Good day,
I just got my car back from the shop on Saturday. They did such a good job that I wanted to share it with the community. The name of the paint shop is Los Ponchos, in Tijuana.
Here are some of the pictures:
I have pictures of the work in progress as well if you guys care to see. They strip the car, took off everything except for the windshield. There was no rust anywhere close around it so there is no need.
Very nice. How much?
Very few things as satisfying as new paint
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Did they at least put rope under the rubber gasket around the windshield to get the new paint under there?
Otherwise, the new paint might start peeling away from around the windshield.
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I had a Tijuana paint job done here in Fresno, Ca.
I think if would of enjoyed wiping my ass with the money better.
Last edited by Braymond141; 08-15-2011 at 01:08 AM.
Good question. To be honest I am not sure whether they did or not. They have been in business for over 50 years though. I hope they know what they are doing.
What they did tell me is that they used 4 layers of white and 4 layers of clear coat. The paint brand is PPG.
These are pictures of the car after the prep. For $1000 nobody in California would have prep the car like this.
The reason that I am posting these is because during the course of my search most places that would do a good job in California quoted me $4000, $5000 or $6000. This is more than the value of the car.
I hope my experience can help other people who are too looking for a paint job.
I'm no expert, but I suspect the reason that body work and paint is so expensive n the USA is because most repairs are paid for by insurance companies. Over time this has lead to inflated prices. Just my opinion.
When a buddy of mine suggested TJ. I was skeptical but decided to look into it on line. I spent a few days reading forums and eventually found 2 threads that convinced me to take my car down:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...job-ideas.html
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=439586
Last edited by monoblanco; 08-13-2011 at 11:53 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Nice, and smokin price, Mexico FTW
well bodywork and paint is expensive because supplies, paint booths, baking ovens and per hour labour is expensive among other things.
when they use newspaper and paint it in an open shed to toxify the environment it is of course cheaper.
As long as the customer is happy in the end thats all that matters. Your paintjob does look like it came out nicely.
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Yea looks like a sketchy business however photos look great. Doing prep work yourself if your experienced in body work and supplying the paint can drastically reduce the price.
Good point. The paint room is not open though. It is a closed garage with a door and a small window for a fan to blow air out. So it does toxify the environment for sure.
You know the day I went to pick up the car I kept looking for a place in the garage to wait, where I would not smell toxins. Pretty much everywhere around the shop (outside the paint room) smelled like paint. Luckily this is not a closed area.
My concern was mostly for the guys who work at the shop who would go in and out of the paint room, and I never saw any of them wear any type of mask. I asked them about that and they said that they were not spraying right at that moment, as if it is ok to go in the paint room without mask as long as no one is spraying at the moment. I really don't think they understand how harmful those toxins are.
I can see how California is probably very strict about how body repair shops operate, but I doubt Texas or Alabama have anything close to the type of regulations we have here. (Not that I know for sure)
I think sketchy is a stretch. These guys are very good at what they do, and they are very honest.
Indeed if you can do the prep work yourself you will save a bucket of money. I considered it but realistically there is no way I have the time for that. And without supervision, I'm not 100% confident I would have done it right.
Last edited by monoblanco; 08-13-2011 at 09:49 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
I just think its hilarious how some people think that any type of body work from Mexico is automatically a hack job, most body shops in Mexico will shit on the average "professional" shop found here in USA and all for a fraction of the price. bondo is very rarely used as most shops are really good with metal work. they don't just slap on new body panels like they do here they actually take their time with things and don't cut corners.
Exactly my point.
For instance, check out this bus they are restoring. The front part, maybe 5 inches below the headlights had to be cut off completely and replaced with new metal. The owner of this bus is the guy who recommended Los Ponchos to me.
If I have one complaint about the work they did is that it took them a little bit longer than they told me. That was not my concern. I was only concern about the quality of the work they did, and they delivered.
Last edited by monoblanco; 08-14-2011 at 08:05 PM.
Very nice! Shoot me the name of the shop, contact info, etc... I'm VERY interested in stopping by. How long did they have it?
Only thing I'd be worried about is leaving my car in Mexico for a week. Lol.
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You made your decision based on a thread where the VW Bus is;
a) not done
b) the original worker who started vanished
c) is severely out of their time quoted
d) NOT DONE
e) you are assuming that pictures tell the truth about what is being shown
Sorry, but you absolutely get what you pay for. There is no question about that.
Last edited by Braymond141; 08-15-2011 at 03:04 AM.
They kept the car for 5 weeks. I did tell them I was not in a rush and I was only concerned with the quality of their work. Still I would plan for delays.
I understand being worried about leaving your car south of the border for an extended period of time. If I drove a 911 maybe I would've been more apprehensive. But given what my options were:
A) Paint the car in California and pay way more than the car is worth.
B) Risk it in TJ, we're only talking about a 1991 e30
But you are correct, there is no guarantees in Mexico.
I would suggest that you do a little research on your own. Read the forum threads I posted previously. If you don't speak Spanish go with a buddy who does just in case. I cant tell for sure someone at Los Ponchos speaks English, but I suspect someone does.
I'm posting my experience hoping that it helps other people in a similar situation, because my experience was very positive.
Best of luck
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=taller...2,36.5625&z=14
Los Ponchos Carroceria y Pintura S.A. de C.V.
Avenida Negrete 958, Centro, 22000 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico+52 664 685 4641
The owner of the bus wrote about his experience in a forum. I made my decision based on what he wrote, and other accounts on other forums.
You are correct, when my car was done the bus was still being worked on. I assume this is because it is undergoing a full restoration. I do know for sure it is behind schedule. I do not know that it is severely behind schedule. Also for what I saw it is coming along very well.
Taking your car to TJ is not for everyone. I would not try to convince anyone that this is a good idea for their car. Everyone's situation is different.
But if you ask me if I would do it again, I definitely would.
Last edited by monoblanco; 08-15-2011 at 03:45 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Damn, I would never drive into mexico. It's way too crazy out there right now.
I know several people who have taken cars to mexico for paint and body work. In Tijuana and in Juarez. The body parts are cheaper, the labor is cheaper, the paint is name brand and the end result is almost as good. Just find a place that is somewhat reputable. A $1000 paint job here in the states would be almost worthless. Agreed, I wouldn't take a super expensive car down there, but for your 15 year old Camry with oxidized paint and a smashed up fender a cheap respray in Mexico is great.
As a side note, TONS of people here in New Mexico and Texas go to Juarez for dental work. The doctors went to school in the US, they are licensed and professional, and they have a bus that picks you up and drops you off from your hotel in El Paso. And its usually about 30% of the cost you would pay here. I guess they save a ton of money by not having to carry high malpractice insurance like they are required to here.
My wife is a hygienist in El Paso and they get a TON of patients that come from their Mexican dentist with all kinds of problems. I'm not talking about small problems. I'm talking about dentist pulling the wrong teeth, broken bones in the jaw bone and incomplete root canals just to name a few. They get about 2 every week that come in with problems from Juarez. There is no way in hell i would trust ANY medical staff, including dentist in Juarez. I live here and have first hand knowledge.
I have all car work done in Juarez though. A clutch job in Juarez will cost you $150 in labor when quoted $700 in El Paso. Ask around about reputation and you will find quality mechanics and painters in Juarez.
Looks good, and even better price!
As far as I'm concerned Juarez is another story man.
Though I'm sure there is top notch mechanics and body shop places there the stories coming from Juarez are the reason why most Americans are terrified of Mexico. There's been a drug war raging in Juarez for a long time. How often do you go there? have things settled down?
I feel for the people of Juarez. They have been caught in the middle of that war for many years now.
Something else most people don't realize is that Tijuana is much safer than New Orleans.
Funny that this came up. Im a dentist, I worked in LA for years and I would see stuff come from mexico and other places where dentistry is cheaper, many of them had some serious problems with work done only couple years back and needed to be redone. Then they cry to me about it, but there's little i can do to repair shoddy work except remove all of it and start from scratch. It is usually more expensive the second time.
Im sure there are good/bad professionals in any country, but when you dont have a system in place to regulate them, you are taking a chance.
I accidentally drove across the border to TJ in my 2 day old M6 back in 2008 when I was visiting San Diego. I was freakin out, no one cared for turn signals, my bmw nav didnt have any maps, I was afraid of being pulled over by corrupt cops, and cart people selling stuff get waaaaaay too close for comfort. Even though I made a quick loop back to the border it took 2hrs to get back into the US. I lost 10lbs in sweat.
TJ is ok, just dont go there in anything too nice.
Last edited by vickumar; 08-17-2011 at 06:41 PM.
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nice.... how long did it take them to paint the car?
Last edited by bigrubedogg; 08-17-2011 at 06:54 PM.
It took them 5 weeks. Though they knew I was most concerned with quality rather than how long it would take. Plus being from a latin country myself I know we are not known for our punctuality.
Ya I would be cautious about visiting a dentist south of the border. I would do my research much more thoroughly than when I was looking to paint my car.
Unfortunately the state of our health care system is such that many people are forced to take their chances down there. We can only blame ourselves for that. No one cares until we are the ones with the tooth ache.
Looks like a great paint job from the pictures, and for $1000 it's a steal! Hope you enjoy your looks new ride!
very interesting, thanks for the tip!
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