Additional Information/FAQ
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Often people ask for an "estimate" for repairs, restoration or other work to be done without realizing that each project/job is unique and that there is no cut and dried basic black and white answer. Repairs need to almost be 'read' like a book and must be seen, at least in pictures, in order to even come close to having an idea on what the repair might entail. And other factors play a role in repairs too. Such as what the color (color code) of the existing paint is, the condition of the existing paint (and body) and the type and quality of materials the customer may desire. This information and pictures, can be emailed to Kevin@EliteRodAndCustom.com
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"How much is a paint job?" > A "paint job" means different things to different people. Most often people are actually asking 'how much to get my body worked, ready and prepared for paint and then painted'.....and usually also cut, buffed and polished. Here again there are a number of factors involved; existing condition of body and paint, color choice, quality of paint, existing color of vehicle, availability of parts, degree of teardown, extent of paint work - such as include painting jams etc.
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"Can I do some of the work myself?" > We are always willing to work with our clients, however, due to insurance and lease constraints we cannot allow customers to work on the property. But if you have the aptitude and the space we have no problem working with you as long as you fully understand that we cannot be held responsible or accountable for any labor operations, processes, products and/or parts in such instances. Time lines and scheduling must also be strictly adhered to in order to offer and afford all clients the same courtesies and attention.
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"Why do you charge by the hour and not the job?" > This is mainly because we are not a "wham bam collision" shop but rather a "specialty" shop and although we are perfectly capable of completing collision repairs (and we have and we do) we do NOT adopt many of the collision industries acceptable methods, but rather we strive to make all repairs as correct and undetectable as humanly possible - in conjunction with the clients wishes of course, at least to a degree, 'Collision Shops' typically follow a "flat rate" or "book" time and method of repair(s), although generally factory acceptable, not always the best way to go about it. And the collision industry is set up for a Journeyman to be able to beat "book" time...meaning the "book time" is 2.0 hours for 'X' repair and the Journeyman completes it in 1.0 hours while still getting paid for he 2.0 hours of prescribed work. We, on the other hand, clock in and out on each job and you pay for the time actually spent on any given operation or task. Sometimes this may be more, simply due to our care and attention to detail or due to unforeseen problems -(rust is a prime example here)- but often our times are in line with, or beat, "book times" while generally being given a greater degree of attention than many conventional "collision shops". Not to say that there aren't 'collision shops' out there that are also doing things the "most correct" way and treating repairs in the same way...there are those out there two but buyer beware as with anything else.
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"Do you do upholstery work?" > We no longer do "upholstery work" in-house but we do have those industry partners that we work with and know what we expect. Some of the custom and fabrication type work to the upholstery end we do handle though, and sometimes the minor interior work.