need paint advice/knowledge/wisdom

[SnakeEyeSS]

Alirght had a minor(6-8MPH) accident in my 325is, but it's alsmost fixed. just waiting on an oil cooler, and then I need to install the side skirts.

 

The:

1.)hood,

2.)front airdam

3.)bumper surround(the black strips on top of the bumper),

4.)new RD rear apron and

5.)side skirts will need to be painted,

6.)along with a 2 foot long, 3/4 inch tall strip below the grille.

 

I have been informed it might be close to the same price to have the entire car repainted, as compared the parts I mentioned being color matched. any of you guys know if this is true?

 

Consider:

And I am taking it to a new, high-tech(for collision) shop(1 or 2 years old, tops), and will have a quality paint put on(PPG or Dupoint, or similiar).

 

The stock coler is code 146, Alipine white w/NO clearcoat. if I got the whole car painted, could it be done for 2000 more or less than just the listed parts being painted to match(in which case I might upgrade to code 148: same color, but with clear coat)?

[hcvone]

I am sure you could get it done for 2k, if you want a real good jobe it would cost probably 2-3 times that price if they took the car apart to paint everything, it depends what you are looking for, and what shape the car is in, i.e. rust anywhere. If you do not get the whole car painted the newly painted parts maybe slightly off in color or tint as they age. Some shops are better at matching paint than others.

[SnakeEyeSS]

I took it to the shop, they seems very nice and knowledgeable. They are I-CAr and PPG certified, and happened to have a mid 50's T-Bird they just finsihed painting so the guy can put it on the circuit(It was the original peach which didn't do much for be, but the paint was crystal clear). I spoke with the owner, and he said that the painter(who wrote up the estimate) has been painting over 20 years and is an exceptional painter. In fact, he worked with him earlier at a different shop, and when he bought this one the painter came also("and is co-owner, I believe)

 

For the second time, I asked an different guy about the PPG and Autocolor differences:

Autocolor is slightly higher on the paint scale over PPG. PPG is excellent, he went on to state that the guy who is painting mine has an F-150 he painted 10 years ago with PPG and it still looks great, but Autocolor is a European made paint, better for European cars, as PPG is a basic American paint. As it is owned by PPG, it carries their lifetime warranty.

 

 

The estimate of 3200 calls for removal of ALL trim, and even charges for remvoal of inner door trim, hood fenders trunk lid, etc. so it looks like my car is going to be partically dismantled for this. consider that, and the fact that many people said that kind of service runs 4K or more, I'm geeting a decent deal!!!

 

One member heat a BMW forum stated that I MUST have color/wet sanding, or I WILL have orange peel. I asked them about this and here was their response:

 

(paraphrase)"Yes, it IS possible, but with our paint procedures, its very unlikely. We use basically the same procedure the factories use when the car is built. If you want the wet sand, it will be 800-1000 more, but you need to realize that it is really only needed on [purpose] showcars."

 

He then showed be as newer stock Durango(they hadn't painted yet), and the T-Bird, which had just been painted and wet sanded. He also asked the purpose of my car, I stated mostly as a driver for the next few years, and he said I'd be using that money on that might just be chipped away on the highway. He said that, NOT-wet sanded, it will look excellent, wet sanding just gives it that little extra. then he asked what color my car was( this guy wasn't going to work on it, just answering my questions),

 

I said white, then he stated(what I already knew) that white dosen't hold as much as say red, or black, so that alone almost makes it pointless, as wet-sanding white dosen't change much. Red, or black though, the extra would be worth it(because they NEED a deep shine to look good), but that white will look excellent when it's done(Chalk up one advantage for Alpine white!!!)

[asilverblazer]

I had a blazer painted for $1600 They stripped the whole thing to bare metal and repainted factory color. It was a dealership too. Soooo if you ask me $3200 seems a bit high, and not to be insulting but what is your car worth "Blue Book" wise. I spent more money repainting a blazer than the whole truck was worth. It wasn't worth it to me, and I would hate to see some one else make the same mistake.

 

In other words consider how much you paid for the car, how much it will cost to repaint it, and whether or not you can get at least the sum of those two numbers back when you sell it in the next few years.