WRONG, it depends on where you live, my 986 GT3 nose was sprayed for 400 cash and the shop is one of the best in the city, they fly way under the radar though, no commercials or the like.

Check out the price at your favorite paint shop. You'll be surprised.

Probably right.

I had a local reputable shop quote touching up all the dings and nicks on my front bumper, hood, and both front fenders. The quote to do this and repaint was $1,7000.00. This included touching up a few spots on sides and rear.

I am worried about repainting, because it won't be the "original" paint any longer. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Perhaps the word "excellent" as it relates the paint work is subjective. But, about 7 years ago I had the original bumper on my vehicle re-sprayed by a renown paint shop because I didn't like the marks the oem plate holder had made . The cost was $900 without clear bra. No doubt that there were probably some smaller lesser known shops that may have done it for less. But, that was about the going rate for most of the upper scale shops that I spoke with.

I have who moonlights for cash that is doing a complete hood and bumper on my other half"s Cooper S for $350. He uses PPG paint and wet sands it to a glass finish. I suppose it depends on where you live and who you know. I'll be the first to admit that he under charges for his work, but his margins must be adequate for him. The fact that it's a cash deal probably doesn't hurt... "Upper scale" always yields an upper scale price, occasionally it yields an upper scale product. I'm sure your guy has a much nicer reception area than my guy. Does he have a Keurig or a Flavia machine in the waiting area? Either of those alone is worth the premium...

This is the guy who quoted me $500 for the bumper, hood and fade into the fenders. John's not a painter, he's an artist who's medium is cars and motorcycles. I'd put up his work to anyone out there. The pictures don't really do his stuff justice. Every car I saw from him looks like a colored mirror.

Anyone in Denver looking for a good paint job should check him out.

John May Custom Paint

For some reason, the best painters work out of their garage. I don't know why, but I've found it over and over again.

Hyper-detailed people do not often play well professionally with peers that are not at their skill level, nor do they like to be associated with work that they consider mediocre (much less half assed). This leads them to be one man operations (maybe an apprentice as well). They almost never get rich and often don't attain financial success (unless they become very well known). However, they often deliver the best product you can get.

I like that explanation.

Does he have a Keurig or a Flavia machine in the waiting area? Either of those alone is worth the premium...


Thanks to my Hamann body kit project, the shop nows has bidets in the restrooms.

Keurig? You need to be as fussy about your coffee as body work, I need a good percolated cup, Keurig creates waste and makes a mediocre cup o joe.. As for fussy, who isn't fussy in here? I didn't have orange peel or drips on my paint job and they matched the color using a special camera matching system. Glacier White was a fussy color to match perfect believe it or not.

To mistermac, go for the respray, even a pro can only do so good with a brush, besides, most people are concerned with resprays only if A) they are poorly done or B) they are done because the car was smacked.

I like it...TP is rather crude compared to a fancy French fanny shower!

Keurig actually makes a great cup if you choose the "short" cup feature. The black tea is by far the best product.

The quotes I got were around $500 a panel (hood, fenders, bumper).

Thanks for the advice Ghostrider.

spending a great deal on the front or rear bumper seems like a waste of money. Sooner or later someone will get you from the rear or some A-hole in an SUV will back up onto your bumper.

for doors, fenders and hood I'd take it to a good shop. I've had to paint and repaint my bumpers at least four times. Some times I had it done by higher end shops sometimes the places that deal with regular cars. To tell you the truth from afar, only a well-trained eye could tell the difference. And even with the higher end guys I still saw slight imperfections here and there.
I guess if this a collector Porsche that sees very little if any mileage, the only way these cars can retain any value, then it makes sense to be anal about it. But a car that's going to be driven daily or regularly not so much.

I have a 2000 Boxster in Ocean Blue Metallic with 92000 km (about 56 K miles) and decided to give Dr. Color Chip a try. Their site suggests that it works better on darker colors, so it may be worth a try on the OP's black paint. In my opinion it does a great job at covering up small chips/road rash and the improvement in my car was really quite dramatic - especially from a few feet away. I have actually had some people look at the front and mirrors and say 'remarkable, it has no chips'.

Apart from the cost savings over a respray (and the risk of an imperfect colour match, or inconsistent fading over time), many purchasers including myself would rather buy a car with with the original paint: in that way they can be completely satisfied that it hasn't been hit, or in an accident. Decent original paint on an older car also speaks to the level of care and maintenance by the original owners. Please understand me, it isn't perfect. It really does not do anywhere near as well on scratches as it does on chips. And I used up quite a bit until I got the hang of it (good thing I bought the large containers). However, in my experience it works extremely well within those parameters - certainly much, much better than attempting to effect repairs with a small brush or match stick.

Brad

I thought about car wraps. Price wise it will prob balance out with a front bumper/hood/fender respray + clear bra but a wrap can give you the option of a different color

Wow..go away for a few days and the post gets bombarded! Thanks guys. I appreciate all the information and advice.

I've tried the Dr Color Chip, and most of the other similar products out there with minimal results. With the amount of rash on the front I'm not sure anything short of a respray will get the results I want anyway.

As for the clear bra....I'm of the opinion that, properly priced, they're well worth it. I certainly wouldn't pay anywhere near the 1500 some of you have quoted, but something around 600-800 for the front end seems reasonable. If I can't find one the 3M products installed for that price I'll just forget it. And yes, you have to wait a few months to put it on. Since it's getting to be "that" season again, waiting shouldn't be too big a deal.

I'll try Eveland's. I've heard they're really good..but pricey. Thanks for the tip Sweeper.


Bob