Paint Job

[Guest Dolores]

Well it's time to paint my car. I have a 1990 Select 60 Convertible that I plan to keep and use as a daily driver. Are there certain questions I should ask when getting quotes? Special paint? <P>Your help is appreciated. The prices vary so much.

[Guest]

If you want to keep it for a while and have a showroom quality finish, go with a base coat/clear coat finish. PPG happens to be a particularly good quality paint system. <P> The price differences you see are mainly from two factors: paint quality, and preperation. <P> A nice and easy paint shortcut is to mix the base and clear into one coat, which looks good for a while, but requires constant polishing and waxing to maintain appearance. A seperate base/clear coat is more durable, epecially in the Florida sun, but requires a lot more time in the paint booth. Quality of materials is a big issue here to. Good quality paint I would expect to run at least 600 for the car. I still don't see how E.S. can paint a car for 99.95? <P> Preperation is the next important issue. Has the car been painted before? Is there any bodywork neccesary? Do you want that pin stripe taped on or painted on as the factory did? Do you want the door handles and lock cylinders removed or taped off? The list goes on, but ask questions here and decide what you are willing to spend. <P> If you plan on having the car at least 3 years, just make sure you get good quality paint. If more than 5 years, start worring about door handle details. If less than 3 years, take the cheapest offer you get, but don't try to sell it to me, because I can tell.

[ronvb]

Dolores,<BR>I would think with a select-60 convertible that you would want it to look good and last as well. A car that rare would warrant a top quality job using the original color. You should ask around your area who the top dog is for custom painting /show car work. At that point see if you could afford that price and if not work your way down to the less expensive paint shops. Two stage paints are the best for longevivity (base and then clearcoat) plus they will stand up to the environment (acid rain, tar, bird droppings, sun) Ballpark example prices in N.J.area: Show-car -$3500 and up, Good body shop paint-$1200 and up, last resort---Maico or E.S $100 and up. You really get what you pay for ---BUT you should shop around and ask to see some of there work as well. Possibly visit a few car shows in your area to see and talk with some owners about their paint jobs and who they used.<BR>Finally in my opinion if you plan on keeping the car and there is no question of investing in order to keep the car a true vintage vehicle spend the money for the best you can afford.<BR>ronvb

[Guest trofeo73]

I was quoted a prices ranging from 1500 to 3500 for a color change on my Trofeo. That was without body work.....

[Guest EDBS0]

Dolores good luck. <B>GOOD LUCK!!!</B><P>Decided to have my car completely repainted and after getting a strong recommendation took the car in. I requested and was promised a paint job that would be so perfect that even after a close examination you would not be able to tell the car was painted. There was to be no over spray anyplace and as much of the trim as possible was to have been removed. It was to have taken a week.<P>7 weeks later I got the car back...<BR>wrong color...<BR>lots of overspray...<BR>hole punched in driver's seat when someone sat on a trim piece with a sharp edge or screw exposed...<BR>more dust in the paint than Carter has little liver pills.<BR>To say I was completely (edited to read) disappointed is an understatement.<BR>Long story short it was agreed that the car was to be completely stripped and repainted in the spring of 2001.<P>Yup you guessed it 1 week turned into 7 again. I suspect that the paint was not stripped and therefore too thick and subject to cracking. My aluminum scooter was stolen from the trunk. More dust. Someone sat on the drivers power seat control box and broke it off from the seat. Big run in the back, more over spray on everything, through the grill in wheel wells ( plastic in wheel wells was always maintained with Mother's back to black bow only over spray). Black plastic trim was roughed up in many places by sandpaper or buffer. Interior completely dusted up. poopoo, poopoo ,poopoo...poopoo.<BR>Asked for a test drive, got the car off the paintshop's property, got out of the car and when the owner got out after I opened the hood I locked it and said "now that you have lost your lean lets talk about the bill and negotiated a huge discount". Bill marked a "Full and final satisfaction"<BR>While the car from a short distance looks good I see all the garbage and it annoys me every time I drive it. Within a week of getting the car back both interior door panels came loose and the drivers seat which previously worked perfectly had a couple of functions that no longer worked, more shiTTTTT.<P>And this was with a strong recommendation.<P>Long story short sold car and replaced with another. You are going to have to put the fear of god in them and <B>get it in writing "perfect paint", what is to be removed from car etc.</B><P>One last thing "good luck", Robert

[Guest]

Easy does it now, Drive it. Not everone gets a beating on a paint job. Ronvb seems to have a very good idea where the price is going. I would think a very high quality everyday driveable job should be had for 1500 or so, no color change, no body work. <BR> Let's not scare Delores from perserving a select 60!

[Guest EDBS0]

So I get wound up over my ex-baby. <P>The price before "negotiations" was north of $1500 and there was no beating them down on the initial price quoted. I was willing to pay for perfection. <P>Continue to say good luck and get it in writing. Robert

[Guest EDBS0]

PS I have seen a very nice two tone paint job on an Auburn. Cost $27,000!!!!!<BR>Nice very nice!

[sahein]

A long time ago, I took a forest green 70 Buick Electra into a body shop to have the drivers door repaired. It had a dent about 4 inches long and 2.5 inches high. It was not a crease, but it was under the chrome strip which was also damaged. After two weeks they said my car was finished. <P>The entire left side of the car was painted off-color with a totaly different color green and the dent had some bondo roughly put in it but it wasn't even enough to fill the dent. I complained and they said that they would have to repaint the entire car to do it properly. Like a dummy, I agreed.<P>After the entire car was repainted, I couldn't believe what I saw. The entire car was painted black. All of the left side chrome strips were removed and replaced with an aftermarket pop riveted general replacement chrome strip and the originals had been discarded. The shallow bondo dent was still in the door. I was so pissis off and I knew that I could never get satisfaction from these jerks that I just wanted to get my car out of there.<P>I was billed for the entire paint job, but the real slap in the face was that I was charged for repairing the same door dent twice and the original dent was prettier than the rough bondo. <P>I took the car home and repainted it myself. It was the first car that I ever painted. I have been repairing and repainting my own cars ever since.<P>I would never trust anybody else to do it properly except maybe the bodyshop that a large new car dealer would use.<P>Just because a bodyshop is nearby and they do a large business dosen't mean they are good. <P>Good Luck

[ronvb]

Dolores,<BR>Don't let what has been posted here scare you. Do you know someone who runs a body shop or works there? An inside friend can help tremendously in getting a great final job. In my experience having about 12 cars repainted -I only had 1 let-down and that was with someone who did New Car dealer's work---as his shop just banged out the work -used a high gloss glaze on the paint and out the door it goes! Ask around,check out other owners paint jobs, take names, and do ask to see the shop of your choice previous or current work. You do get what you pay for in this case-but you have to see past the promises.<BR>In general if the Shop Manager does not listen to you or pay attention to your needs on the initial visit it will get worse if something goes wrong with your paint job.---Choose wisely.<BR>ronvb

[MichHouseReps]

I would not agree that knowing someone at a body shop will help get a great paint job. I once took in my '92 Mustang in to be painted at a body shop which my dad's good buddy owned. I even did all the prep work myself, except taping it all up. Well over about week I had my $3000 stereo ripped off and a horrible paint job that was less than par of one done by Maico. Yep I only ended up getting a couple hundred for the stolen stereo as the car wasn't sitting on the shop's property and re-did the paint myself. My advice, especially for a select-sixty, is to attend a few classic car shows around your area and ask around on those cars with great paint jobs, who painted them? Take down names and ask around on other cars. I surly would not trust a hack with a select-sixty.

[Guest Dolores]

THANK RONVB FOR KEEPING THE FAITH! Not everyone gets a terrible paint job. It's sounds like getting the base coat and clear coat separately is the way to go. So far I was quoted $800 for a mixed blend of base and clear. A friend who collects cars recommended his nephew, and he charged him $1,500 for a great job, two coats. Guess that's where I'll end up. And I promise to get everything in writing, let the paint shop take their time, express my pickiness over my car, and take out my $2,000 stereo system. I think that covers it. Thank you for your thoughts. I love my baby, so believe me I'll treat her nice to a great paint job. Appearance is sometimes everything!

[ronvb]

GO get 'em Dolores---<BR>Let the man's nephew know the current value and rarity of your select-sixty and tell him you want the best that he can do! If necessary pay him a little more then his usual charge.<BR>Don't be afraid to tell him what you expect for your baby! Finally inspect the final job and if necessary have him fix or correct what you do not like. Your reference to other Reatta owners could be riding on future work for him.<BR>good luck and happy paint job!<BR>ronvb

[Guest]

So, the subject is misguided paint recommendations, huh? When I bought my 1990 Corvette convertible, the soft top was in great shape but there were deep gouges in the hard top and the paint was faded. The car was pristine but the hard top was all banged up, I never could figure that one out. Anyway, I wanted to get the hard top back to new condition. I got a recommendation from my mechanic (who has also been a friend for ten years) for a paint/body shop in San Mateo. This guy was supposed to be a painter of show cars, so I knew how good the quality would be. I inspected a few of the cars he painted and I was sold; absolute, top-quality, precision work. These were very expen$ive paint jobs.<P>I dropped off the hard top on a Monday and it was ready by the following Monday. I drove down, he helped me install it, and I didn't really inspect it closely until I got home. The deep black finish was beautiful and the color matched the rest of the car, but there was brown overspray on the back window and on the rubber strip around the back window. There was also brown overspray on the trim piece that goes around the front and over both side windows. <P>I didn't complain about it because the price was much less than I expected, thanks to my friend's discount. However, I keep wondering: what kind of professional leaves overspray, especially in a different color, on a customer's paint job? The point I'm getting at is that even paint shops with the best reputations can sometimes screw up. Maybe the thing to do is, when you walk into a paint shop and they give you a quote, you bullet-list all the things you DON'T want them to do:<P>-this quote guarantees no overspray<BR>-this quote guarantees no damage to interior items<BR>-etc.<P>and have them sign it. I think that's the only way you could make sure you get what you want. After all, what paint shop wouldn't sign something that guarantees no overspray?

[ol' yeller]

It is good advice to put your wants in writing and have them sign it. If you want quality, you will have to pay for it. Don't just ask for reccomendations, go & look at those cars. Base coat clear coat is a great way to go. Don't expect a fast turn-around for a quality job. Few shops will guarantee their paint over someone elses bodywork, I wouldn't want them to. Finally this is not a cheap undertaking nor is it a time to scrimp if you plan to keep the car. My '65 Skylark cost $3,500 for the paint only (bodywork was extra) and I am very pleased with the end result. So pleased in fact that my '69 Riviera is in the same shop for about the same money. After the paint has cured and before you wax it for the first time, go over it several times with 3M hand glaze to remove any swirl marks or minor imperfections, then wax with a quality wax. I did this on my Skylark and the paint still looks wet after 17 months. A paint job is the next best thing to getting a new car. It will rekindle your love for your baby.

[Guest C.F.Massie]

Paint, paint, paint, I customize VW Bugs for street and show and let me tell you that if you intend on restoring a car, and are serious about it, you cannot scrimp on a paint job. Body and prep work is always the key to a great paint job. Next the quality of the paint and then the skill of the painter. ALWAYS, ALWAYS check on cars a shop has painted before and see for yourself if you can trust the shop to do a quality job. Of course it won't be cheap, heck what do you expect, quality doesn't come cheap! I have young people come to me with their bugs and want a 'Real Cool' custom body and paint makeover. I ask exactly what particulars they want, tell them how long it MAY take to complete and then give them a quote. They usually fall out of the chair at the cost, but I tell them you wanted the best and the best costs. I am proud of the work I have done and have VW Bugs all over the U.S. and Europe winning local, national and international car show awards and have not had a dissatisfied customer since I started doing this as a hobby back in 1972. <P>I myself own a 1989 Reatta that I use as my daily driver and very soon here I will put it in the shop and give it the resto-makeover. I plan on keeping my Reatta for many more years so you can expect me to give it the best quality effort I can, regardless of cost!!<P>Again a warning, do research on the shop, ask former customers, ask other shops and suppliers if you can find them about the shop you are taking your car to. Its your baby and your dollar, now how bad do you want this paint job? I know I'm tooting my own horn on the work I have done, so what, I'm proud of my work and my reputation and intend on keeping it spotless. Good Luck in your quest........

[Guest]

Dolores:<P>I have a 91 Reatta and when I was bugged by the small chips on the front of the car, I was given the option of "nosing" the car which meant they would just do the hood and feather it in on the fenders. I had another car once that I did this with and it looked bad after about 4 years. <P>If you want to get the most out of the spectator traffic on your car and want to restore the paint properly I would suggest that it is going to cost you a fair amount of money to do it right. I paid nearly $5,000 when I had mine done. Some of the things that the good body shops will do is take pictures of the Pin Stripes and Blow them up so they can replicate them exactly as they came from the factory. I, for instance, had them paint those god ugly black mirrors to the exact color of the body. A body shop today that pays attention to detail you will know them when you walk into the place. I have seen the other postings and all I can say is do your research on the company doing the painting. If you have a good insurance agent they will tell you who they have on their list to paint the expensive BMW's - Rolls Royce and Ferrarri cars. That is what I did to find the place that did my car. <P>Regards,