Whole body paint job

[ebox86]

Hi all, need some advice and wisdom in the paint department

I just got my entire e30 painted at a local shop. Guy charged me 2500$ and did a lot of prep work, popped all the glass, sanded for several days, took all the plastic off the bumpers and fender trim, etc etc. He did the whole thing in 1 whole week, from monday to monday.

I myself have never gotten an entire car painted before. I don't know what to expect but what I have heard is that an entire car paint job is pretty tricky. Am I to expect the paint to be completely perfect? Or is the common consensus is that there inherently will be some imperfections here and there.

When i was able to see it, it looked good, really good, but Im not sure what 'good' looks like, and I'm not sure what a 'maaco' job looks like. Should I be comparing this job with the original paint?

I am noticing that every now and then there is a tiny tiny little spec every now and again, and some spots that aren't really noticable unless you look at about a foot away. The painter is being really flexible with me and after i pointed some things out to him, he wet sanded the areas of concern and they look nice and smooth now. He told me that some, more expensive jobs, the wet sanding can take over 300 hours.

He said he sprayed it about 3-4 times + clear. Pics below:

Any thoughts?

[15Michaeljoseph]

idk from here it looks really good! however in my opinion, a 'good' job shouldn't require any wet sanding at all...but i'm not experienced with painting enough to know really


--Mike

[StereoInstaller1]

It is expected, generally, that any fresh paint would be wet sanded and polished.

If you are getting that level of detail for $2500, be content.

[ebox86]

It is expected, generally, that any fresh paint would be wet sanded and polished.

If you are getting that level of detail for $2500, be content.

Ok, this right here pretty much answers my question. If I wanted to, could i continue to wet sand the car myself? Or do you have to apply the clear coat again after you wet sand it?

The painter is really knowledgeable and been very flexible so far so I really am pleased, i just wanted to hear from others with experience

Thanks!

[ForcedFirebird]

Sounds like a bang up job for the money. If you can afford it, have him do a full wet sand now while the trim etc is off it. My car was sprayed with 4 base and 3 clear coats, fully wet sanded, compliments are plenty. And yes, there will be some minor imperfections, it's being re-sprayed by a man, not a machine. Usually they can be hidden/corrected as you found out.

[BlackSpeed66]

Having the proper equipment will also help limit the imperfections as well. Does he have a professional paint booth? I know some of the nicer ones have their own filters and exhaust systems to keep dust/dirt down to a minimum (as well as make the EPA happy).

Some of the shops I go to write estimates at have no paint booth or frame racks and I'm completely baffled at how they can actually perform a quality repair on a newer vehicle. Either that or the customer doesn't care how the car looks in the end... Sorry to ramble, just an observation.

[meanEG]

i had a quote for $4000 for a full job, no jams. i was like, no. I painted it myself. i did ok, but i will to wet sand. if you want it perrrfect, you will need to wetsand. and an experienced painter sshould not have to reapply clear. there should be enough on the car already.