Paint shop costs

I'm currently in the process of getting quotes for prep and paint of my Mk1 Golf GTi tintop.

Interested to get feedback on paint jobs anyone has had in the last year or so, compare prices, quality, process, etc. Basically any related input/advice welcome.

By the time my car is sent to the selected paint shop it will have been stripped to bare metal, and coated with Upol Raptor epoxy primer (more on that below).

My intent is to spray inner arches and underside with stonechip, so I've been looking for quotes for prep/paint of the remainder of the body.

I had set myself a budget of £5K, which I'd hoped would be more than adequate (not based on anything other than budget). So far I've had a variety of quotes either side of that figure, and am wondering whether it is worth paying top whack or whether I can go a bit cheaper but still end up with a quality long-lasting job.

Im based in Surrey which may unfortunately have an effect on prices - I'm from Aberdeen originally and a few mates up there have laughed out loud at the comparative prices down here, compared to what they can get done. That in mind im willing to transport the car a bit further afield if it makes financial sense.

I'm looking for a quality job (obviously I suppose!) - and I guess its all in the process, which as I understand for a decent job would entail:

Epoxy primer
Filler
Spray filler(?) - would appreciate any advice on this
Epoxy sealer - as above
High build prime
Colour
Clear coat

...sanding as required in between.


All that taken into account, does anyone have any recommendations /advice on shops/prep and paint process etc? And would anyone care to share what your paint jobs have cost, with any feedback on the results?

Cheers. 

NB i'm not looking to publicly name and shame any shops that have you may have had bad experience with, but would appreciate any private messages if thats the case.
 

…on the subject of Upol Raptor - I used it based on nothing but good reviews (that I found anyway). One shop I contacted has advised against using it….

Not worried personally as I expect/want whichever shop i go with to sand most of it back anyway - i've only applied it to protect the paint whilst finishing welding etc. Interested to hear any feedback from anyone has used it though

Hi,

I wouldn’t recommend Epoxy primer personally. I suppose there are several ways to look at paint jobs. What defines a good paint job to you maybe isn’t the same for me.

The process you want is bare metal condition to be as close to straight as possible. I would highly recommend any panels to be paintless dent removed rather than filler. I would, for any square panels etch prime the bare metal, wet on wet primer then base coat & lacquer. Do not scrimp on the products chosen. Any parts, with the age of our MK1’s that need filled, you want as little filler as possible to make straight, high build primer then base coat & lacquer. Stone chip on top of etch primer then fully coated with base and lacquer will give you like new protection. More or thicker does not mean more protection or better finish it does in fact mean the opposite.

I dont like heavy paint and I prefer off the gun finishes so the type of spray booth the paint shop use is what is important to me. You want a downdraft booth to be used with good water based paint scheme and drying facilities. (For the base)

Price wise all depends on condition of car to and from shop. Drive in and drive out 5k is cheap and you’ll get what you pay for. Shell bare metal no windows and completely stripped you should get a good job for that coin. Anything under 3 again you’ll get what you pay for. That in my experience will be dents repaired In isolation, the whole thing rubbed down with 12/240 grit paper, high build primer, rubbed with 800-1000 wet and dry or then base coat & lacquer. Partial stripping etc.

I ask for hourly rates for the work as I know how many hours an excellent journeyman should take for a variety of jobs. If you know the condition under the paint you shouldn’t get any surprises.

Not sure if that helps at all

Jim

What shops were being used to compare to your prices in Aberdeen? . 

Hi Jim,

Great feedback thanks!

Interesting re: the epoxy advice, all quotes so far have been using epoxy primer as a base. I dont know enough to challenge that so i'll be sure to discuss with them further.

I may well alienate a few places just by my endless questions! (In which case they arent for me anyway!)

Good to hear £5k isnt a million miles away - especially as my car is a bare shell at this point.

The higher end quote I've had estimated 150 hrs at £42.50/hr - i'll let you do the maths - plus materials at £1k…. to be fair this was for full car incl underside, and just an initial email quote without seeing the car, which (I think) is in pretty good condition. I've seen enough photos of the quality of this shops work that if money wasnt a factor I'd have booked mine in already, but if I was to end up paying that sort of money I'd want to be sure it was absolutely worth it.

 

Mine was 3500 including welding I 2 rear arches and all materials. I mechanically stripped it and took windows out etc. They fully prepped and painted it.

Not a show spec but decent.  

Depending what you want I would say 4K for a good job and 10k plus for a show car finish assuming the prep you have done is good enough.

Good luck.


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Backinblack said

Mine was 3500 including welding I 2 rear arches and all materials. I mechanically stripped it and took windows out etc. They fully prepped and painted it.

Not a show spec but decent.  

Depending what you want I would say 4K for a good job and 10k plus for a show car finish assuming the prep you have done is good enough.

Good luck.


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Thanks for that mate. Can you confirm the process your shop went through for that price? I.e. in comparison to that listed in my first post above?

Appreciate the input, very useful.

Btw was it yourself that I got my P-slots from, a few years back? Swapped for a set of RAs?

Its not that you cant use epoxy its just a specific paint what a specific finish. (Fine if you will sand it i suppose) it is ,Ainsley used commercially own truck and industrial equipment etc.

Most common in 2k high build primer which more often that not is rubbed between coats, the problem here is the body shop they have to have prepped flat and can block flat or you get ripples.

Wet on wet is used for new panels which have electro fused undercoat that has not been sanded.

Great finished can be achieved with either route.`

Yes that was me . Hope the pslots turned ok

D.A it back
Filler
Barrier coat
High build primer
Flat and fill
2 coats of black
1 coat of clear.


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Backinblack said

Yes that was me . Hope the pslots turned ok

D.A it back
Filler
Barrier coat
High build primer
Flat and fill
2 coats of black
1 coat of clear.


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They look great on my garage shelf!  

Hopefully one day they'll look even better on the car. Not sure what ill end up running for the majority (i seem to be collecting wheels at the moment) but the p-slots are a must-have option.

Thanks for confirming the process you used - again really appreciate the input.

PS - hope the RAs worked out ok

Hiding behind the shed awaiting return still. I will get there one day.


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Epoxy primer is more durable than 2k poly, so is a wise decision, although 2k is fine.

Apart from the repairs required, If the existing paint is factory and in good condition I would only flat it , not strip back to bare metal. The reason for this is that at the factory the metal is treated and conditioned including a phosphate layer for corrosion protection, which cannot be replicated, and the paint would have been high baked rather than low baked, which again, cannot be replicated. Properly flatted the factory paint provides an ideal base to paint onto.

As for basecoat/clear, personally i prefer to go with direct gloss if the colour is non metallic, as it's more original, and will look a bit wrong to a discerning eye if clear coated, If it's a metallic then it needs to be clear over base obviously.

I use a paint shop near me in Bedfordshire, they are currently completing my third Mk1 repaint and it does look stunning, however as I am a body guy, I did most of the Repairs and prep work Myself to keep the cost down, but 5k should be easily enough if the body work and welding is minimal.
They flatted and polished out any dirt nibs etc, but maintained the slightly "orange peely " finish so it still looks factory, we call it a "gun finish", as that's what it came from the factory as, and a full flat and polish to a "mirror finish" although nice, looks a bit wrong to the discerning eye on a golf, looks correct on a Bentley/McLaren/ Aston Martin etc.

Just my opinion for what it's worth…

As for Raptor, I have spoken with a colleague of mine who works for Upol in product development, and he recommends raptor over 1k 'stone chip' but recommends an addition of 10% colour to give the finish some deflection qualities, as straight raptor can be too hard, causing it to chip or flake.

Hope this helps…
Good luck!

jazzydog said

Epoxy primer is more durable than 2k poly, so is a wise decision, although 2k is fine.

Apart from the repairs required, If the existing paint is factory and in good condition I would only flat it , not strip back to bare metal. The reason for this is that at the factory the metal is treated and conditioned including a phosphate layer for corrosion protection, which cannot be replicated, and the paint would have been high baked rather than low baked, which again, cannot be replicated. Properly flatted the factory paint provides an ideal base to paint onto.

As for basecoat/clear, personally i prefer to go with direct gloss if the colour is non metallic, as it's more original, and will look a bit wrong to a discerning eye if clear coated, If it's a metallic then it needs to be clear over base obviously.

I use a paint shop near me in Bedfordshire, they are currently completing my third Mk1 repaint and it does look stunning, however as I am a body guy, I did most of the Repairs and prep work Myself to keep the cost down, but 5k should be easily enough if the body work and welding is minimal.
They flatted and polished out any dirt nibs etc, but maintained the slightly "orange peely " finish so it still looks factory, we call it a "gun finish", as that's what it came from the factory as, and a full flat and polish to a "mirror finish" although nice, looks a bit wrong to the discerning eye on a golf, looks correct on a Bentley/McLaren/ Aston Martin etc.

Just my opinion for what it's worth…

As for Raptor, I have spoken with a colleague of mine who works for Upol in product development, and he recommends raptor over 1k 'stone chip' but recommends an addition of 10% colour to give the finish some deflection qualities, as straight raptor can be too hard, causing it to chip or flake.

Hope this helps…
Good luck!

Thanks for the response, all useful information.

I'll bare your advice in mind (next time!) re: the bare-metal. This time i decided to bare-metal most of car as I wanted to check it's condition - i've ended up replacing a significant number of panels, plus some patches, due to hidden rust found under seemingly good paint.

Interesting that Upol themselves seem to admit a flaw in their product? There is no such advice (that i've seen) on their primer packaging.

Anyway, cheers again, all interesting stuff.

Hi, no problem.
Interesting that you find rust which is not evident under the paint…. I've never come across that, perhaps doing bodywork for many years I've developed an eye, unless it was buried under filler and paint…?

Raptor is designed for truck beds and boat decks and such like, not for sealing under cars, which presents different conditions, it's just that people have adopted it for car underbodies, so it's not a flaw…