Car Paint Job

[Azkarin2]

Anybody have any tips on changing the color of my car? I'm thinking of getting buying a car from a friend but the color is not too appealing (the champagne gold color that all old people drive). Besides the color, the car is in great shape and at a great price. So I was thinking of getting a paint job for the car but don't have any friends that have any solid advice.

So anybody have any tips on where to take it? How much am I looking at spending? I don't want a custom paint job (no Pimp My Ride jobs), I'd just like to change it from champagne to a dark charcoal. Any other tips are appreciated. Thanks.

[The Stig]

If you're unsure, I suggest getting it done professionally rather than doing it yourself. A car is quite an expensive object, if you screw it up it can be quite annoying.

Unless if the car is cheap and you don't mind screwing it up, but otherwise it's potentially a "one way". In the UK, I asked my cousin who specialises more in this area and he threw out £1000 ($1700+, depending on rate) for a decent job, but take into account that the US is cheaper most likely on stuff, I think it's a lot lower.

I found this site which you might be interested in: MAACO Auto Paint & Auto Body Repair Service . It's US based so it might apply to you more, unless you're not in the US.

[Gadritan]

Could do the prep work for it yourself and take it to one of those $400 deal shops. Just need to get something like some DX-330 to strip it clean and then wet sand it. I can PM you exactly what to do if you feel like it. Some people rather pay for the labor instead of doing it themselves.

I have a degree in autobody. Doesn't make me an expert, but I know a few little tips and tricks.

[Azkarin2]

Thanks for the do-it-yourself tips but I'm definitely looking to hand this off to a reputable place to get it done. As TheStig posted (thanks), Maaco is one place to get it done. It's also the only place I've seen heavily advertised and the stupid commercials helped that. I was wondering if anybody has any thoughts on Maaco or other reliable alternatives. Thanks for the info so far

[Gadritan]

Maaco is one of the places I was talking about. They're cheap because they skip most of the prep work, lol. They do a decent job, but you can have issues within a year or so with fisheyes and shit like that coming through.

[GeneJackit]

honestly, Maaco is trash...the paint is gonna severely peel. You need to take into account that to apply the paint, they need to put on clear coat first...so they will need to sand and strip all your sheet metal to the bare metal and start over...this gets very expensive. I work w/ car repairs and basically you are looking at about 2-3 hours for the doors and probably 4-8 for the quarter panels and most likely 2-3 for fenders...that is just paint time...not prep. DO NOT go anywhere willing to paint your car for less than ~$2k...i even think that is pretty low. Also, the new paint job is really for aesthetics only b/c it will not add any value to you're car

[Gadritan]

Did you mean primer? lol. Clear coat goes last with the exception of needing to get certain effects.

Maaco basically just washes your car and paints right on the existing paint. It should be taken down like Gene said though. Plus a notorious problem with Maaco is that when you open your doors...the original paint can be seen.

[Azkarin2]

I called Maaco today and they were kind of shocked I wanted to paint a car only 2 years old. They quoted me between 2-3k depending on what I wanted done. They said that for that price they would remove the lights, emblems, roof rack, mirrors etc and use a base paint and top it with a clear coat. In that price is also painting the inside of the doors, under the hood, and the trunk hatch. They also said it would take about 2 weeks to get it done. How is this for pricing/time? Normal? Are there other reputable nationwide shops that I should look into (maybe a Ford dealership)?

[Patb]

Basically, the way it goes with paint jobs, is you get what you pay for. Me and my dad fix up hot rods for car shows, and paint is always a huge ordeal. A good paint job that will actually last should never cost less than 2k as Genejackit said. And also as he said, 2k is on the low end for painting, we have payed over 10k for a single car's paint job, and you can definitely tell the difference between a 2k paint job and a 10k paint job.

[Gadritan]

Yeah. 2 weeks seems kinda long time wise, but that just depends on how many apts they have. But the price sounds right for a decent paint job.

[Azkarin2]

Any other shortcuts I make sure they take if I decide to go this route? I think the inside of doors/trunk has already been mentioned.

[Kohan]

They said they're going to just use paint and a clear coat? So they are not going to sand off the old paint and apply primer?

[Gadritan]

Only other suggestion would be to find out what paint they'll be using and if it's a downdraft booth.

[Kajii]

you get what you pay for. don't take the cheap route on something like this

[Sanoske]

First off, what kind of car?

I love the champagne color on certain cars. I used to own, and my cousin currently owns, a MkIII Jetta VR6 that is champagne. With the black powdercoated rims/polished lip.... car looks fucking hot.

Secondly, yea... if you're going to repaint a new car then don't go the cheap route. You are looking at a few grand easily.

Personally, I think if it's a newer car at a great price, just deal with the paint. There are way worse colors out there.

[Azkarin2]

They said they're going to just use paint and a clear coat? So they are not going to sand off the old paint and apply primer?

I do think they said they would prime it and get it ready so I think they would take all the steps to do it right. But as for the quality I'm not so sure.

The car is a 2007 Ford Explorer. While champagne may look good on some cars I'm not a fan of it on an SUV. Jetta, hatchback, smaller car maybe... SUV not so much.

[Tyche]

Get a friend who is a painter! Like an above poster, I've aided in restoring many a classic cars, everything from the early 30's to the early 70's. Stripping and sanding is easy. Only problem I foresee on a newer car would be painting the engine bay/doghouse. In all the cars we restored, we had the engine removed, and we have a friend who does the painting. One of the most amazing painters I've ever seen. Mostly paints race cars, he had one guy bring him a corvette and set up a camper outside our friends house for a couple weeks to wait for it to be finished. It was quite an elaborate job. I wish I had some pictures, but I don't...I found his NHRA points page, but he doesn't have a web page...Honestly, the guy hates painting, so he doesn't advertise at all. If someone finds out he paints and insists, he charges a 3rd world countries GDP for the paint job.

Edit: Doesn't Maaco paint orange peel? By orange-peel, I don't mean peel off, but the paint looks like the peel of an orange...kind of like a factory paint job.

[Andarvi]

2-3k to change the paint job? god damn. let me say this, unless he is giving you and absolutely ridiculous deal and this car is in MINT MINT MINT condition, do not buy it (if he is, stop reading here). I just bought a car yesterday and suggest you do what I did to save you a lot of money.

Go to a few used car dealerships, 5 or so, preferably not ones with stereotypical salesman types circling around the lot like sharks. I found a small lot, maybe 12 cars, with one guy working there, very nice. Tell these dealerships what you are looking for specifically: color, year, mileage. Dealers go to auctions weekly, and if they know you are serious about what you want, they WILL find it at auction. I gave the info to the guy on a Wednesday and picked up my car on Tuesday the next week.

Before you spend 2-3k on a paint job, look around for the same car already the color you want. Only thing is I don't see too many charcoal explorers around my area. Black, yes, but charcoal not as much.

Edit: just saw it was a 2007, thats pretty new, probably arent too many used ones around, but you never know. And the car industry is balls now so a new car dealership might even have something for you.

[Azkarin2]

Thanks, I actually was put into contact with a friend of a friend who has a dealership license and he's been looking at auctions for me. The thing that is working against me is I've been kind of picky in my selection (2006-2008 Ford Explorer Limited, V8, 4x4, less than 30,000 miles). He's been at two auctions so far (up North) and no Limited's have passed through either auction. The car in the OP was at an auction in Baltimore. With yalls tips/input I'm going to pass on this car and stay patient.

Also, I've looked at new cars and even with being a qualified member of some of the employee purchase plans it seems a bit expensive to buy new. With a budget of $22k it seems like buying a slightly used car seems like the best bang for my buck.

[Komm Suesser Tod]

Get a giant penis painted on the car, show everyone how much of a classy guy you are.