yeah

just buy some dark sunglasses and wear those every time you look at the car [/b][/quote]

 

IMO, a repaint of a brand new car is a waste. Plus the fact that most repaints aren't as good as the factory one.....unless you do a complete disassembly.

 

You are right. I am just considering options.

"Cars are a waste of money... I LOVE WASTING MONEY!"
-- VTSnake

 

I went to the best body shop in town and the worst to get estimates. Now these are Canadian funds.....$1,000.00 = $20.00 US...just kidding....

Best shop - strips entire car including door panels, seats, carpet (after all the door jambs are painted and what is the point in masking them off and leaving an edge). $12,000.00 for the work. 6 weeks turn-around time.

Worst shop. Mask everything, remove as little parts as possible (ie: they would mask around the grill, marker lights, etc) $2,000.00. Turnaround time 4 days.

Hmmmmm, not a hard decision is it. I'd never get my car repainted unless Chip Foose stole it for Over-Haulin Wonder how my wife can arrange that one

 

I would not do it for anything less than 6K. There is a lot of time consuming work to do in a color change. As for media blasting....NO :nono: not in this case. If you were doing a restoration that has 7 coats of old pant on it and your pulling all the interior out then you do it, but for a new car its not needed. But the work involved in doing a color change is large. All the door panels and trim on the door sills and jams have to come off. All the trim in the trunk has to come off. To do it properly you should remove the doors, hood and trunk. Then you have to prep all the areas inside these parts and paint them...then clear them. The outside of the car is prepped pretty much as normal. Removing all non-painted parts and sanding the car. When I do a color change I do apply an extra sealer coat when spraying the car. All cars I spay I apply 3 coats of paint and 4 coats of clear. The reason for the extra clear is I wetsand (colorsand) and polish all my jobs. Then you have to put the car all back together...This process takes along time...1 slip and your in trouble!! Once the car is re-assembled a final polish and clean and your done. To do a brand new car I would take at least 2 weeks minimum to do the job.

Now as for why MAACO is cheaper than anyone else its simple...They use low quality material, hire entry level labour and deal mostly in quantity..NOT Quality. Look if you own a used car lot and your flogging 1973 Toyota's MAACO is the place. But if your thinking of changing color on a 2005 vehilce...do it right. And before you make your decision check out the shop, and check out their work. Ask to see something they have done. Ask around. Parts shops and the like usually are good referances. You take alot of time researching where your gonna get your new car from, give this decision the same research.

Whew...Thats alot of typing!!!