Question for the people in Austin, TX

[brtnstrns]

Do any of ya'll know where a good paint shop is or where you got your paintshop done? And how long did you have to wait for it to get done. I'm not looking for show quality, just a nice paintjob that would look like a new car...one thats under a couple grand. Also wheres a good body shop to get a few dents out and fit a fiberglass apron on my car?

 

[geegee]

Do any of ya'll know where a good paint shop is or where you got your paintshop done? And how long did you have to wait for it to get done. I'm not looking for show quality, just a nice paintjob that would look like a new car...one thats under a couple grand. Also wheres a good body shop to get a few dents out and fit a fiberglass apron on my car?

Get it out of your mind there's good paint jobs for less than $2K. Good paint and materials alone cost the shop $500. Thats if you want run of the mill two or three-part paint (base coat/clear coat). If you want something more exotic like Dupont Chromillusion, then $500 isn't enough.

There are fair paint jobs under $2K, but to make them good will mean all body work is done first and you plan to do the finishing. They will sand, prime, paint and buff for $2K. If you want that deep show shine, then its get out the 3000 grit paper, color sand the clearcoat and buff until it looks deep as Lake Tahoe. I paid $1,200 just to redo the bumpers on my 2001 GT.

Now if you want specialty graphics work ( ) then its a lot more than $2K. The painter spent 10 hours working the rocker panels on my GT alone. Thats $850 for a custom GT stripe. Of course it looks sweet, it ought to for $850.

 

[brtnstrns]

I didnt say under 2 grand, and no i do not want show quality, just as if it was a new car today.

 

[TurboDoctor]

Austin motor mile body and paint does good work for the money so does caliber collision. There are plenty of places around town that will give you a great paint job for under 2k.

 

[geegee]

I didnt say under 2 grand, and no i do not want show quality, just as if it was a new car today.

What kind of double talk is that? just like a new car but not show quality? New cars have show quality paint, they're simply not buffed to a high shine. Have you seen a new high dollar car with a shabby paint job? In the higher prices the manufacturers can spend more labor and hence the car looks better. In actuality its the same paint as the cheaper cars.

Yes, you can do okay for $2K but you'll be in the middle of the pack. The bumpers and grille won't be pulled, the metallic trim will not be removed, the door jambs will not be detailed. The result will be just like MAACO painted your car but used upgrade paints. In fact, thats one way to get what you seem to be looking for. Take the car to MAACO and get it painted. You tell them exactly what paint, color and brand you wish to use. The paint job you get will be cheap, but not shabby looking. This level of workmanship meets some folks budget and desires. Any body shop can do this. Most painters love to get a job where someone is willing to pay a bit more for beautiful results. If you ask for beautiful results then the price is greater. Its simply a matter of fact that it takes more work to do excellent paint than it does to simply spray the car. There are no free lunches, you get what you pay for!

Get around to all the local body shops and get estimates. Check out paint work they are doing and make sure the body shop estimator does the same level of work you see. Say, "This is what I want but painted the color of my choice, I want to use PPG or Dupont base/clear." Once you have four or five estimates including all body work then compare and decide what you want to do. Right now you're not making any progress towards getting the job done.

 

[brtnstrns]

Well i'm taking all the stuff of myself...its all going in the trash anyway since i'm replacing all the chrome and metal pieces. And yes I'm willing to pay more for a nicer paint job, i was just simply basing my question off being around 2 or 3 grand. Doesnt mean i wont pay more. But yes I know, more money = better paintjob...unfortunatley my original question was asking where I could find a place in austin to get a paintjob

 

[Edbert]

What kind of double talk is that? just like a new car but not show quality? New cars have show quality paint, they're simply not buffed to a high shine.

I know you are not trying to be rude here but I don't think you are ehlping either. He is trying to find a quality body shop through word of mouth rather than interviewing them all. I did not even post here because I have no first hand knowlege that would help him even though I live here.

You are getting into some sort of debate about the various qualities and costs of paint, and on that subject...

Factory paintjobs on sub $50K cars is NOT show quality. I have NEVER seen a normal car without multiple blemishes and flaws. A true "show quality" paint job often costs more than $10K (and that is not just for the buffing as you suggest), do you think that GM/FoMoCo/Chrysler/Honda/Toyota/etc are putting anything near to that amount of time/money into the mass production lines?