At Sportwagen, we work and charge by the hour.  Quite simply, this is essential if both owner and restorer are to be mutually satisfied with results.  No one can correctly estimate the amount of time it will take to correct the defects found unless they are of a common generic nature e.g. corroded floor pans.  Even then further, there is a strong likelihood that corrosion will be found in adjacent panels and this must be addressed before a floor pan is fitted safely and in a fashion that will not require more attention in the car’s future.

One of the most common problems found when the paint is removed is the inadequate way in which past repairs have been carried out.  All too often a repairer will clearly avoid “unexpected problems” adjacent to the defect he is attempting to fix.  In order to complete the work in the estimated time and therefore (he thinks) keep his customer happy, he makes a poor decision, and rather than extend the repair, a magical shortcut manifests itself providing a method by which quotations can be adhered to. 

Unfortunately it is only a matter of time before the ignored problem shows itself.  As an owner you are left with two choices; back to the bodyshop, only to be told that it’s a “new” defect which for a further cost can be repaired or the more usual belief that “…. Well it’s an old car; you have to expect it….”. Nonsense! You don’t.

Had the repair been carried out properly the first time, both owner and repairer would benefit.  These problems arise as a result of an unrealistic approach to estimating work..