In a message dated 28/04/2007 1:02:35 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

And  lastly, raise your darn prices on bodywork!!, find the average
rate for  bodywork in your area and charge $10 MORE an hour than
everyone  else.

I'm sure NOBODY in the area (perhaps the N.A. continent) will fix  a
Vanagon body with the level of passion and detail you do.  If  the
customer doesn't want to pay your rate, they can go down the  street
and get crappy work done.  Customers that appreciate quality  will
gladly pay your rate.  As a business owner, sometimes you have  to
"fire the customer", you cannot make everyone happy all the  time.
Pick the customers that appreciate your  talent.

I AGREE  !!  I  have just partial painted two vans and am in the process of
refinishing an  entire van.  ALL customers pay $65/hr, no questions !  Paint
matches  or it doesn't on partial re-sprays.  That is made loud and clear up
front.  Sometimes it matches sometimes it does not.  I remember some  time ago
while working for another shop in the area I was repainting the side  door on a
grey metallic Honda.  I re-sprayed that door so many  times and it never did
come out perfect.  The paint company could not  get the colour matched no
matter what they did.  AND, with metallic, the  spray gun, spray pressure, the
atmospheric conditions, etc all play a role in  the final colour outcome.
So.........there is no way you can guarantee a  colour match !  Get over it and tell
your customer he should get over it  !   I'm going out now to see how close a
match the Titian Red re-spray  on the nose of the '87 Westy I sprayed
yesterday matches where I fogged in the  joints to the old paint !  Surprises in
store........................at  least it's red !

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy, '90 Carat, '87 Wolfsburg  (Forsale) & Lionel Trains (_Collection
for sale_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )_ Frank Condelli &
Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)  - Vanagon/Vanagon
Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley_ Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)  _  BusFusion_
(http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10,
2007