How to Calculate Automobile Paint Refinish Time

Determining accurate auto repair charges has been always been a complex issue. There are many horror stories of unsuspecting consumers being grossly overcharged, or charged for repairs that weren't made. To help solve this problem, automobile manufacturers issue labor time guides that are used by their dealer networks. These guidelines determine warranty charges that are sent by the dealers back to the factory for payment. They also are used to determine customer charges. Over the years, many companies have issued similar guides.

Instructions

1

Select a labor time guide service. Search the web using "paint and body labor time guide" as search criteria. There are several companies offering this service. Alldata is the leading company in this field. Chilton and Motor Information Systems are also highly respected.

2

Calculate the paint and finish time. Refer to the time guide and select the make and model of the vehicle being repaired. Reference the panel to be painted and select the paint system being used, such as base coat and clear coat. Add the time and note the total. Labor time is typically divided by tenths of an hour, with each tenth being six minutes.

3

Determine the cost of the repair. Multiply the time that has been determined by the labor rate per hour. For example, if the time is 1.6 hours and the labor rate is $20.00, the charge is $32.00.