Camry 97 paint job

[MIK1989]

The car had problems with the paint: chips on the hood, doors; on the back of the trunk paint chipped off and the rusty metal was visible the 1 inch in diameter. Also it had small dots of rust above the windshield.

I decided to sand it and spray paint. I used primer, base coat and clear coat, but it didn't come out the way I expected, I screwed up. Now there is a big spot of uneven paint on the hood, and it's not shiny. The same with the doors and roof. It doesn't look good at all.

So I went to Maaco repair center to check if they can fix these spots and to get and estimate . They said it can't be fixed like that because you cannot match the paint perfectly to the original, and the best choice would be to repaint the car. It costs around $1200 CAN to do it. But if I do the sanding myself and bring the car for painting it will cost only $450.

Is it a good deal? Will the quality be okay?

[hill8570]

The quality of the paint job is 90% prep work, so the quality should be decent IF you get everything sanded baby's-butt smooth -- don't expect the paint to hide your goofs.

What's the $450 CAN cover? Cleaning? Masking? Priming of bare metal? Clearcoat? Or just blasting down a layer of color coat over whatever you roll into the shop?

[MIK1989]

The person that gave me an estimate said that I will need to do only sanding, then they will clean it, prime it and paint it. What is masking? I don't remember if that was mentioned or not. But the paint will be 1 step, color mixed with clear, so I'm not sure should I do it or not?
He said it's going to take about 4 days to complete the job after I bring the car.

[carsrus]

Yeah, a proper paintjob would be a base coat (color) then at least 2 coats of clear. The whole premixed clear and color in one is bs.

If your gonna keep the car for longer then a year I wouldent go to macco.

[jmborchers]

Paint work is a pain in the neck. It takes massive amount of time and labor to do it right and even then one goof and the job is ruined.

It is totally possible to get a perfect match. You need 3 things; top notch color match paint, a top notch spray gun and skilled spray painter. Resource: http://www.sherwin-automotive.com/

I used the 7000 series. It gives perfect matches you can not tell from original. You must prep the area well perfectly. What I typically do is prep the car till I think it's good. Then spray it with a primer. Spraying paint on will show any highs and lows really easily when the paint is wet. ALWAYS allow manufacturers dry time before sanding and mix the paint exactly as on a can, don't guess. Once the car is totally prepped then it's onto painting:

Do test sprays of all paints and strain well prior to painting on the auto surface.

1) Spray 2 coats of sealer. [Always follow manufacturers recommendations over mine for coat amounts because they vary]
2) Spray 2-3 coats of base coat (the car color).
3) Spray 2-3 coats of clear coat. Slightly over thin the paint beyond the manufacturers' recommendation if the paint has texture.
4) Allow proper dry time but not overdry and buff.

Spraying clear coat must be done per panel. It is impossible to blend clear coat properly into an original paint job and not have it eventually show up. Painting must be done in a paint booth. The car must be completely free of dust before entering the paint booth. It's really best just to let the pros do it.

A good sealer will run $20 quart, basecoat $30 pint, clearcoat $30 quart. Thinners are specially blended for the temperature at spray time.

If you do it like this and do it right it looks like a show car especially if the clear is wet sanded and really thin when it goes on. It's just really tricky because it will run really easily but it will look like candy.

[MIK1989]

Holy, now I see that the job must be done very precise; I understand why I screwed up, thought it would be easy.
I'm not sure that I'll be able to do it myself, I'm planning to keep the car for a long time, or at least 5 years so I probably leave it to professionals.
I don't have much money right now to spend that's why I thought about Maaco. But if they are not good at all, then the best choice would be to save more money, hopefully by the end of summer (I'm a student and have to pay for tuition and stuff).
How much should I expect for a decent paint job?

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by MIK1989

Holy, now I see that the job must be done very precise; I understand why I screwed up, thought it would be easy.
I'm not sure that I'll be able to do it myself, I'm planning to keep the car for a long time, or at least 5 years so I probably leave it to professionals.
I don't have much money right now to spend that's why I thought about Maaco. But if they are not good at all, then the best choice would be to save more money, hopefully by the end of summer (I'm a student and have to pay for tuition and stuff).
How much should I expect for a decent paint job?

Maaco is capable of doing a good job (and, since it's a chain, it's very much dependent on the management and staff more than the "name"), but, as others have stated, their $450 CAN version isn't going to be much more than something to keep the car from rusting. I've seen paint quotes as high as $1500 US (but that also included dent removal & fill, etc.). I'd think for a couple-three hundred more $CAN you could get something that would be up there with the factory job (couple shots of color coat, couple shots of clearcoat) if you did your own prep. Wouldn't hurt to ask 'em.

[davemac2]

Originally Posted by jmborchers

A good sealer will run $20 quart, basecoat $30 pint, clearcoat $30 quart.

I don't know where you get these prices from, but most professional quality 2 part poly automotive base and clear coats (with UV protection) are going to be much more expensive than that. More like $100-$200 a quart. Sparying them requires fresh air apparatus and full body suits because of the isocyanate toxicity.

If you have never done this before and don't intend to invest a lot of time to learn, as well as a money investment for the proper equipment, you are best to have it painted professionally. A REAL paint job will cost anywhere from $1000 up. Research the type and quality of paints out there so that when you have the money and are ready, you can specify exactly the materials to use.

Visit some of the autobody paint discussion forums to get a feel for the work and skills required if you want to pursue it, and take your time.

cheers,

dave mc

[500KCamry]

Originally Posted by MIK1989

What is masking? I don't remember if that was mentioned or not.

Covering/protecting stuff you don't want painted, like windows. It should be included in your price.

You need a controlled environment to do a good paint job - paint booth with filtration so dust and other airborne junk isn't an issue.

At least you tried once, that's more than most would try. Now you know how difficult it is.

For me, if the brush isn't 3" wide or I can't use a roller, I don't go near paint