Worth getting a paint job?

[trinhbt]

Hey how much does a decent paint job run for dsm's and are there any reputable place to get one done?

 

[Boostit]

Depends on the color, but a good paintjob will cost ya 2000+. A great paintjob will cost you 3-4,000.. this includes dent pulling and some filler where needed.

Or you can go MAACO for like 600 bucks.. but it wont look great and it wont last.

 

[trinhbt]

Depends on the color, but a good paintjob will cost ya 2000+. A great paintjob will cost you 3-4,000.. this includes dent pulling and some filler where needed.

Or you can go MAACO for like 600 bucks.. but it wont look great and it wont last.

I wanted to painted black again because my car is scratched up. There's no way to make MAACO work?

 

[cj8990]

You could always try doing it yourself.. practice on a spare bumper or hood if you have one. Im always seeing threads about peoples first paint job and it comes out looking pretty good.

 

[trinhbt]

You could always try doing it yourself.. practice on a spare bumper or hood if you have one. Im always seeing threads about peoples first paint job and it comes out looking pretty good.

I guess I'll look for threads for paint jobs.

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

I wouldn't use MAACO. It will not last. you get what you pay for. I would save up and have it done professionally.

 

[trinhbt]

But it's a DD not a show car. I'm just annoyed with the little scratches.

 

[TallestHERETIC]

If it's just little scratches, you can touch them up with one of those paint pens they sell at autozone. Only downside is you would have to find a black that is really close to what your color is.

It's pretty time consuming as well if the scratches are all over. But you could get all the smaller, annoying ones that way.

Invest in a body piece from a junkyard and practice on that like another member said if your going to do the whole car. Just remember to ALWAYS add primer first and clearcoat last. It will look like crap if you skip a few steps along the way.

Im actually trying to paint my fender and side skirt ATM but its way too cold outside.

 

[H@xtGSX]

More than likely, if the clear coat isn't peeling and the scratches aren't through the paint, you could go get a Trizac pad and some Meguire's Ultimate compound and polish them out. Wet sand the scratches with the Trizac pad and then finish it with the compound and it should look like a much newer finish. If the clear is in really rough shape, you may want to scuff it with some 800 grit, clean it with wax and tar remover thuroughly, and have another layer of clear coat shot on it. If the paint underneath isn't damaged, don't make it anymore complicated than it needs to be. It doesn't sound like you need an entirely new paint job to me.

If the paint is damaged, then I would suggest just sanding off the clear coat with some 400 grit, primer it with an epoxy based primer, sand that as smooth as you can get it with 600 grit, and then shoot it with an non-metallic acrylic urethane. Acrylic urethanes are the easiest paint for a novice to shoot and make look good. It's self leveling, naturally glossy, requires no clear coat, is MUCH cheaper, and is nearly as durable as a 2K urethane like the OEM paint. Metallics are hard to shoot correctly, because if you have an inconsistant technique applying the paint, it will show up as "tiger stripes".

 

[trinhbt]

More than likely, if the clear coat isn't peeling and the scratches aren't through the paint, you could go get a Trizac pad and some Meguire's Ultimate compound and polish them out. Wet sand the scratches with the Trizac pad and then finish it with the compound and it should look like a much newer finish. If the clear is in really rough shape, you may want to scuff it with some 800 grit, clean it with wax and tar remover thuroughly, and have another layer of clear coat shot on it. If the paint underneath isn't damaged, don't make it anymore complicated than it needs to be. It doesn't sound like you need an entirely new paint job to me.

If the paint is damaged, then I would suggest just sanding off the clear coat with some 400 grit, primer it with an epoxy based primer, sand that as smooth as you can get it with 600 grit, and then shoot it with an non-metallic acrylic urethane. Acrylic urethanes are the easiest paint for a novice to shoot and make look good. It's self leveling, naturally glossy, requires no clear coat, is MUCH cheaper, and is nearly as durable as a 2K urethane like the OEM paint. Metallics are hard to shoot correctly, because if you have an inconsistant technique applying the paint, it will show up as "tiger stripes".

Hey thanks. I was wondering if a wetsand and buff would be enough to fix tiny scratches and bring back the gloss to the car.

If it's just little scratches, you can touch them up with one of those paint pens they sell at autozone. Only downside is you would have to find a black that is really close to what your color is.

It's pretty time consuming as well if the scratches are all over. But you could get all the smaller, annoying ones that way.

Invest in a body piece from a junkyard and practice on that like another member said if your going to do the whole car. Just remember to ALWAYS add primer first and clearcoat last. It will look like crap if you skip a few steps along the way.

Im actually trying to paint my fender and side skirt ATM but its way too cold outside.

My problem is that the material might cost a lot. It's a bit time consuming while being in college and also that I don't have a compressor, gun, or any real work space to accomplish the task.

 

[daren_p]

I wouldn't use MAACO. It will not last. you get what you pay for. I would save up and have it done professionally.

Thats not always true, it can depend on location but you can get a top notch paint job at Maaco, but you are right, you get what you pay for.

Yes you can get a $600 paint job from them & the quality & materials will reflect the price. You can also get a show quality paint job from some of them, but its not going to run anywhere's close to $600, it will run you the typical several K, industry going rate.

 

[trinhbt]

Thats not always true, it can depend on location but you can get a top notch paint job at Maaco, but you are right, you get what you pay for.

Yes you can get a $600 paint job from them & the quality & materials will reflect the price. You can also get a show quality paint job from some of them, but its not going to run anywhere's close to $600, it will run you the typical several K, industry going rate.

So the question is Maaco or Earl schlieb or whatever....

 

[BIGBLAZE79]

Worth is a matter of opinion. If it's as an investment then HE11 no it's not worth it. If it's cause you love the car, have DSM pride and want it to look nice then YES it's worth it.

I think minimum price would be around $2000.

What do you want done?
Any body work, IE - dents?
Door jams, trunk jam, engine bay painted?
Are you gonna do the dissassembly and reassembly?

My paint job:
I did dissassembly and reassembly. No dents.
They fille holes for rear wiper, sprayer and antenna, painted 6pc sideskirts, door jams and trunk jam.
Single stage black, they coulor sanded and polished $4000

But damn it looks nice, super black, super shiny and super flat surface finish.

 

[trinhbt]

No dents or anything the strut tower I'm going to have another shop weld and I'll spray can that over . I just wanted to fix the little scratches like it's deep scratches where it shows primer, but they're little.

Oh and I just need the outside painted. No door jambs or engine bay.

 

[H@xtGSX]

Are you sure you are seeing primer and not just oxidized clear coat in the scratches? That makes a world of difference in how you treat it.

As for wet sanding it, yes, it can make old scratched up clear coat look like brand new paint. Before you go looking for a cheapo paint job, try wet sanding it. You may find that the scratching is superficial and can be remedied for under $30 with a little work.

If it is down to primer, and you are sure you need new paint shot, you can save yourself A LOT of money by doing the prep work yourself. That way the shop only has to roll it in the booth, shoot it, and roll it out. The reason paint jobs cost so much isn't the paint or the act of applying it, it is all the sanding, taping, removing of parts, reassembly, and care taken while doing that work before the paint is shot that costs so much. It is time consuming doing the prep, and 99% of what a paint job looks like is because of that prep work before the paint you see when it is finished is applied.

 

[BIGBLAZE79]

If it is down to primer, and you are sure you need new paint shot, you can save yourself A LOT of money by doing the prep work yourself. That way the shop only has to roll it in the booth, shoot it, and roll it out. The reason paint jobs cost so much isn't the paint or the act of applying it, it is all the sanding, taping, removing of parts, reassembly, and care taken while doing that work before the paint is shot that costs so much. It is time consuming doing the prep, and 99% of what a paint job looks like is because of that prep work before the paint you see when it is finished is applied.

So true the shop charged me $50 an hour for prep work.

 

[H@xtGSX]

I can promise there was a lot of hours charged at that $50 rate too. That's what you're paying for when a shop does the paint.

Here's what wet sanding can do:

BEFORE
<img src="http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/files/1/3/0/6/8/7/imag0270.jpg" alt="Imag0270" />

AFTER
<img src="http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/files/1/3/0/6/8/7/imag0271.jpg" alt="Imag0271" />

 

[trinhbt]

I don't know how to distinguish the difference. I see little white scratches all over the body and it's a bit irritating because I love the car and I wish to see it blemishless.

I will give a shot at wetsanding it and then using something like liquid glass or something.

 

[H@xtGSX]

Wet sanding can make a terribly scratched, oranged peeled, and oxidized paint job look brand new. Also, the difference between a standard paint job and a really high quality or show paint job is the final wet sanding. It makes it look deeper and slick like glass...

<img src="http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/files/1/3/0/6/8/7/imag0298.jpg" alt="Imag0298" />

There's not a bit of wax on my car in this picture either... that's shine from the paint itself after many hours of sanding and polishing.

Anyone can do it. It's not difficult or technical. 2000 grit and Trizac pads make it really easy to get great results. As long as your rinse the material sanded off away frequently, so you can see what it looks like and not go too far, it's very simple and straight forward work. Then after the Trizac pad scrubbing, I prefer that Meguire's Ultimate compound for final polishing because it tends to "tell" you when to stop. It greases out and gets slick when it's done. You can take it even further and use a really fine polishing compound or glazing and make it look flawless, but I usually stop after compounding it with a buffer and that Ultimate stuff. I drive my car daily, so going any further is somewhat pointless, as it will get used and abused and not look any better for the amount of work involved.

I don't know how to distinguish the difference. I see little white scratches all over the body and it's a bit irritating because I love the car and I wish to see it blemishless.

I will give a shot at wetsanding it and then using something like liquid glass or something.

Typically, if it is through the clear coat and down to primer, there's a ragged edge and visable chipping that is very obvious. Clear coat is tough stuff, and if what you're seeing is fine, hairline scratches and not jagged looking tears, I can almost guarantee it is just in the clear coat and wet sanding it will remove them.

There's a small possibility it is actually crazing and cracking, but you'll know immediately if that is the case when you sand it. It will look like you have a spiderweb in the paint even after polishing.

 

[trinhbt]

Wet sanding can make a terribly scratched, oranged peeled, and oxidized paint job look brand new. Also, the difference between a standard paint job and a really high quality or show paint job is the final wet sanding. It makes it look deeper and slick like glass...

<img src="http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/files/1/3/0/6/8/7/imag0298.jpg" alt="Imag0298" />

There's not a bit of wax on my car in this picture either... that's shine from the paint itself after many hours of sanding and polishing.

Anyone can do it. It's not difficult or technical. 2000 grit and Trizac pads make it really easy to get great results. As long as your rinse the material sanded off away frequently, so you can see what it looks like and not go too far, it's very simple and straight forward work. Then after the Trizac pad scrubbing, I prefer that Meguire's Ultimate compound for final polishing because it tends to "tell" you when to stop. It greases out and gets slick when it's done. You can take it even further and use a really fine polishing compound or glazing and make it look flawless, but I usually stop after compounding it with a buffer and that Ultimate stuff. I drive my car daily, so going any further is somewhat pointless, as it will get used and abused and not look any better for the amount of work involved.



Typically, if it is through the clear coat and down to primer, there's a ragged edge and visable chipping that is very obvious. Clear coat is tough stuff, and if what you're seeing is fine, hairline scratches and not jagged looking tears, I can almost guarantee it is just in the clear coat and wet sanding it will remove them.

There's a small possibility it is actually crazing and cracking, but you'll know immediately if that is the case when you sand it. It will look like you have a spiderweb in the paint even after polishing.

Thanks a lot for the tips. I have time this weekend to wetsand so I'll see what happens

 

[H@xtGSX]

No problem. I am glad to help. Many, many people mistake clear coat damage for something deeper and spend thousands of dollars for new paint, when really they could've made the paint look like it had just been shot the day before with about $30 and some work. Most paint shops will not tell you that either, since they benefit more by selling you a $3000 paint job instead of a $300 wet sanding.

 

[ShizzySupra]

The prices some of you would pay for a paint job is insane. In most cases the paint job costs more than the total worth of the vehicle. If you have oodles of money to spend, sure, it's your call but I can think of countless better ways to use the money.

 

[91stocker]

Get someones drunk uncle to paint it for you. Everyone has/knows a drunk uncle that paints .

 

[etay89]

I got my first DSM a maaco paint job 2 years ago.

here it is when I first did it. http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/appearance-interior-exterior/363867-maaco-paint-job-oh-no.html

here it is...AWD swapped and what not.
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/2831571008.html

 

[H@xtGSX]

Hey! I am the drunk uncle who paints..... Get me a beer! .... Tell me that shit don't look schweet!?

Seriously though, clear coat can take a LOT of damage. I wish I could show you the Toyota Tacoma I wet sanded today. I made a truck that seriously looked like the paint was destroyed look like a show car today... and OEM Toyota paint sucks ass. It is thin and soft, and does not take well to sanding. It took me 6 hours of straight sanding and polishing, but that truck left my house looking better than it did the day they sold it. Wet sanding is the red headed step child of body work... Most shops do not even offer it. It is a LOT of work, but wet sanding even a horribly scratched, shitty looking, dirtball paint job can make it look like show car paint, no joke. It isn't easy, but it IS possible to make ANY clear coated paint job look amazing, if you know what you are doing.


Also, I am not trying to sound like a salesman, but Meguire's Ultimate line of products is just that. It is some of the best stuff I have used. Their Ultimate Polish could make a turd look awesome. I just finished using some on my own car, and I am impressed... And I have been doing paint for a while, so that should say something to you...