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Paint Job Poll

Scotty G

Well Known Member
Hello, fellow RVers,

Just got my airplane back from the paint shop, and there are some issues with the job I’ll have to address.

I’m trying to find the line between the little stuff I can do myself to “finish” the job, and what I should have the shop do.

Inspecting the airplane and bringing these items up at the end was not an option due to the actions of the proprieter. Unfortunately, he’s caused a situation where lawyers are involved, and his actions didn’t contribute to my safety.

So where is that reasonable line?

There are probably 75–100 spots or areas of the plane that have dust spots in the finish that could be easily sanded and polished out. I’ve documented and photographed them.

There is very uneven paint/clearcoat fill within the wing skin at the spar. Looks like total ****. There appears to be so much material sprayed, it bridges and fills the gap in some places, not on others.

Two under tail fairings are rough, not clear clear coated, and have runs.

There is a large tape mark in the spray between two colors under the cowl.

The mask line under the tip-over canopy is abrasive against the fuselage paint. It isn’t really a line, it’s an uneven edge with sharp portions and drips. It will chip at some point.

The canopy hinge makes creaking noise as the canopy nears full open. They also allowed the canopy to slam open and blew out the gas strut.

The canopy handle is bent. They also painted the holder for the handle, so the handle has already cracked that paint off.

The sprayed-on wing walk isn’t the correct color.

A paint feature on the bottom isn’t the correct color.

Two stencils under clearcoat aren’t aligned properly, and another two are not clear coated.

That’s the main list. The job looks fantastic from close up, but the attention to detail and other items are problematic. If it matters, the job was north of $22G, and I got extorted at the end for far more - hence the lawyers.

I did, at considerable effort, provide them a binder of detailed drawings, notes, measurements, photos, and written details about the paint job. So there isn’t any excuse for the wrong colors, or how to handle the aircraft so things don’t get broken.

Am I expecting perfection? No. But, unpleasantness aside, I did expect a much better finish quality than this. Then there are the larger issues. In other words, I’m trying not to be a nit-picky a-hole, but I expect a certain level of quality I paid for and was clear about on my expectations.

Thanks in advance for your input.
 
Scotty, I think for the price you paid it should be perfect, but I can't imagine that if he did such a bad job that you really want to take it back. I'm sure it's disappointing, and I can only commiserate with you. Best of luck getting these issues resolved. I hope you get some useful hints from other VAFers.
 
Paint

Most paint problems can be fixed without stripping and repainting but we need photos to advise. Also, you may want to ask the attorney before.
 
Regardless of the price paid, you should be very happy with the final product. No paint job is perfect but it should be very hard to find any issues. I’ve always said that if you make the customer happy he will tell his friends, if you make him unhappy he will tell everyone he comes across.
 
Scotty, you paid TOP dollar for your paint job, for that price you SHOULD be tickled pink about the results! Sounds like you are not. Unfortunately this happens all to often. For a professional, an RV is not a difficult plane to paint, especially if it is bare aluminum not in need of stripping. I hope you are able to get the situation resolved to your satisfaction.
 
Thank you all, and you, too, Jake. I appreciate the input. Please chime in if you have an opinion.
 
Sorry

Hey Scott,

Sorry that happened. Hopefully have my plane home from paint next week if the weather cooperates. I'll stop by and see you.
 
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