q45 paint job
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Need4Speed
- Posts: 206
- Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 9:43 am
- Car: Unique Cars, Sailing, Shooting sports
I have no idea how bad your dings are but you might be suprised at how large a ding can be bumped without harming the paint. It all depends on how "smooth" the ding is...if it is creased, then you are probably looking at paint. Ask around at some car dealers who does their paintless ding removal....usually it's an independant tech.
Good luck,
Andy
Good luck,
Andy
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AZhitman
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You do NOT want to try to repaint a Q45 (unless it's just absolutely beyond repair).
The factory paint is incredibly durable, and that car is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to paint properly without hours and hours of disassembly and prep.
A "cheap" repaint will render the car valueless.
N4S is right - Go to the dealer and drop $500 on the "dentbuster" guy, especially if he can airbrush your chips and scratches.
The factory paint is incredibly durable, and that car is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to paint properly without hours and hours of disassembly and prep.
A "cheap" repaint will render the car valueless.
N4S is right - Go to the dealer and drop $500 on the "dentbuster" guy, especially if he can airbrush your chips and scratches.
I would have to agree that the Q paint does hold up good....but after 2 separate huge valet induced dents and a very nice key mark with letters "GAG" that went down to the steel......I need a new paint job. Ugghh!!!! And yes....I know once you repaint that the paint is never the same, but I have got to do it some justice as it looks so ugly.
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SurfinGator
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:59 am
- Car: 2005 Q45 Premium Package
- Location: Salisbury NC
I love this forum, I just found it a couple of weeks ago when my transmission tanked and I was looking for info. The car is an investment to me, I see the restoration potential of the early Qs .... and the money they will bring in 10 years or so.
I wouldn't paint it anything other than exactly what it was before. You will find if you do change colors and don't do a frame off, something you will not be getting at Maaco, when you open the hood or trunk it will stand out that your Q has been re-painted. And that will kill the resell value. Yeah, I know .... paint shops can shoot the inner hood and trunk where you can't tell .... but no shop I have seen do it did it well enough that I couldn't spot it in 5 seconds.
If you must change colors realize the darker the color the more scratch visibility the car will have. Darker paint also retains heat.
I recommend white or silver .... for the reasons given above. It is all up to you and what you have for cash, but I would recommend getting a reputable shop to do the work as well. If it only has a few minor dents, you should be looking at around $2,000. You can get it cheaper ... and you can spend a lot more. But 2 grand should get you a decent paint job.
Check the shop before you let them shoot your car .... look at the ones he has done .... over spray on the trim or ornaments, waves of any kind, or an orange peel feel to the paint .... walk away. Oh, and meet the guy who is actually going to shoot it. Pop a fifty in his hand .... if he is sharp, you will get your money's worth for that gesture.
hope this helped ....
I wouldn't paint it anything other than exactly what it was before. You will find if you do change colors and don't do a frame off, something you will not be getting at Maaco, when you open the hood or trunk it will stand out that your Q has been re-painted. And that will kill the resell value. Yeah, I know .... paint shops can shoot the inner hood and trunk where you can't tell .... but no shop I have seen do it did it well enough that I couldn't spot it in 5 seconds.
If you must change colors realize the darker the color the more scratch visibility the car will have. Darker paint also retains heat.
I recommend white or silver .... for the reasons given above. It is all up to you and what you have for cash, but I would recommend getting a reputable shop to do the work as well. If it only has a few minor dents, you should be looking at around $2,000. You can get it cheaper ... and you can spend a lot more. But 2 grand should get you a decent paint job.
Check the shop before you let them shoot your car .... look at the ones he has done .... over spray on the trim or ornaments, waves of any kind, or an orange peel feel to the paint .... walk away. Oh, and meet the guy who is actually going to shoot it. Pop a fifty in his hand .... if he is sharp, you will get your money's worth for that gesture.
hope this helped ....
Quote »Darker paint also retains heat.[/quote]
yeah...tell me about it. I have a black car and live in Miami. You can't even brush up along side of the car in the summer time it is so f'ing hot.
I found really good paint shop for $4,000 which includes R&R of all trim....no taping unless absolutely necessary and my color will remain black. I checked out several cars and I could not find any imperfections and the finish was so smooth & slick. No orange peel and shined like it just got done being waxed. My cost will end up being probably around $5,000 as they said when they remove everthing that several parts break (plastic) and need to be bought which will add to costs.
When I decided to keep the Q....I knew that it would be for a very long term investment and so my decision to restore it with a few enhancements. The Q will take a back seat in about a year as I have always wanted a convertible. The convertible will be a a very sporty 2 seater and will at that time become the 2nd car of my choice for rainy days or days where I need to entertain more than one guest....
yeah...tell me about it. I have a black car and live in Miami. You can't even brush up along side of the car in the summer time it is so f'ing hot.
I found really good paint shop for $4,000 which includes R&R of all trim....no taping unless absolutely necessary and my color will remain black. I checked out several cars and I could not find any imperfections and the finish was so smooth & slick. No orange peel and shined like it just got done being waxed. My cost will end up being probably around $5,000 as they said when they remove everthing that several parts break (plastic) and need to be bought which will add to costs.
When I decided to keep the Q....I knew that it would be for a very long term investment and so my decision to restore it with a few enhancements. The Q will take a back seat in about a year as I have always wanted a convertible. The convertible will be a a very sporty 2 seater and will at that time become the 2nd car of my choice for rainy days or days where I need to entertain more than one guest....
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HeavyDuty
- Posts: 1281
- Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 4:51 pm
- Car: 1995 Infiniti Q45
95 Nissan 240SX S14
96 Nissan D21
06 Nissan 350Z Z33
We charge 3k to start, no color change, for a freaking Civic sized car. You'll spend 6 before it's overwith on the Q, Rob.
I spent about 3k on the restoration style paint on my 91 Sentra, that was with free Glasurit paint, the body man paid with a set of wheels for his truck, and the painter paid with a set of 16" Pony Fox wheels for his 83.
Tell him to squirt enough clear on it to wet sand it. If you're not comfortable with them doing it, I can let my tech do it for you for about $1000, that's side work, not run through the shop. Trust me, that's a screaming deal for a legitimate 100 man/hours.
Don't be alarmed when you go to pick it up if the paint is fuzzy, tell him you don't mind driving it like that while it cures. Drive it as long as you can stand it like that, then when it's sanded, it will look like wet nail polish, and all you'll have to do is keep it waxed.
I spent about 3k on the restoration style paint on my 91 Sentra, that was with free Glasurit paint, the body man paid with a set of wheels for his truck, and the painter paid with a set of 16" Pony Fox wheels for his 83.
Tell him to squirt enough clear on it to wet sand it. If you're not comfortable with them doing it, I can let my tech do it for you for about $1000, that's side work, not run through the shop. Trust me, that's a screaming deal for a legitimate 100 man/hours.
Don't be alarmed when you go to pick it up if the paint is fuzzy, tell him you don't mind driving it like that while it cures. Drive it as long as you can stand it like that, then when it's sanded, it will look like wet nail polish, and all you'll have to do is keep it waxed.
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SurfinGator
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:59 am
- Car: 2005 Q45 Premium Package
- Location: Salisbury NC
Originally posted by rsiwicki "]yeah...tell me about it. I have a black car and live in Miami. You can't even brush up along side of the car in the summer time it is so f'ing hot.
Brutal! I lived in Cocoa Beach with a black 240z ... some weebe had shot it black because it was green before. It was like a little micro wave oven when I got off work. I stripped it to the base, layered eight coats pearl with five coats clear ... the car wasn't an ice box the next day, but I could actually sit in it without a towel on the seat.
My cost will end up being probably around $5,000 as they said when they remove everthing that several parts break (plastic) and need to be bought which will add to costs.
I try to prep myself. Remove badges, lock faces, any trim ... sometimes bumpers ... because that is first fail item in a paint job. Knock some bucks off, know you are protecting your chrome/ornaments better than they will, and really by shooting your trim on a stand instead of mounted to the car .... getting a better paint job.
When I decided to keep the Q....I knew that it would be for a very long term investment and so my decision to restore it with a few enhancements. The Q will take a back seat in about a year as I have always wanted a convertible. The convertible will be a a very sporty 2 seater and will at that time become the 2nd car of my choice for rainy days or days where I need to entertain more than one guest....
Same here .... this summer I will start searching for one as well ... if I don't have to buy a damn truck ... I have been needing a truck lately.
I like the Saab 900 turbos, pre 95. I can get her for less than 8K and she is a loaded ... as well as turbo fast. If I don't go that direction, $15-18k .... then I will try for Elan .....
Miata on steriods .....
Brutal! I lived in Cocoa Beach with a black 240z ... some weebe had shot it black because it was green before. It was like a little micro wave oven when I got off work. I stripped it to the base, layered eight coats pearl with five coats clear ... the car wasn't an ice box the next day, but I could actually sit in it without a towel on the seat.
My cost will end up being probably around $5,000 as they said when they remove everthing that several parts break (plastic) and need to be bought which will add to costs.
I try to prep myself. Remove badges, lock faces, any trim ... sometimes bumpers ... because that is first fail item in a paint job. Knock some bucks off, know you are protecting your chrome/ornaments better than they will, and really by shooting your trim on a stand instead of mounted to the car .... getting a better paint job.
When I decided to keep the Q....I knew that it would be for a very long term investment and so my decision to restore it with a few enhancements. The Q will take a back seat in about a year as I have always wanted a convertible. The convertible will be a a very sporty 2 seater and will at that time become the 2nd car of my choice for rainy days or days where I need to entertain more than one guest....
Same here .... this summer I will start searching for one as well ... if I don't have to buy a damn truck ... I have been needing a truck lately.
I like the Saab 900 turbos, pre 95. I can get her for less than 8K and she is a loaded ... as well as turbo fast. If I don't go that direction, $15-18k .... then I will try for Elan ..... Miata on steriods .....
I saw an Elan the other day...I have not seen one in years. I hear that Lotus is coming out with another model of car as well soon that I think is similar to the old Elan.
SurfinGator....I have got to ask. Are you an Optomitrist? And did you grow up next to Stuart Florida? My best friend at FSU who was from Stuart had a friend named "Travis" and he went to UF, became an eye doctor....and I remember him having an email address "[email protected]". When I saw your screen name I thought of Travis...but I was like no way...now that you use to live in FL I am not so sure that it is not you.
SurfinGator....I have got to ask. Are you an Optomitrist? And did you grow up next to Stuart Florida? My best friend at FSU who was from Stuart had a friend named "Travis" and he went to UF, became an eye doctor....and I remember him having an email address "[email protected]". When I saw your screen name I thought of Travis...but I was like no way...now that you use to live in FL I am not so sure that it is not you.
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SurfinGator
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:59 am
- Car: 2005 Q45 Premium Package
- Location: Salisbury NC
No... I'm a engineer .... but I believe I know the Travis you are talking about, met him a few years back at a mutual friend's house in Gainesville before a game. HUGE Gator football fan. I have talked with him on the internet since then on a Gator fan website .... he posts as TravisGator if that is the same doctor.
Don't want to get near the new Lotus, or any new car for that matter. Eat up my investment money. I am looking for a 86-90 Acura Legend coupe right now ... or a Saab SPG .... or any of my three or four $5000 target vehicles.
then a truck .... then I probably should start looking for a garage with a house on it.
Don't want to get near the new Lotus, or any new car for that matter. Eat up my investment money. I am looking for a 86-90 Acura Legend coupe right now ... or a Saab SPG .... or any of my three or four $5000 target vehicles.
then a truck .... then I probably should start looking for a garage with a house on it.
probably the same guy...should he is about 30 5'8" with dark hair and a kind of Tom Cruise look/nose to him. He use to have huge parties at his house right next to the Purple Porpoise Bar....and had a brother as well....I know he went to some optometry school after UF in Miami. I have not seen or spoken to him in years....if it is the same guy then the next time you talk with him tell him "Rob from FSU said 'Hi'...Shane's friend"...he should know who I am, but it has been a while.
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SurfinGator
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:59 am
- Car: 2005 Q45 Premium Package
- Location: Salisbury NC