Budgeting for a paint job

[randeez]

I was looking at 10k plus for my 08 Silverado. This is from a friend who owns a body shop. He said he couldn’t give me any great deal because he could make way more doing 6-8 smaller insurance jobs. A full repaint takes up so much shop time most won’t even do it.

this is what i ran into when looking (yukon hood was shit when i bought it) every body shop just simply had a steady stream of insurance work that was basically drama free where good enough was enough

 

[91RS]

Geez, no wonder people drive around with vehicles with faded/worn paint, LOL.

I've painted a hood/fender and turned out "okay". Not showroom quality but better than driving a truck with mismatched color panels.

My 99 Silverado has started to peel on the clearcoat on the roof. My 06 Suburban has some nasty door dings from the PO. I think it may be better to just repaint the entire truck to fix door dings, etc that accumulate over the years of daily driving it on both trucks. I wouldn't see myself spending $10k on a truck that's only worth $5k in my case. Just doesn't make sense to me. But I understand folks have different points of view.

When a new one costs $80k-$100k, $10k for a paint job becomes much more worth it. Especially if the rest of the truck is in good shape. I’ve spent a significant amount of money on my 08 and 13 that everyone would deem “not worth it” but I am not spending $100k on one of these new turds that are just as poor quality and will be worthless by the time it’s paid off if you finance it for 5-7 years. The high price and high depreciation of these new vehicles is much more “not worth it” to me, these new ones are not $100k quality.

 

[strutaeng]

When a new one costs $80k-$100k, $10k for a paint job becomes much more worth it. Especially if the rest of the truck is in good shape. I’ve spent a significant amount of money on my 08 and 13 that everyone would deem “not worth it” but I am not spending $100k on one of these new turds that are just as poor quality and will be worthless by the time it’s paid off if you finance it for 5-7 years. The high price and high depreciation of these new vehicles is much more “not worth it” to me, these new ones are not $100k quality.

You are correct. I definitely agree with you on that.

The worst thing is that I've seen some new-ish vehicles from different manufacturers with paint failures, probably defective factory paint. SMH.

 

[91RS]

It does seem much more common these days. Japanese paint has been about as notorious as GM paint for failing or being very soft/easy to scratch. Nissans seem to be pretty bad about complete failure. I know a lot of it has to do with the environmental regulations, which is a big reason the manufacturers are moving manufacturing into other countries. I’ve seen almost no paint failures on pickups built in Mexico, it seems to be limited to the SUVs built in the US. Some of the Buick sedans are having paint failure now but they’re much older than all the K2 trucks that are failing. The Regals built in Germany are pretty bad, the Verano in a couple of colors but can’t remember where it’s made. The Lacrosse seems to be fine, built in Canada along with other Canadian built cars like the 5th gen Camaro.

 

[MrMonte]

40 years ago I painted my car for $200 in materials and that was using good paint.

Had to paint my wife's fender last month because a mystery object hit it while driving on the hwy. It cost me $200 in materials alone and I only bought a qt of paint.

In process of painting my 1973 Camaro and will have around $1,500 in materials + hundreds of man hours into it.

I work in High Tech, cars are my therapy.

Dents fixed

After 2 coats of base, 1 mist base coat since metallic paint then 3 clear coats. PPG color match was perfect. The 10 year old paint is holding up well. Have 130K miles on our 2014 SS Sedan.

 

[CMoore711]

Yeah, most places won’t do a full paint job. I wanted to get a price on doing the entire truck since I figured the doors wouldn’t be far behind and no one I called would do it.

But, since GM is discontinuing all the parts to keep the truck on the road, it may not even matter. Just another reason the GM’s I have are likely my last.

Despite coming to terms with the $10-$15K price tag, I think these 2 factors end up being pretty big challenges. Some of the reason for the high price (and some shops refusing the full re-spray work even) is due to how much shop time and labor that has to be committed to a single vehicle to do it right when they are cycling through multiple vehicle insurance claims that are much easier to turn out and make their money.

Given your vehicles age there will be OEM trim parts and items that will be discontinued or become discontinued sooner rather than later. As mentioned in this thread already in order to do a full re-spray correctly there will need to be a lot of trim removed in the prep process. Some of the OEM GM trim can be removed and re-used; However with the vehicle age even with some of the items that could be re-used it's worth considering just replacing a lot of it due to age wear and tear. Especially since if you're willing to spend $10K+ on a re-spray what's another $2K+ in replacing OEM trim, seals, appliques, etc. Also, keep in mind a lot of GM OEM trim items are not able to be re-installed once removed by design so some items will require replacement regardless.

You may want to start doing your homework now on what trim pieces and parts will need to be removed as part of the prep, of those parts what can be re-used, what's worth re-using or replacing, and what would you absolutely have to replace. Once you have that list of GM OEM part numbers start digging around to see what's still being made and available, and what is potentially already discontinued. Whatever is still available that you know you'll absolutely need, you may want to consider purchasing and storing now to ensure you have it. Additionally, this may increase your ability to find a body shop to take on the project.

 

[91RS]

Absolutely. Luckily for the OP, he has a Yukon which has a lot less trim to deal with. I’m pretty sure all the grilles are discontinued and the aftermarket ones are pure garbage quality, which really sucks. I managed to get a new set of grilles for both of my Escalades and had clear bra done on the whole front bumper after putting them on. The window appliqué’s for the Escalades are all still available but most people who own these trucks now won’t pony up for them and just put stickers on them. Half of the clips were broken on all of mine so it’s definitely safe to say those will not be reusable. I have not been able to successfully remove the fender vents on the Escalade without breaking at least one tab so I’d plan on replacing those also.

It was all worth it to me. The result is fantastic. I’d much rather have my paid off 08 I’ve put some money into than a new one that costs as much as I paid for my house.

 

[Rocket Man]

My 02 has all of its factory paint still in near perfect condition after 21 years. I somehow doubt todays vehicles will even last that long mechanically/ electronically. I did install a new hood, and I’ve replaced the rear bumper cover and installed Esky parts here and there so there’s a few parts that have been painted by my buddy’s body shop. He said a body shop can’t do as good a job as factory paint, not sure if that’s true but it does seem that repainted vehicles don’t last as long as factory painted. So that’s another thing to consider.

 

[Geotrash]

Wow... all fantastic feedback. I learned a ton keeping up with this thread, so thanks all.

Change of plan:

In all seriousness though, it's a job I may end up tackling myself when the time comes - especially now that I know the cost at a paint shop. I have a Horrible Freight HVLP spray gun that I used to paint an old Acura I had, and the paint prep work I can do myself also.

 

[tooleyondeck]

All of these guys talking about body shops turning down jobs in lieu of insurance jobs, sheesh. My dad literally started his own business because he was tired of doing insurance jobs and fixing people's broken crap. He now owns a successful shop and only does custom paint and restorations. Sounds like he was really swimming against the current with that move.

 

[91RS]

He definitely was. The insurance game is “easy money” if you’re willing to play by their rules and most take the money and run.

 

[adventurenali92]

All of these guys talking about body shops turning down jobs in lieu of insurance jobs, sheesh. My dad literally started his own business because he was tired of doing insurance jobs and fixing people's broken crap. He now owns a successful shop and only does custom paint and restorations. Sounds like he was really swimming against the current with that move.

Sounds like I need to pay him to repaint my truck lol.

 

[Rocket Man]

All of these guys talking about body shops turning down jobs in lieu of insurance jobs, sheesh. My dad literally started his own business because he was tired of doing insurance jobs and fixing people's broken crap. He now owns a successful shop and only does custom paint and restorations. Sounds like he was really swimming against the current with that move.

That’s what my friend is doing, he’s slowly gone away from insurance work and has bought property outside of the city with his home and a huge shop that’s going to be his business and he will only be doing word of mouth work by appointment but 95% of the body shops like the one he built from the ground up rely on insurance work at least to start with, and most stay with that business model. There’s only enough custom work out there for a handful of shops, and those stay really busy. You might end up waiting months to get in so that’s another consideration. So yes, he was swimming against the current and I’m sure he knew it.

 

[randeez]

That’s what my friend is doing, he’s slowly gone away from insurance work and has bought property outside of the city with his home and a huge shop that’s going to be his business and he will only be doing word of mouth work by appointment but 95% of the body shops like the one he built from the ground up rely on insurance work at least to start with, and most stay with that business model. There’s only enough custom work out there for a handful of shops, and those stay really busy. You might end up waiting months to get in so that’s another consideration. So yes, he was swimming against the current and I’m sure he knew it.

yall aint wrong...but thats the other side of the coin, if im just looking to get a panel resprayed/blended or clean up a 1996 buick lasabre i dont need a 35k$ paint job on the thing

 

[tooleyondeck]

has bought property outside of the city with his home and a huge shop that’s going to be his business and he will only be doing word of mouth work by appointment

That's exactly what my dad did, built a pole barn shop on his property and expanded it over time and he doesn't use social media or any advertising at all really. He keeps about 6mo of work lined up at a time and rotates working on the big projects. He will take on simple paint jobs or engine swaps that he can turn around in a week or so in between. Being located where we are, there isn't much competition in that arena so it's not a bad business model.

 

[MrMonte]

Wow... all fantastic feedback. I learned a ton keeping up with this thread, so thanks all.

Change of plan:

View attachment 413603

In all seriousness though, it's a job I may end up tackling myself when the time comes - especially now that I know the cost at a paint shop. I have a Horrible Freight HVLP spray gun that I used to paint an old Acura I had, and the paint prep work I can do myself also.

I use this gun. Easy to setup & gives a perfect paint job and under $100.

Astro EUROHV103 EuroPro Forged HVLP Spray Gun with 1.3mm Nozzle and Plastic Cup​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040Y301S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[petethepug]

Seeing this vs. $10k paint job weighs even to me. If you have the vehicle you love and it makes your heart tick tok, that’s reason enough to pull the trigger on a full respray.

Use a credit card for charge back rights & liability as well a shop you’ll will not be afraid to hold accountable for any mishaps. Keep relationships with friends and don’t throw them away if they do the job and somehow f’bar it. They guy who went to my friend got a horrible $6k full red respray back in ‘88. My black Mustang looked like $8k. I was embarrassed for referring business his way.

It’s an emotional expenditure. If you secure that you’re emotions won’t be taken over if it goes South, you’ve already won. You’ll get a do over at no charge.

Thank you for preserving the best of Cadillac’s best with that paint. GM started going head to head with German made luxury/muscle full size SUV in 07-14. They hired Hella to design the LED headlamps and Dräxlmaier for the Platinum interior and pulled it off with full monochromatic paint, 400hp and huge 22’s on active suspension. It stands the test of time and just enough chrome to know it still has Harley Earl’s Cadillac design cues in there, and all the way across GM’s line up.

Harley Jefferson Earl | Automotive Design, Car Styling, Concept Cars

Harley Jefferson Earl, industrial designer best known as the leading automotive stylist in the 20th-century United States. Earl studied at Stanford University but left school to work with his father in the Earl Automotive Works, a custom shop catering to Hollywood clients such as film director

www.britannica.com

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

You can also save some money by removing alot of the trim yourself--windshield trim, headlights, taillights etc. That'll some some $$ on labor. But make sure you talk to them 1st before doing it.

I was going to ask the general question regarding removing various bits to "help" the repainting. E.g. bumpers, running boards, lights, grill, emblems?, black upper rear covers, roof rack, antennas, lower outside window trims.
What other items can/should be removed? What items should not be removed? Can the trim around the windows be removed without breaking them? Door handles? Sideview mirrors. Replace front windshield (mine is original with some rock chips/etc.) Also, good point about asking the painter first. I've talked with my local Maaco guy, last time the quote was ~%5k. I was thinking maybe if I help by getting stuff out of the way I'll get a better job. I also need to ask him how many coats of clear will I get or can I get? People say 3 coats is what I should get.

 

[ivin74]

I was going to ask the general question regarding removing various bits to "help" the repainting. E.g. bumpers, running boards, lights, grill, emblems?, black upper rear covers, roof rack, antennas, lower outside window trims.
What other items can/should be removed? What items should not be removed? Can the trim around the windows be removed without breaking them? Door handles? Sideview mirrors. Replace front windshield (mine is original with some rock chips/etc.) Also, good point about asking the painter first. I've talked with my local Maaco guy, last time the quote was ~%5k. I was thinking maybe if I help by getting stuff out of the way I'll get a better job. I also need to ask him how many coats of clear will I get or can I get? People say 3 coats is what I should get.

DO NOT get a Maaco paint job period.

 

[Tonyrodz]

DO NOT get a Maaco paint job period.

Unless you're just trying to make it pretty to sell it.