Car Body Shop Required. Any Recommendations?

[Beardog]

I wish I could give you a name of a shop- But the best repair for enamel is enamel. lacquer will wear down over time if resprayed over lacquer, that is unless you have a 40 coat hand rubbed (in between each coat) showcar painted in lacquer. I used lacquer till 1982 & switched to what the industry uses & it is Enamel on Enamel ---Lacquer over lacquer. The car repair needs to be sanded blocked out sealed & resprayed & then cleared. They can do it in a one step fashion instead of the enamel & clear coat but if your look real close it will not have the depth of finish as the original. If the shop is pro & not a production type shop they will keep the car for a while & buff it down & recoat clear over it again to make it perfect. The super top shops will have you come back in 30 days & reshoot the new paint after buffing down the repainted coat. You can do it in 2 days but the difference is in lasting & quality.

Lacquer is a cheap way for the shop to get you in & out- but by most in the industry they will match with what the car is painted with. If you guys ever find a shop that has DuPont or Ditzler products I would love to know about it. So far the only great paint jobs are on the tour buses. That would be who I would contact for a great job.

Sorry I can't point you in the right direction, but if they want to put a piss coat of lacquer on your ride I would look elsewhere.

[JoePai]

Now, this place on Sukhumnvit, Naklua, opposite Homemart. This isn't the large, smart place with a very large parking lot, the workshops at the back and the office in a block near the front is it? If so, I had one good experience there, and one scandalous experience. It's some time since I went there (before CRP, and for the wife's Jazz), but before I malign them, I want to make sure we are talking about the same place.

I guess we are talking about the same place,your discription about the building is correct however the parking can host about 10 cars so I don't consider that a very large parking lot.

Visited Pattaya Garage yesterday to book my car in for a few scratches to be sorted out.

Service quite good, maybe 20 mins start to finish BUT the time quoted for the work is very bad. Keep in mind I requested the end of January so as not to get mixed up with the New Year nonsense, they quoted 7 days for which in the west would take 2 days at the outside. Very poor and keep in mind the time should you be needing your vehicle or having to rent.

[Mobi]

Thanks Beardog for your expert information. I guess I am more confused than ever on what to do.

basjke, I couldn't find the place you wrote about, which may or may not be the one i used before. I drove right up to the flyover and could see no sign of any body shops, except one yard that looked a bit like it, but the office was trashed, and the yard had a load of boats in it.

My memory is probably faulty on this. Is the place past the flyover and turn off to the motorway or before it? Maybe I didn't drive far enough.

I did have a look at TP body paint, and I'm sure it is fine, but I just couldn't see myself leaving my beamer there for a few days - all I could see were pickups and the place didn't exactly reek of class.

Of course the obvious solution is to have the front bumper removed (where all the lacquer has peeled off), and then I wouldn't have to worry about leaving the car. I was going to get a few other tiny scrtches done at the same time but maybe I won't worry about them for now.

[basjke]

Thanks Beardog for your expert information. I guess I am more confused than ever on what to do.

basjke, I couldn't find the place you wrote about, which may or may not be the one i used before. I drove right up to the flyover and could see no sign of any body shops, except one yard that looked a bit like it, but the office was trashed, and the yard had a load of boats in it.

My memory is probably faulty on this. Is the place past the flyover and turn off to the motorway or before it? Maybe I didn't drive far enough.

I did have a look at TP body paint, and I'm sure it is fine, but I just couldn't see myself leaving my beamer there for a few days - all I could see were pickups and the place didn't exactly reek of class.

Of course the obvious solution is to have the front bumper removed (where all the lacquer has peeled off), and then I wouldn't have to worry about leaving the car. I was going to get a few other tiny scrtches done at the same time but maybe I won't worry about them for now.

Pattaya garage is almost opposite the Homemart in Naklua.If you start from the traffic lights Naklua on sukhumvit and you drive direction Sattahip it is maybe 500 meters at your right side.If I'm not mistaken they have a green steel gate,which of course is opend during daytime,but you can't miss the advertising sign from Glassurit paints with the coloured Parrot.

[Phil Conners]

Bump...

[Pdaz]

I'm also looking for a decent body shop.. I want some restoration work done.. not just quick accident repair but rusty panels cut out and replaced plus a decent bare metal respray.. Anyone had any resto work done on a classic ?

[praglen]

Sukhumvit Road is very long - is it north or south of Pattaya? How far from Pattaya North, Pattaya Central, Pattaya South or Threpasit Road? Chaiyapum Road?

I used to use GoFast in Naklua, but they seem to have shut up shop.

Does anyone know of a body shop in Pattaya that will fix up small scratches and bumps, good work at reasonable prices?

Thanks

Absolutely! There is a small shop on Soi Siam CC Road that is really great for that level of work. There is no English language sign, so you'll have to pay attention to find him. Coming from Suk, his shop is located about 4 kms down the road. Go past the outdoor markets, and then look for a little strip of shops on the right side of the road. The shop is just BEFORE the strip of shops.

This guy doesn't speak more than a few words of English, but he really knows what he's doing; and his prices are very reasonable.

[timekeeper]

i use the repair shop next to the expensive car showroom on Sukhumvit road

they do a good job at a reasonable price

the boss is chinese thai and very thorough

many years ago i took a mercedes there for a bonnet (hood) to be painted as it had faded due to sun damage

when i went to collect it, i thought it was ok and was satisfied, however the owner came out, looked it over and told me it would need to be repainted, he then bollocked everybody in the immediate vicinity and asked me to come back tomorrow .

i did so and couldn't really see a difference from the previous day but he seemed satisfied now so i paid and left

i had the car for 3 years after that and it was still mint when i sold it

i have used him since for all kinds of minor repairs on many cars, as have my friends

never had a problem

also i heartily recommend Boy on Sukhumvit for anything custom related

he is one of the few people that has ever given any money back on faulty goods, provide an excellent level of service and been an all round good guy

i have spent hundreds of thousands of baht with him over the years

i have been there, done that and i did get the T-shirt !