Everyone seems to understand the concept of "get what you pay for", which is good as i dont have to go over that, so basically heres a break down from what would be a normal 'respray' for me.
1, ASSESS
prior knowledge of the vehicles know rust/ rot spots is a bonus, but a decent shop will be able to see previous repairs and have a good idea whats probably lurking behind that lump of filler
.
Talk to the customer, get as much information as possible.(they may know things that will save a lot of time and grief).
If someone takes less than 30-45 minutes looking round the car, its not been assessed properly!.
2, COST OF LABOUR.
A 'grey area'
normal 'non custom' standard respray can take up to 2-3 weeks to be done properly, if someone says "i'll be finished it by the weekend ' expect the worst.
I normally can spend a minimum of 7-10 days on preparation ONLY.depending on what other work im doing to the car.
If its based on a 14 day job, depending on the labour rates there should be on average 100 + hours spent on preparation, so as an example take it as £30 per hour = £3000
(a repaint is normally not based on hours , im just showing these figures as a projection of worst case scenario)
3, CHOICE OF MATERIALS
Basically, cheap materials = *Bleep* job!, expect to pay £40 per litre minimum for 'half decent ' top coat paint, on average car 4-5 litres for a good build(dependant on the size of the car)
I personally prefer to use Standox and House Of Kolor prices range from £96 -£500 PER LITRE.
Use a good 2k high build primer (normally 3-4 coats = 3litres)
Good quality lacquer (if required) £50 litre / £200 a gallon.
4 , FINISH
There should be no dry edges, patchiness etc, all panels evenly and equally as smooth and glossy as the next, no 'orange peel' or swirl marks.
I normally spend 2-3 days finishing the car after paint, fully flattened and machine polished, sealed, left for 12 hours, re machined and final glazed/ waxed.
car fully valeted before delivery.
So in conclusion, Im not saying you CANT get a half decent job for £1500, depends on the circumstances ,known quality and how busy or interested the garage is, but a good quality, show worthy job will be in excess of that.
I dont know about prices south of the border, but on average, a decent job in Scotland by a reputable garage will cost £2000 + ,
Custom work is normally in the region of £4000 upwards depending on paint and bodywork.
A lot of bodyshops will NOT paint a self prepped car as they cannot guarantee the workmanship (reputation at stake), and to be fair ,yes it cost more, but its best left to the professionals if you want a long lasting good quality job.
hers one of my previous jobs, we spent 4 months
/used
15 GALLONS of paint materials to produce this show winner.
the car has had 9 major magazine features and Im getting it back in in 2 weeks for a remodel for 2007 show season.
deconstruction;
ready for primer ;
primed;
Earls Court show: