Can anyone recommend one for body kit install? I have had mine installed, but am not happy with it. Want to research some options so ill be ready when it warms up again. Thanks
good body shops in MD or VA?
- Thread starter donwon
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If insurance is paying for it, hands down it's got to be Wagon Work (703)684-3287 on rt. 1 in Arlington (near National Airport). These guys are extremely well managed, meticulously detail oriented, & highly specialized (1 of a handful of Audi certified aluminum body repair facilities in the US). These guys don't take shortcuts, very scrutionous pre-inspection to ensure that the rest of your car will come out the way it went in. Every screw, clip, nut & bolt will be acounted for & replaced if missing. Fit & finish were the best I've seen (had a few paintjobs throughout ownership). They are Porsche /Audi specialists, but have done considerable NSX work, they do not work on American cars & most cars on their lot are exotics. Usually a waiting list, insurance companies hate them b/c they know they will be paying a premium--you get what you pay for. When I was hit, the other guy's insurance (his fault) refused to replace my fender, they wanted to repair it. Well I didn't have to say a word, Wagon Work got the claims adjuster to replace the fender & more!
If out-of-pocket, I use Luxury Autobody in Springfield, VA (703)914-2822. These guys have also done a few NSXes. Nice facility, good customer service, very good fit & finish, & unbeatable pricing. I had these guys paint my NSX roof for $340 & it looks indistinguishable from factory, on the other hand, Wagin Work wanted $1,200 b/c they want to take everything apart including the windshield (Luxury took apart what was necessary, but just masked the windshield--which was acceptable in my opinion).
If out-of-pocket, I use Luxury Autobody in Springfield, VA (703)914-2822. These guys have also done a few NSXes. Nice facility, good customer service, very good fit & finish, & unbeatable pricing. I had these guys paint my NSX roof for $340 & it looks indistinguishable from factory, on the other hand, Wagin Work wanted $1,200 b/c they want to take everything apart including the windshield (Luxury took apart what was necessary, but just masked the windshield--which was acceptable in my opinion).
Oops, I only read the title & not the rest of your question. Wagon Work will probably not take on body kit installs, they speciaslize in repair & are usually backed up working on totaled exotics. I'm anal when it comes to body kit installations b/c no two kits ever perfectly fit w/o some kind of improvisation & tweaking (even if the kits are made by the same company). So what me & a couple of my NSXs buds here in VA do is have a competant shop prep & paint the kit & we install the parts ourselves. Using the NSX service manual, we are more informed than any bodyshop guy trying to figure out how to remove the factory part & how to install the aftermarket part. We get pretty creative w/ how to fit a skirt for instance by modifying or fabricating brackets, etc., making it look factory. Most shop guys are too busy or don't care & will slap something on in an unorthodox way so that it it looks ok from the outside, but is rigged up w/ zip ties, double-sided tape, & mismatched screws/clips. I just installed my Wings West skirts last sunday & it looks factory. If you have the WW kit, we can help. Collectively, my friends & I have taken apart the whole front, side, rear clips of the NSX.
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Perhaps not quite as high-end (or expensive) as Wagon Work sounds, but Bruce's Super Body Shop in Richmond, VA has a great reputation in general and they also have extensive NSX experience.
I do not have personal experience with them, but I know they have done good work on several damaged NSXs. I don't know about body kit installation.
The owner of the shop owns several NSXs and often features them either parked in the front of his shop or on his TV commercials.
Here is their website. If you go, you want their West End facility. http://www.brucessuperbody.com
I do not have personal experience with them, but I know they have done good work on several damaged NSXs. I don't know about body kit installation.
The owner of the shop owns several NSXs and often features them either parked in the front of his shop or on his TV commercials.
Here is their website. If you go, you want their West End facility. http://www.brucessuperbody.com
Thanks for your input. Richmond is a little too far for me. Yes it is a wings west body kit. So I guess I'll bore you with the story. My friend has a body shop, and being the dummy I am, I left may car with him along with numerous posts from this site about the body kit install, as he said it would be no problem painting and installing the kit. 3 weeks went by, so i was thinking to myself that he sure is taking his time prepping, prefitting, sanding, etc. A whole month went by and i got fed up, so I called him telling him that I needed my car back. When i got there, I find that he never prefitted or sanded anything, just painted the parts and was ready to put them on. (so I thought to myself, should I drop kick him, or back spinning kick him?) These things obviously need to prefitted and prepped (especially near the door well)and wet sanded, etc. All this time, I thought thats what he was doing. But by this time, I just wanted my freakin car back. So he just slapped it on and off I went. Usually, I can honestly say that im not a anal guy, but I guess the NSX brings out the best in me. Has to be perfect. Paint is not satisfactory on the skirts, a little rough on the front and terrible in the rear spats. Fit for front is ok, but the skirts and rears are disgraceful. So Yes, It is a wings west, and would appreciate and help/input you can give.
[This message has been edited by donwon (edited 25 February 2003).]
[This message has been edited by donwon (edited 25 February 2003).]
Kind of a lurker here, but for custom body work and paint I would recommend Kurz Automotive Restyling in Gaithersburg.
Here is a picture of my Legend at NOPI, 3 days out of Randy's shop:
http://www.nopi.com/nn2002/carshow/honda/legend/Legend%20Black%201.jpg
Randy Kurz is very well know in the local hot rod/muscle car scene. People come up to my car at local shows and ask "Did Randy do your flames?" He has also had 3 or 4 magazine cover cars.
The only caution I would give is, as with many artists/craftsmen, he takes his time to do the job right and he is not cheap. But if you have the patience and $$, he's the man.
For routine paint and body work I've had good work done at Tony's Auto Body in Rockville. Don't know how he is with body kits, but his paint work and body repairs are to "factory standards". Prices are good and service is very quick.
Here is a picture of my Legend at NOPI, 3 days out of Randy's shop:
http://www.nopi.com/nn2002/carshow/honda/legend/Legend%20Black%201.jpg
Randy Kurz is very well know in the local hot rod/muscle car scene. People come up to my car at local shows and ask "Did Randy do your flames?" He has also had 3 or 4 magazine cover cars.
The only caution I would give is, as with many artists/craftsmen, he takes his time to do the job right and he is not cheap. But if you have the patience and $$, he's the man.
For routine paint and body work I've had good work done at Tony's Auto Body in Rockville. Don't know how he is with body kits, but his paint work and body repairs are to "factory standards". Prices are good and service is very quick.
Bruce is a premium body shop & also is on that limited list of Audi aluminum specialists, however, this is where Eddie Whitman had his 2000 Kaiser Silver NSX repaired after he wrecked it. Not only did it take 8 months or so to repair, but the alignment was so unsatisfactory that it was a major factor which prompted him to sell his 3 week old CT supercharged NSX. His car has been discussed on this forum. BTW Lud, just wanted to give a shout out to you, I went to VA Tech for grad school & I saw your old red NSX one day outside of Kroeger. I have always appreciated the NSX, but seeing that NSX there in that small college town was a sight for sore eyes & it definitely planted the seed in my head to get one after I left Tech. Now, I'm on my second one. Thanks Lud!
ok. Quick. Let me be a little more direct. Lets do it! [email protected]
Donwon, we'll be glad to take a look & get an idea of what you mean when you say it's bad. I didn't really encounter problems installing the skirts & I use to have the front spoiler which I also installed myself. In both cases, the installs were pretty plug & play-didn't really have to improvise at all. Anyway, we should get together once the snow clears for good & compare, so we can see what the problem is and find a better way to reinstall the parts so they blend better. Or, since it needs refinishing & repainting, I'd do that & see if the bodyshop you choose can reinstall better than your friend did. I would go w/ Luxury in VA or Tony's in MD. Sounds like both are efficient, reliable, & reasonably priced.
Quick. Sounds good. I have a pic i can send, tried to email. but its comes back to me as undeliverable. Also curious, what did you do about your door sill plate?
Forgot to update my email, it's now [email protected]
The plastic sill plate has 2 rows of tabs. The Tabs closest to the interior of the car will still fit into their corresponding slots (the green slots) The tabs closest to the outside edge of the plastic plate need to be shaved or clipped off. It was easy to just cut them off w/ sharp shears. This will allow the sill plate to fit back into place & sit flush against the WW skirt, I also used 3M double-sided foam tape on the underside of the plate where the tabs were removed, but it's not necessary. I will take pics when I get the chance & email you.
