Wow $5000 for a paint job. UH OH BETTER GET MACCO

 

10 grand lol, man that is crazy, for 5 grand around my area i could get a complete color change, flames,candy,really anything i want. we have a guy in our area that does all the dope boys rides , he does some crazy work for cheap, last time i was there he did a 92 camaro ,with candy brandywine, checkered flag flames with like a tearing pattern ,and ghost flames . he said he charged the guy 2500 and he brought the car sanded to him.i wish i could post pics because it was the sickest 2500 dollar paint job i have ever seen.

 

95% of a paint job is prep and labor and you spend the last actually spraying. A bad job will come through. May not be now but will over time.

People often have a hard time grasping this since they don't PAINT CARS! Some places wont even take a car unless they prep it or at least get a charge to go over it since it's their name that goes out the door when you leave. Bodywork is sorta like car detailing, people balk at the price quote but often do not want to do the work themselves or are incapable.

People paying "Friend or Family" prices should not even comment. As most times the attention to detail is much less, and if mistakes happen, your not often going to make them fix it. That's a fact. Also a metallic paint vs flat should have a difference.

You get what you pay for.

 

holy ****.......i am in the wrong business

 

The most accurate post in this thread.

 

^ very true, lot of labor in a all-over even without changing color. Shop I work at 4-6000 for same color,6-10+ for color change or custom, that's if we even would do it, lot of good shops stay busy with insurance work so don't like doing all-overs. Lot of overhead in a body shop also,materials aren't cheap n neither is labor.

 

/\ This sounds pretty accurate to me. Taking into consideration that you are doing it correctly (puling trim, mouldings, handles, glass,etc where needed) using a quality paint product (omni, nason do not count) and assuming that the vehicle needs little to no body work (minor door dings)

Yes a complete can get pricey.

I just had an 07 Buick Rainier come into the shop today. Destroyed a hood, a headlight, some damage on the front bumper, the grilles, and a chipped windshield. I will have to paint a bumper cover (not all of it) a repaired fender, and an OEM hood, total on the job was $32xx.xx This is a much easier repair than a complete, really only 3 panels.

Average bumper jobs these days are $500-$1000 depending on what it is.

These people that are doing completes for 1000 with materials, I have no idea how they make any money,

Last time I just literally sprayed a car, (well masked the front glass and threw wheel covers on the tires) to do a base/clear I get $650 to spray a car. The guy did all his own prep work, he got the material,he had it all masked off,etc.

 

How do you know some jackass isn't cutting corners and charging you $6000 instead of $3000 though?

I always thought a factory repaint was ~$3500, go up or down a little from there.

 

That is where research comes in, well known shops have reputations and anyone who cares about their cars will pay attention to some of the work that comes out of there.

Some people may not have that sort of time may just have to rely on word of mouth. A local car show, or performance shop are great places to research and get names.

Bad paint jobs have very vocal owners.

 

well i looked around i live in a border town in texas called up acouple of places told me 6k so i scrapped that idea...........so i heard this one guy does good word seen some car hes worked on...well turns out hes a friend of the family only charging me 900 bucks for the dent and the paint anything extra would be added and hes doing payment of 200 every 2 weeks for me so the car is going to come out nice i hope ill post end results when its done

 

Oh for sure. I'd be quite pissed if I got a bad paint job, which is why when the time comes (must resist paint job... must do supercharger first...... grrrr despite peeling clear coat and rock chips) I'll be paying by credit card instead of cash.

It just seems to me that you have to be just as wary of someone asking $6000 for a paint job (no color change, no body work, no door jams etc) as someone asking $1500. I know different materials and situations can warrant different costs, but I never got the "you get what you pay for" mentality. Pay little and you'll probably get crap, sure. But pay more might just be paying more to a good salesman rather than a good craftsman.

 

3-5k from a guy i know but i know a friend getting his dodge done but getting ALOT of work done he is gonna pay just under 7k

 

You have to make sure you are comparing apples to apples. There is generally a difference in work and in price.

Lets use what you said as an example. Lets say we are painting a 2001 Z28, exterior only, no color change, and they typical quarter dings. Now one guy may quote $6000, and the other $1500.

At this point we are talking about a $4500 difference

Lets say materials are $800, lets say we are using a decent product RM for example

2 quarts of color
1 gallon of clear
clear activator
reducer for the color and clear, and primer
primer surfacer/sealer
primer surfacer/sealer activator
3/4 tape
1 1/2 tape
wax and grease remover
wipe down towels
18" paper
36" paper
tack rags
thinner to clean the guns
filters for the booth
in line filters for the guns
filters for the air dryers
electricity to run the booth and compressor
hazardous waste disposal fees.
Shop insurance (because we are comparing apples to apples and real shops have real insurance, which is part of the cost)

So that leaves $5200 in labor for the first guy and $700 in labor for the other guy.

Here is what I typically do for a nice "OEM" type paint job. Something that will look good, will last, and will not look like it has been refinished

Repair the dings,whether its with PDR or conventional repairs
Prime as needed
Remove the front bumper cover
Remove the rear bumper cover
Remove the rear tailights
Remove the rear bumper filler
Remove the side view mirrors
Remove the outside door handles
Remove the outside locks
Remove the belt mouldings
Remove the body side mouldings if the car is equipted (then clean and retape)
Remove tall the emblems (z28 badges, front nose emblem
Remove the front grille out of the bumper
Cut the sail panel to allow it to "Lift" so paint will go up and under
Remove the rear spoiler
Remove the rear lock cylinder
Rope off the front window moulding, most of the times I just pull the front glass its easier.

Now that the car is disassembled, its time to prep the car

400 grit the entire car, then finish up with 800, all done by hand, all done wet
For the bumpers I typically DA them, then finish with a red scotch brite

Once everything is ready for color the car goes into the booth

I then get it on jack stands, remove the wheels, this makes it easier to mask, and its easier to paint the wheel lips (what did you think because you dont see it, it doesnt get color and clear there)

The entire car is taped off in a way that allows for no tape edges in the jambs (you know when your friend had a car painted, you open the door and you can cut your finger on the tape edge?) It takes more time to do it this way, but its worth it in the end.

The engine bay, etc,etc all get masked and bagged.

Depending on the color the bumpers will get set back into place, the wing and other bolt on panels will get mounted in the jigs

I like to apply 1 coat of clear sealer, also known as adhesion promoter. I will then typically spot seal if needed only where the repairs are, 1 coat usually works.

Keep in mind each coat gets tacked, and if there is dirt in the sealer, after it sets up I sand it out.

Now 2-3 coats of color, tack as needed, sand any dirt if needed.

3 coats of clear

1000 then 1500 the entire car to level out the orange peel. Like I said this is going to be a factory type finish so it needs to have a little orange peel. If I was building a show car I would start with 600 or 800, and go from there. Or sand and re clear, but thats for another thread

Buff it as needed, follow up with a Porter Cable to ensure a complete swirl free finish. Ever see those cars that look like halograms after they are painted, its annoying.

Then re assemble the entire car, install all the emblems, mouldings,etc,etc,etc

Clean all the compound out of the jambs, buff off the tape haze in the jambs for that edge free finish.

Clean the rest of the car and deliver.

Thats where the $5200 in labor comes in. It takes a lot of time to do what I just listed. With that being said, that is only one way to paint the car. There are many different ways to paint a car, read on.


My guess for the guy who is doing it for $700 in labor, this is what he is doing

He will fix the dings and prime as needed
Wash the entire car with a red scotch brite pad and "paste" 3m makes some, SEM makes some,etc
everything will get masked off,
Nothing will get removed
Color
Clear
Maybe a 2000 de nib and some buffing, how much I dont know

Now, dont get me wrong I have known guys who will do a ton of work for nothing, but thats few and far between.

The problem I see with most people and paint work is that the paint doesnt go vroom vroom and do burnouts. It makes no noise, doesnt make the car faster. This is why I think its harder for someone to spend money on quality paint and body work. I see cars all the time with drivelines that cost 10k plus, but wont spend a dime on body work.

My point is make sure you are comparing apples to apples when you shop around. The guy working in his garage should always be cheaper than a shop. If he's not, then something isnt right. Make sure the materials are what they are supposed to be. Word of mouth is typically the best way.

I've been in this business for a long time, the reason shops scam is because they know they can. I could build two identical cars, however one can be made out of bondo and fiberglass filler, and the other one done correctly. At the end of the day both cars will look identical, nobody would be able to tell the difference. Then fast forward a few years and the bondo'd up car will be popping, peeling,etc while the other one will still look the way it did when it left the shop.

Personally I like to go to sleep at night knowing I did what I said I would do. When clients are educated, they have a much better understanding of why it costs what it does and why sometimes it takes as long as it does.

In this industry, you typically get what you pay for. If it seems too good to be true, then chances are it probably is.

 

Good post man, good post!

 

I had the guy that did mine send pictures of all the work he was doing. He even pulled the deck lid glass out when he painted it. He pulled the locks and handles out the doors. Hell, he disassembled the door hinges and painted them. Now, I did check him out and he had some pics of cars he painted on the internet. I ended up with a som mirror. I wish I could find someone in Atlanta or okc that could do as good. Need to get my 2000 repainted black.