why is getting a paint job so hard

[Golddeenoh]

I have called 14 places and 13 of them only do collision, and the only one that has so far been willing to do custom paint quoted $3-$5k just for adding a pearl clear not counting the stripes. is custom painting a dead profession swallowed up by the need for collision repair?

[ilikerice]

I do know you get what you pay for when u do a paint job. 3-5k sounds reasonable. Also its the prep work that is the most labor intense. Shops have been hit hard with people just wanting a quick and cheap paint job and this bitch, complain, and give bad feedback to others when their paint starts to chip or someone finds a blemish. Then they want a free paint job. 5k sounds fair if it comes with a certain warranty to it. I think anything below 3k it prob wont look as nice and not last very long.

[Golddeenoh]

well it is for my wife's car, it is a 2013 mustang and she just wants to add a set of Shelby stripes and a pear clear coat to it. 5k for a sand down of an undamaged car and then 2 stripes and a clear is really high.

[cali yaris]

Well which is it $3k or $5k?

I assume this is masking everything and exterior only? engine bay? door jambs?

Post up a scan of the estimate.

[fnkngrv]

My painter quoted me $2500 for repainting the car the stock color and he said that he will back it to stand up to a lot of abuse at high speeds. It is too bad that he isn't doing full cars anymore because he does excellent work and would probably be in the $1500-3000 range for what you want, but then again he does award winning work. I could always ask him to see what he says. The only thing is he is out of Montgomery, AL so you would have to take the car there.

[Golddeenoh]

I finally found one of those Friend of a friend deals, guy quoted 2k-2.5k for whole car including stripes, door jams and trunk jam.

[Yaristeve]

I understand that you (the OP) want to find the best deal but I would recommend against the friend-of-a-friend deal. Like ilikerice said, paint jobs are difficult to get perfect and how persistent will you be if you do find blemishes in the paint?

My brother in law paid $8k to get his 1970 Boss 302 painted a different color back in 1984. And this was through a friend-of-a-friend, under the table, illegal paint booth at home, guy. It wasn't any fancy paint or pearl. Just a factory-style Grabber Orange. The painter did install the factory stripe sticker kit, though.

Anyway, given all the new OSHA and environmental laws, $3-$5k doesn't sound so bad, especially if, like ilikerice said, you can keep taking it back until it is perfect and it is guaranteed for a few years...

[shinlee]

I got my stripes painted on a collision repair place when I had some hail damage removed, and I only spent about $800 including hail damage removal. Still looking pretty nice!

[ilikerice]

I understand that you (the OP) want to find the best deal but I would recommend against the friend-of-a-friend deal. Like ilikerice said, paint jobs are difficult to get perfect and how persistent will you be if you do find blemishes in the paint?

My brother in law paid $8k to get his 1970 Boss 302 painted a different color back in 1984. And this was through a friend-of-a-friend, under the table, illegal paint booth at home, guy. It wasn't any fancy paint or pearl. Just a factory-style Grabber Orange. The painter did install the factory stripe sticker kit, though.

Anyway, given all the new OSHA and environmental laws, $3-$5k doesn't sound so bad, especially if, like ilikerice said, you can keep taking it back until it is perfect and it is guaranteed for a few years...

^what he said^

you are going to get what you pay for in the long run. I also do not recommend using friends of a friend. That could lead to alot of unhappy business, mostly on you're end. If you don't like how he did something, he could easily say, I cut you a deal, what do you expect. He may be cool before the process, but prob not after its done and you criticize his work.