paint repair

[ascot71]

Well, I've looked at some more cars and have a question on paint damage/repairs. I have found a black car that is in good shape in the Palm Springs area. It is a '95 with 22K, but has severe paint damage to the front of the car. The owner claims he was caught in a sand storm and it sand blasted the car. He claims that the dealer quoted $2,500.00 to paint the front of the car and gave me the contact person at the dealer to talk to. This sounded cheap to me, as I know that there is a mulitple process in the factory paint.

What are the facts on touch-ups and factory re-paints?

If I get the dealer to quote the work, and make the owner an offer in accorance to this, can I trust that Acura will produce a "factory" paint job?

Thanks again for your replys.

 

[BostonNSX]

how is the damage like? any pix?

 

[ascot71]

I don't have any pictures, but it looks just like it was sand blasted (which it was I guess). Hundreds of tiny chips on the front bumper and hood.
I have just finished the electrical in a new body shop here in town and talked to the guy about the damage. He talked about color sanding and re-apply a clear coat that may save the paint job, but I don't want to half-fast the thing. Besides, he was saying that even this work could run $2,000.00.
I'm just trying to get a feel to see if the damaged can be fixed to match the factory paint.
Thanks

 

[Imola]

Hey Tim,

Good to see you are looking hard. My recommendation would be to avoid any car that needs repainting. Body shops will never achieve the quality of a Factory Paint job and eventually you will start to notice a difference between the repaint and the factory paint. It also decreases the car's value as well. I'm sure the price may be tempting but hold out, the right car is out there for both of us!!

 

[bayareansx1999]

Originally posted by ascot71:
Well, I've looked at some more cars and have a question on paint damage/repairs. I have found a black car that is in good shape in the Palm Springs area. It is a '95 with 22K, but has severe paint damage to the front of the car. The owner claims he was caught in a sand storm and it sand blasted the car. He claims that the dealer quoted $2,500.00 to paint the front of the car and gave me the contact person at the dealer to talk to. This sounded cheap to me, as I know that there is a mulitple process in the factory paint.

What are the facts on touch-ups and factory re-paints?

If I get the dealer to quote the work, and make the owner an offer in accorance to this, can I trust that Acura will produce a "factory" paint job?

Thanks again for your replys.

seems rather odd that an NSX owner would drive the car during a sand storm...hmmmmmmmmm

 

[len3.8]

Originally posted by bayareansx1999:
seems rather odd that an NSX owner would drive the car during a sand storm...hmmmmmmmmm

He most likely got caught in one.
Living there for awhile, you don't go out in them. They kinda sneek up on you.

 

[matteni]

I agree with the statement that aftermarket paint can not approach factory - BUT - it is a lower priority then mechanical condition and maintenance IMO. At some point an aftermarket paint job will look better then an older car - especially the front clip / hood. IMO if you drive your car and it is not a garage queen - at some point you will want to consider a quality repaint that approaches OEM quality and maintains the same color.

Just hate to see someone get a car with a perfect paint job but have much more severe problems because the car was abused and/or not properly maintained.

YMMV

------------------
Nick M

91' Red/Black with Many Mods
99' Honda Odyssey with Many Kids

 

[nsxtasy]

I agree with most of what Nick said.

A top-notch body shop will be able to make the paint indistinguishable from the factory paint by all but the most experienced expert. Is it exactly the same as a factory paint job? No, because they can't bake it on the way they do at the factory, and they don't go through the same 27 steps. But they can make it look darn close, so darn close that it can look very, very good.

Damage to the front end accumulates with miles and is quite common on most cars, which is why it even has a name, "road rash". Usually it consists of small chips caused by gravel etc. It's unavoidable. However it sounds like your damage is much more severe than typical. Re-painting the front clip is fairly common. $2500 is a typical price. However, the downside in doing so is that you will start accumulating small chips all over again as soon as you drive out the door of the body shop.

My advice would be (a) make sure you're buying the car for a bargain price - with enough of a discount off a typical car of that year and mileage to pay for the re-paint and still have some discount left over; and (b) get the very best body shop you can find, preferably one with a lot of NSX experience. (This may or may not be a body shop at an Acura dealership; do some research and ask around.)