REPAINT/REBUILD ADVICE

[170C]

Dave, I don't know what you had in mind on the stipes. You'll have to tell us at Petit Jean, but that photo really looks nice---NO GREAT!!!!! While there's not much prettier than a highly polished airplane, a clean white base paint job with whatever stripes a person chooses always is super nice. I'm anxious to see it.

[johneeb]

Dave, looks great and the shine shows nicely in the picture.
Johneb

[N1478D]

It looks GREAT Dave! And, it looks fast too!

[AR Dave]

Well, I sure appreciate the compliments on it.
Actually that's the only thing keeping from crying right now.
He didn't follow my paint scheme! He did what he wanted too!
I waited a life time for that paint job and now I've got to live with it for a life time. But I'm going to stop whining and wait till I see it in person, it's for sure better than the primer and multicolors that were on there.
And Traci's thinks it's awesome, so that's a consilation (sp) prize!
Webmaster Bruce - here's a better picture!

[zero.one.victor]

I don't know, Dave-- it looks pretty darn nice to me! But it's all about what YOU like, after all. What did you want different with the stripes?

Eric

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I've changed the photo I posted for Dave on the previous page to one that shows the aircraft from the side. I've also included Daves paint sketch. (Hope that was OK Dave)

[N2865C]

I agree Dave. The paint job is not the same as the drawing you gave him. It is very nice, but I do like your design better. If it were me I would insist it be redone, unless there are some extenuating circumstances that you have not told us about.

If it came to it I don't think you would have any problem convincing a small claims court that the painter got it wrong. Just remind the him that you plan to bill him for renting an aircraft for your use while your plane is tied up, unless the problem is resolved quickly.

jc

[AR Dave]

The plane will have an awesome paint job all over. He does excellent work. But the first thing he did was take his pencil and extend that bottom stripe all the way back and say "it'll look better like this". I didn't like it. I called him from home and said definitely do not extend that bottom stripe passed where I had it originally. Then I re-copied this drawing, and wrote "bottom stripe ends here" and drew the little nose picture up above. Traci took it to him. She said that this is the drawing that was laying on the tail feathers when she was there. I drew that nose drawing because, I wanted two things:
1. The stripe to stop where I stopped it and
2. The blue cowling paint to come down to mid nose bowl. That's why it has an arrow blue, 1/2 nose bowl, written on the sketch. Because I had a feeling he might do that. He wanted to take the bottom stripe to the tail feathers.
Anyway, he now said once you go this far it's too late. Would take a lot of work. Wonder just how much?

[Curtis Brown]

Dave,
I went through very much the same things with my paint shop. They would have to strip the plane and start over, is what I was told. After a year now, I still see where they missed my scheme and it sticks in my craw. However, everyone that sees mine loves it and says so.
Your plane looks great, go get it and fly it home and ask for 10% off.

[GAHorn]

It doesn't matter what we think, Dave. It matters what YOU think.
All the shop has to do in order to please the customer is do what the customer specifys. If the shop takes it upon themselves to violate the customers specs....then the shop has to suffer the consequences when the customer refuses to accept the defective work. That's the way I see it.
I'd give him two choices. Release the plane to me without payment. Or redo the entire paint job at his own expense and compensate me for the loss of use of my airplane. Any lawyer could quickly explain his options to him....even his OWN lawyer would likely increase his concerns about further argument with you.
That's what I'd do. But you need to decide what YOU want to do. I suspect you'll be a nice guy and let him off the hook somewhat. Let me caution you...that if you do let him off the hook...or accept a discounted price....you'll have absolutely NO WARRANTY without a hell of a fight later on down the road. You'd better be completely satisfied with whatever settlement you make the day you fly it away. IMHO.

[zero.one.victor]

The airplane looks good,Dave, but it's very definitely different from your sketch. Your layout is more attractive-- both your lower stripe (termination point) & your upper stripe (bottom edge at the spinner centerline) suit the lines of the airplane better.
What to do about it-- I don't know. The paint shop should do the honorable thing & make it right. Perhaps clue this fellow in that you have the ear of A LOT of airplane owners (potential customers)- 170 Assn, EAA, etc-- and that he probably doesn't want all the bad PR that HIS mistake is gonna cause him. Plus any possible further action re: better business bureau, lawyer, etc. It's a bummer if ya have to go to that extreme though....
Good luck working it out....

Eric

[GAHorn]

I'm thinking this isn't such a difficult thing to correct anyway, Dave.
As for the cowl upper stripe, ....all he has to do is completely re-mask the base color, and re-shoot the entire upper stripe (so no paint lines are visible.) To end the lower stripe where you desire is merely a matter of re-masking, shooting some base color, and then blending the base-color into the back-ground base color where the overspray exists. Body shops do that all the time with little or no ill effect.
It should not require him to "re-strip" the entire plane. Sounds to me as if the shop owner simply wants to be done with it and get his money, hoping you'll give up the issue. (You'll still have no warranty when you leave. This guy is going to be absolutely unreliable in that regard, I'm convinced. The only way I'll change my mind about that is if he 1) apologizes to you, 2) admits his error and accepts responsibility, and 3) offers to quickly correct the paint job. And I'd get it and the warranty in writing before I paid him. The written warranty would also include his personal warranty...not just his present business name.....because of his indications in this matter so far.)

[AR Dave]

The Paint Shop is a very reputable shop & very good. I need to hold off on my asumption that I'll have to fight over it. He does a lot of business. I've always seen at least 3 planes in his shop, being worked on in different stages, every time I'm there. Hopefully, after we see how he handles this, I'll be giving him high recommendations. So far all I've told him is that I don't like it. Thanks for looking at how to fix it, I've been thinking the same thing. I only need 2" added to the bottom edge of the top, and about the same added to the top edge of the bottom. The bottom stripe will have a different angle to stop where I want it.

I'd like to tell him to make me an appointment, after Petit Jean, for the re-do. I sure want to take my plane to my own fly-in!
When you say warranty, you're talking about flaking or fading or just the hold up of the paint job, right?

[GAHorn]

As to warranty, I'm referring to quality of workmanship and finish. The paint should not fade or flake, peel, chalk, etc., of course. But that can be gotten around by a clever shop. Sort of like when a roofer puts on a new roof. The shingles are guaranteed for 20 years,....and 10 years later they're leaking. The roofer will pro-rate the new shingles to satisfy the shingle warranty....but the problem is you'll still have to pay him labor to remove/re-roof your house! He makes money either way...twice!
With a paint job, I'd want a paint job to not peel or flake for 5 years as a minimum and I'd be PO'ed if it did it then....but the likelihood is that if it did it would not be due to the shop workmanship but more like a failure of primer or paint.
Fading is a paint defect, but fading within 5 years should be re-painted by the shop no charge....unless YOU supplied the paint. (Hopefully that did not occur.)

[AR Dave]

I'm thinking this isn't such a difficult thing to correct anyway, Dave.
As for the cowl upper stripe, ....all he has to do is completely re-mask the base color, and re-shoot the entire upper stripe (so no paint lines are visible.) To end the lower stripe where you desire is merely a matter of re-masking, shooting some base color, and then blending the base-color into the back-ground base color where the overspray exists. Body shops do that all the time with little or no ill effect.

George, you're not teasing me are you!
I'm getting my hopes up again! Will he be able to paint over the clear coat. Tell me this can be done!

I'll be up late tonight schetching!
With my new drawing, I just want him to use the pin stripes as his boarder. On top - Fill the Blue down to overlap the pin stripe. Then put a new pin stripe below that. He stopped that stripe short, so he has room to go back to the stabilizer like in the drawing I gave him.
I'm having a little trouble with the bottom. Needs to be wider at the mouth, but parallel between the two stripes. And stop where I stopped in the drawing of course. I'd rather raise it to overlap the top pin stripe, but going down to open it up would keep the space between the two parallel.