Affordable Closed Door Car Respray, Sydney

• 

  StonedWizard on 11/08/2016 - 21:07

  You're not going to get a decent finish with that price of $600.

  You're better of respraying it yourself, can look at rattle cans and buy a spray trigger which will help getting a better finish.

  Another option is to look into Plasti-Dip or Vinyl wrapping. Both can be done by yourself with that budget.

  Personally If you want something that will last you can get some pretty decent results with the spray can method if your technic is good. But it will never be as good as getting a professional to do it.

  • 

    Hoju on 11/08/2016 - 21:22

    DIY job eh. I've done bicycles but don't have a garage or any off road space so doing a car would be tricky. Also don't trust myself, the bikes were things I found in council cleanup, but the car is another story.

    I guess I'll scope things out. Gah just peeved at all the scratches on the thing and stressing at what's going to happen over time…

    • 

      StonedWizard on 11/08/2016 - 22:10

      If you have insurance maybe just lodge a few claims and get them to respray the car ?
      This is worthwhile if you have a locked in no claim bonus.

      My first step though would be to get some wax on the car to protect the paint which is currently there.

      • 

        tunzafun001 on 12/08/2016 - 11:19

        Whatever you do, do not wax / polish before getting it painted. Silicone in the polish will ruin the paint job.

      • 

        StonedWizard on 12/08/2016 - 11:36

        @tunzafun001:

        If you're getting the car painted in the next 2 weeks then yes but if it's going to be another month or more then it will be fine.

        When you sand down the car + clean the area it will strip all the wax anyways

  • 

    resisting the urge on 12/08/2016 - 01:22

    Good thread. It's cheapest if you prepare the car yourself. Rub it back and finish it with 600 wet. Clean and dry it well and use good painters masking tape to mask the trims and windows- but don't do this until they are ready to take it as the sun can bake it on like egg on concrete. Get them to just paint the top coat and also a coat of clear. Keep the same colour. They'll be able to make it cheaper if you accept responsibility for your prep work, but you are better not to let them shirk it and simply do a good job, ask them to do a final check and prep if it needs any. Use a well-organised shop in a suburb where there are many shops- it may be a little more than the worst place but will have a better spray-painter, booth and equipment. Better to use 2 pack paint, doesn't cost much more. Your car would have had that at the factory.

    Let us know what you decide on doing!

    • 

      Hoju on 12/08/2016 - 05:38

      Thanks for the details and support! I feel like it's something I should be able to do. Honestly, I had a mini in the UK and did all the prep outside a one man operator's shed.
      He sprayed it for 80 pounds and it came up looking sparkling in acrylic.

      What I have now is dull and scratch prone, so unless I get such a bad job that it orange peels, cracks or runs, it's going to be better.

      Unfortunately the car has acrylic on it, so I'm not sure if I can do 2 pack. Would very much like to though!

      • 

        StonedWizard on 12/08/2016 - 08:18

        Most painters won't go for that.

        They prefer prepping the car themselves but you can still give it a try.

        Heres a good Youtube video

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnILSQo_svI

      • 

        resisting the urge on 12/08/2016 - 12:43

        Once rubbed back it should be ok. Ask your painter what they recommend once they take a look at your existing paint. BMW mini or the old Leyland one? If a Leyland, acrylic would be normal.

        Paint is not the major cost though, so its worth using something the painter reccommends.

        Shed sprays are ok if you are well setup with heatlamps AND it is dustless. Most aren't, and can't be made that way either.

      • 

        Hoju on 12/08/2016 - 13:44

        @zerovelocity:

        Yep I've found a guy who sprays out west but lives local to me, coincidentally. Nice guy and is happy for me to bring it around and have a look at what the best option is.

        Curious, if paint is not the major cost, what is? I know labour for the prep would be expensive as it can be fiddly and time consuming, but if it's a matter of wheeling it into the booth and spraying then I'd hope labour wouldn't be too much (perhaps naively)!

      • 

        Euphemistic on 12/08/2016 - 19:09

        @Hoju: a good paint job relies mostly on the prep work. Anyone can slap some paint on, the pros make it look smooth and make sure it will stay there.

      • 

        resisting the urge on 13/08/2016 - 13:10

        @Hoju: Great stuff. Dust and contaminants are a major problem. The painter can't be sure you've done the right thing so will be worried paint will fry up, gets crows feet, and so on just because there was some invisible contaminant or dust under a trim or door jam that blows out when they spray.

        Really the car has to undergo final prep before it goes into the booth, and then some more in the booth just in case- even if you've done the best possible job prepping at home.

        The major cost is the booth- have you checked how much it would be to set one up, let alone run it?

• 

  spackbace on 11/08/2016 - 21:39

  +2

  Don't try to fit the respray to your budget, fit your budget to the respray.

• 

  blitz on 11/08/2016 - 23:01

  +1

  If you cover the car in cling-wrap before you paint, you can just peel it off if you don't like it.

  • 

    holdenmg on 12/08/2016 - 06:35

    +1

    …and any food you have in your car will still be fresh after. lol

• 

  holdenmg on 12/08/2016 - 06:40

  +1

  Have you asked the local TAFE's that have spraypainting courses?

• 

  altomic on 12/08/2016 - 07:12

  Check out mini car clubs. I used to be in the Wolseley car club and as people did restorations then there were members who resprays inexpensively (and with good equipment and skill).

• 

  Hoju on 12/08/2016 - 07:40

  Good thoughts thanks! I'll try the tafe as well as mini pages.
  I guess your average hobbiest won't have access to a spray booth, but might get an acrylic done

• 

  Euphemistic on 12/08/2016 - 09:00

  The size of the car doesn't make much difference to the price of a respray. It just reduces the amount of paint required. There is still a very similar amount of work involved in the spray.

  If it is a classic car, don't cheap out on the paint.

  • 

    resisting the urge on 12/08/2016 - 12:39

    Exactly, you actually pay for the preparation, the equipment, the experience, skill and care. If its bigger it uses barely any more time, prep, or cleanup. Just a little extra paint.

• 

  Hoju on 12/08/2016 - 09:43

  Second question i guess is - if I can't get an affordable half decent respray, is there any way of protecting the existing?

  I rested a screwdriver on the bonnet while the engine was running and it vibrated enough to scratch all the way down to primer! Then on a short drive another scratch appeared, no idea where from. At this rate I'll have no paint left! Not sure what dodgy paint job they did but they actually went to the effort of doing the whole shell so I'm amazed they didn't do something better with the paint

  • 

    Euphemistic on 12/08/2016 - 12:44

    By the sounds of that you aren't going to get a decent respray over the top, it's probably going to have to come off back to metal.

    Chucking a coat of clear over the top might help, but unlikely. Save your pennies.

    Edit: I've done a little outdoor respraying of cars. It hasn't turned out too bad, but I wouldn't do it on a classic car.