Is There An Honest Auto/Body/Painter In SoCal?

I agree with you 100% RRR.
In all of my dealings with any of the paint shops I never asked for a discount. I've checked out their work, asked about the brand of paint materials they plan to use, their estimate on how long the job will take, and then asked for their price. Also, I've never quibbled about their quote.
Ken, if you don't mind a haul to Bakersfield I have a very trustworthy shop I can recommend. They did the wife's Dart in six weeks as promised. PM me if interested.