[aravind.anand]

I am still shelving the denting and painting of the minor scratch on my car, as the Aquarius blue shade is very hard to match, and I don't want different coloured doors on my car. If I had this option, and if he can guarantee very negligible colour difference, I would have fixed an appointment with him

[shankar.balan]

Such a nice thread.
And it is a real pleasure to see this professional job done.

By contrast, India? Forget it.

But then there is also the matter of pricing.

If one wants this level of attention then one needs to pay for it, not count costs like we do here...

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

If one wants this level of attention then one needs to pay for it, not count costs like we do here...

Even if one doesn't count costs and get it done at the showroom or reputed workshops with the same attention to detail and results, it will still probably cost about half as much here, so the comparison with India is irrelevant.

It is because of the exorbitant labour costs in these countries as mentioned by reignofchaos. I've heard accounts of plumbers being better off than some of their customers. Many years ago and second hand information, so current residents may please respond.

The results are pretty good, but I've always been told that the paint has to be baked to set properly. I avoid workshops that do not have a baking room, so would like to know if this information is obsolete. Is it the new paints?

[risham]

Awesome setup!!!
Very nice and novel experience to see such a setup.
Can you please describe the process of colour mixing in more detail? How did he remove the exact quantities from the bottles? did he use a pipette or some other device or simply put it drop by drop in mixing container?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by risham

How did he remove the exact quantities from the bottles? did he use a pipette or some other device or simply put it drop by drop in mixing container?

He measured out the quantity specified on his computer, into a small bottle over an electronic scale. Then he agitated the bottle (which has a mixing bead inside) to mix the paints evenly.

Hope that explains the process.

[adneeraj]

Amazing thread.
Like VeluM suggested, the comparison is irrelevant in India. We certainly get it done cheaper at an authorized workshop without insurance claim...

I believe, this kind of a service would be more than welcome for cars which cost upwards 25 lacs. These cars typically have exorbitant repair costs and take days to get something like this done.
But I seriously doubt the level of sophistication anyone can have in India. The businessman who would like to start something like this is going to look for cheap labor and probably go around in a Tata Ace which itself would need such jobs at several places

[Mortis]

The pre mixed paints are available according to car shades in paint shops. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to get an airbrush kit for small touchups ? Something like com fill putty which is available in small tubes would be good enough for small filling jobs. Obviously rusting and and denting would be better left to the pros

[LTAutoMad]

Great to see this guy's professionalism. I have a similar small job - will certainly give him a call as he is Melbourne-based.

Yes, as people have pointed out, there is no point converting $ into Rs. The labour rates in Australia are extremely high (as are the living costs ), especially for skilled tradesmen who will earn far more than similar university-qualified professionals. For e.g. a plumber will earn far more than a mechanical engineer, an electrician vis a vis electrical engineer, a backhoe/JCB operator vis a vis a civil engineer etc.

Its next to impossible to get anyone to do hard manual labour (being an island, there are also very few desperate illegal immigrants (like the Mexicans in the US) who will happily do this). So anyone willing enough to do so (e.g. dig trenches, dig post holes) will do so with the help of every sort of machine possible and will charge horrendously!

This is real socialism! Dignity of labour (no special respect because someone is a white-collar professional who works in an air-conditioned office) & the people who live by the sweat of their brows WILL demand a fair price for it. As simple as that.

As earlier posted, once you take out the EMI & material costs, this guy will be left with about $250-300 for a hard day's work, which is quite cheap (comparatively). I have paid $2,000 for 4 hours' work for an electrician (the cheapest quote)! This was some replacement work at the mains switch-box - the components would have been max $200, the rest for his skill & licence. Electrical & plumbing works can be done only by licensed electricians & plumbers who have a minimum call-out fee like $200-250 plus charge by the hour, including their to & fro TRAVEL time! Plus components.

A few years back, when I built a new house the hardest contractor to source was a fencer - someone who will put up the wooden paling fence. The quotes for this 2-day job were like $20000, 16000, 12000 etc and finally found a guy who was willing to do it for $8000. No one wanted to touch it as it also involved building a retaining wall first with railway sleepers (just on on one side) - a tough, hard manual job where he would have had to carry the heavy sleepers. If it was just a simple fence, there were any number of people, but nobody wanted this hard job and quoted ridiculous rates! Take it or leave it attitude.

All because the population is so small and are used to a very affluent way of life. But, I see this changing in the next few years as the mining boom has ended, most manufacturing jobs have gone to China and most back-office / IT jobs have gone to India & Philippines! Many of our countrymen have learned this the hard & bitter way - they came here on a 457 visa as IT professionals, got permanent residency, quit/lost their jobs and are now finding it very hard to get another job as the Indian IT companies who have got most of the contracts want only cheap labour and not their skills at Australian rates!!!

Australia is practically in recession. So its only a matter of time before people who have had a cushy life so far will start doing the hard manual jobs - once there are many who are willing to do this, the rates will come down. There was an article last week about a mining Fly In Fly Out worker in Perth who was earning megabucks who got retrenched, couldn't get any skilled job and so started his own handyman business, doing odd labouring jobs.

[Chris_Xtreme]

Nice thread SS-Traveller. Thought it might be handy if required. Though could not find a franchise near my suburb in Sydney. Will try to check with their head office.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

If it was just a simple fence, there were any number of people, but nobody wanted this hard job and quoted ridiculous rates! Take it or leave it attitude.

Sometimes, having some basic life skills as well as the necessary tools helps to save loads of money in places like Australia.

This same car had a puncture while I was there. The puncture repair shop quoted A$30. I was planning to pick up a good portable tyre compressor anyway. Walked in to Supercheap Auto and bought a 25 lpm compressor (A$69) + Slime puncture repair kit (A$17). Job done in 20 minutes.

Bought a (cheap by Australian standards) ladies' bicycle from K-Mart. Came box-packed, and I would have had to pay A$10 + wait 1 week for it to get assembled at the store. Brought it home, got some tools that rideon already had, and had the bicycle up and running in a couple of hours.

Had to change a few Indian plugs of my daughter's electronic and electrical items to Australian ones. A trip to Bunnings to get the plugs, an hour of work, and everything works well.

[LTAutoMad]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Sometimes, having some basic life skills as well as the necessary tools helps to save loads of money in places like Australia.

Absolutely! That is why hardware chains like Bunnings & Mitre10 are so popular. Lots of stuff can be done DIY with simple tools. Interior plaster repairs, painting, garden work, metal working, welding etc. But, some need the proper tools - for e.g. one can spend hours drilling the deep post holes for a fence or use the proper tool with a small engine & giant drillbit and get it done quickly. Bunnings hires out those machines (but quite expensive), like anything once you do it, its easier the next time around.

But, electrical, plumbing & gas-fitting can be done only by certified tradesmen. They know that and charge atrociously for those tasks that "amateurs" cannot do. Even highly skilled DIY people don'y try to do those since if something happens down the track (say, a house fire), you will be held liable and insurance will refuse a payout.

Its always better to try to repair stuff yourself. I have a similar example like yours - one day my 12 year old washing machine started spraying water all over the laundry. It had been working perfectly since new, I knew it was some simple disconnection, but nothing was visible. Called the service centre, callout fee was $150, plus $100 an hour labour plus parts. I was looking at minimum $250-300 to fix an old machine. Not worth it! I was reluctant to scrap what I knew was a good machine, had nothing to lose, dismantled it, traced the leak to a small rubber part inside, found it for $15 in a web shop and machine has been working perfectly ever since!

[Mortis]

Most people abroad have some DIY skills and also get a bit of training in school also. For the small jobs at home they do it themselves and its mainly for the bigger stuff that they get professionals in. I really envy some of the tools that these guys have in their garages

[vegitakarthik]

That finish looks great. While searching for something similar in Chennai found this:
Touch-up people.
http://www.touchuppeople.com/
Planning to avail there services for my Safari. They also offer door step service. There are mid to deep scratches at 4 places. Will share an update post completion of work. But if anyone has experience working with them please let me know.

[pgsagar]

For a second, I thought Elon Musk was fixing your car. Guy sure does resemble him in first pic, at a fast glance.

The level of professionalism one sees in automotive service/repair industry in western nations is really far ahead of our industry. But then, in all fairness to our industry, the cost of repairs are only a fraction of those seen overseas.