My opinions about shopping for a paint shop

[theveed]

A lot of people ask whether X shop is good in painting or Y brand paint is better than Z brand paint. I'd like

to give my opinion so that people who want to get their cars repainted to consider some points that paint shop and paint brands fail to mention.

I only believe that if you want a good paint job, give the shop ample time to do the work and be willing to pay the labor hours needed to do a good paint job. It doesn't really matter what the "image" of the shop is, chances are, if you don't give them enough time, chances are your car will be rushed.

This is, of course, assuming that the shop is CAPABLE of doing a great paint job.

Most painters are good painters, but sad to say most painters (even in other countries) are good at painting, they concentrate at painting, but give the sanding and buffing tasks to lesser skilled workers. As any detailer knows, the sanding and buffing make or break the final results of the paint job.

If a car is painted properly, even if you use cheap paint, and finished with careful sanding and buffing, the result will rival the best of paint jobs out there. You can use the most expensive paint there is, the result will only be as good as the prep and the final stages of sanding and buffing. Of course, using the high end paint guns, paint booths, catalyst curing, etc will make the job BETTER, but remember that the whole painting process has to be good in the first place before it can be better.

Funny how in painting, the paint isn't the biggest X factor for good results.

In addition, little things make or break a paint job, from masking the moldings, removing emblems, etc. Chances are, unless you're willing to compensate their time for removing and reinstalling them, they'll probably just mask those things with tape. Needless to say, you'll see a line caused by the mask and it'll be very unsightly no matter how good the rest of the car will look.

I believe that the owner of the car should do their part to ensure the paintshop will have no excuses not to do a good job. Owners should remove all parts that they don't want paint to land on such as seats, items in car, sidings, lights, moldings, etc. This way, all parts that should be painted will be painted, and those that should'nt be, wont. Saves the painter time from masking, saves you headache from removing overspray afterwards.

Clean your paint well and remove any traces of silicone from your old paint. Silicone impregnates deep into the paint pores and will prevent the new paint from bonding.

Know what to expect. Be very clear as to how you want the paint job to look and have it in writing. You have to let the shop know that you KNOW what your paint should look like and what should NOT be there such as pinholes, "mapa", fisheye, bubbles, etc. Defects from a paint job is usually permanent, it cannot be corrected unless the panel is stripped and repainted. The more you try to "salvage" it, the worse it'll get.

Don't fall for the "intayin mo ng ilang linggo, papantay yan"... B.S.

In most service industries, you get what you pay for, simply put, what you're paying is the labor hours spent by the company, equipment and supplies are usually auxillary charges. Bulk of what you pay is the shop's time.

This is true for paintshops, body shops, repair shops, detailing shop, etc.

So if the "market rate" for a washover is 20-30K for a small sedan, and someone offers you a washover for P15K, expect to get 20-30% less quality than normal. If the 15K job matches the 20-30K results, then you've hit the jackpot and better establish something with this company.

On the other hand, if someone offers you a washover for 40-50K, you have to expect the job to be proportional to what they charge.

Quite often, I see newly painted cars come into our detailing shop seeking to correct paint problems caused by the paint shop itself. Isn't this ironic? The most common are:

1) Paint overspray (if panel repaired) - Yes they mask the adjacent panel, but they should know that paint mist travels a lot farther than 2ft or so. The whole car ends up rough and gritty.

2) Paint overpray in panels not meant to be sprayed - Ranging from tires, wheels, mufflers, fender lining, interior, upholstery, engine components, etc. These are inexcusable, fresh paint comes off easily with paint thinners, once set, it'll be difficult to remove.

3) Paint shop waxing their newly painted panel before returning the car to customer to "mimik" gloss. Oh how common is it for us to see and smell a fresh coat of wax on the paint. Usually it's Turtle Wax green... We deal with waxes quite often and it's an easily recognizable look and smell if the car is waxed.

4) Panels, clips, clamps not returned or replaced if broken. This is not entirely the paint shop's fault. Many plastic clips and holders are one-time use items only and should be replaced once removed, the clip will not have the same tension or gripping power once removed. But don't try to cover it up by using wires, tape, etc.

5) Paint defects such as wool pad buffer swirls, compound dust in edges and moldings, burnt moldings and rubber parts, etc. Again, accidents do happen, but it should be minimized. If it did occur, demand compensation in any way that's acceptable to you, the owner.

I hope some of these comments will make you a smarter shopper when it comes to painting. I don't own a paint shop, so I'm not endorsing or bashing any shop out there. I just think that if you're planning to spend big money (heck, repaint costs as much as a 30+ inch flat screen TV!), you better do your homework.

Just remember, brands and reputation doesn't mean a thing if you didn't experience it first hand and prove that such claims are true.

I don't care how many Best of Paint tropies you show me, those entries are "cost-no-object" year-long projects, you won't treat my car the same way if I just pay 30K, so what can you do with 30K... That's the question.

Good luck

[woodfire]

Hey David, you're right on the target!!!


Paint prepping is the key to a very good paint job. Secondly, don't rely on transhow award track record since this will not indicate quality of what you will pay for. Check out a painter's regular customers and their feedback.

[ssaloon]

very well said. yan din sinabi ni vince sakin nung napadaan ako sa big bert's kanina. AMEN!

[mbt]

that said,...

theveed, when are you opening your own paint shop?

[odell]

your the man! hehehehe

[wiretap_md]

The guru has spoken.

[empy]

my rule of thumb: look at samples of the painter's work. if your friend, family member, or neighbor had someone do an excellent job on their car, then go to that shop.

one thing theveed says is really important: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. as a former painter, it's very frustrating that some people pay you for a spot blend but expect the whole car to look like it came out of the factory when you're done.

[hens]

ano kaya nakain ni david?

dami ko nakikita sa shop nila theveed (big bert's)...saklap ng pagka-paint...kahit di sa akin yung ride, pero parang umiinit ulo ko pagnakikita ko...kawawa lang talaga yung mga may-ari ng kotse...

1) Paint overspray (if panel repaired) - Yes they mask the adjacent panel, but they should know that paint mist travels a lot farther than 2ft or so. The whole car ends up rough and gritty.

naalala mo ba yung BMW 5 series???..grabe!!!

[jkyamog]

Hi,

Would like to ask some opinion on this. I am looking to have my old car repainted. A Feroza, first owner ako so I am restoring it, sometimes literally (DIY). One of the items I have hopefully in the next few months is painting it. Dati kami ng kuya ko DIY din sa painting, pero I think hindi ako mag DIY for my Feroza. Mahirap mag sand and lagay ng putty

Here are my choices:

- a paint shop that I have some experience with. I bought a 2nd hand car which this shop painted. The paint work is very good, change color from red to silver. Engine bay, under chassis, etc. Finish is good but not perfect, may 1-2 small spots of imperfection, fix 1-2 rubbers or panels myself. Finish is excellent both exterior and interior paint, lots of people comment how good the paint is. The car I purchased had a big dent at the back, so I eventually was able to find the original painter. They repaired the car and painted it very well, considering the color is silver. Shop is not that known, other client jobs looks pretty good. Owner is ok and is polite, charge is around on the 30k. The minus is the shop is in Q.C. and I live in Las Pinas. Even the owner did say to me I maybe better to have the car painted somewhere more near para mabantayan ko. Shop name is Aldous, along Araneta.

- Shop has good reputation, lots and lots of customers. Especially honda guys who like to have to change their car's colors. Very near our place. Minus is ang dami customers, baka hindi bigyan ng attention ang car ko. Its an old Feroza, not a hot Honda RSX, Civic, etc. Shop name is Gasspeed.

- Shop has lots of awards, not sure kung dami customers. Parang konti. They have a 23T promo. In the Las Pinas area, so its near enough. Baka the promo is an indication that they are not getting enough business? Shop name is Genspeed.

Any opinions? O kaya DIY na naman! Old compressor is busted... spray gun... missing. Tapos I don't have all summer vacation unlike when I was a student.

[smooth]

theveed, well said. problem lang is if you encounter a shop who charges you 50K then without you looking does a 15K job. rip-off!

anyway, i'm looking to have my car washed-over kasi. any recommended paint shops from you? i'm sure pag may ni-recommend ka, dudumugin yun bigla. or, would you know any good freelancing na painter (na walang shop). if prepping is the important part of the job, then i guess getting a good painter to work on your car in your garage should work di ba? tapos yung difference sa price na matitipid mo (vs. having it painted in a high-end shop), bigay ko na lang sa freelancing painter. thanks in advance.