I don’t mind doing low-quality work and cut corners, but you get what you pay for especially when it comes to automotive work. When it comes to mechanical repairs they don’t need to be pretty because you will never need to see them until the next person has to go back in and fix something. In my opinion, you can’t cut corners when it comes to painting a vehicle, as any mistake shows to the trained eye. Some customers are meticulous and will point out mistakes and then you will have to start from square one for free. It is a waste of time and doing things right the first time would have been quicker and cost-effective. Painting and refinishing is the last step when working on a car so it will reflect the work you as the painter has done to it.

My sister has a car my dad has designated to be hers but, she does not have a license just yet. My brother’s car is in the shop and he has been using her car recently. Unfortunately, he rear-ended a truck and the car’s front end needs some work. The bumper, bumper reinforcements, bumper moldings, brackets, right fender, and right headlight were all damaged in the collision. My dad and I went to the pick-a-part in the area. I luckily found a similar car that wasn’t picked clean and my dad and I got our tools and went at it. We removed and collected the parts we needed. Our total for the day was $70 for food, gas, and paying for the parts we pulled. Honestly, the whole thing went really well, we got the front end cheap which made it well worth the hour-long drive to get there. Even better, I had a coupon for a free entree that day. The part of this that boggles my mind is that while I don’t mind going on a hunt for car parts; (to me that’s the fun part) but it bothers me when a family member expects me to be able to do something that I haven’t done in years, in a matter of days.

Nothing has been pushed on me just yet, which is good. So far my brother and I have started sanding down the parts so we can prime and paint, hopefully on the same weekend. I took the time to teach my brother this side of the auto repair world that he isn’t familiar with yet. The process isn’t hard, just meticulous, and can be time-consuming. How have I been approaching the inevitable family wanting you to do some for free? I let them know what the money they are investing in is going to get them in terms of the expected results. In fact, I let them know I haven’t painted a car in six years; so this could end horribly when I go to spray. Not that my skills are bad, but the ratio when mixing the paint could be off due to the fact that I haven’t done this in a while. I wish it wasn’t so long ago, but facts are facts.

So when your family starts asking you to do repairs or modifications that you might not be able to do in a timely manner, communicate. Let them know that a repair is expensive or intensive so it may take a large amount of time and may have to be done over several days/ weeks. Manage their expectations of your nearly free work; because unless you are certified, you aren’t a professional at this. I know I can do the work but, if you don’t know anything about cars, the information I give could come off as misleading, and that is when arguments and fighting can happen with family.

So my end game advice is, communicate clearly, give different options before and throughout the process, and always be upfront with how you are going to be compensated for a job.