[mmmattc]

So the other day I did a slow uphill U-Turn and dropped my SVS at almost a stand still but since it was slanted, the bike slide a little, which rashed up my lower fairings. So I was wondering how much it would cost to fix it up and make it look like new again, so I took it to a shop that the previous owner took it to for some work. Seemed like a nice shop since they race a lot and have a lot of bikes as well as repair and paint.

I take it to the paint guy and he looks at it and comments and talks to me a little because he has an 02' SVS for sale with the exact same color blue. And he says he'll fix it up and paint it the same color for $45 (I was expecting a bit more, so I say yes). He calls later that day and its ready and I go pick it up. Well I take it back and I match it up with the other lower fairing and in my apartment it looks fine. So I go on vacation and when I come back to put it on the bike, the blue is not the right blue but very close! It was a little dull but when installed, VERY noticable. So, today I took it back to the guy and here's how it went...

I tell him that its not the right color and maybe since I didn't bring the other part of the fairing to match the paint he was a little off (even though he had an SVS with the same blue). He says yeah, I know its a Suzuki candy color so it was hard to match so I tried my best to match it, this is the best I could do. o_0 "You didn't tell me that you wouldn't be able to get the exact color, why do I want a fairing that doesn't match?!" This just infuriated me because he told me he would get the same color, not some of this I'll try my best bullsh*t AFTER I had payed. So I try to understand the situation and he says its a candy color and he won't be able to match it exactly and I say why didn't you tell me that in the first place, blahblah.

In the end, I ask him what are my options and he says to either leave it or he can send it out to a local lacquer place to get them to match it up as close as possible but I would have to pay for the paint. I asked him if there were any other paint shops and he says he's the only one around. So I reluctantly let him send it off, hoping that it will not take longer than Thursday because Friday I need to bring the bike to Houston. Great.

 

[stranger]

sorry to hear about the problem.

but you believed him - the guy you're looking to take business away from by sending it somewhere else - that he's the only paint shop in town? go home, look in the yellow pages, look online. drive 15 minutes to bring it somewhere else.

i would have demanded my money back and brought the business elsewhere

 

[DrummerDaveB]

Well, it's a Candy color, and it will be very hard to match.
Plus, the color varies by batch.
It could very well match his bike perfectly, but not yours. W/out giving him a piece to match it too, you're kindof sol.

 

[ASCSurveyor]

I guess this is why after my bike got hit and I took it to the dealer to get the work done on it, they told me "we don't re-paint, we replace." That was fine with me, since I wasn't paying for it. I think the body work alone cost about $400.

 

[mmmattc]

The worst part is this place is almost 30min away, and the first time I went to pick it back up it took me 1hr and half because of Austin's horrible traffic. I'll call him later today to see what the status is on sending it out, definatly need it done by Thursday...

When he goes to show me how he got the color, he showed me his R1 tail and says he painted it close to the R1 blue....
: my bike is not an R1.

 

[mmmattc]

Well, it's a Candy color, and it will be very hard to match.

Hrm, well a disclaimer would have been nice. Something along the lines of exactly what you said, I'm no expert in paint and I'm sure a lot of other people aren't. All he said was, "yeah, I can fix it up for you. Get you the same color and put a clearcoat over it. I'll call you later." *$#)(*%)!!!

Sorry, just venting a little more...

 

[andyauger]

For $45 you can hardly complain. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but candy paints are notoriously hard to match, even with a sample in front of you. They can look different in depth even if the color is correct. Lacquer paint jobs are not at all durable, so make sure it's clear coated. Again, $45 is very cheap. I don't know any reputable paint shops who would have quoted $45 to repair the rash and repaint to a target color.

 

[donniej]

for $45 I wouldn't complain... that's just rediculously cheap!
Paint is almost never a perfect match but he should have told you that up front.

 

[knee-dragger777]

For $45 you can hardly complain. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but candy paints are notoriously hard to match, even with a sample in front of you. They can look different in depth even if the color is correct. Lacquer paint jobs are not at all durable, so make sure it's clear coated. Again, $45 is very cheap. I don't know any reputable paint shops who would have quoted $45 to repair the rash and repaint to a target color.

for $45 I wouldn't complain... that's just rediculously cheap!
Paint is almost never a perfect match but he should have told you that up front.

+1 Guys, That is a great price.

Sorry you were dissappointed. I am sure you can find someone in Austin that can help you(match your color), but you are going to have to pay alot more. More than likely, he just used some paint that was close to paint your parts, and only charged you for his labor. Someone else will have to buy paint to match, and it alone will run you a min of $45.

Good Luck

 

[Spirit of Bunny]

$45 is a too good to be true price, so in a way, you did get what you paid for. I'm interested to see how far off the job was. I bought a factory rear tailpiece, and even the color on that was off compared to the other side. I think the paint on any vehicle tends to degrade or change after awhile. Suzuki paint even moreso.

 

[JaredMcDonley]

Sorry to hear about the problem you are having. Things like this can be really irritating sometimes.

Small thread Jack:
Where can I get some touchup paint for an '01 Blue SVS? Dearer? Any websites?

 

[stranger]

Small thread Jack:
Where can I get some touchup paint for an '01 Blue SVS? Dearer? Any websites?

colorrite.com or color-rite.com not sure. google color rite.

 

[syntheticton]

I guess this is why after my bike got hit and I took it to the dealer to get the work done on it, they told me "we don't re-paint, we replace."  That was fine with me, since I wasn't paying for it.  I think the body work alone cost about $400.

this and the fact most MC dealerships just don't do bodywork or painting... they just don't have the tools, booth or people for it... plus they make $$$ of selling the parts to you

when it comes to painting... my thoughts are this... I have have seen only a few times that colors were matched perfect for any touch-up job on any car or bike paint. The ever so slight variations of color from mixing and the effects of the sun on already painted pieces are just hard to match. I remember our car got repainted a while back by a dealer after it hit a deer. They didn't repaint the whole car... only the hood and front fenders to match. The color was a good match... maybe when the car was new... the older paint was oxidized and looked faded compared to the new paint.

this is why when I got full fairings for my SV... I decided to have everything painted initially because I had seen a few lower fairings added on that the color just didn't match which would have bugged me too much.