Emilos Beetle

Guitar1979

I have just got in touch with Emilos regarding a price on a new lick of paint for a 1974 VM Beetle. I swear it was like pulling teeth. The guy wouldnt give me a straight answer. In order words the was a dick.. Sorry but its true..
He said i would have to bring the car into the garage for him to look at. Now all i wanted for him was a ball park figure on how much this would cost.

That's the last time i will ring them. I only wanted to know roughly how much it would cost. I am thinking of buying a particular Beetle but it needs a total respray.

Is this the norm when ringing around for re-spray quotes? i am pretty new to this..

deckie27

Well i suppose he would need to see how much prepartion work would be required
A paint job is only as good as the work done before you paint it
Like theres no point spraying over crap and little dents etc.

TomMc

You are forgetting that some people in the trade are much too professional to give a rough quote over the phone. In otherwords they would have to see the car in person so as to get an idea of how much preparation work is involved on what is an old vehicle. They could see the early tell tale signs of rot that a mere mortal would not and if they take pride in their work would not be prepared to dumb down to a cheap respray cutting corners. Anyway, if you call in person I'm sure they will give you far more serious attention.

Guitar1979

Yea i totally agree with you regarding professionalism but i specifically told him that all i need is a re-spray, nothing else. I agree with what both of you are saying but i think he could have gave me figure. I told him that i was relatively new to owning and restoring Beetles and any info would help out tremendously. In all fairness the guy wasnt bothered. I dont want to be bad mouthing anyone and i have heard some great things about Emilos. They have a great reputation in the business and that's why i called them.

Redrocket

you cant just respray a car like you would repaint a rusty gate. There is an awful lot of hidden work involved at the best of times. He has no idea what condition your shell is in. Maybe he would rather not do the work than to do it badly?
If you want a half arsed job done keep ringing body shops till you get someone that understands your requirements

Dord

I agree that he would have to see it, any other professional would say the same.

--amadeus--

I work in IT and I regularly get asked by customers "How much to...". Like the OP they get annoyed when I start asking questions and come over with teh "I just want a rough idea" line.

The trouble is that the rough idea price is teh one that people throw back at you and expect you to stick to after you start work and discover that it's twice as complicated as you were led to believe and so will take twice as long to finish!

Look at it from his perspective - someone on the phone who admits to being new is looking for a quote to spray something that might turn out to be full of holes. How can he estimate how long it will take, it's like asking how long a piece of string is.

Guitar1979

i think he should have given me a ball park figure. I wasnt asking him would he do it, only a quote. Now if i had of asked him for his sister, then yea i would expect a hostile answer... LOL..

Thanks lads,

2cv

Maybe he should have given you two different quotes, like a best case worst case scenario. With his experience, that shouldn't have to be a problem. And at least that way you'd have a vague idea of what you're looking at :-)

Dord

There could be more than just a respray to be done, it could require some panels to be replaced or some rust to be taken care of. So basically he would have to see it.

I'm sure if you rang any other spray shop they'd tell you the same.


I've heard excellent things about Emilio and how he's helped a lot of people out with their bugs & buses. I'm certainly going to go to him when I get my bug.

Guitar1979

I work in IT too but if some guy asked me a black and white questions regarding, say how much a case was for a PC i think i could give me a quote/ballpark figure. All i asked him for was "how much would a spray job for a 1974 VM Beetle be(FULL STOP)" the question is pretty much black and white. I can see your point though, regarding me being a new comer to all this and his.

All i want is for someone in Ireland to tell me roughly ( which is possible ) how much it would cost to respray a classic beetle.

--amadeus-- wrote:

I work in IT and I regularly get asked by customers "How much to...". Like the OP they get annoyed when I start asking questions and come over with teh "I just want a rough idea" line.

The trouble is that the rough idea price is teh one that people throw back at you and expect you to stick to after you start work and discover that it's twice as complicated as you were led to believe and so will take twice as long to finish!

Look at it from his perspective - someone on the phone who admits to being new is looking for a quote to spray something that might turn out to be full of holes. How can he estimate how long it will take, it's like asking how long a piece of string is.

Redrocket

1,000-10,000

Guitar1979

Thanks man.. that's all i needed, LOL..

Kevin_Herron

Thats a good ball park figure.

Its a silly question, its like asking how much you'd pay for a car over the phone!

FiSe

Guitar1979 wrote:

Yea i totally agree with you regarding professionalism but i specifically told him that all i need is a re-spray, nothing else. I agree with what both of you are saying but i think he could have gave me figure....

There's your problem, man, any one can do a respray, you don't need to bother people who don't do "just" resprays.
I believe, that if you bring your kafer into any body repair shop in any place in this country and say: "Just respray, no warranty, no proper preparation, just rub it down and go with top coat, will bother you no more, there's me 2grand and off I go.." Anyone will do it, although if they will, I wouldn't be going back there again.
My point is, either you want to do a proper paint restoration, or go and buy a spraycans :cool:

Dustpuppy

Your question : "how much would a spray job for a 1974 VM Beetle be(FULL STOP)"

And now my questions :
Is there rust on the car?
Is the old color still on?
Is the primer on the car?
Do you want me to do the primer?
Do you want a standard color or something like metalic, chrome color, flip flop?

Never say again, it is a simple question.

A question for a nearly simple answer is this :
"I have a 1974 beetle, all needed work is done, the car is stripped down, the primer is on it and i want to have it painted in gay pink, no metalic. How much would this cost?"

I want to hear your answer, if someone ask you : "How much is a network for me?"
Give a simple answer without knowing anything about what hardware is aviable, how many workstations, how many servers and what kind of services.

I HATE PEOPLE SAYING THAT OTHERS ARE DICKS, IF THEY MADE THE MISSTAKES WITHOUT THINKING WHAT SAY TALKING ABOUT!

Abelloid

Guitar1979 wrote:

I have just got in touch with Emilos regarding a price on a new lick of paint for a 1974 VM Beetle. I swear it was like pulling teeth. The guy wouldnt give me a straight answer. In order words the was a dick.. Sorry but its true..
He said i would have to bring the car into the garage for him to look at. Now all i wanted for him was a ball park figure on how much this would cost.

That's the last time i will ring them. I only wanted to know roughly how much it would cost. I am thinking of buying a particular Beetle but it needs a total respray.

Is this the norm when ringing around for re-spray quotes? i am pretty new to this..

Maybe you should have asked that before calling the only aircooled VW specialist in Dublin a dick? :rolleyes:

junkyard

I'll do it for 3000 euros providing it's worth painting.

MercMad

I certainly dont think the guy was being a dick........its an impossible question to answer. These guys are proud of their work and as the guys say, he has a good reputation for a reason, he wont take on work that might make him look bad !

A neighbour of mine got his bug repainted white about 4 years ago, uses it everyday, no garage and the car looks brand new ! The paint gleams and the owner just washes it occasionally !

dollydishmop

Are you aware these forums are public?

Are you also aware that Emilio is well able to use the interent and is active on various forums. Did it occur to you that if he hasn't seen this post already it will only be a matter of time.

Did you really want to call one of the most respected classic vw experts in Ireland a 'dick' on a publicly viewable Irish board?

Believe me, you wouldn't want to have asked for his sister, even in jest :eek:
You especially don't even want to so much as mention any of his family members after this little episode!

Whilst you might have only wanted a common-or-garden 'respray, he has a reputation to protect. He's not going to give you even a ballpark figure over the phone, at the very least he'd expect to see the car in the flesh, to judge how much of a respray it needs. You opinion of what it needs might not match his opinion of how he wants a car to leave his workshop. If you just want it blown over, and if in his opinion a blow over will still leave it looking crap, then he just ain't going to do it. He can't make that decision without seeing the car. He can't risk someone questioning the paint job, and you telling all and sundry that he did it, and believe me a blow over on a rough body looks even rougher!

Ti

Guitar1979 wrote:

I have just got in touch with Emilos regarding a price on a new lick of paint for a 1974 VM Beetle. I swear it was like pulling teeth. The guy wouldnt give me a straight answer. In order words the was a dick.. Sorry but its true..
He said i would have to bring the car into the garage for him to look at. Now all i wanted for him was a ball park figure on how much this would cost.

That's the last time i will ring them. I only wanted to know roughly how much it would cost. I am thinking of buying a particular Beetle but it needs a total respray.

Is this the norm when ringing around for re-spray quotes? i am pretty new to this..

Let's get a few things straight here.

You were not talking to Emilio the first day you rang, you weren't even talking to a man. You were talking to ME, I am Emilios wife. When you rang back and spoke to Emilio, you got exactly the same information I gave you.

I explained quite clearly the reasons for not quoting. A lot of other posters here have done a very good job of explaining the reasons too. As you are obviously too ignorant to understand them, I won't waste my time outlining the issues again. The only thing I will say on the subject is, you were adamant there was no rust on the car, and yet in two of the posts you made on the thread started 12th June you mentioned rust!

You haven't a clue what you are talking about, you don't even own the car in question and yet you proceed to print slanderous comments and resort to childish name-calling because you didn't get your own way. The comment about 'asking for his sister' is indeed, indicative of a particularly offensive nature which you have clearly demonstrated.

I strongly object to being referred to in the way you did, and I want an apology. Don't say you weren't refering to me because you are. I was the first person you spoke to and you cannot say I was anything other than polite and patient even in the face of your obviously unqualified opinions.

RoundyMooney

I reiterate what other posters have said on this issue, a respray is not something that can be quoted effectively without seeing what needs to be done.

Personal insults are personal insults, whether the poster is a member of this site or not, and it seems now that they have signed up to allow themselves the right of reply.

I would retract the comment, but that's just me...

hullaballoo

Guitar1979 wrote:

I have just got in touch with Emilos regarding a price on a new lick of paint for a 1974 VM Beetle. I swear it was like pulling teeth. The guy wouldnt give me a straight answer. In order words the was a dick.. Sorry but its true..
He said i would have to bring the car into the garage for him to look at. Now all i wanted for him was a ball park figure on how much this would cost.

That's the last time i will ring them. I only wanted to know roughly how much it would cost. I am thinking of buying a particular Beetle but it needs a total respray.

Is this the norm when ringing around for re-spray quotes? i am pretty new to this..

I'd better see an apology from you quick-smart or I'll be issuing a severe ban. NEVER is it allowed to talk about someone that way on this site, no matter who it is, or how ill-treated you felt. If you have an issue with a person, you can resolve it other ways than landing yourself in hot water here.

Ti, apologies for this thread. It has only just come to my attention.

MercMad

Ti wrote:

Let's get a few things straight here.

You were not talking to Emilio the first day you rang, you weren't even talking to a man. You were talking to ME, I am Emilios wife. When you rang back and spoke to Emilio, you got exactly the same information I gave you.

I explained quite clearly the reasons for not quoting. A lot of other posters here have done a very good job of explaining the reasons too. As you are obviously too ignorant to understand them, I won't waste my time outlining the issues again. The only thing I will say on the subject is, you were adamant there was no rust on the car, and yet in two of the posts you made on the thread started 12th June you mentioned rust!

You haven't a clue what you are talking about, you don't even own the car in question and yet you proceed to print slanderous comments and resort to childish name-calling because you didn't get your own way. The comment about 'asking for his sister' is indeed, indicative of a particularly offensive nature which you have clearly demonstrated.

I strongly object to being referred to in the way you did, and I want an apology. Don't say you weren't refering to me because you are. I was the first person you spoke to and you cannot say I was anything other than polite and patient even in the face of your obviously unqualified opinions.

........glad you took the time to post a reply and defend your Company's good reputation. I'm sure you have better things to do with your time. Still you have verified your Company's professional attitude with that dignified response.

unkel

MercMad wrote:

you have verified your Company's professional attitude with that dignified response.

Agreed. You'd better apologise, Guitar1979

Guitar1979

unkel wrote:

Agreed. You'd better apologise, Guitar1979

Yea man i think i was pretty out of line regarding this post. IN NO WAY WAS I TRYING TO HURT THE REPUTATION OF EMILO'S.

I have mailed Ti to let her know that i was a total di*k and awaiting her response..

I would also like you all to know i knew nothing about Sisters and brothers in Emilo's, nothing.. you can imagine my shock when i heard back that she was actually a sister of the guy...

Sorry everyone... i was a dic*...

3ps

methinks somebody needs work done

Abelloid

Why did you drag this up again without bothering to read back over it ? :rolleyes:

3ps

Is that directed at me JustinOval?

Abelloid

3ps wrote:

Is that directed at me JustinOval?

No.

starrywalsh

:cool: Does anybody know any dicks that will respray my 1980 austin mini ? :eek:

Ti

Guitar1979 wrote:

Yea man i think i was pretty out of line regarding this post. IN NO WAY WAS I TRYING TO HURT THE REPUTATION OF EMILO'S.

I have mailed Ti to let her know that i was a total di*k and awaiting her response..

I would also like you all to know i knew nothing about Sisters and brothers in Emilo's, nothing.. you can imagine my shock when i heard back that she was actually a sister of the guy...

Sorry everyone... i was a dic*...

Did he actually READ anything I wrote? Does this grovelling ridiculous excuse for an apology actually MEAN anything considering no attention was payed to my reply? Where did you hear anything, or where did I write anything about sisters and brothers in our buisness? [Totally off topic and not in itself an issue]

This does not constitute an apology, in my estimation. This person has no real interest in making amends at all, in light of the fact my reply was read in an obviously cursory manner and no attention whatsoever paid to it. What the poster is actually saying is, it would be o.k. to post inane derogitary comments as long as you're not related to the person being slandered. Does that make it better? No, it does not. It still stands that it was a personal attack instigated by ignorance.

You would have to go a long, long, way to 'hurt' the reputation of Emilios Beetles.

rover-v8

Guitar1979 wrote:

I have just got in touch with Emilos regarding a price on a new lick of paint for a 1974 VM Beetle. I swear it was like pulling teeth. The guy wouldnt give me a straight answer. In order words the was a dick.. Sorry but its true..
He said i would have to bring the car into the garage for him to look at. Now all i wanted for him was a ball park figure on how much this would cost.

That's the last time i will ring them. I only wanted to know roughly how much it would cost. I am thinking of buying a particular Beetle but it needs a total respray.

Is this the norm when ringing around for re-spray quotes? i am pretty new to this..

hi there i know of someone who will paint your beetle and he is very good and will be at a good price but he is in co roscommon let me know if i shall ask him for a quote for yee

Adam

maidhc

Ti wrote:

You would have to go a long, long, way to 'hurt' the reputation of Emilios Beetles.

Come on, get over it! People in business should have a thick skin and be able to take a bit of wanton personal abuse now and again. I know I certainly get it, and so long as the signal/noise ration is good as regards complaints and compliments there is nothing to worry about.

Anan1

maidhc wrote:

Come on, get over it! People in business should have a thick skin and be able to take a bit of wanton personal abuse now and again. I know I certainly get it, and so long as the signal/noise ration is good as regards complaints and compliments there is nothing to worry about.

+1. I had a lot of sympathy for Emilios, until I read Ti's responses. So the OP doesn't know much about paintwork. Last time I checked, that wasn't a hanging offence.

ianobrien

I can understand how Ti feels. You couldn't quote on the job without seeing the car.

When I was getting a Mk2 Escort touched up, I didn't ask for a quote. I got what I felt was the best person to do the job, and the person was interested in the job. I left them at it, as I knew that the more they dug, the more rust was likely. In the end, there was no more rust, but I was lucky.

The only thing I said that I didn't need the car done straight away, and they did it between jobs to keep the price down.

I was delighted with the job, and it was reasonably priced considering the work involved, BUT they were interested in doing the work, which helped.

I have no connection with Emilos, not even as a customer. I don't even own a beetle (yet!)

Anan1

We're all agreed that Emilios couldn't quote without seeing the car. The OP, however, clearly doesn't know much about bodywork and didn't understand this. He's hardly the first person to make this mistake - i'd imagine it happens to bodyshops up and down the country every day of the week. Part of running a business is managing to deal with this sort of stuff without getting personal. The customer is, after all, paying the bills.

RoundyMooney

It was the insulting manner which was the problem.

Ti, we were with you all the way until your second post.

--amadeus--

RoundyMooney wrote:

Ti, we were with you all the way until your second post.

Seconded - the OP acted like a moron, no arguments. But while he may have to go a long way to harm your reputation you don't. If that later post is in any way representative of your attitude then I personally wouldn't go to your shop.

lightening

Ti wrote:

You would have to go a long, long, way to 'hurt' the reputation of Emilios Beetles.

You just went that long long way!;)

The fella apologised.

cantdecide

BOOOOOO!!

Called it wrong, Ti.

Guitar1979

Ah no i think Ti does have a point there. I should be banned!! totally. Man i think everyone who has a bad consumer experience and posts it on any forum should be banned. If i rang HP over a Laptop and found thier customer service dept lacking, should i be allowed share this with anyone? NO. i bet your a really nice person....

Ti your right, ban all people who come across sad phone manner and complain.

Seth Brundle

Guitar1979 wrote: »

I work in IT too but if some guy asked me a black and white questions regarding, say how much a case was for a PC i think i could give me a quote/ballpark figure.

You wouldn't ask any questions? Colour? Size? etc?

lightening wrote: »

You just went that long long way!;)

The fella apologised.

Not in my opinion.

Guitar1979 wrote: »

Ah no i think Ti does have a point there. I should be banned!! totally. Man i think everyone who has a bad consumer experience and posts it on any forum should be banned. If i rang HP over a Laptop and found thier customer service dept lacking, should i be allowed share this with anyone? NO. i bet your a really nice person....

Ti your right, ban all people who come across sad phone manner and complain.

Unless you can give the apology that Hulla requested then I agree about the banning.
You came on here giving out that someone would not offer a quote without knowing what exactly was involved (your first post varies the work from a "lick of paint" to "a total respray". If you aren't sure, how is Emilio or his wife to know?
As for posting bad consumer experiences on a public forum, you are telling one side of a story which is unverifiable. This could be used in a libel trial against the site upon which you post (in this case boards).
Lastly, if you want to get a beetle then common sense would suggest against getting the on the wrong sife of (one of?) the main Beetle restorers in Ireland!

Anan1

kbannon wrote: »

Lastly, if you want to get a beetle then common sense would suggest against getting the on the wrong sife of (one of?) the main Beetle restorers in Ireland!

Not really. If I ever bought a Beetle then (based on Ti's posts) I think i'd manage to get by without darkening their door.

kbannon wrote: »

Not in my opinion.
Unless you can give the apology that Hulla requested then I agree about the banning.

Administration are scared of being sued, and that's understandable. To abuse the OP out of fear of litigation is, however, is quite cowardly, IMO.

cantdecide

Anan1 wrote: »

Not really. If I ever bought a Beetle then (based on Ti's posts) I think i'd manage to get by without darkening their door.

Administration are scared of being sued, and that's understandable. To abuse the OP out of fear of litigation is, however, is quite cowardly, IMO.

There has been a distinct lack of diplomacy.

lightening

kbannon wrote: »

Not in my opinion.

He said "Sorry everyone"...

alastair

six of one and a half dozen of the other if you ask me, but...

The guy did apologise, and the comeback from Ti paints a picture that supports a couple of previous comments about Emilios that I've seen over the years. I've never dealt with them, and am not in the Beetle market, but if this is how they deal with troublesome punters I'd be wary of them.

spidersonmars

The guy was wrong but I know his frustration. I'm only relatively new in the classic car scene. I'm self thought about my own cars as 90% of the time I have asked about things with regard to my classic on this forum and at clubs etc my questions were ignored or I was given a short you should know sneer. My own club sec didn't even bother to look at my car when I needed help even though he works in the same town as I live. I am sorry to say this but I been on the forum for a year and there seems to be a bit of a divide. Some of the younger car fans that like classics have a different knowledge base that many of you because we grew up with the electronic age not the steam age. I can speak for myself when I say that if anyone had an say for example an IT query I would be able to give an outline regardless of the problem. I AM A PROFESSIONAL. I certainly try to explain my answer so as my client understands better the price quoted. Rust is Rust gents it aint rocket science you can leave that to us.

maidhc

spidersonmars wrote: »

The guy was wrong but I know his frustration. I'm only relatively new in the classic car scene. I'm self thought about my own cars as 90% of the time I have asked about things with regard to my classic on this forum and at clubs etc my questions were ignored or I was given a short you should know sneer. My own club sec didn't even bother to look at my car when I needed help even though he works in the same town as I live. I am sorry to say this but I been on the forum for a year and there seems to be a bit of a divide. Some of the younger car fans that like classics have a different knowledge base that many of you because we grew up with the electronic age not the steam age. I can speak for myself when I say that if anyone had an say for example an IT query I would be able to give an outline regardless of the problem. I AM A PROFESSIONAL. I certainly try to explain my answer so as my client understands better the price quoted. Rust is Rust gents it aint rocket science you can leave that to us.

True, but but sometimes jobs like restoring a car (particularly restoring a car) can take on a life of their own. I get grief sometimes from clients because I can't say how much a particular file will cost. But all you can do is explain why you can't quote, but you will always give a outline of how you charge.

--amadeus--

I partially agree with Spiders. There is a very cliquie (soelling?!) feel to a lot of clubs and (to an extent) on here. While a lot - probably the majority - of classic car fans are a friendly bunch happy to talk about anything there is a hard core that will sneer if you don't know the manufacturer of the overdrive in your classic. We're not all steeped in oil at birth and we all have to learn at some stage. It's a bit like drivers getting irritated with learners, we all stalled at a junction once upon a time so cut some slack!

Likewise a ballpark figure for a job - any job - isn't an unreasonable ask. Continuing the IT anaology if I was asked to create a database I couldn't give a price without asking for much more detail but I could say that hourly rates are X and typical jobs might range from Y days for something very simple and off teh shelf to Z days for something much more customised. By now I am sure taht a company like Emilios must have seen it all and be able to say that restorations take from X to Y days / weeks and that the labour charge is €Y with parts on top.

The OP sounds like he acted like a div on the phone - it sounds like he wanted the impossible, a concrete price sight unseen and he wouldn't listen to sesnible advice fropm someone who knows better (how hard is it to pop in?). But the reaction seems a little OTT and I personally wouldn't go there having seen this thread.

hellocrazy

Emilio has been restoring cars along time in DUBLIN, he can be expensive but at least when i brought my karmann cabrio beetle into him, i knew it would come out in tact, as vw is his passion, also where else in ireland was i going to find a replacement quarter window for a karmann bug without having it posted in from UK,.... answer NO WHERE.

Emilio i dont think does cheap resprays, because the last thing he want is to do a shoddy job and have people bad mouthing his company for a crap job. If you want him to do the job properly pay the money.

He might even come and see the car for you if you ask him nice enough.

Few guys I know get there cars done at ashley motors spray shop in chapolizod, they do a fab job too, bit cheaper, but might not but near sure emilio gives a guarantee with his work.