Repainting the QX4...is it expensive?

A forum for the legendary Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4.
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Qxxx4
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No way in hell id do it myself. Im wondering if anyone knows good, cheap places in GTA to do it. I know you get what you pay for...but anybody know a place with good value and quality work?

I saw an add in the paper *paint your car, $300* that seems too good to be true.

Is it more to paint a different colour? Mines black id love gunmetal grey

I mean id just repaint it black if its cheaper. I have small nicks and scratches everywhere and a few dings on the bumpers, id love to get it all fixed up as the canadian tire paint touch up doesnt do the greatest job!

Oh and how long does it normally take to get it all done and back on the road?

thanks everyone


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fueler
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$300 is about the cheapest paint you can get - around here the cheap paint shops are called "Earl Scheib" and "one day paint" - you will have tons of overspray, no clear coat, dull, lack-luster paint..... anybody who knows paint will be able to walk up and say "this is a cheap paint job"

$300 paint job takes one day - and does NOT include door jambs and under hood, so its not usually good for color changes. My buddy who sells cars gets the $300 paint job aand tips the painter an additional $100 to do a great job and it comes out pretty good.

From 20 feet away however they look pretty good. Its a good solution for junk, crappy cars that are primered, rusting, ugly etc A complete quality 3 stage paint job using OEM paint (PPG), by a professional shop, is going to run you $2000-$3000 and can take up to three weeks. To do it right, u pull out all the windows, pull out the engine, pull out the interior, etc AGAIN $500 paint looks fine from far away. You can only tell close up, in person. Examples:

$400 paint from Maaco.

$2500 paint from a Honda authorized body shop (but before final wetsanding)

As u can see, from a distance, the cheap one might even look better (but the reflection is not clear) but when you walk up, you can easily see all the imperfections in the cheap paint, whereas the white one looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor in 1996 Its up to you to make the call. Oh yeah, cheap paint doesnt last long either. Give it 5 years and you'll look like you bought your car in Tijuana.
Modified by fueler at 2:18 PM 6/30/2008

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SnowSurfLax
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He speaks the truth.

My wife's car got a $300 paint job when she bought it in 2001. It now looks like garbage, with the clear coat coming off and paint flaking. However, my QX4 paint job, even after years of abuse, still looks great.

So, you get what you pay for.

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Qxxx4
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yeah i figured that. I wonder if theres an intermediate paint, with good clearcoat where theyd just do the outside (not really concerned about under the doors and hood) something that can last me the rest of my trucks lifetime, i wax about 3 times a year but black paint isnt really something id want a cheap paint job with...im sure itd fade really fast. im thinking maybe $1200? really the only things that are bad on the paint are the hood, trunk, rear bumper, and fenders, lotsa little chips and scrapes

Transtek
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You could try http://www.drcolorchip.com, and get a kit that you could do yourself for most of the chips and then get a good detailer (try autopia) to detail it afterwards. Would probably get you to nearly-new condition and with its original paint still on, so no chance of over-spray and messed-up work.Would probably work out a lot cheaper than a full, professional respray as well!

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AJRK
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I know a few really good shops in the GTA, but I can't imagine they'd be less than $2000. Does it really need a total paint job? If so, I would save up and do it right. Don't get a Maaco paint job.

Are you into detailing at all? Maybe a good once over with a professional buffer would take care of a lot of your problems. If I can help you with that at all, let me know.

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Qxxx4
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well yearly i go around it and touch up the scratches, and i wax often which really cleans out the paint and makes it really clear. The paint doesnt bother me, its in good shape, theres alot of little scratches but their not HUGE and dont bother me. what bothers me are two of my fenders are scraped up, the rear hatch is rusting a bit, and the front bumper is scraped on both corners. OH and the hood is in rough shape, its got tons of little nicks and is starting to sunburn. Is it really possible to paint things like that? the doors/most of the body panels are crystal black still in great shape. If they could paint the stuff thats scraped/hood/rust thatd be awesome, im not too concerned about a perfect match with the unrepainted stuff.

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AJRK
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Yeah, it sounds to me like you should just have the fenders, hood and hatch painted if the rest is is in good condition. I can suggest a couple of body shops I've dealt with if you'd like. Give me your email address.

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Qxxx4
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[email protected] plan to paint next summer thanks man

MagicM
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If you're going to spend 300 dollars i would just suggest getting it professionally detailed with high quality waxes. On a Qx4 you really should try and get a higher quality paint job in the ranges of 2000-3000 for a luxury vehicle. But if the rest is in good condition just painting the Fenders, hood and hatch probably be best time wise and money.

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Qxxx4
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MagicM, you have two range rovers and a G35x? thats like my dream driveway! do you have a cardomain site where i can see pics of your HSE?

MagicM
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I don't have a G35x, but i have a M35x hehe. Don't have a car domain, but ill try and post some pictures later tonight or tommorow.

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even on that pic of the green civic you can see the haziness in the finish I'm guessing its pretty bad orange peel.

I can spot a bad paintjob from a mile away. I could be driving a couple of cars behind and I can tell if a car has a crappy paint job.

on close inspection, only the best paint jobs look good. I think whats really important about getting a good paint job is that people will notice if your car has a bad paintjob and it just detracts away from the appeal, even when the people dont really know why the car doesnt look so good. dont know if that makes sense, haha i think you guys understand.

truth is that a good paint job costs money, materials can easily cost 700+ even without the best of the best.



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