrum and other nasty things. The morons try to make the panels fit, and even get some to fit properly. But they explain that they had stripped the paint using.....are you ready?.......a grinder rather than using chemical or heat. That of course left scratches. They filled the scratches with plastic filler and then primed the panels to hide the plastic. (I had specifically agreed with the owner to NOT use any plastic anywhere on the car, but he was on vacation). I do other nasty things and **** off. I stomp my feet and jump up and down and cuss and cuss. I start throwing things around their shop and at them. (well, I didn't actually do that, but I was pissed.) Then the owner returns from vacation and backs his workers. So Charley's advice might be worth considering. Don't lose it yet. But don't pay him either.

ps: Please don't tell me that "body filler these days is superior to metal finishing". I will stomp my feet and **** off and other nasty things. I can straighten metal without filler myself. And I know people who can do it magically, but I won't tell you where they are located, 'cause they don't need the work. You must approach them nicely, just like Charley recommended. And then you must be patient and not rush them. And then you'll have nice bodywork just like the factory did long ago.

Dan's advice is also right on. Do NOT take the car back. Ask me how I know this. I also have experience with a shop that painted some factory primered sheet metal and botched it up. (bubbles and flaws in the paint. I jumped up and down. He offered to give me my money back and contrary to Dan's advice, I took the deal and left with the car. Now I must strip the paint and the factory primer too, which is always a losing situation. Nothing beats the factory primer if you can leave it intact. But I avoided a sticky situation and now I must do the work myself to start all over. And this was one of the "better known Porsche shops" in the Bay Area. Follow Dan's advice and make the preemptive strike in small claims court before he liens your property.

F451

Data point: my '88 red is a single coat. Its in pretty bad shape with lots of streaking, looks like someone left some heavy duty cleaner on it for too long.

Took some rubbing compound to it, and it shined right up. -Ed

F451

My '96 Chevy pickup is suffering clear coat separation badly. I've heard that Chevy went with a waterbased paint system sometime in the 90's and it resulted in a lot of these problems. Seems to be well known with the Chevy guys.

funkyboogalooo

Thankyou everyone for your input.
The situation so far. I have calmed down and am now quite philosophical about it.
I have written and hand delivered a note to the shop owner outlining my concerns and asking him to call me to arrange viewing the car at my house. As the car has no lights, glass etc I can't drive it back there easily so he needs to come to me. The letter will also give him the chance to talk to his staff and get there opinions before calling me so that he has the full story.
I have taken consumer advice and all the above is what has been recommended. I have also been told that I must by law give him the chance to put the job right, this I will do. I also intend to make sure that the exhaust trim, inner arch liners, boot carpet and other costs that I incur comes off the invoice.
Colin, 'incredible depression' was simply a flippant comment. Totally pissed off might have been more accurate.
I shall let you all know more on monday.