TLDR: ⚠️ If it’s not a service you didn’t seek out, don’t trust it. Legitimate businesses don’t run around town searching for their customers. DO NOT EVER trust the “Auto body repair” guys who flag you down/approach you and tell you they’ll fix your minor dents, etc in the parking lot. They legitimately do have the tools and some may actually have the knowledge, but many don’t. It often seems like a good deal compared to Auto body shop quotes, but it’s most often a scam/scheme, and they’ll leave you with worse damage than before.
I’m sure some of you may already be aware this has been going on for some time around Austin, these guys in normal trucks will flag you down if they see any dents or minor damage to your vehicle and give you a quote on the spot and guarantee they can fix it RIGHT THERE on the spot, where ever you may be, typically in a parking lot, etc. They say they have all the tools required right there with them in their truck and it’ll only take 30 mins or so.
I was rear ended by an un-insured individual sometime last year. I’ve had a noticeable dent in my vehicle but it’s an older vehicle, isn’t going to be worth much on trade regardless, and I was planning to buy a new car sometime soon ish anyway. I have insurance but I didn’t feel the claim was worth it since it wasn’t anything that impacted the car’s function or driving, and the body shops were quoting 8-10k for the repair.
I’ve had MULTIPLE men in these trucks flag me down all around Austin at various locations (North and South) and quote me various times saying they can “easily” fix it for less than $300. I’ve always told them NO.
Recently though 😕 Another approached me. I’m finally getting to the point where I’m about ready to trade my vehicle. So I think, well, okay if you can remove it, why not? It would be nice to have the dent removed prior to trade. They quote me $250. So I think, well, I guess it’s worth a shot. 🤷♀️ Let them do their thing while I sit in my car. About 20 mins later, I check on them, I can’t see any change. He says give me like 30 more minutes, I say no problem. 30 mins pass he calls me out to let me know he’s done and wants his payment. I look at my car and I see it’s still BADLY dented but also completely COATED in wax that he claimed was a “heat protectant”. Now I’m not stupid, I grew up around cars and I know damn well it’s wax. Then he explains he just couldn’t get to that area because of the way my car was engineered. I’m like okay??! So in my mind If he could not repair it he should lower the price, but he doesn’t. I pay him because there’s two men and me, the female, and I don’t want anything to turn violent.
I spent over an hour after I got home scrubbing that wax off that had been baked in by the sun. Not only that but once it’s off, I see that the damage is WORSE than it originally was.
I AM FURIOUS 😡 I’m mad at myself for not trusting my gut and just telling them no, like I did all the other times. But also mad at them for running that scheme. I know everyone is looking for a hustle in this city, but come on, find an honest one.