USA MONEY

[shaunboy]

JUST INTERESTED WHAT THE AVERAGE WAGE FOR A TOP SKILLED AUTO SPRAYPAINTER IS IN THE STATES?
IN NEW ZEALAND IT IS ABOUT $20/21 an hour
IN THE SUPERYACHT INDUSTRY IT IS $25
SUPERYACHT CONSTRUCTION IS A HUGE INDUSTRY OVER HERE .THE MONEY IS GOOD BUT I DONT THINK I WOULD TO BE HANGING OFF THE END OF A SPRAYGUN FOR UP TO 10 HOURS A DAY!!!!!
I'VE SPRAYED A FEW 40 TONNE HYDRAULIC EXCAVTORS AND TRUCK AND TRAILERS THAT FIT "6 HORSES AND 3 PERSON ACCOMADATION" AND THEY TOOK ABOUT 3 HOURS ON THE GUN WHICH IS HARD WORK.

 

[2K2SOMSS]

I have several friends in automotive paint/body field. The average rate in my area of the US (North Carolina) is $40-$45/hr. The larger jobs such as motorhomes bring $50-$55/hr. Custom jobs usually bring $50+ /hr depending on the type of work. These are shop rates not the painter's cut of the pay. In most cases the shop spilts 50/50.

 

[rex]

Well I guess we're getting the big one here in south FL.$38 an hour is high in the collision shops and the days of 50/50 have been gone for a while.45% is really good now if you can get it.I would expect custom shops to be more,but I don't know what.Here's what really pisses me off though.Paint and body is more an art than something you go to school for and step right in.You need to be good with your hands and be mechanically inclined like mechanics,but it takes years of hands on to get really good at it.Here's where I have a prob.Service gets double or more for a labor rate and the shop buys the expensive equipment(4 figures and up).We get a paint booth and frame machine.Wrenches have all kinds of books to tell them what to do.We have 99% stored in our head from experience.Not only do we have close to the money invested in tools a mechanic does,but we actually wear out or have to rebuild non warranteed tools way more from what I see.So,why are we the lowlifes(or armpit of the dealerships) and get paid less.It used to be skill,knowlege and craftsmanship made you more $,but things seem to be going the other way.People leave this industry every year almost 10X more than comes in because of what the insurance company monopoly has done to us.Now I'm not trashing wrenches at all because I've been there,but I think the reward for hard earned knowlege and craftsmanship has turned to a pat on the back and "oh,you have to do this too".Sorry,just venting my hatred for what insurance companies and the butchers in our industry have done to destroy it.I can remember making paychecks close to what I do now 10 years ago making 2/3 the hourly wage,and I'm still in my 30s.

 

[ezrider]

Rex, i agree 100 %. body shop rates here in the tax you to death state CT are $42- $44 . body men dont even get 45 %. Wrenche shop rates are up to $65 in some shops. you are right this trade can not be learned out of a book it takes Years to develope this trade.i dont have a OBD2 scan tool that tells me how to tint colors, how to straighten sheet metal, how to tug a bent unibody automobile, how to Feel body work, or tell me what suspension part might be tweeked. and as far as the insurance monopoly goes, all insurance companies (in my oppinion ) SUCK. the money the take in every year is unimaginable, but when it comes time for them to pay up they hold you off for as long as they can so their investment can still be working fo them for the most time they can allow and bicker with you about a cheeper way the Job can be done ( inferior aftermarket parts ). You now must be asking why am i still doing it then, Because i enjoy it, the challange, no two days are ever the same.

 

[shaunboy]

I AGREE TOO!!!!!!!!!
EVERY PAINTER I KNOW RECKON WERE UNDERPAID.
LUCKILY WHERE I WORK WE REFUSE ANY OF THE CHEAPER INSURANCE COMPANIES WORK AND DO MOST OF THE ELITE JOBS AROUND TOWN.
MY USUAL AFTER TAX PAY IS $925 FOR 55 HOURS.
I COULD DO UP TO 70HOURS A WEEK IF I DESIRED BECAUSE WE HAVE ON AVERAGE 50-60 REPAIRS AT WORK ALL THE TIME.
BUT I BELIEVE YOU MAY GO SLOWLY CRAZY DOING 70 HOUR WEEKS.
WE ALSO DO NO HORRIBLE CHAEP CAR SALES WORK EITHER.THE SHORTCUTS THAT THE CAR DEALERS WANT YOU TO TAKE IS FRAUDULANT TO THE BUYER.

THERE ARE ASSHOLES OUT THERE THAT EVEN HAVE LACQUER SPRAYED ON VIRTUALLY BRAND VEHICLES

 

[JAMMINJ]

I CURRENTLY WORK FOR A MECHANICAL WARRANTY COMPANY. I'VE SEEN LABOR RATES FOR SHOPS IN THE DENVER AREA AS HIGH AS $92 DOLLARS PER HOUR. I WAS ACTUALLY SHOCKED TO FIND THAT BODY SHOPS MAKE LESS THAN HALF OF THAT. I AM A DIESEL MECHANIC BY TRADE, AND I TELL YOU WORKING OUT DENTS ON PAPER THIN SHEET METAL AND HAVING TO BE PART CHEMIST, PART ARTIST, AND EVEN SOMETIMES A MAGICIAN IS NO EASIER THAN WRENCHING ON PETERBUILTS (EXCEPT IT IS A LOT CLEANER). LIKE EZ, I BELIEVE THAT INSURANCE HAS A LOT DO WITH DEMINISIONING LABOR RATES IN BODY SHOPS. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT INSURANCE HAS A LOT TO DO WITH POOR WORKMANSHIP IN SO MANY BODYSHOPS. MY MOTHER-IN LAW WAS T-BONED A FEW MONTHS AGO AND WHEN THE CAR RETURNED FROM THE BODYSHOP IT LOOKED HORRIBLE. DIRT IN THE PAINT, ORANGE PEEL GALORE, THE COLOR DIDN'T MATCH. THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER CAME OUT TO LOOK AT IT AFTER SHE COMPLAINED. THE ADJUSTER TOLD HER "IT'S SATISFACTORY" AND REFUSES TO HAVE IT SENT SOMEWHERE ELSE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY SAYS THAT THEY HAVE TO RETURN TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY'S "PREFFERED SHOP" THAT SCREWED THE JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE. I'LL PROBABLY END UP PAINTING IT FOR HER, BECAUSE I ENJOY PAINTING, NOT TO MENTION I COULD SPRAY A BETTER FINISH ON A JOHN DEER TRACTOR WHILE IT WAS PLOWING A FIELD IN A SAND STORM THAN THOSE TURKEYS TURNED OUT.
SAD SAD SAD!!!

 

[ezrider]

JammimJ, you can take your car to whatever shop you prefer, it is illegal for any insurance company to tell you were you have to get your car fixed (Pro shops ). Being that your car was fixed at a certain shop you should bring it back to them so they can make anynecessary "adjustments " to their job Just rember in most policys it is written " bring back to pre accident condition " its just another way of insurance companies getting away with fixing your auto "cheaper ". Also Pro shops are suposed to stand behind their work thats how the insurance companies feed them their work ( also with a discounted labor rate )

 

[JAMMINJ]

THE ONLY REASON SHE CHOSE THAT SHOP IS BECAUSE IT WAS THE INSURANCE COMPANY'S "PREFFERED SHOP" AND IF SHE TOOK IT TO A "PREFFERED SHOP" SHE WOULD GET A LIFETIME WARRANTY. WHEN SHE CALLED THE INSURANCE COMPANY THEY TOLD HER THAT SHE HAS TO GIVE THE SHOP A SECOND CHANCE. SHE TOOK IT BACK ONCE AND ALL THEY DID WAS BUFF THE CLEAR ALMOST DOWN TO THE BASECOAT. THE INSURANCE COMPANY SENT AN ADJUSTER OUT TO TAKE PICTURES AND LOOK AT THE CAR. THE ADJUSTER DETERMINED THAT THE JOB WAS SATISFACTORY. AFTER THE SECOND ATTEMPT SHE WOULD NORMALLY HAVE THE OPTION OF TAKING IT TO ANOTHER SHOP, BUT THE INSURANCE COMPANY SAYS THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE JOB THEY DID. SHE TOOK IT TO THAT SHOP BECAUSE IT WAS A "PREFFERED SHOP" I GUESS WE ALL KNOW WHO PREFFERS THEM RIGHT?

 

[rex]

You know what?,I won't let loose now because I'm drunk.I started something I shouldn't have,sorry.I see I hit a common nerve so thanx for reinforcing my opinion guys.Hopefully this topic won't progress because I'm sure a few of us will get carried away and become quite rude,besides pissing off some trolls and appearing like the scum that screwed us in the first place.

 

[rex]

Ok I'm back and am on my first beer (probably my 3rd when I'm done typing).JamminJ,tell your Mother in law to take it by a quality reputable shop and get their opinion.This is a tricky area though.If the shop will stand up for her excelent,but here's the big stink-saying the word lawyer or sue to the insurance company.The moment they here this the adjuster will say he can no longer discuss it with you and your lawyer actually has to take it from there.If a good shop backs her up have her ask her lawyer what to do before talking to the insurance company.There could also be a case for diminished value.State farm is now paying to pull moldings,door handles,even winshields just to clear a blend panel because they paid out so much on diminished value cases.It's a major pain for production shops,but it's the only right way to do it.Butchers that do this stuff really **** me off,but what's worse is there are alot of people that accept this crap,besides the insurance company trying to tell you it's acceptable and meets pre accident condition.Bullsh!t.

Hey EZ,do you do much in the way of frame and structure work?If you don't know it there's a way to tell from an alignment sheet if the structure is off or a part is bent.I didn't believe it until it was proven to me.I hate the guessing game on full frame upper control arms,but I've also gotten some really whacked out sheets for the measuring system.I remember one sheet told me to put a point 20+ mm different from where it should be.Glad I was paying attention on that one because something would have ripped apart if I put it there.Gotta love what 10 tons of power can do to something whether it wants to or not

 

[ezrider]

Rex, i have had a couple of demension sheets with some pretty " ODD " numbers from our mesuring system. as far as alignments go we send them out and it sucks

to get a car back from the alignment shop and have to tear it down again and send it out again, it usally takes a half day to get it back each time. cant blame them , they cant drop everything for us (wish they could)

 

[rex]

I know what you mean.All those years at independent shops I saw alot come back that shouldn't have.I've gotten in fights over a few that they said needed pulled more when a strut or knuckle was tweaked and you just couldn't see it.I'd tell them I'll pay them for the alignment if I'm wrong but give me a full spec sheet with SAI and included angle(optional).Then I'd draw them a pic of the front end and prove to them it's not the structure.They learned something out of it,but they should know this and stop wasting my time.Now I'm not saying I haven't had to repull something because I have.Some of the older full frames were awful about walking back some no matter how well you jerked and stress relieved them.I like doing what I do,but it sure does get on your nerves sometimes.