My hood, front bumper and front fenders have a lot of chips and deep pits and scratches from rocks and road debree. Instead of spot painting I would like to have each piece repainted and clearcoated with better than nissan paint. My car is black so it shouldn't be hard to match. How do you choose a paint shop? What questions should I ask? Any specific paint brands they should be using?

 

Let me tell you Black is not all the same, but that really doesn't matter since the shop will get the paint code off your car and the paint manufacturers go to great lengths to make sure they have the best match to that paint code possible. The best brands in the biz are Spies Hecker, Standox, Glasurit, and Sikkens. These are all European brand paints and are far superior to any other brand. I was a Spies Hecker distributor in Memphis and i am pretty biased towards that brand. I have seen nerf footballs and shower curtains painted with their flex additive added to the clear and you could not get the paint to come off. When i was in training on the stuff they had a bumper painted and we took turns beating it with a hammer (even turned the bumper inside out and back and the paint was still on it). If i was having mine repainted i would see if they would add flex additive to the clear on the front that would help to prevent future rock chips, etc. The best bet to find a good shop would be to get the yellow pages out and look up Automotive Paint Suppies. Call several of them, ask what paints they sell and which one of their customers does the best work. I am sure most shops in your area have heated downdraft booths, ask, if they don't have one then don't use them. Most shops offer a lifetime warranty on there work too. Of course they will not cover rock chips but if there is some kind of fading, or delamination problem they will fix it as long as you own the car. If you have any other questions feel free to ask and good luck!!

 

Wow man thanks. I'm printing your post out. Any ideas how much this would run. I know it won't be cheap. I have about 3k saved for it now.

 

for 3k you could have the whole car painted. At least in Memphis you could. I would guess somewhere between $1000 and $1500 would get it, but i was just a paint supplier. I don't have any experience in writing estimates. More than likely they will not paint the whole fender. They will scuff the whole fender fix any chips, etc. on them and then blend the new basecoat color into existing color. Then clear the whole fender. This might scare ya but its what everyone does. The technique assures that the eye will not detect any differences in new and old paint cause its a gradual change from fender into door. Instead of a hard edge at door. The good news is your car is black and blending might not be necessary. It is a must for any metallic or pearl paint jobs or there will be a distinct difference in the fender and door or where new paint meets old. This is one of the many advantages of basecoat/ clearcoat paint. p.s. don''t tell the body shop about the $3k you have saved or they'll take every penny...lol. As far as the hood and bumper though they should base & clear the whole thing and then blend onto the fenders. I am sure if you live in a decent size town you can find a good shop that will treat you right. Just dont' get in a hurry and settle for the first one you come to. Another biggy, just look around in the waiting room and stuff and you can usually judge what kind of reputation they have in about 5 seconds. The cleaner the shop the cleaner the job!!

 

Reese, glad to hear your positive impressions of Spies Hecker paint.

Your estimate of 3K for the whole car was right on in my case. I had my entire car repainted in July for that price with Spies Hecker products (price included trim removal, sanding the original paint, base coat, 3 coats of clear, wet sanding and buffing). It seems to be holding up very well. The finish looks and feels far better than what Nissan put on at the factory.

 

TCL about how long did the shop have to have your car to do the job? I'm thinking I may just do the entire car if I can get it done for 3k. Does it swirl/scratch less easily?

 

all paint will swirl, i bet the rock chips aren't as bad though.

 

well, anything has got to be better than nissan paint. I have dry cracked skin on my hands. I can put scratches in the clearcoat with my fingers.

 

One more thing make sure and wait the 90-120 days before applying any wax or sealant to the paint. i believe i am right on that ask the body shop it might be a little less. But waiting a little longer can't hurt. and no bra's for that time period too. If you do the paint will not cure and will haze (or turn milky) because you are trapping solvents that are trying to come out.

 

If I remember it was in the shop about 4 days. I can't say that I've done anything to the car since the paint job that would cause swirls or scratches so I can't say how easily it will scratch. I'm always careful when washing and waxing my vehicles.

 

Are there any disadvantages to adding Flex agent to the paint? Why not put the flex agent in the paint used on the whole car rather than just the bumpers?

 

You could use it no problem, it would just increase the cost of the job. Main reason its not used is for shops benefit, slows dry time and therefore slows productivity. Also more prone to orange peel, cause basically you are just increasing the resin content of the clear.