[pstyle]

Hi,

Does anyone here have any experience with getting their whole car repainted and what it would cost?

The car in question is a 09' 328i coupe in Space Gray Metallic. The car had some hail damage which happened when it was brand new on the dealer lot. It was sold and repaired/repainted by the person who bought it. I in turn bought the car from that person knowing it was repainted (I got a REALLY good deal on it). I've noticed now that the paintjob isn't the best... it's not bad, but under close scrutiny in direct sunlight you can see some flaws. Although no one else but be would probably notice this, it's kinda bugging me.

Does anyone here have any experience with getting the car repainted? If I have it done by a BMW body shop, can I expect to get factory quality paintjob? Also, does anyone know how much it would approx cost to paint it the same color?

[Chriztofor]

Unless you plan on keeping it for 10 years it will be way too expensive. Goto a reputable auto body shop and get an estimate. I would research the EXACT paint you want them to use. Good luck

[cb1111]

A proper repaint in the same color will be in the vicinity of $3-5k. A full paint in a different color starts at $10k.

Why? To do it properly, all trim needs to be removed. Some needs to be replaced. All weatherstripping needs to be removed.

[pstyle]

Called the BMW of Fairfax bodyshop and got quoted $3-$3.5K over the phone for the same color repaint. I might actually go for it as the total cost of the car would still come in way under market value. Can I expect to get a flawless factory quality paintjob when going thru BMW?

[Chriztofor]

You better get everyting in writing. Warranty, what type of paint, how many coats, how will it be applied, are they removing all trim, jambs are being painted, clear coat I assume, etc etc.. Post pics and I hope you don't update with this, "Got it repainted and i was screwed, what should I do?". Good luck.

[pstyle]

Haha thanks.. If I go thru with it, I'll post some before/after pics.

[ZuerstBMW]

No matter who paints it, it unfortunately will never be as flawless as a factory paint job.

[fisherbln]

Originally Posted by ZuerstBMW

No matter who paints it, it unfortunately will never be as flawless as a factory paint job.

+1. Nothing will look as good as factory, but a good shop can get close.

[Roowah]

Originally Posted by pstyle

Hi,
The car in question is a 09' 328i coupe in Space Gray Metallic. The car had some hail damage which happened when it was brand new on the dealer lot. It was sold and repaired/repainted by the person who bought it. I in turn bought the car from that person knowing it was repainted (I got a REALLY good deal on it). I've noticed now that the paintjob isn't the best... it's not bad, but under close scrutiny in direct sunlight you can see some flaws. Although no one else but be would probably notice this, it's kinda bugging me.

What type of flaws are there? I would first see if an experienced detailer can make the proper paint corrections for you. It would be a lot less expensive and drastic.

[UncleWede]

Do you REALLY want all the factory orange peel??

[Chriztofor]

[pstyle]

There are some tiny "lumps" and also some tiny "craters" in the paint... not sure how to describe it better (I'm not talking about the "orange peel".. it's more like small holes) I'm assuming there is a clearcoat.. I'll have to take it to a bodyshop I guess for them to confirm. If there is a clearcoat, I might just have a detailer polish it and see if that will take care of it.

There are also what look like brush strokes under the clearcoat on some small parts of the car.. U have too really look close at an angle to see it.. I'm not sure if they actually are brush strokes, but that's kinda what it looks like.

That's pretty much it.. the metallic looks good. Also, another concern is the bumpers... you know how you see peeling bumpers on some cars that have been repainted? I'm also concerned that might happen.

Here is a general pic of the car with the current paint.

[Chriztofor]

^ wow, what is wrong with the paint!!!! Forget about repainting it, you will not be happy.

[pstyle]

Originally Posted by Chriztofor

^ wow, what is wrong with the paint!!!!

What do you mean? You see something wrong or you mean that it looks good?

[bimmernoob]

Originally Posted by pstyle

What do you mean? You see something wrong or you mean that it looks good?

I think what he was trying to say is that from the picture the car looks fantastic (at least to me they do). So why spend the money? I agree with previous post, you're not going to get a paint job that's going to be as good as factory.

I think if you really want to convince us that a new paint job is needed, you'll need to take some closeup of the problems you are talking about.

[pstyle]

Well you really can't tell until you are up close and looking for it.
It might also just be psychological.. You know it's there so it's bugging you. I think what I need is a good polish-job to remove some of the surface flaws and really bring out the shine and then just be happy that I only paid $28k for it almost brand new (500 miles on the odo).

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by pstyle

What do you mean? You see something wrong or you mean that it looks good?

It looks good!!!!!

[cb1111]

Originally Posted by pstyle

There are some tiny "lumps" and also some tiny "craters" in the paint... not sure how to describe it better (I'm not talking about the "orange peel".. it's more like small holes) I'm assuming there is a clearcoat.. I'll have to take it to a bodyshop I guess for them to confirm. If there is a clearcoat, I might just have a detailer polish it and see if that will take care of it.

There are also what look like brush strokes under the clearcoat on some small parts of the car.. U have too really look close at an angle to see it.. I'm not sure if they actually are brush strokes, but that's kinda what it looks like.

That's pretty much it.. the metallic looks good. Also, another concern is the bumpers... you know how you see peeling bumpers on some cars that have been repainted? I'm also concerned that might happen.

Here is a general pic of the car with the current paint.

Contact Raja on the local boards. He is a great detailer and will tell you - long before he starts - what to do.

A bodyshop is a poor place to go to get advice.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by pstyle

Well you really can't tell until you are up close and looking for it.
It might also just be psychological.. You know it's there so it's bugging you. I think what I need is a good polish-job to remove some of the surface flaws and really bring out the shine and then just be happy that I only paid $28k for it almost brand new (500 miles on the odo).

Rule of thumb, if you can't see it from 3 feet away then don't worry about it.

[Chriztofor]

Now this car needs repainting!