Paint & Body costs

[kroberts]

Sort of an informal survey. What did you spend on your paint job? How much body work? Complete color change or respray the old one? How far did you dis-assemble the car, or did they do everything? Any surprises?

I'm hoping to spend no more than $5k. I want to get an idea of what others have spent in an effort to guage how badly the shops are trying to sodomize me.

TIA,

kroberts

[OnrailsM3]

Originally posted by kroberts
Sort of an informal survey. What did you spend on your paint job? How much body work? Complete color change or respray the old one? How far did you dis-assemble the car, or did they do everything? Any surprises?

I'm hoping to spend no more than $5k. I want to get an idea of what others have spent in an effort to guage how badly the shops are trying to sodomize me.

TIA,

kroberts

Rebuilt after damage, lots of body work ie: new rear valance and a new rad support etc..., same color.

Really depends on two things, how anal are you and if you are getting a deal or not. If you go into a shop cold, they will hit you over the head whereas a recommendation from a fellow enthusiast can save you a little money.

When I was getting mine done during an insurance rebuild I simply said " I show this car regularly and whoever asks who painted it, I'm gonna tell them {Insert name} did it. It's in both our best interests if you do a kick ass job"

Then hand a crisp hundred to the Manager and smile.

Also, make sure you go to a place that knows these cars and isn't afraid to ask you how something goes. The guys I had wouldn't listen and I wound up with some mismounted parts.

The devil is in the details, for 5K this thing should roll out winning concours.


Good luck and post some pics during the process.

[M3 Mitch]

There are basically 2 main breeds of shop out there, the joints that are just in it for the money, these guys tend to stick with insurance repair of late-models, and the real car guys who do paint and body because that's who they are.

Only the second group is worth fooling with.

But, bear in mind that a full paint job takes a lot of skilled labor, and the materials are not cheap. Doing an M3 - and doing it RIGHT - is a hell of a lot of work.

5K should be enough for a good job.

Color change on these cars is a bear, and even if done perfectly (which would almost require full disassembly!) will result in a car that will be worth less since the paint code won't match the VIN. Anal, I know, but if you are going to spend this kind of $, you might as well get your full money's worth. So remember color change is harder to do, costs more to do right, but results in a car that's worth less.

You do want to get a shop that wants your car as an advertising item. That and the fact that this is not your daily driver, so you specifically agree up front not to bug hell out of them with "is it ready yet?" can be deal builders to the right shop. The guys who don't care about these points are not the ones you will want to deal with.

Sometimes you can find a 1-man shop that will let you do the prep and they just do the hard/interesting stuff. But you have to know something to be able to do the prep.

So find the right shop, and make certain they really understand you want good or better than factory finish, something they and you can both take pride in for a long damn time, then make a deal that really works for both of you. But understand that a good paintjob is never going to come cheap!!!

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

One last thing - since you are in Texas if you can hook up with Larry Lyles's shop, the guy who writes for Auto Restorer, I would think this would have you in the best possible hands (yes I know how big Texas is so this may be totally impractical)

[drinaldis]

A better than factory paint job for 5K? Give me two!! Estimates from two shops here in the bay area gave me prices of 9K and 11K. The are no dings, dents, scuffs that need repair and the front and rear bumpers were already done and were perfect. Someone hook me up!

[d2a4]

Agree, 5K is average job I would say. A great job comparable with factory will run in 10K upward.

[Ironhead]

Originally posted by d2a4
Agree, 5K is average job I would say. A great job comparable with factory will run in 10K upward.

I agree with some here, $5K is fairly low ball for a top notch complete paint job. That is kind of the dilemna....not too many people will pay what it takes to get the job done properly, particularly when it might well cost as much or more as some of us paid for our cars.

I think the only practical way to get it done right is pay a LOT of money, or find a shop that will work with you and let you do a lot of things like disassembly. If you can strip the car down to an almost bare rolling shell, I can guarantee you that would save a lot of money on the job (assuming the shop will want/allow the "help"). It will also teach you a lot about why paint jobs are so freaking expensive.

I looked into getting mine painted, and decided living with my chips and dings is not so bad after all.....:p

[sam3]

I paid about 5K and I did all the dissassembly, body work (sorta) and reassembly myself. Good paint guys aren't cheap, you need somebody who cares about their reputation. I was not allowed to touch the car after the e-coat was applied, too hard to repair a screw-up at that point. There are many, many hours of work just in the sanding of a quality paint job. Mine is a slightly-less-than-show quality paint job. Location is a big factor too, California in pricey campared to the northeast.

[Bryan]

I'll agree with the advice here. I did all the paintwork on my car, from stripping, to prep, to paint, and colorsanding, and it is a lot of work. I spent $900 on paints alone!

Find a reputable place that will work with you, make sure you get along with the owner/manager. 5k isn't bad at all for nice paint and them doing all the work.

[///CRISS]

I can recommend a guy in SoCal for hoods, bumpers and fenders. He did my car for a reasonable price and he is a fair dude.

PM me for any info.


///Criss