[servantguy]

Hi folks,

I need your collective wisdom and objective minds to guide me:

I'm an inch away from pulling the trigger on a $4K repaint job on an '06 330xi I recently acquired. Should I do it?

I plan to keep the vehicle for the next 3-5 years if it lasts, I drive 6-10K miles per year, even less now with COVID, and here's some additional context:

I got this black beauty with 215K miles last year, now has 223k miles. I've already personally done the following:

CIC upgrade so I have good bluetooth audio
Already replaced with new:
Alternator
Thermostat
Coolant Pump
Both DISA valves
Purge solenoid
All the breather hoses / PCV assembly
Coils
Plugs
Starter
Headlight assemblies
Hood lifts
Intake
Rotors
Pads
Shocks
Springs
Brake Shoes
Rims
Tires
Clutch + flywheel
Transmission + fluids

This sounds like it may be obvious, but I wanted to send this question out there: given the improvements I've already made, am I crazy to want to paint this car for $4K so it's as like new as possible?

Thank you!

[Clammy]

If you're crazy, so am I. I am planning on having my '06 330i repainted at some point in the near future.

I want to keep her for the long term, so spending the money is worth it, to me.

You'll get a lot of conflicting advice, but the bottom line is: do you want to do it, and can you afford it? If the answer to those questions is "yes", then go for it, and ignore the naysayers.

Cheers!

[tcphoto]

Let's be honest, it is crazy to invest $4K in a 14 year old car with 225K miles on it. Plus you'll only own it for 3-5 more years, so I'd pay for an extensive detailing with paint correction and think about the money you saved.

[rick100]

4k seems excessive for a paint job...

I painted my last 2 cars a few years back and it was like 1500$ canadian

Oem paint. Nothing crazy. Came out good and it was not macco ... i had the cars for a few years and the paint was still holding up

I wouldnt pay more than 2500$ for a paint job an these cars. Unless it was some type of color change or something supee nice... these cars dont even rust , its basicly a respray

My old cara had rust and they still fixed up the rust for 1500$ lol.

[Bimmer_Engineer]

A paint job on a car you’re keeping 3-5 years seems like a waste to me...

[309xi]

4k seems steep no?

[mecheng77]

The factory paint is excellent compared to most, it has a good thickness.

Get it professionally polished and waxed if you want it to look better or heck do it yourself with an orbital.

[Bob Shiftright]

Is the clear coat delaminating?

If not, as above, I'd try salvaging the paint with a professional polish first. I just had that done with mine, along with a respray of the front bumper.

There are going to be scratches and chips on an older car. I think it gives an older car "character".

[tmo24]

You may also consider wrapping the car for far less. Of course it's not the same at all but it's also not permanent. So you can choose whatever color you want and then switch multiple times for less than $4k. And also, I am going through the same dilemma. 07 black 335i with 166k miles and I need new paint for sure. I love black but it doesn't stay clean for more than an hour in Vegas. I may wrap it white but I am also going to pay a professional to do his best to revive and restore what he can before I make a final decision. If he can make it look great for a fraction of the cost of a new paint, I'll probably be satisfied. I can't keep dumping money into this car. It's a damn money pit.

[Leucosticte]

if it had lower mileage I would totally say its worth it, however at that mileage I don't think it is at all lol

[MPOWER5266]

Lets see the car. Its likely you could have it professionally detailed for a couple hundred dollars and it would look amazing.

[King Rudi]

Agree with everyone else. Price seems steep for a car with that many miles, not to mention you only plan on keeping for a few more years. Drive the hell out of it, enjoy it, then go get what you want.

[e90yyc]

If you have the money and it’s something you’ll enjoy, I don’t see any reason not to. That said, like others have pointed out, $4k sounds like a lot.

Maybe the best in-between would be to find another shop that can do a good job for closer to $2k.

[bkwld]

I would say if you’re doing this for your own personal preservation of E90 to enjoy then go for it. Question would be, is your E90 example, a good example? Sentimental value? Looks like you put in lot of work so it would make sense for you to finish it off to enjoy it. I would assume $4K would include some body work and quality paint job, with may be even wet sanding afterwards. Its reasonable price.

[hassmaschine]

I would just get it detailed by a professional. Assuming the paint isn't just completely hammered, a $1500 aftermarket paint job is almost certainly going to be worse, and a $4k paintjob, while it should be nice, is worth as much as the whole car. BMW paint jobs are usually pretty good for the industry. I don't know if the black on these cars is single stage or clear coated, but either way it should clean up pretty well.

(materials alone can cost $1500 for decent quality paint - I don't know how these guys think $4k is expensive)

[houbmw]

Get it wrapped!

[fastordiy]

Maaco 600 paint job. You will be surprised.

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by fastordiy

Maaco 600 paint job. You will be surprised.

That will definitely be much worse than just leaving the stock paint alone, and cost more than getting it detailed too.

[solo118]

This is why I try to avoid black cars, they look amazing when new and clean, but after that they show every scratch and imperfection.

Either way, have you tried paint correction? I would try that first, then doing some sort of ceramic coating to protect the finish. If you think your paint job is beyond saving, you might want to reach out to a few shops and see what their best price is.

Other than that, like the others said you could also wrap the car in any color of your choice.

[servantguy]

Thanks folks! The paint isn’t delaminating, but you can certainly tell, by the pits, chips, and swirl marks, that the vehicle is old. I’ll take photos and post once I get back home.

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by servantguy

Thanks folks! The paint isn’t delaminating, but you can certainly tell, by the pits, chips, and swirl marks, that the vehicle is old. I’ll take photos and post once I get back home.

Not worth a repaint. I'd spend a fraction on a detail and touch up and call it good. It's an older car with a lot of miles--unless it's gonna be your baby to keep forever I just don't see the value in spending 4k on paint for it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯