hey guys first off i apologize if this shuld be posted in another section but im sorta new so bare wit me ... ok so long story short i need some advice, i just recieved my DURAFLEX N1 side skirts for my 2005 350z.. i brought it to two local body shops by me and all thy could do was complain about how much prep work they woiuld require.. they claimed just to fill the small holes and prep them for paint would take about 5 1/2 hours of just labor time.. so when i finally got an estimated price they started to then tell me how hard the Ultra Yellow paint would be to match.. after all this i got an estimate of about $1100 dollars prep/painted.. i thought thi sounded crazy but hey i could be wrong which is y im here to learn.. thanks in advance! jay

 

Glazing puddy and primer , do it yourself.

 

Sounds like you're talking to some decent shops that are trying to be honest and up front with you about the challenges and costs of proper body work instead of a shop that just wants to take your money and "you get whatever you get".

That price seems reasonable to me for the bodywork necessary to get cheap side skirts to fit right and for a good paint match. When you think about how long the seam is that they have to match up for side skirts, depending on how good or bad the fitment is during a test fit - it could be a TON of work to get it matching all the way down the length of the seam. The same is true for trying to get the paint to match/blend across all three of the body panels that the side skirts are going to be up against (front fender, door, rear fender).

 

First of all,alot depends on the quality/fit&finish of what you bought.The first
give away was Duraflex.Tons of these Nismo replicas on the market.Most that have a "great" price are gonna need a substantial amount of work to make e'm look right.
The paint match can be a minor part of the puzzle.Unless you bought your skirts from
a vendor that can be verified for quality...Shine is a good example,its a crap shoot.
You are probably thinking that the paint&body guy wants 3 times what I paid for these
babies.
You could be right.
In every town there are the "name" body shops that do perfect work.
You are gonna pay to get this type of workmanship.
Depending how particular you are about making sure all the seams line up right,
will correspond on what you will have to pay.
51/2 hrs labor?Could be for the total job done right.Especially if your skirts are way off.
You may have considered some CF skirts,ready to bolt on...

 

Do yourself a favor and sell the replica crap. Then spend a few extra dollars and buy some authentic sides.

Best of luck.

 

thanks for all the quick replies... sad to say, i somewhat knew what i was getting myself into with the duraflex skirts but the heat of the moment took over my better judgement. I am most likely going to resell them since i never took any of the wrapping or labels off.. just a quick thought though, would it be possble to just have the bare skirts vinyl wrapped? (assuming i go a different ruit)

 

Vinyl is cheaper than paint, but that will not resolve the fitment issues.

 

Take then out and see how they fit, the shop just shot you a blind number without checking fitment and quality.

 

Skirts in general bolt on.Sometimes the holes won't line up(if pre drilled)to
the OEM bolts.The skirts may fit better than you think.Without a test fit,you won't know.Yes,they can be vinyl wrapped.But as has been mentioned,does not solve a sloppy fit.I take it that your vinyl wrap idea means CF...What
color is your car?Reason being,imperfections in the seams will be less noticeable on a dark color car with CF skirts.
I agree with others,I'd can the cheapo skirts and get some that fit.
You will never be satisfied with the crap skirts.