Paintwork needed... Dealer or private better?
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
Paintwork needed... Dealer or private better?
As the title says, I need some paint work on the hood of my car. I'm not sure if I should go to an authorized dealer certified Mercedes collision center because when I had my previous cars, an Audi and a Subaru the dealer body shop was terrible. They had kids working there and it seemed like they were always in a rush and shortstaffed ..both times my cars came out and either the color didn't match or there was runs and bubbles in the paint.. Should I go with the authorized dealer or a reputable body shop that many people say do good work and family run.. Would they be able to get the same type of paint and procedures as the authorized dealer collision center but with more quality job?
Last edited by Gungaslow; Apr 4, 2016 at 08:33 PM.
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2022 E350 Diamond White Metallic, 2016 GLC300 Dakota Brown Metallic
My authorized dealer in Dallas happens to be one of the best shops in the area. They do Rolls, Bentley, Maserati, Jag, Porsche, Lexus, Mercedes. Etc. i noticed you have Mass plates. I would find a shop that caters to high end cars where you are.
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
lot was full of smashed cars.. And it took forever.. I don't know how else to find the best place around my area that does great color matching.. Just word of mouth.. I just don't want to go through the crap again.. Especially when the sun hits the panels that got resprayed and the metallic flakes in the paint are larger than the original or a shade off..?? Help
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You don't generally see in house MB collision centers at dealerships. Usually MB will certify an independent shop in the area for their collision work. MB requires a high level of equipment and training. A certified shop should be fine.
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As the title says, I need some paint work on the hood of my car. I'm not sure if I should go to an authorized dealer certified Mercedes collision center because when I had my previous cars, an Audi and a Subaru the dealer body shop was terrible. They had kids working there and it seemed like they were always in a rush and shortstaffed ..both times my cars came out and either the color didn't match or there was runs and bubbles in the paint.. Should I go with the authorized dealer or a reputable body shop that many people say do good work and family run.. Would they be able to get the same type of paint and procedures as the authorized dealer collision center but with more quality job?
Now I guess it's going to take the whole community again to convince you whether you should go to a dealer or a body shop. 
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
I found a certified Mercedes shop in my area but it has mediocre reviews at best and it's at a Chevrolet dealership which is affiliated with the MB dealership...Now I found another shop that is certified by BMW Ferrari Range Rover etc. that gets great reviews and the owner and partner actually do the paint themselves and are basically certified by a bunch of high end car brands except for Mercedes.. I called them and they said they work on Mercedes all the time and it's no problem...they also said they use the best equipment and paint matching... Who should I go with? The Chevy/MB shop or the high end private shop that is certified by a bunch of high end manufacturers except MB?
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Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
Certified by who? Like I said the shop that does the best work and actually run by the owners is certified by a lot of high end manufacturers except for Mercedes... the Chevy dealer in my area is certified by Mercedes but I don't know if there work is as good? What do you guys recommend specifically?
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2016 AMG C63S, Lamborghini Gallardo, 2016, A-class 180
A Mercedes certified paint shop with warranty on their jobs.
Scenario 1. You listen to someone on the forum and go to a specific paint shop.
They do a bad job and 6 months later the paint chips, cracks or whatever and you bring it back and they come up with some bad excuse and your left with a ****ty job they wont touch.
Or. You get the job done and after a while you get rust on some edge and you bring it to mercedes to fix it under warranty and they ask where it has been repainted, ok sorry that company is not certified to paint our cars and your left with the bill.
I can not stress enough to go to a "Mercedes certified" paint shop!
Ask your local dealer what paint shop they recommend because they have had more customer cars re painted than either of us.
Good luck!
Scenario 1. You listen to someone on the forum and go to a specific paint shop.
They do a bad job and 6 months later the paint chips, cracks or whatever and you bring it back and they come up with some bad excuse and your left with a ****ty job they wont touch.
Or. You get the job done and after a while you get rust on some edge and you bring it to mercedes to fix it under warranty and they ask where it has been repainted, ok sorry that company is not certified to paint our cars and your left with the bill.
I can not stress enough to go to a "Mercedes certified" paint shop!
Ask your local dealer what paint shop they recommend because they have had more customer cars re painted than either of us.
Good luck!
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2016 C300
Any shop with an MB certification is fine. To paint your hood, really any shop with a downdraft paint booth and a custom tinting station/color match can handle it, although your car is so new the paint will match right out of the can, You might be overthinking this a bit.
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'13 C63 AMG P31
Go to the certified shop. Inspect it when done, if it's not 100% like you want, kindly ask them to redo it. Repeat until it is absolutely perfect to how you want it. Most certified places will be more than happy to accommodate.
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
Well I took the car to a certified Mercedes-Benz collision shop.. They said they only need to paint the hood of the car. They do not need to blend the paint into the fender? I asked them why and they said they use special Mercedes paint that does not require them to blend as much as other body shops.. Then I went to another body shop and told them what the authorized collision center told me and they said that there is no such thing and for the job to be done correctly they need to blend the fender... I don't know who to believe. And I don't want to have a body shop have to redo the paint work so there's 10 inches of paint on my car...anyone here work as a body shop guy that would know?
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2016 C300
Blending is really only an issue when the paint color is not a perfect match, and that's usually due to aging of the existing paint. The blend is intended to make the variation less obvious by not limiting the new paint to one panel. If your paint is in good shape and the shop uses color matching the first shop should be fine. Typically you'd want as little of the factory finish disturbed as possible. What color is the car?
Thread Starter
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
Blending is really only an issue when the paint color is not a perfect match, and that's usually due to aging of the existing paint. The blend is intended to make the variation less obvious by not limiting the new paint to one panel. If your paint is in good shape and the shop uses color matching the first shop should be fine. Typically you'd want as little of the factory finish disturbed as possible. What color is the car?
Thread Starter
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
I don't know how they would do it? That's why I'm asking all these questions cause I don't know if they can match the hood with the fender without having to blend into the fender
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
I don't know how they would do it? That's why I'm asking all these questions cause I don't know if they can match the hood with the fender without having to blend into the fender.. If you know can you explain if just painting the hood will match the fender please.. The dealer said they only need to spray the hood, some other body shops said they need spray some of the fender .. I don't know who is rite?
Last edited by Gungaslow; Apr 5, 2016 at 09:02 PM.
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2016 C300
Did they write an estimate for you and if so can you post it? I was an adjuster for ten years and a buddy of mine owns an MB certified shop and I can run it by him if I can't sort it out for you.
Somehow they have to level out that low spot in the clearcoat, so I'd expect they wrote for a couple hours of repair.
Somehow they have to level out that low spot in the clearcoat, so I'd expect they wrote for a couple hours of repair.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Nov 2015
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From: Massachusetts USA
2017 C43 sedan
Did they write an estimate for you and if so can you post it? I was an adjuster for ten years and a buddy of mine owns an MB certified shop and I can run it by him if I can't sort it out for you.
Somehow they have to level out that low spot in the clearcoat, so I'd expect they wrote for a couple hours of repair.
Somehow they have to level out that low spot in the clearcoat, so I'd expect they wrote for a couple hours of repair.
That would be great for your advice!!!
