The customer who told me to stop being so picky about sanding

Had a guy in last spring with a 2015 Civic, rear quarter panel damage. I was spending extra time on a low spot, and he said 'if you can see it at 50 mph, nobody's looking.' I thought he was wrong, but he taught me most folks aren't inspecting bodywork with a flashlight. Has anyone else had a customer talk them out of overdoing a repair that was already solid?

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bennett.claire8h ago

That happened to me with an older Mustang I was painting. The owner kept saying he just wanted it to look decent from the driveway, not show quality. I was sanding a spot over and over that you could only catch at certain angles in direct sun. He finally said, "man, if you keep going you're gonna burn through the metal." He was right. I stepped back, looked at it from where a normal person would, and it was honestly fine. Sometimes we get so focused on perfect we forget what the customer actually needs. Now I ask upfront what they're planning to do with the car. If it's a daily driver, I still make it solid but I stop chasing those tiny waves and dimples.