Want to repaint mine... Some questions...

Stilor · #1 05-03-2010, 02:06 PM

Hi all,

I thought I was going to bite the bullet and have my SVX repainted. I stopped at a 3 paint shops over this weekend. Two of them gave a quote between $3K and $4K. However, one of these shops (which, by the way was highest rated in reviews on yelp and praised for honesty towards their customers) said it would be between $6K and $8K. They said that it's more expensive since for a quality repaint, they need to remove the glass (instead of just masking it), remove the sunroof, spoiler, etc. They claimed they cannot give a warranty unless they do all these removals and reassembly.

Now, I have set aside up to $4K for that paintjob, but I also wanted it to be good. Does removal of the glass make any sense for the paintjob? Or is it just some BS to charge some extra? I am yet to go back to other shops to check what they planned to remove and paint separately.

Also, I'd appreciate any recommendations for paint shops in south Bay Area. I know there are not so many of SVX owners here, but anyway...

SilverSpear · #2 05-03-2010, 02:16 PM

Well removing the glass is always the best way to go on a paintjob. But 6~8K is waaaaaaaay too much IMHO.

BoxerFanatic · #3 05-03-2010, 03:30 PM

Wow, that is a big number.

Do they offer a warranty about replacing the glass if they break the glass in the procedure of removing it all? SVX has a lot of curved, fixed glass... that is a lot of hours, and a lot of effort and risk of glass breakage.

I would definitely be all about removing trim around the windows, and using trim tape to peel-back the rubber seals, removal of the spoiler, etc... but I would make sure that the shop has things covered if they break the glass, or if the glass isn't re-installed correctly after the job is done.

Is it going to be a color change, or a re-fresh with the same color?

Stilor · #4 05-03-2010, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoxerFanatic

Do they offer a warranty about replacing the glass if they break the glass in the procedure of removing it all? SVX has a lot of curved, fixed glass... that is a lot of hours, and a lot of effort and risk of glass breakage.

Well, that's exactly what they said - that it's a lot of labor to remove the glass. I didn't explicitly ask about insurance, given that $6K was above the budget anyway.

The question is whether repaints without glass removal are good enough, or will the new paint peel in a couple of years?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoxerFanatic

I would definitely be all about removing trim around the windows, and using trim tape to peel-back the rubber seals, removal of the spoiler, etc... but I would make sure that the shop has things covered if they break the glass, or if the glass isn't re-installed correctly after the job is done.

... in which case, it's going to take some time before I can swallow $6-8K bill. Or, find a decent shop that could make it within the budget.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoxerFanatic

Is it going to be a color change, or a re-fresh with the same color?

Well, I have not made a final decision. I sort of like her black as she is, but I also entertain the idea of making her two-color, lower part being the color named "daytona sunset orange" in Corvettes. Tried to do that in my photo editor:

Blacky · #5 05-03-2010, 05:58 PM

I don't think glass removal is a necessity, especially for that price. Removing the spoiler and all the cladding, bumpers etc would be a good thing. I like that orange, very cool.

SilverSpear · #6 05-03-2010, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stilor

The question is whether repaints without glass removal are good enough, or will the new paint peel in a couple of years?

It is not an issue of peeling more than an issue of humidity forming between the glass rubber seal and the metal panels.

sowise · #7 05-04-2010, 04:41 AM

About 10 years ago I paid 5k to have my 'Cuda painted but it also needed some welding on the body panels as well. It was a little shop in BFE Maryland and the paint job was just ok. They did not remove the glass and even though I had the interior gutted they didn't spray anything there even though I had asked them too. I was younger and didn't care because I just wanted it back as soon as possible and some of the defects I didn't notice until I went to wax it.

A guy in my office had his late 70's mustang painted and he spent 20k, you would think total show quality but his choice of color kind of sucked haha but he did end up having the shop go back over multiple times because he wasn't happy with differnent parts. It took about 8 months for that paint job.

Another guy from the office had the lower cladding on his Audi A4 painted (stock was grey plastic) I believe he spent $500 and it was a perfect paint match and to this day still looks great!

Friend took a Mitsu Eclipse that was black with the oxidizing hood and roof common problem for that current model and year range (not sure exactly 2001?) They took it to Maaco and for $300 it looks great.

All in all yes you get what you pay for but I have seen expensive ones look bad and cheap ones look good. I think it is more based on the shop and how good they prep the surface. There are some on this forum who have pretty decent DIY jobs too. I won't pay over $2500 ever again for paint but that is just me.

sunvalleyray · #8 05-03-2010, 07:22 PM

The shop that repainted my car suggested removing all the glass which I agreed with. For that kind of money (6 to 8K) I would think you are receiving a show car quality job. Have you seen paint jobs from all the shops you visited? Usually you get what you pay for. Good luck and I cannot wait to see the end results.

Sunvalleyray