Touching up paint on car/painting a mirror.

[Ikith]

So I'm sure a lot of you have read my topic on being new to a stick. Well I'm doing well almost got it down.

Anyway. The Celica was bought with some shitty ass paint wear/fading. I need to touch it up. As well as paint the other mirror black (Its a red car with black mirrors it looks kinda cool) so I was wondering what the best way of doing this is. For cheep but still making it look professional like the original paint.

If pictures are needed to assess the situation I will be more than willing to post some however not right now... To tired (Up all night).

[dilbert]

Spray bomb that shit

[Shuemue]

I thought you were painting your cat for a minute -.-

[BIGSTIC]

Better Call MAACO

Last month I baught a 78 Chevy 4x4 for $100 with no engine. Tossed a $300 junk yard engine in it and sent it to MAACO. $500 later in looked like a new truck and sold it a week later for $3500. Dont take MAACO for

But yeah if you want to try it yourself head down to a local NAPA, Checkers, O'Rielys and talk to there paint guys and they will set you up with the basics to give it a whirl. All my cars in HS were rattle can flat black.

[Melchiah]

Paint and body have never been my strong suit. I would recommend talking to someone at a place like MAACO as mentioned above about body paint. The mirror housing(I assume you are talking about the side view mirror housing) you can probably do yourself if you can remove it from the main body. You would need a roll of masking tape and the appropriate color of spray paint, I dunno if you want gloss black, semi-gloss black(best choice IMHO) or flat black(doubtful), but you can find almost any color you need at Advance Auto Parts or O'Reillys.

[pirahna1]

I always heard Maaco was a complete joke, has their reputation gone up recently?

My car (1987 BMW e28) is in need of a paint job badly (as well as a little body work). Would Maaco be able to match an older BMW's showroom finish (as well as factory paint color - no exceptions), or is that something I should take up with a shop that specializes in BMWs?

And since Maaco doesn't list prices, anyone know what I might be expected to pay for a top of the line Maaco job? 1-2 grand, 4-5 grand?

[Tyr]

Better Call MAACO

Double A, emm, cee, oh (honk x2)


I'll tell you this much, make sure you don't half ass it...

I had an accident with my mom's car about 4 years ago, and the paint job to fix the hood was absolutely terrible. My experience is that (in most cases), you get what you pay for when it comes to painting your car.

Conversely, I changed my bumper cover, and the person who painted it did it so well that a few reliable dealers (hello oxymoron) that I know couldn't tell that it was painted (aka if I were to sell my car, more than likely, the value wouldn't go down because there's a part that's been repainted --> question marks around it)

I've never had experience with Maaco or the like, so I can't help you in that respect, but I've had two cars have paint jobs (the hood of my mom's and my own bumper cover), and again, make sure whoever does it, regardless of where, is precise.

Don't go to the first blind deaf mute retarded gypsy leper you see who is wielding a spray can to have your car painted.

Shit, I did the slogan for aamco.

[BIGSTIC]

I always heard Maaco was a complete joke, has their reputation gone up recently?

My car (1987 BMW e28) is in need of a paint job badly (as well as a little body work). Would Maaco be able to match an older BMW's showroom finish (as well as factory paint color - no exceptions), or is that something I should take up with a shop that specializes in BMWs?

And since Maaco doesn't list prices, anyone know what I might be expected to pay for a top of the line Maaco job? 1-2 grand, 4-5 grand?

No they still suck. If you want your car to look brand new and not have overspray everywhere do not go there. But if you have a $1000 car that you want painted just to feel better about yourself as you drive it then head to MAACO. They are cheap and as stated above you get what you pay for. Also if you are getting your whole car painted stay with the same color or plan on spending an ass load more. I take all my cars I am selling to MAACO and they do a quikie on them and I get more $$$ for them. See em in a year and the paint will be chipping off. But I always tell the buyer that it was a MAACO paint job. Top of the line MAACO is bottom of the line normal paint shop. Also as far as the MAACO I go to they dont believe in actually trying to fix boddy work when you can just throw Bondo on it. MAACO is where you take a wrecked car to get fixed for half the price of the insurance payout then turn around and sell it the next week.

Your BMW should be fine at any local body shop for getting repainted but plan on spending $3k plus if you want it done good(and by good I mean close to show quality). No need to go to a BMW dealer cause all they will do is charge you twice as much. I know some local shops around here will give you a break if you prep the car prior to taking it to them for paint. But prepping the car is the worst job in the world so think twice about this.

[spaghetti_monster]

I took an 84 Monte to Macco, I was far from impressed with the work they did. I picked a older corvette blue for the color and it looked amazing, I got lots of compliments on the car after words and many offers to buy. But to the untrained eye the car did look great. But to someone that knows, the paint job was total crap. The entire car looked like orange peel and after 2 sprays it looked a little better, but far from great and it cost $950. I got the 3rd teir paint job and the clear coat.

Maaco wont paint your car of you do any bondo or sanding yourself, and they spray the new paint directly on top the old paint. I think it gets a bath, but thats it, they don't do any work after the paints done, in fact my car was in the finishing oven for 30 min and then parked in the parking lot... Dust and dirt stuck to the sticky paint and you could feel it by running your hand on the paint after it dried completely dried.

So bottom line, you get what you pay for and unless you know how to buff a fresh paint job and have the time to do it right, I would have to say nay to macco.

If your only doing a small job like the mirrors, you'll be happier doing it yourself, read some advice from the net and learn the techniques from others. If you got a car you respect and want something beautiful, take it to a pro!

[Plow]

There is *no* way to do a home touch up/paint job on a car and have it really look good over time unless you just happen to have a few 10's of thousands of equipment around.

Either get it done professionally or keep your expectations exceedingly low, it's just one of those things.

[Elesirdur]

There is *no* way to do a home touch up/paint job on a car and have it really look good over time unless you just happen to have a few 10's of thousands of equipment around.

Either get it done professionally or keep your expectations exceedingly low, it's just one of those things.

That's totally not true. I've done a bit of touch-up and repainting work on my old Daytona, and the biggest investment I made was getting a $275 paint gun for $125 because it was a display model. Granted, I was using the air compressor my father already had, but that's about it for equipment.

The real trick is getting good paint and mixing it properly. If you go to AutoZone or some place like that, you'll get shitty grade paint. If, however, you go to an auto parts supplier - the place where the paint shops and dealerships buy their parts and products - then you can get the good stuff. Most notably, the paint that body shops mix has catalysts in it that will make it dry faster and harder than just the base ever would. This allows you to apply multiple coats in quick succession without waiting a 12 hours or a day for the previous coat to set up. Additionally, going to suppliers or your dealer's paint shop (if they have one), will allow you to get a much better colour match. Of course, the trick with old cars is taking that paint number and then matching it to the faded and aged colour that your car's pain actually is. That was something I never really mastered, but if you're doing something like an entire bumper or side mirror, the little differences in tint and shade aren't as noticeable.

I will certainly say that there is some definite technique involved in painting. Getting the hand motion down, keeping your spray even, making sure that your equipment is working properly (ie. no air bubbles in the spray or you'll get horrible orange peel); it all takes some knowledge, training, and practise. Going into a DIY project at home without professional tools, materials, or training and expecting a professional-grade job is a recipe for depression. But, with some practise and research I think you can get a good result.

Of course, there's no substitute for good preparation. Proper sanding, priming, and cleaning is paramount to getting a good quality paint job. If you skip those steps, the most expensive gear and paint won't make it look any better.

[Plow]

There is *no* way to do a home touch up/paint job on a car and have it really look good over time unless you just happen to have a few 10's of thousands of equipment around.

Either get it done professionally or keep your expectations exceedingly low, it's just one of those things.

That's totally not true. I've done a bit of touch-up and repainting work on my old Daytona, and the biggest investment I made was getting a $275 paint gun for $125 because it was a display model. Granted, I was using the air compressor my father already had, but that's about it for equipment.

The real trick is getting good paint and mixing it properly. If you go to AutoZone or some place like that, you'll get shitty grade paint. If, however, you go to an auto parts supplier - the place where the paint shops and dealerships buy their parts and products - then you can get the good stuff. Most notably, the paint that body shops mix has catalysts in it that will make it dry faster and harder than just the base ever would. This allows you to apply multiple coats in quick succession without waiting a 12 hours or a day for the previous coat to set up. Additionally, going to suppliers or your dealer's paint shop (if they have one), will allow you to get a much better colour match. Of course, the trick with old cars is taking that paint number and then matching it to the faded and aged colour that your car's pain actually is. That was something I never really mastered, but if you're doing something like an entire bumper or side mirror, the little differences in tint and shade aren't as noticeable.

I will certainly say that there is some definite technique involved in painting. Getting the hand motion down, keeping your spray even, making sure that your equipment is working properly (ie. no air bubbles in the spray or you'll get horrible orange peel); it all takes some knowledge, training, and practise. Going into a DIY project at home without professional tools, materials, or training and expecting a professional-grade job is a recipe for depression. But, with some practise and research I think you can get a good result.

Of course, there's no substitute for good preparation. Proper sanding, priming, and cleaning is paramount to getting a good quality paint job. If you skip those steps, the most expensive gear and paint won't make it look any better.

In other words, don't do it unless you're basically a professional.


Seriously, there's exceptions to every rule, but auto body paint is just not something you post on a video game forum asking for tips on and expect to go out and get good results. If you know well enough to properly sand alone, you're researching and becoming informed on your own, not asking BG.

[Huggo]

That's crazy, I've got a red celica too with the same issue right now. In some spots the paint's gone more of a pale red or pink. A few years ago I went over the whole thing with a rubbing compound to take off that first top layer of paint and refinished it, but only in some parts because I got lazy. Where I did refinish it looks good. It is gonna need some professional work done though, or I'll just end up with another car or something.

[Furtwangler]

huggo u so dumb. get on game

[Cyn]

Painting the mirror is relatively easy, but if it needs body paint then yeah... you really need to have it done professionally.

However, if just the mirror, you can do it with basically stuff you get from like lowe's or home depot. This only works in situations where the mirrors are black though. I did it on an Eagle Talon I had back in the 90s, did both mirrors and repainted the metal housing for the wiper blades. Just make sure to cover the entire side of the car you're working on for overspray, and to sand, get a sandable auto primer too, then use 220 to sand after priming. That should make the finish coat about as smooth as you can get without a professional sprayer.

Also, parts like that come off of cars pretty easily, you can definately google some how-tos with pictures for a tuner like a Celica. Taking the part off before spraying will fix any overspray problems.

[Penthesilea]

You all are forgetting that this is the guy who needed to know how to siphon gas from one car to another cause he had no money for a new tank of gas.

Masking tape + any can of black paint you have. Find some taggers in your area and pay em a few bucks to take an hour and make it look good.

[Jefe]

^I thought it was someone else lol...

Hmm, you can go to your local high school/community college and see if they have auto body classes (in LA they do lol). Then talk to the prof and see if they do it for free, or for a small fee. For some reason I was given that class (and cooking) but you need decent equipment to make it look good/professional (and paint of course). Anyways, the folk around here are nice and they did pretty good job w/a friend's right-front fender, so give it a try ;o