Project golf costs.... advise needed

Ok people don’t like my maths. Maybe a more tried and trusted approach. Go to 10 local paint shops and get a quote.

Make sure they are in a 20 mile radius then it is a fair assessment.

If anyone offers labour and materials for a full flat back, rust prep, inevitable welding, filler, flatting, primer, flatting and painting for less than 3500 bite their hand off

BUT don’t complain when it turns out looking like its covered in bubble wrap and shines like a turd.

You get what you pay for or you DIY and sacrifice time and marriage.

Rant over come sun I have a 4th coat of autoglym to put on


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Gotta love open ended questions and then the surprise when there's disagreements over the answers.

Seems to me you had a cost in mind before you asked the question?

Lets start at the beginning and we'll need to make some assumptions here:
1, you're taking them a completely stripped car
2, All metal work is done to a high standard
3, There are no major dents


Do you require it stripped to bare metal, regulated, sealed, primed, base coated and then cleared?
This would be the correct way to get a car repainted and would ensure it will last for a good few years.

Alternatively you could have it scotched, filled (filler doesn't like being over paint as it can't grip properly hence why you get cracks and ripples showing after a short period of time), primed, base coat, clear coat?

As you've said previously you don't want a show finish then I'm going to assume the second one.

Time
Scotch the outside - 2 days
Scotch the inside - 3 days
Scotch the engine bay - 2 days.

Fill and sand dents - We're back to that peice of string again but realistically assuming half a dozen car park dinks and a few areas where of regulating etc - 1 week minimum.

Prime shell - 1 day
Prime all the other bits (doors, bonnet, boot etc) - 1 day

Leave to rest for a week in an indoor, non dusty area.

Rough block primer - 1 week

Fine block primer and touch ups  - 1 week.

Base coat - shell - 1 day (inc baking)
Base coat bits - 1 day (inc baking)


Leave to stand for 2 weeks in clean area where it won't be damaged

Sand base coat - 1 week

Clear coat - shell 1 day inc baking
Clear coat bits - 1 day inc baking

Leave to stand for 2 weeks

Colour sand shell - 4 days
Colour sand bits - 3 days

Buff - shell 1 day
bits 1 day

Primers costs upwards of £30  per litre (at least 2litres will be required)

Paint costs around £75 a litre upwards ( 4 litres required)

Clear is £55 per litre (4 litres required)

3 grand for all that?

Of course we ain't touched the underside or stonechipped the inner wings, or anything like that either……….

If it's cheap then it ain't going to be all that.

I've done it so I know the timescales. A pro will be quicker of course so I've halved the times it took me.

With a cheaper job they'll have a time scale in their heads as to where they make money, break even and loose money.

The material costs don't change as most paint ships use the same materials all the time from the same suppliers as each is different to use.

So basically the difference in the prices is the number of processes they go through and the amount of time they spend on each process.

I have a mate who will do a quick blow over the outside of a car for £600. But everything is masked and the car is quickly scotched and then shot with base and clear under heat lamps. He then quickly colour sands it with 2k paper and hits it with a mop.
Takes him 2 days.

But even he says it's a rubbish job, but lots of people like it 'cos they can afford to have the car painted once a year. One person came back after 2 years and complained about rust coming through the paint. They couldn't quite understand why he hadn't replaced all the rusty panels for his £600 bill!

My advice would be to spend the money up front on a car that doesn't need any work. It'll be far cheaper in the long run!

Ian