# Smart repair



## Clyde (Feb 15, 2012)

Hi,

A friend at work had a lil accident with her new X5. BMW quoted her a ridiculous amount to get it fixed. There are no dents, but scrape has gone through to metal. Anyone recommend a decent smart repair or body shop near the Watford area?



Thanks


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

Bet they don't even have their own body shop!

Hope your friend gets sorted, I still chuckle at when my mate took his in and they ended up replacing the bonnet, trouble is the bonnet wasn't damaged


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

For a brand new car, she should ideally just take it to a bodyshop and just live with the inconvenience of being without a car for a bit.

And as above, BMW will only sub contract the job to another local bodyshop.


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## robdcfc (Sep 17, 2012)

Sicskate said:


> For a brand new car, she should ideally just take it to a bodyshop and just live with the inconvenience of being without a car for a bit.
> 
> And as above, BMW will only sub contract the job to another local bodyshop.


Why not a good SMART repair?

BMW will do exactly that and charge a good chunk on top for the privelage of printing an invoice.


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

How can you judge how good a smart repairer is without having the repair done and deciding after?

It's a brand new car, would you want the door and quarter to have a local repair done in the street?

I'm not saying she should go to BMW, but it's a ~£30k+ car.


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## supernova-dw (Apr 26, 2014)

If your open to travelling down to Gloucestershire I can put you in touch with a good friend who will do a top class repair for a Good price!!! P.M me if interested.


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## Rammy (Sep 3, 2014)

I see your in surrey London area 
My mate has spray shop in hack bridge near morden 
I can give you the number if you like. 
I would want a £30 K motor painted in a booth IMO


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## Clyde (Feb 15, 2012)

She's open to a smart repair or bodyshop, just not the figures she's being quoted from BMW!! Unfortunately it needs to be close to Watford.

Rammy forward me the details, I'm near Sutton so always good to know someone locally, infact I need some work doing to one of my cars.


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## mr paint (Jul 11, 2009)

Hi smart repair dose not meat they will blow it away half way through the panel 


on bmw's etc I tend to take the clear upto the body line and polish in to be invisible ...once invisible to me its invisible to the world !

this is most bodyshop and smart repair practice .

repair like this would cost around £400 for both panels and door check 


Tommy


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## Rammy (Sep 3, 2014)

mr paint said:


> Hi smart repair dose not meat they will blow it away half way through the panel
> 
> on bmw's etc I tend to take the clear upto the body line and polish in to be invisible ...once invisible to me its invisible to the world !
> 
> ...


I don't mean a smart repair can't be a good one, but if someone is local has a booth it has to be a better option.
Nick does mobile as well but if Clydes in his neck of the woods the workshop makes sense. :thumb:


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

I have to sit here reading sometimes a laugh til i cry.
People are sooooo dead set against smart repairs because of the "quality" yet use fairy liquid to wash the car windolene on the windows and two million different waxes on each panel because they cant decide which is best tescos own or poundland.


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

The reason I recommended going to a bodyshop over a SR was because of the fact that it's near impossible to know how the persons work will come out. 

Anyone can do a smart repair corse and start up a business. I'm guessing a fair bit of their business will come from simply googling and calling the closest person.

Another aspect to consider is Warrantee, BMW are renowned for having rusty dogs legs and arches I'd hate to have a poor repair done, then later down the line when you approach BMW for a free repair it's likely they will tell you to jog on. 

Obviously this is all just my opinion, no gospel or any hard evidence.

FOA Mr paint,

I see poor previous SR repairs every day, many will happily paint to a solid masked edge, not mask up arches and shuts, and plenty will attempt to blend lacquer without following an edge/body line. 

Just because many will know the correct/best way to do it, I'd bet there are more that don't know, or have enough experience.


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

No reason why that cant be smart repaired. You have two choices body shop or smart repair, an approved bmw body shop will charge alot because they will be using bmw white label waterbase, bmw laquer, which has to used for there approval. If your happy with a smart repair then go with that. 

As for the doubters/haters of smart repairs, its the same old story you'll always hear no such thing as a good smart repair, total and utter shyte. They only ever see the bad ones, because the good ones they don't even know they are there. As for the it needs to be done in a spraybooth again no it doesn't because the smart repairs i do are dried via infa red lamp. There's good and bad in every trade.


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## Scoobycarl (Aug 13, 2011)

They could just do a smart repair in a bodyshop ! We do if it's possible -the less work and materials used = more profits,simples


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

Sicskate said:


> The reason I recommended going to a bodyshop over a SR was because of the fact that it's near impossible to know how the persons work will come out.


How do you know how a bodyshops work is going to come out?

A competent Smart repairer will have been in business for a while - you can't keep turning out rubbish and stay in business.


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

I think the main thing here is - you need to do your research. 

A bodyshop is likely to have some other work on site. 

I'm not against SR, I do it for a living. 

Working in the trade, I know who I'd let touch my car, not many if I'm honest! 

Ok, I'll change my advise, I'd use a SR if I could see a previous repair.


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

Sicskate said:


> I think the main thing here is - you need to do your research.
> 
> A bodyshop is likely to have some other work on site.
> 
> ...


For someone that supposedly does smart repairs, you certainly do a good job of slating your own trade, that's a new one sounds more your saying everyone's work is bad apart from yours, well if there's very few people you'd trust near your car then probably best you do if yourself. No wonder the trades got such a bad reputation with its own tradesman knocking it.


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

I'm not going to bite, you're twisting my words. 

Unfortunately, most smart repairers don't use forums to promote their skills, yourself and Mr. Paint are likely to be at the top of your game, but what if one of these YouTube morons turns up to do the job??

My advice (which was my opinion) is that you should research before going to a smart repairer, which is exactly the same as choosing a bodyshop, this thread was asking about a £30+ motor which is likely a lease car. 
If the owner was to get the repairs done, there's a possibility the work wouldn't pass an inspection, then the owner would get hit with another bill.


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## toddy23 (Jun 16, 2012)

I've been in the trade now 29 years and been doing local repairs back then so body shops have been doing local repairs even before smart repair guys came out.that Job to me is a local repair as we oldies call it all day long and easy job to do


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## Clyde (Feb 15, 2012)

Right back on track is there a recommendation around the Watford area for either a body shop or smart repair. Thanks 

Rammy, I'll touch base with NC for my work.


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