Legacy73

OK I want to understand the process of repainting a car since mine will be getting done in the spring.

I will be getting a total repaint done with all rust and dents removed. The rear panels will need to be cut with new metal welded in and I'm thinking about having my door moldings shaved and antenna as well.

Here are my questions:

1. Should I take it to a shop that does the bodywork as well as the painting or have a seperate guy do the bodywork then take the car to get painted?

2. Since I'm thinking about removing the side moldings, is there going to be an increased chance of flacking/cracking since they'll have to fill it in with bondo or metal?

3. If I decide to go with say Championship White as my color then will they have to do extra coats?

4. How many coats are in a basic paintjob and what are the coats?

5. How many coats of paint and clearcoat should be applied if I want snow blinding white(show quality).

6. I want to have the rust removed that is behind the bumpers as well as tailights. Should I remove these parts before taking to the paint shop or should I have them do it since I want the frame repainted where the rust was removed.

7. What kind of paint do I want used?What are the different types?

I've never had a car repainted and the one's i've seen have not been quality paintjobs in my eyes. Since this is going to cost a little bit of cash and she is my baby I only want the best for her, any knowledge you could share would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Karl

imported_94EG6HB

Jamie would be the one I would ask about this one..

The paint on his car is flawless...

Mind you..

You pay for flawless..

Gleaned from the net...

Things you should know before having your car painted
The rainy day "bubble" myth

Car owners are hesitant to have their cars painted when its raining for fear of the dreaded "Bubbles" or "Blisters". This is not true. Generally, the weather has nothing to do with the bubbles or blisters on the car's paint but is always blamed for it. More often, the root cause of blisters is solvent popping caused by the paint sprayer who did not observe the correct flash-off time during the paint spraying stage. Flash-off simply means the allowance of time as specified by the paint manufacturer for the solvent or thinner to evaporate during the paint spraying stage.

In the painting process, a car is sprayed over with basecoat (color) and clearcoat (topcoat) a number of times. If the sprayer fails to observe the flash-off time in between coats, trapped solvents under the succeeding coats will find a way out creating microscopic bubbles.

These tiny holes become very evident during the rainy season when moisture enters the holes and manifests as blisters only to disappear when the sun shines and the moisture evaporates. The long-term effect of blistering is more damaging - as a result paint chipping and lifting will take place.

Cars refinished with Acrylic Lacquer (1K) are more susceptible to blistering. These type of paints have very low film build per coat (low opacity) , the sprayer has to do twice as much sprayovers thereby increasing the probability of failure to observe flash-off times.

In essence, paints are viscous; solvents and thinners are only vehicles for pain to be sprayed on a substrate or surface and should completely evaporate first during the drying process.

Warranty period

The warranty period alone will tell you about the quality of work that a body and paint shop will render. Normal warranties of three (3) to six (6) months simply is not enough. A quality refinishing utilizing the best European Paint Technology should have durability and a lasting gloss. Based on the foregoing, the paint shop should be confident enough to give a longer warranty.

The paint

Ask what type of paint will be used to refinish your car. Never settle for anything less than 2K (or Polyurethane paint as commonly known). The best 2K paints come from Europe, the U.S. and Japan. 2K paints are the only paints approved by Car Manufacturers as repair paints for damaged OEM finishes as refinishing paints. 2K refinishing might cost a little more but will give you the best VALUE FOR MONEY.

The Refinisher

Does the body shop employ its own refinisher or is it subcontracted to an outside party? Most body shops and some of the car casa's (car manufacturer's dealers) subcontracts jobs on a labor and materials basis at very low contract prices. The poor subcontractor on the other hand, to make a little profit, employs unqualified, lowly paid workers and uses the cheapest available paint and ancillaries.

The car painting process period

Generally, it takes four (4) to six (6) weeks; systematically, nine (9) to twelve (12) days. Below is an example of the process/timeline to respray a less than 10 year old bantam-sized car to the same color.

Day 1 - Removal of body trim including bumpers, lights, grill, door handles and moldings etc. minor denting

Day 2 - Substrate preparation including body filling, sanding and primer application

Day 3 - Continuation of work in Day 2

Day 4 - Hi-pressure washing prior to masking (1 hour), masking (3 hours), paint spraying including application of basecoat/clearcoat inside the spray booth

Day 5 - Color sanding/primary buffing

Day 6 - Secondary buffing

Day 7 - Reinstallation of bumpers, trim, etc.

Day 8 - Car washing, polishing, delivery (allow 1 full day for minor rectifications/add 3 full days for a change in color)

The car owner

Remember that a quality refinishing job involves a good paint, a good refinisher and the length of the warranty period. With these in mind, you can correctly canvass for a paint and body shop that can give you the best deal; but don't compromise price for quality.

Legacy73

Thanks Aaron for the info, I will have to talk to Jamie since his is a special color. I either want to go with TypeR white or the Subaru Impreza white.

Since I will have a vehicle to drive when mines in the shop it's not going to be problem if it takes 2 weeks to do it.

keep the info coming!!

imported_1sicsol

Where are you getting it painted?

Legacy73

I'm not too sure yet, I want to try and find something local. I was gonna take a look at Russet Auto Body in Oshawa. Mike aren't you sponsored by a paint shop?

imported_1sicsol

Check your PM

[1sL0CiviC]

407 auto collision centre

they work on high end cars last time i checked

imported_Team Rukus

Get it done at the same place because your wasting time and if its rainy or dirty outside the primer will get fucked and have to get it sanded n **** like that again. 99 percent of the places do both i have yet to see a place that doesnt do both.
It will never crack UNLESS its been bondoed. If the car has sheet metal used for its patchin there is no chance for it to rack unless the welder is really really really ****. Even then its hard.
Championship white will not require more coats. Its up to you too choose how heavy u want the paint to appear.
basic coats at my bodyhop is 3 base and 3 clear. It all varies from one to the other.
If u want snow blinding white my advice is to put flakes, pearl or some type of candy in it. Clear coat jus adds layers.
A proper bodyshop will remove all exterior and iterior items before painting. Basic thing are headlights, taillights, so you should'nt be worried if you take it to the right place. There are places that just cover it up SO BE CAREFUL
The Type of paint all depends on what you want to go with if its a custom paint then you will have to go to places like dupont or sherwin williams and make them do it custom in the first place.
Your Welcome

Rice Burner

Take your time and find a good shop that does really good work. sign's of good work is a clean shop area, the car's that are in there getting repaired, how long they've been in business etc...

Molding are there to prevent you from getting ding's on you body panel's. As ugly as they are if your' using it as a daily driver and aren't going to enter some serious show's I suggest put them back on after painting.

If your changing colours on a vehicle then it will cost you more money. Also do you want the inside of the door jam's, under the hood and in the trunk ******?

usually 3-5 coat's of paint and I like 9 coat's of clear! Clear coat is what creates the dept of a paint job. Also since your buffing after the paintjob, you'll take some materiel off.

you might save a buck or two if you remove the bumper's and light's yourself, but ultimatly let them do it.

If you can afford getting your car painted with a Urethane paint then do it. It cost's quite a bit more than base/clear. If you can't don't sweat it, base/clear is really good. Stay away from Lacqour paint's.

Legacy73

The reason I'm thinking about getting my moldings shaved is cause my car doesn't have them, all I have is the line.

This was going to be my daily driver but since I've decided to spend around $4000 on just paint I'd rather have another car to commute with so i'm looking at a probe GT this weekend.

Thanks for the info guy's, I'm gonna try and get to a shop this Friday since I have the day off. I have to wait until all this white stuff is gone anyway's!

Rice Burner

If your in the east end, I recomend Woodbine Autobody. It's at Esna Park and Alden Rd in Markham.

The G2 Racer

Karl,

Save yourself some time and money and strip the car down yourself.
This is what I'm doing and then towing it on a flat bed (thank god my friend hasa Jeep) to get painted. EVERYTHING stripped but the wheels.

The G2 Racer

also try to inspect cars they have painted before. Look for any cracks, bubbles, fish eyes, orange peel (really nasty), etc. Go over the car with a fine tooth comb.

Find out if they wash the car before and after. After paint process is done it should sit for at least a day and then be washed, wet sanded, buffed, waxed, etc.

Also when something is shaved (emblem holes, side moldings, antenna thing, etc.) most good shops tend to weld metal and not fiberglass or bondo. Over time fiberglass and bondo will crack and wrap no matter how well it was done. I've seen a car when the door was closed the bondo and fiberglass cracked, it looked like ****. Make sure they weld metal in. And do it carefully on the doors because the metal on the skins is thin and can be wrapped from the heat of a trouch.