Need A Cheap But Decent Paint Job

[SMOOTHDADDYK]

I am looking for a paint job in metro atlanta my clear coat is peeling and I have some minor dings. Does anyone know of a place that has good but decent paint jobs? I don't want to get hosed. Thanks

[SMOOTHDADDYK]

I am looking for a paint job in metro atlanta my clear coat is peeling and I have some minor dings. Does anyone know of a place that has good but decent paint jobs? I don't want to get hosed. Thanks

Sorry didn't mean to post twice.

[amcdonal86]

What color is your car?

[SMOOTHDADDYK]

What color is your car?

burgundy

[SMOOTHDADDYK]

Does anyone have any info on a decent under $500 paint job in Atlanta :cries: ?

[landar]

Does anyone have any info on a decent under $500 paint job in Atlanta :cries: ?

"Decent" does not fit in the same sentence as $500. Would not even cover materials.

[eatingupblacktop]

My MO; If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right! $500 doesn't cut it. You won't like to hear this but, leave the dings and let'er peel. In the meantime save up yer money n doit right! It's not long after that initial satisfaction of having spent so little on the job that the sinking realization settles in ... you really only get what you pay for. Cheap gets cheap and only you can set your own standard.

[SMOOTHDADDYK]

My MO; If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right! $500 doesn't cut it. You won't like to hear this but, leave the dings and let'er peel. In the meantime save up yer money n doit right! It's not long after that initial satisfaction of having spent so little on the job that the sinking realization settles in ... you really only get what you pay for. Cheap gets cheap and only you can set your own standard.

Well since I have been told that one costs between $2500-3000....And I dont wanna go that route I paid $500 for the car..I hear nothing but horror stories about Maaco..For the record I can spend more than $500 but $2500 is nuts!!

In response to Landar I have the paint already.

[curiousB]

My MO; If something's worth doing, it's worth doing right! $500 doesn't cut it. You won't like to hear this but, leave the dings and let'er peel. In the meantime save up yer money n doit right! It's not long after that initial satisfaction of having spent so little on the job that the sinking realization settles in ... you really only get what you pay for. Cheap gets cheap and only you can set your own standard.

Well since I have been told that one costs between $2500-3000....And I dont wanna go that route I paid $500 for the car..I hear nothing but horror stories about Maaco..For the record I can spend more than $500 but $2500 is nuts!!

In response to Landar I have the paint already.

Why paint a $500 twenty year old car? Just ride it until it breaks down and isn't worth fixing anymore. Cheap safe transportation. Would you put a new paintjob on a 1993 Ford Focus? Realistically how long do you think you'll drive this car? 1-2 years max. Put the saved money towards your next car.

[nc211]

I'll paint it for $100, if you provide the supplies. I'll need:

1) A paint ball gun

2) Paint balls (color of your choice)

3) Legal waiver signed by you releasing me of any liability associated with any potential damage done to not just the car, but surrounding assets as well - I'm not a very good shot!)

It'll take me about 30 mintues, depending on psi settings of the gun.

[1990LS400]

In response to Landar I have the paint already.

Maybe find a locally owned "mom & pop" body shop and see what you can work out. Maybe you could do some of the prep work yourself to keep the cost down. I did that about 40 years ago with a then 13 year old convertible. I removed as much of the exterior trim as I could including insignia, grill, and bumpers and even the windshield -- not that you'll want to do all that on an LS! I removed the tail lights, headlights, turn signals, etc. I hand wet sanded the existing paint, did most of what little masking was needed and delivered the car to the bodyshop (with cans of paint in the trunk) in pretty much ready-to-paint condition. Part of the deal to let the guy work on it during the winter when he didn't have bigger fish to fry. He cut me one heck of a deal.

[SMOOTHDADDYK]

In response to Landar I have the paint already.

Maybe find a locally owned "mom & pop" body shop and see what you can work out. Maybe you could do some of the prep work yourself to keep the cost down. I did that about 40 years ago with a then 13 year old convertible. I removed as much of the exterior trim as I could including insignia, grill, and bumpers and even the windshield -- not that you'll want to do all that on an LS! I removed the tail lights, headlights, turn signals, etc. I hand wet sanded the existing paint, did most of what little masking was needed and delivered the car to the bodyshop (with cans of paint in the trunk) in pretty much ready-to-paint condition. Part of the deal to let the guy work on it during the winter when he didn't have bigger fish to fry. He cut me one heck of a deal.

I will check on that thanks for the input.

To the other non-help Thanks anyway!!

[landar]

Sorry for the non-help reply. If you already have the paint and a little time on your hands, consider borrowing a compressor

and gun and painting it yourself. So what if you mess some of it up. Redo it. Think of the experience you will gain and the satisfaction

when it is finally done. You might even strike a deal to rent a paint booth. If not, a clean garage at home will work.

Take a picture of you car and post it. I would like to see what the existing paint looks like. Thanks.

[AzHotLS]

I have the paint already.

You could have mentioned that in your first post, it would have changed the way people responded to you.

[SRK]

I know of very few body shops that would use materials supplied by the customer. They use systems that they like, and unless yours is the same, I doubt very much they'll touch the job.

By having "paint" do you mean the first stage acrylic base, second stage urethane clear, the reducer/thinners, catalyst, sealer, two part primers, what?

I used to paint cars.....

[wuzzy1]

I am looking for a paint job in metro atlanta my clear coat is peeling and I have some minor dings. Does anyone know of a place that has good but decent paint jobs? I don't want to get hosed. Thanks

Spivey's Body Shop 143 Sailors Drive in Ellijay, Georgia 706-635-2811

[wuzzy1]

I am looking for a paint job in metro atlanta my clear coat is peeling and I have some minor dings. Does anyone know of a place that has good but decent paint jobs? I don't want to get hosed. Thanks

Find a MAACO or EARL SCHEIB in your area.

[rickatups]

20 years ago I could find guys that would do this kind of work at home ...... but these days .... not so. I have tried really hard to find a painter that will do it for me (I need paint / body work also) ..... but man ... it is sooooooooooooo hard to find a guy to do this now .....

I finally found a guy that actually has a body shop ... a small one .... and he does his work on weekends, plus he has a few guys that work for him while he is doing his day job ..... but I do not have a price yet on what it will take. I need complete paint.

I did take my car to one of the most respected Lexus Certified Body shops (Los Angeles area) ... are you sitting down???? How about $15,000 ... sound about right? Yup ... 15 Large $$$$$ to do my complete car (95 LS400), including a new windshield. This also would include a new Sun Roof gasket, etc. And .... there is more .... they are going to take the car apart first. And .... even the back glass is coming out .... which means I will have a new back window glass gasket. These guys have every tool in the book in their shop. The spray booth cost HUGE money ...... HUGE .... HUGE money ....

you will get what you pay for ...... pretty much.

(no .... I am not having them do my car for me ..... but if there was a way, and money was no object .... I think I would let them do it .... I like perfection .. and that is how much I like my old Lexus)

[landar]

20 years ago I could find guys that would do this kind of work at home ...... but these days .... not so. I have tried really hard to find a painter that will do it for me (I need paint / body work also) ..... but man ... it is sooooooooooooo hard to find a guy to do this now .....

I finally found a guy that actually has a body shop ... a small one .... and he does his work on weekends, plus he has a few guys that work for him while he is doing his day job ..... but I do not have a price yet on what it will take. I need complete paint.

I did take my car to one of the most respected Lexus Certified Body shops (Los Angeles area) ... are you sitting down???? How about $15,000 ... sound about right? Yup ... 15 Large $$$$$ to do my complete car (95 LS400), including a new windshield. This also would include a new Sun Roof gasket, etc. And .... there is more .... they are going to take the car apart first. And .... even the back glass is coming out .... which means I will have a new back window glass gasket. These guys have every tool in the book in their shop. The spray booth cost HUGE money ...... HUGE .... HUGE money ....

you will get what you pay for ...... pretty much.

(no .... I am not having them do my car for me ..... but if there was a way, and money was no object .... I think I would let them do it .... I like perfection .. and that is how much I like my old Lexus)

Yes. Exactly. Nice paint jobs do NOT come cheaply. Certainly not for $500. The materials for a nice paint job alone can cost some serious bucks. Not $500.

If you take a careful look at the factory paint job on a Lexus, you will notice that it is far better than say, your average Ford, Chevy or Chrysler. Much less orange peel, and more shine/luster which means much better paint, clear coat and workmanship. And these things "aint" cheap. The $15k is not out of line for a nice, factory comparable paint job.

[killerFatty]

I know a guy from an auto class at the local community college that has a '67 yenko camaro. Completely restored, beautiful car. He dropped $20K for a show quality paint job. But you get one look at that paint and you are blown away. Yellow with black rally strips. The color is so even and the clear coat just shines. I only got to see it once because he only drove to the class once. That car has to be worth close to $100k though.

[RDM]

Start working on the barter system, find someone who needs your expertise and trade out, for me I'm a mechanic so I had a friend who paints and needed my skills, we traded out even. Whatever your skill is, use it as incentive. I had my '92 repainted fully last year (with the addition of 1994 lower mouldings/rockers) as well as welding up the antenna and emblem holes for just the cost of materials. I think total I was out $480 in paint and supplies, I also did all the teardown of the car and prepwork, including masking and cleaning. It's not a *perfect* job, but it looks 100 times better than it ever did, plus it's all one color now instead of that gaudy two tone Lexus seemed to love in the 90s.

Painting a car is not a hard job, the problem is for $500 you're going to have a car that's got overspray and tape lines on the lights, moulding, trim, glass, everything. Plus the paint will have debris and trash in it from improper cleaning and sanding. No one is going to teardown and prep the car for that price. If you can find someone willing to paint it after you've stripped it, cleaned it, and provide the supplies, $500 isn't too far a stretch. Just know you've got to be able to get it to them somehow after all those parts are removed.

[eastmanm]

I also live in the Atlanta area, and looked into repainting my recently acquired Champagne '94 LS400, which has some fading/peeling on the top areas of the car. One shop that came highly recommended is the Maaco in Roswell (but be wary of the other Maacos, as they can differ greatly in quality). After talking to 3 different shops, and looking at the finished paint jobs of the various levels of paints, I came to the conclusion that it will cost about $2200 to keep my Lexus looking like a Lexus (this is with the shop doing all the work & providing all the materials). Unfortunately, with the multiple coats & clear coat, there are no less expensive/halfway measures possible. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised and might not have purchased the car had I known that, although it has since proved to be in excellent mechanical condition, so I might yet go for it, and will post pics if I do.

Mike

[landar]

Also keep in mind the longevity of the "paint" job. While the finished product could look pretty good right out of the shop, it may not last for long.

I had an 86 Olds that I wanted to keep for a bit longer but the original paint was gone. So, I took it to Maaco and decided on their "premium" package for

$800 (this was in 1998). The car actually looked ok afterwards. More orange peel than I had hoped, but ok. Then several years later, it started falling apart.

Yeah, the paint job. I started to notice what looked like tree sap on the hood. Only I did not park under a tree. No problem, I will just polish it out. Not.

It got this "leprosy" looking effect and it just progressively worsened until the whole job looked like crap.

So, what I am trying to say is beware. There is a tremendous difference in quality of materials. You have to pay to get top-notch materials that will not fall apart

several years later. And its a bit more than $500 for an entire car. Oh wait. Strike that. I just checked at Lowes. A gallon of Sherwin-Williams is on sale for $30. ;)

[SLORICK]

Hey SmoothDaddyK, the "non-help" WAS trying to help. I see they are old regulars, and I ditto all comments above.

My In-Laws lived in Stone Mountain for 40 years, and I visited every Christmas for ten years until they died 5 years ago.

They drive crazy in Atlanta, especially on the freeways. I was young and foolish but am now 60. Some advice:

I painted my 62Chevy at home in 1972 after an accident. Learned why paying MAACO or Dealer price was worth it.

I know you got a $500 car and trying to keep it going. Some have answered your specific question...

Google "1990 LS400 wiki" and read: Congratulations, you now own the First Year of the finest luxury car made in the world. Sold for about $35,000 and better than Cadillac. In 1995 they made LS400 larger and added $30,000 to price.

Todays Lexus for $100,000? contains New Mellenium electronics that are unbelieveable: GPS, Park Itself, etc.

So, ask yourself: You paid $500, if you sink $500 into paint, what ELSE can go wrong next? 5 of the BEST tires for that car cost $1200. ( I just bought some) Just you, or do you have wife and kids in that car? MOST IMPORTANT THING in a car, methinks, is BRAKES to Stop it, because it can always roll downhill without an engine. Luxury Cars have numerous things to drive you crazy...if electric drivers window or seat breaks, expensive compared to window crank or manual seat. If your 1990 LS400 has air shocks, those are expensive too when they go out. My Chevy had timing CHAIN, but I was surprised that jap cars use rubber timing BELT. Expensive 60K or 90K service because big job to change that internal belt and Water Pump too for a lexus. I just paid $1000. You own a "museum" car now, but new paint might sucker you into keeping on spending more... Best reason for new cheap KIA car is that everything is NEW and starts wearing out at the SAME TIME, but with a used car, parts are reaching the end of their life at different rates, SO YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO GO BAD NEXT...it might be a cheaper battery or altenator, or expensive part that stops you dead in your tracks... grrrrrrr. Pray that an ECU (computer) doesnt go out. OH YEAH: PULL-A-Part...My experience with junkyards is that most cars are there because they were in a front or rear crash, so parts from THAT end of the car are worthless, then you have to find correct color car to match any interior parts. Also, most cars have windows busted out, so rain and snow have destroyed interiors, making seats, etc. harder to find. Good Luck