repainting your car...

[tapestrybabe]

well, i admit...
i'm NOT so concerned about the looks of my car...
just cuz its used... and i just see it
as a hunk of metal...
i mean, its not like a bmw and what not...
so i dont really care about having
my car look all perfect...

altho, my car has a lot of paint
coming off on my front and back bumpers...
so i'm wondering...
how necessary is it to get it repainted??
and if i should... whats the cheapest
way to repaint it??

i mean, i really dont think i should
go out of my way to spend hundreds of dollars...
to get my car redone...
cant like regular spray paint do the job too...
or is there special car paint your suppose to use...

[Cipherous]

you can try maaco, I heard they're relatively cheap. But their quality is often lacking when compared to the real pros. I've heard some horror stories about Maaco though.

www.maaco.com (http://www.maaco.com)

I think for a good paint job at a good body shop would run about 1300-2000 pending on the paint (pearl and metallic colors cost more). I've heard of some custom paint jobs costing like 4000 without any fancy graphical designs (flames, racing stripes, etc).

you have to remember to get a good and fresh look, you have to strip off the exisiting paint, sand down the exisiting primer, put another coat of primer then finish off with several coats of paint along with a clear coat. Along the process, there will be some dis-assembly of some car parts as well (maybe taking off fenders, hoods, mirrors and engine parts, if you want the inside to be painted).

When shopping around, do your research. Always remember that you get what you pay for.

[Beat180]

If you're on a real budget, you can go to home depot and get a sander. Sand down your parts yourself, and find a local paint shop that can put car paint in a rattle can. Do expect orange peeling and possibly bubbles.

You should not use off the shelf paint. They'll fade, not adhere as well, etc. Car paint is car paint. Depending on the formulation, it can also be pretty toxic. Some using cyanide based chemicals in there so paint in well vented areas. Just be careful of the dust though, when it settles in your paint, it's tough to get out. Might also want to look into some 3M rubbing compound for cars with a rotary buffer if you want to smooth out the finish.

[BigLew]

Just say no to Maaco. Unless you like paint on your mirrors and windows.

[mrazntre]

and exhaust, wheels, tires, and anything else they can get a hand on.

leave the bumpers alone. since you don't car what the car looks like, just screw it and leave it as is. The only time you really need to be concerned with paint is in areas where it has chipped and bare metal is exposed since those areas will be susceptible to rust. You can use touch up paint in those areas.

btw, those 1 day paint shops will not properly prep your bumper and most likely will just spray on normal primer and paint which will crack even worse. There's a special primer for urethane that allows movement without cracking (I can't remember the name for some reason right now).