I’ll give you my example.
If someone comes in and wants heads ”freshened up” and the port work cleaned up, I drop a massive price on it.
Unless your name is Chad Speier, Darin Morgan, Larry Meaux or like them I’m not, will not unless I’m getting a boat load of money touch those heads.
So rather get into a discussion about even looking at the heads (or manifold) I just price it high enough that if it get it I make the money I want or it just goes away.
Same with body shops. What makes you think your car was any different than the last 100 cars that came in? It’s not like you were their first customer.
And it seems like it worked. They are busy enough they don’t need the work and if they take it on they will make the money they want.
Looking at your car would have changed nothing.
Hell, I was in the shop I last worked at a couple of weeks ago and they FINALLY (about 2 years ago) instituted the policy of 50% down for ALL parts and 50% down for all estimated labor.
I was on them for years to do it. Finally he got sick of dealing with people who waited until the engine was done and then you have to wait 2 months (if you are lucky) to get paid.
You can’t stay in business like that.
