Painting for the first time!

[Trey1890]

Hi, I am new to getting a car, and one of the first things I want to do is get a paintjob, since the factory paint has faded and the finish is scratchy. I, however, have no idea where to go get the paint done, what quality to get, how much to pay, and DIY is totally out of the question!!!! Please, please give me advice, cause I'm at a complete loss!!! (BTW, I got a quote at Maaco, but I have had some friends telling me that Maaco paint jobs suck... is that true?)

[KAbezon]

When it comes to paint, you get what you pay for...

Places like MAACO and Earl Scheib use a techique often called "bump and shoot". That means that they don't usually remove anything (like your lights, bumpers, trim, etc), don't include repairs (fix dings or pull dents), and just scuff your current paint and spray over it. This normally takes them 1-3 days per car for an entire paint job. They don't buff and they definitely don't offer color sanding (for show finishes). Above all else, they use the cheapest of the cheap when it comes to the paint materials. Normally this is single stage and there is no depth or not enough UV protectant to last more then a couple of years in the sun...

For good high quality paint jobs, expect to pay a couple grand for all things mentioned that the larger houses don't do.

It all depends on your budget and how good you want the end result to be. If you don't really care all that much about how it ends up now, learn how to do it yourself the right way can be not only very satisfying, but lucrative down the road.

[Doya]

Defintly ask around and talk to a few people and find a repuitable shop. It really isn't that hard to do it yourself IMO. It's all about the prep work.

[FolkertSX]

do it your self man. i painted my car and im 15. its really not that hard. the only hard part for me was getting the gun set up right because so many people were telling me to do different psi's and different adjustements. but seriously i got everything i needed for $500. and by doing it your self you make can sure the prep work is done right. just read all about painting cars and give it a try. just please dont go rattle can it. otherwise you can spend at least 2 grand for a decent paintjob. maccos horrible. they painted my brothers bumper and it looks like s***. paints shipping. there were dimples when we got it and they said they were going to fix a little crack in the bumper for $75 so my brother had that done. well they didnt even fix it but said they tried. seriously i could have done way better. just take your time

[Broadfield]

Generically asking how much a paint job cost is like asking how much it costs to put a sound system in your car. You really need to be more exact on what you want. Because like a sound system, a paint job can cost between $500 and $20,000. Do you want the "whole" car painted, which would include the door jams, trunk jams, engine bay and the exterior of the car. Then what grade of paint do you want. Next up is how straight you want the body. Then of course what type of quality do you want? A proper paint job would include removing all the exterior trim, weather stripping, glass etc. Any VERY reputable shop is going to charge at least $5000 for a complete paint job. The paint job on mine is nicer than an OEM finish, and I paid accordingly.

[duffman1278]

If you paint it yourself, invest in a GOOD water seperator. Believe me you'll kick yourself in the pen15 if you don't. If you do it yourself you're looking at around almost 1000$ for supplies. Assuming you get fairly decent supplies. This includes from paint and primers to mixing cups and what not.

[Trey1890]

Ok, thanks for all the input on this matter... but there is a slight problem, I have hail damage on my car and I have no clue how to fix it, and I do not believe I can fix that myself. Also, I have no experiance and I DO NOT want a crappy paintjob that was a DIY gone wrong. Also I havent the foggiest of ideas as to how I would paint, where, or what I would use...

BTW, Thanks for the tip FolkertSX, I should be able to pull it off, if a High School underclassman can do it, I may be able to :P, and FolkertSX, since you painted your car, could you post a pic so that I can see exactly how amazing DIY aint jobs are?

[MagikDragon]

Ok, thanks for all the input on this matter... but there is a slight problem, I have hail damage on my car and I have no clue how to fix it, and I do not believe I can fix that myself. Also, I have no experiance and I DO NOT want a crappy paintjob that was a DIY gone wrong. Also I havent the foggiest of ideas as to how I would paint, where, or what I would use...

BTW, Thanks for the tip FolkertSX, I should be able to pull it off, if a High School underclassman can do it, I may be able to :P, and FolkertSX, since you painted your car, could you post a pic so that I can see exactly how amazing DIY aint jobs are?

You might be able to get hail covered through comprehensive insurance. Bring the car to a reputable shop in town and see if they can get the insurance to cover it.

[Dire91]

I say you should get the dents from the hail damage looked at and fixed by professionals first. It would be nice to see pictures of this old paint job but depending on how bad it is you might be able to detail it enough to bring some life back in it before you definitely decide on a new paint job.

[FolkertSX]

just get some bondo and fill in the dents from the hail yourself. it really doesnt take that much skill. its just really time consuming. it took me a month to fix some little dents and paint my car in my garage. but i also stripped the whole car except for the glass. really this is the best way to do it because you can get in all the cracks and jams. also dont get me wrong my paintjob is no where near perfect. i have some orange peel and got a few runs. i just didnt sand the color coat enough before the clear so i had orange peel. but seriously everything cost me $500. you cant beat that for a quality paintjob. let me know if you have any questions and ill try to helpheres a link to my project. theres quite a few painting pictures and information in therehttp://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=447126