Auto body repair shops charge $500-$1000 for poor work
37 posts across 8 communities in the last 30 days; 76% from r/Autobody.
“Do not buy this thinking you can fix it yourself, you can't.”
“My rule of thumb when ballparking repair cost is figure about $1000 per panel painted. More if additional repairs are required. It’s next to impossible to get out the door of a body shop for under $2k these days. Be happy you did.”
“I don't have a lot of knowledge when it comes to cars guys; all I know is that the bill is incredibly painful.”
Users complain about the high cost of auto body repairs, specifically noting that shops often charge significant sums ($500 - $1000) for substandard or hastily performed work using low-quality materials. The sentiment is one of frustration with inflated prices and questionable workmanship.
SOURCES (60)
“The price to fix your car in one state vs. another can be dramatically different. Thats why estimates aren’t allowed. Plus the pictures suck. [re: How bad we talking?]”
“Phew... I'm still under the assumption Pdr is cheaper, atleast over body work or new door lol [re: Was hoping never to post here but I got ding'd..]”
“(人 •͈ᴗ•͈) [re: Botched fender repair on my Model Y — need a body shop in NYC/Westchester that can make it right]”
“Probably thought that a body shop was trying to screw them. Guess they'll learn [re: Taking advantage of people who don’t know any better, sad. They charged $1700 for this trash]”
“Everybody knows that duh! I was asking to see what others charge and how long they take, to get an idea. [re: How long and how much would this cost to fix? (Sorry couldn’t edit earlier post, had to repost)]”
“it's always someone with an expensive car like an AMG or BMW that cheap out and complain about it [re: Paid $175/wheel for full refinish on OEM AMG Monoblocks. Shop claims jagged edges are base metal defects and dust in paint is normal.]”
“Christ almighty. That expensive? Would an independent, mom n pop, body shop be better than a larger one? 😭 [re: How much would it be to fix this deep scratch on the doors?]”
“Just backed into a construction dumpster. Is this worth being repaired? Who should I go to? As in what profession, the dealership, detailer, body shop? submitted by /u/Banzett [link] [comments]”
“That shit ain't worth it. [re: Does this seem like a doable fix? Or do I scrap the car]”
“So, where does one go about finding this mythical mechanic who'll do side work like this for $3K? Sorry, but http://findsidemechanic.com/ doesn't exist. [re: Owe $15K on a Jeep with a blown engine. $11K to fix. What are my options?]”
“Do it yourself. Either way you won't be happy. Atleast save yourself some cash. [re: Should I polish myself or get it professionally done]”
“Garage pillar - 1 Me - 0 I can replace the mirror myself, but that's about it. Am i looking at over 1k for this? submitted by /u/hydra_zine [link] [comments]”
“That so called repair has been brazed. Most fillers don't stick well to that. It would cost a lot at a shop to fix. It all has to be stripped off. If you want to try to do something at home strip it and post new pictures.. [re: DYI Fix? New kiddo on the way.]”
“Man you could have bought a running and complete version of this car off autotempest for 11K more. I'm sure the body work and parts will be much more than that [re: On a scale of 1-10 how dumb am I?]”
“You would redo this job for $125? Fuck that lol. I would rather watch the flames from lighting the money on fire. [re: Before and after the repair.. Thoughts?]”
“Literally nothing smart can be taken from this. I assume if you’re fast, then I’d be paying with the final result of anything you touched that now has to be re-done from scratch [re: Anyone have something they don’t wanna do?]”
“Honda civic 2018 They made it seem like a huge deal, I know nothing lol. submitted by /u/Icy_Caterpillar_1551 [link] [comments]”
“I can’t believe people would pay $5-7k+ to fix this lol - holy god a sucker is born every minute and this place apparently full of people normalizing this being a huge 7k repair - absolute insanity”
“Anything is fixable, but is it worth your money? That's up for you to decide. To me, no, no it's not.”
Good luck buying a quarter panel at the junk yard for under $300
“All you need is a light, bumper and side piece…. All things you can buy at the junk yard”
“Where if you take a screwdriver or hammer to the underside of the car and hit it. If major hole pokes through, metal is compromised, if not usually superficial.”
“This is why companies charge so much. Enough people are just too lazy to search for any alternative solution and will just fork over a bunch of money.”
“Right now it doesn't pass PA inspection due to this being a proteusion. Money is tight so the proper fix is completely out of the realm of possibility. I don't care if I can never open the trunk again, I don't care if the trunk leaks, and I don't care how ugly it is. All I care about is getting this smooth enough to pass PA inspection. What's the cheapest, most hackjob way I could go about smoothing this out? submitted by /u/Ok_Basis1422 [link] [comments]”
“My rule of thumb when ballparking repair cost is figure about $1000 per panel painted. More if additional repairs are required. It’s next to impossible to get out the door of a body shop for under $2k these days. Be happy you did.”
“I don't have a lot of knowledge when it comes to cars guys; all I know is that the bill is incredibly painful. submitted by /u/Flimsy-Ad-2792 [link] [comments]”
“Haha I wish. I'm expecting to pay 5-10x that here in the US. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I don't think so 😂”
“The original mechanic from what he said replaced the sensor and charged me 1200 to do so.”
“Parts alone over 1K. Plus paint and labor= probably $2500 my guess. You know it all depends on where you take it”
“I'm a retired tech (30 yrs) and estimator (10 yrs), and if you came to me, I would give you the fuck you price because it's not worth the time/headaches.”
“Body shops usually offer free estimates, I’m going to tell you enough to buy me a new fucking house 😂”
“I do. https://preview.redd.it/v533j09pgqqh1.jpeg?width=921&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34ef0f9ae233de395056a69d7aebdc77c7328382 I'm efficient and charge $75 an hour. That looks like about a 3hr repair back to primer. I Repaired this Buell fairing Friday, it was stress cracked everywhere so it was a little more time consuming.”
“Not as bad as non rust belt guys will think. I don’t see anything that would break if you struck it with a hammer, so.”
Car repair Not one person said car repairs are cheap. Long story short I bought a 2015 sonata from a snack of a car sales man. It ended up needing to be…
“What I’m hearing after reading these comments is that if I want to have some small self-inflicted cosmetic dings fixed, I’m gonna need to learn how to fix them myself.”
“These shops still up-charge tho if dealership says a job is a certain amount of hours the body shop will double it and charge you”
“I'm looking at $9-$10,000 in auto repairs. I need to replace my windshield ($400) flex pipe (cost unknown st the moment, but likely a few hundred?) Knuckles, bearings, tires etc $6,500 with tire warranty. I can't afford 10k. I can't even afford the 6.5k off my debit. They offer synchrony. I don't do credit cards... but my credit is about 730 right now and I've been building over the years to improve mortgage options when it's time. I'm sick to my stomach cause my car”
“Shops charge 180 an hour now. Its totaled. Its complete frame damage on the rails and runners and pillars. Your cooked”
Door replacement RJs Auto Body will get the job done ✅ right
“It's really insane. Every chode thinks they can do it themselves and body shops are ripping them off. I just wish everyone who did do it themselves would post pics. That would be worth the bullshit.”
Then it's going to rust underneath and the real fun begins
“Not too bad RJ’s Auto Body and Pasadena offers for estimates quality repairs fair pricing appointments are recommended there”
“Spot on. Quebec uses massive amounts of road salt in winter, so undersides take a beating. Mechanically it only has 92k km, but I'll definitely crawl underneath it with a screwdriver and flashlight to poke around the subframe, brake lines, and floor pan for structural rust before committing any cash to bodywork!”
“Where I come from, you'd tell them to go pound sand up their ass, one grain at a time.”
the detail guy lowk fucked it up so bad. im assuming it was inhouse