I have a few questions regarding paint job pricing and what I should be looking for in Northern California. First of all I am looking for paint on my black 94 Integra 2 door GSR. Assuming I have all of the door dings removed already from the car and there is no body repairs to be done, what kind of pricing will I be looking at for the same OEM black (think it's Granada black pearl) for the whole car to be prepped and painted. The clear coat is starting to peal back some on the areas exposed to sunlight the most but the black paint underneath is still intact. I am trying to see about what I will be paying. I have a feeling a lot of the local shops around here are rip offs. I have seen quotes from $4000-8000. I don't mind taking my car to a reputable shop in the bay area or Sacramento for that matter. If nothing else, can anyone recommend a shop worth checking out? Thanks

 

maybe this is not what you want to hear, but I wouldnt pay anyone thousands of daollars to do something thats pretty easy....
Go to Pep Boys and get a decent 8-10 gallon compressor, make sure it has a decent CFM rating, the higher the better, also the higher horsepower the better.
While youre there pick up a HVLP gravity feed paint gun. Those two things might run you 3-4 hundred. Then you just need paint from a local auto body supply store. They can mix up Granada black, if you go with cheap single stage (no clear) it will cost about $80 for the paint/hardener. If you want top of the line base/clear then it could be a couple hundred bucks for the paint.
Then sand your car and paint it.
Good thing about that it after you buy the tools you can paint any car anytime you want for cheap.
Body shops ARE a rip-off. $2000 for something I could do in one day with the right tools and 80 bucks in paint?
No way.

 

Actually I was thinking about doing it myself anyway. I do everything mechanically that I can to my car so I might as well paint it as well. I've got the compressor and all that, just would need a gun. Gonna keep reading through some of these diy guides and try to do it myself. Thanks for the input.

 

for deciding to paint your own car. its really not that hard. i do my own cars in my garage

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MEAN88Si4WS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Body shops ARE a rip-off. $2000 for something I could do in one day with the right tools and 80 bucks in paint?
No way.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I agree that DIY is a great idea for some people. However, your generalization of the industry and process is far from realistic. I know your refering to a quick re-spray but thats not what every quote/ job is for.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MEAN88Si4WS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">maybe this is not what you want to hear, but I wouldnt pay anyone thousands of daollars to do something thats pretty easy....
Go to Pep Boys and get a decent 8-10 gallon compressor, make sure it has a decent CFM rating, the higher the better, also the higher horsepower the better.
While youre there pick up a HVLP gravity feed paint gun. Those two things might run you 3-4 hundred. Then you just need paint from a local auto body supply store. They can mix up Granada black, if you go with cheap single stage (no clear) it will cost about $80 for the paint/hardener. If you want top of the line base/clear then it could be a couple hundred bucks for the paint.
Then sand your car and paint it.
Good thing about that it after you buy the tools you can paint any car anytime you want for cheap.
Body shops ARE a rip-off. $2000 for something I could do in one day with the right tools and 80 bucks in paint?
No way.</TD></TR></TABLE>


I had a long drawn out post to reply to this bullshit post. But its not worth my time. All I will say is that is the worst information I have heard in a long time.

 

If you looking to do just the outside, which mean they won't touch engine bay, door jambs, interior, or the trunk(inside). No body work, same color with labor should cost you 1500 MAX. This price should include wetsanding and buffing after they lay the paint.
Understand paint is only as good as the painter himself, so don't fall for cheap prices. Once you figure out the shop you want to deal with, ask them to take you outback, check out some jobs they done and go from there.
My old boss used to tell me, check the paint-match jobs, "if the man can paint-match damn near perfect, just spraying should be nothing."
Since you in Cali, pricing might be different from the East Coast/Mid-West (where the quotes I gave you are legit), but it can't be way off. Good luck.