Kremlar

Looking for some paint advice for my '94 red RX-7. I'm not the original owner, some paint work has already been done to the car. There is a slight color mismatch between the hood and fenders/doors, and I can see some overspray on the door window moldings. I believe the hood, roof and rear fenders are original, but the rest is repainted.

Just got scraped against a few weeks ago, and because of the paint color mismatch I had been considering a complete repaint of the car.

I don't want to throw a ridiculous amount of money at the car, but on the other hand I do want to keep the car for quite some time and don't want to ruin it with a crappy paint job.

I've had 4 estimates so far:

- Shop 1 came recommended by my mechanic for doing excellent work, but with a high price. This shop will not repaint unless they can pull off all accessories, claim a showroom finish afterwards, estimate is $5000.

- Shop 2 came recommended by my mechanic for doing good work for a reasonable price. This shop did not seem professional at all. The office was a mess, the workers did not look presentable at all. They tape all accessories/moldings (they say maticulously) and estimate the cost would be $2500.

- Shop 3 was recommended by a friend and seemed arrogant. They took an attitude when I asked about taping vs removing accessories and were reluctant to show a sample of their work. They tape all accessories/moldings and estimate the cost would be $2500.

- Shop 4 I knew just from driving by and seeing local TV commercials. They seemed to be a place that offers very inexpensive paint jobs ($395), but will do whatever level work you request. The recommended a base coat/clear coat job based on my requests, say they use PPG (?) paint. They will tape all accessories/moldings and paint for $1700, or they will remove all accessories they can for $500 additional.

Shop 3 is definitely out of the question, and I don't have high confidence in shop 2. Shop 1 would be my first choice if money was no object, but his price is high for my budget. Shop 4 seems like a good compromise, but I'm concerned because it seems their 'claim to fame' is cheap paint jobs.

I don't know what questions to ask to make sure I find the shop that suits me. I don't want to make the wrong choice and regret it later, but I don't have $5000 to just throw at a paint job either. The car is certainly not showroom condition, but it is in good shape and something I would like to keep for a long time. It's a 2nd car for me - good weather driving only, in Massachusetts.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Mike

rynberg

If a slight color mismatch is bothering you, I guarantee you won't be satisfied with a $2000 paint job. If you can't afford $5000, I think it would be better to just leave it as is.

BTW, a full QUALITY repaint in the Bay Area is $7-10k. Does that make you feel any better?

Kremlar

Hey, thanks for the reply...

Yeah - does make me feel a bit better.

What kind of things would I find on a $2000 paint job that would bother me?

rynberg

The paint will have small flaws here and there, probably small overspray areas, orange peel, etc. If it's a good but less expensive shop, it will still be a decent quality paint job, just don't expect perfection.

However, from your list, I wouldn't go with shops 2-5. Try to ask around in your regional forum for a good shop and check it out. NEVER take your car to a place that won't show you their work...

rotoryspeeddreamz

\

Tell me about it... I was quoted at 5000 for my paint job. After 3 weeks I picked up my car and there were some imperfections so I only paid them 3000. I'm satisfied with the job, but it's not showroow quality, which this car deserves.

GL finding a good shop...

rynberg

What shop did you take it to?

rotoryspeeddreamz

NV autobody in downtown san jose. Friend recommended them saying they'll do what ever you want for your business. I checked out some samples of there work and it was good. I got everything repainted, door jams, trunk, under hood, except the engine bay. They also pounded out all but one of my 1000+ dents (bought the car like that) and remolded my spoiler since it had a crack in it. All and all they did a good job, but like i said no showroom quality.

You can see some pics of my car here if you're interested.

Jason