Cost of getting a paint job

[hooD]

Holy mackerel....paint jobs have sky rocketed.  In 1975 I paid $300.

[Cooter]

The problem with paint jobs today is the wonderful EPA. By the time you simply BUY the paint, you've spent over $1000/Gal depending on color...
The other problem is PEOPLE. They seem to come down to the shop looking for the "Show car" finish and when YOU put YOUR name on it, they tend to think you will "Go the extra mile" to keep your reputation as one sh***y paint job will cost you dearly in the public eye even if the owner refuses to pay for it. This is how Maaco got a bad rep...All WANT that show car finish, but are unwilling to pay for it.

Then, when they try it themselves, only until they have spent countless hours sanding and buffing only to find out they buffed right through the clear Coat and must start all over.... Then and only then, do they tend to agree that a Really GOOD paint job will run around $10K....

[jimynick]

Holy mackerel....paint jobs have sky rocketed.  In 1975 I paid $300.
That would be about right, for a good, single stage paint job in 75. When I started in the shop in 71, my old man was painting used cars, complete for $65- scuff 'em and shoot 'em. Average repaint these days, in base/clear, runs $3500 and UP.

[elitecustombody]

Holy mackerel....paint jobs have sky rocketed.  In 1975 I paid $300.

why don't you compare cost of materials,prices of cars,houses,overhead costs,cost of living,wages or value of US dollar from 1975 and 2011

[David_Lee]

why don't you compare cost of materials,prices of cars,houses,overhead costs,cost of living,wages or value of US dollar from 1975 and 2011

I can understand a 10x increase in price, but when I hear paint jobs in the 10 to 15K range I begin to wonder what their hourly wage is.

[ChallengerHK]

Cooter, resized your avatar.

[72cudamaan]

Finally, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[72cudamaan]

Hey Stefan, I don't think Hood was attacking the industry. I believe it was just sticker or culture shock. 

[ChallengerHK]

I think another part of these is that the body guys are, by and large, practitioners and not people who are good at explaining what they do ad why they do it. When I first started looking for paint, and I got three quotes all around $10,000, nne of them could explain the why to me. In fact, all three of them gave me a variation of "You never know where rust could be hiding." My response, to all three, was "There's no interior in the car, and nothing in the trunk. You can see both sides of every panel. Where would this mysterious rust be?"

On the other hand, Tony Miller took the time to explain the process and where the costs were, instead of falling back on a completely ridiculous stock answer.

[jimynick]

I think another part of these is that the body guys are, by and large, practitioners and not people who are good at explaining what they do ad why they do it. When I first started looking for paint, and I got three quotes all around $10,000, nne of them could explain the why to me. In fact, all three of them gave me a variation of "You never know where rust could be hiding." My response, to all three, was "There's no interior in the car, and nothing in the trunk. You can see both sides of every panel. Where would this mysterious rust be?"

On the other hand, Tony Miller took the time to explain the process and where the costs were, instead of falling back on a completely ridiculous stock answer.
The answer lies in the fact that, locally, the door rate for paint work is approx. $65hr and $28hr material allowance which adds to $93/hr on paint work. Anyone who's done one of these cars can usually document 100's of hours spent to repair/prep them and no two are ever the same. That's why the guy is waffling about giving a hard figure, because he KNOWS that based on experience, regardless of how much of the car you can see, there's ALWAYS more. Having said that, they SHOULD give you an explanation rather than some BS story. AND, despite all protestations to the contrary, EVERYONE wants a Cadillac job and MOST want to pay for a Cavalier job- can't be done. Here endeth the sermon. 

[wart1de]

In Australia, I just spent $80,000 at my resto shop, not including the cost of replacement panels and huge shipping fees. In these parts of the woods, it's not uncommon today for a good paint job to cost upwards of $50,000. I had a different car resprayed (bare metal but no panel replacements) about 10 years prior for around $6,000 . In my opinion, the biggest cause of the huge price increases is the lack of panel shops willing to take on restos and resprays. It's becoming an old skill that's lost on the new generation and the old guys don't want to do it anymore. More money is made and made easier by working accident/insurance jobs. I went to about 10 different panel shops before I found one that would agree to work on my 'Cuda. As soon as you mention rear quarter replacements, almost all of them say no.

The $80,000 included taking the car back to bare metal, replacing both rear quarters, trunk floor, tail panel, both front inner fenders and repairing a front fender. They also added chassis connectors, painted inside, outside and underneath, rebuilt the windows and restored all the trim. When needed, they lead wiped instead of using body filler. But that's it, no mechanical work.

Hourly rate at my resto shop was $70/hr so that adds up to a lot of hours claimed. I think it should have cost about $10,000 less but these guys have won awards at Pebble Beach so they figure they can charge whatever they like.

Whatever the panel shop quotes you, be prepared to double it.

[elitecustombody]

I can understand a 10x increase in price, but when I hear paint jobs in the 10 to 15K range I begin to wonder what their hourly wage is.

Have you priced just basecoat colors like yellow,red, or any high impact colors lately? Some of them are $200 or more per quart. Most shops that do high end work charge $75-up per hour and real high quality job requires at the least a few hundred hours, I'm not talking  quick scuff and shoot,but a job with attention to detail with countless hours of blocking. Usually it's people who don't have an eye for details ,they are the ones who do not comprehend the cost of quality work

[GranCuda1970]

Yep,!! they are pricing themselves right out of work, best to go the cheap way and learn to do it right yourself, that;s what I am doing.

[Topcat]

Yep,!! they are pricing themselves right out of work, best to go the cheap way and learn to do it right yourself, that;s what I am doing.

 

It's a tough road. But to say YOU did it and no one else did, is worth it.
Da Vinchi never paid someone to paint Mona Lisa for him.

Point made is...Bodywork is an art that needs to be aquired.
Nobody ever...picked up a brush or pencil the very first try and created a Masterpiece!

[Cooter]

Yep,!! they are pricing themselves right out of work, best to go the cheap way and learn to do it right yourself, that;s what I am doing.

See, it's easy to lean on that "Crutch" when it comes time to overhear people at the car show telling someone else that "Whoever painted that car, they shouldn't even be NEAR a paint gun", when you only have yourself to blame and well, you were "Learning" and it was your "First attempt"...

Now, flip the coin, bodyshop pinated your car, and charged you $1500.00..You heard the same at the car show, now all of a sudden you want to go back and b*tch, looking for some kinda vindication.....
People se my cars at the car shows and the FIRST thing I hear after they hear that I PAINTED all my own cars is "Hey, I got this Camaro and I've already done the bodywork, I just need it painted..Can you hook me up?"
I simply reply "Sure, for around $10K"..
The response is always the same when ignorance is universal when it comes to paint and body, (cause in order to INSURE that my reputation isn't tarnished by making all that wavy bodywork shine, is to pull it all out and start over)....."DAMN!, I can get it painted at Maaco for $200.00!! Your Crazy!"
They don't even reallize they are helping ME by taking it to Maaco. For once it comes out of Maaco and the paint all over the door handles, body trim, glass, no dents were repaired, etc. then, and only then do they understand where the extra time and money comes in......

 
Da Vinchi never paid someone to paint Mona Lisa for him.

Point made is...Bodywork is an art that needs to be aquired.
Nobody ever...picked up a brush or pencil the very first try and created a Masterpiece!

No Da Vinci didn't, but do YOU or anyone else here want to wait 300 years AFTER your dead to see the money from a good paint job?
I'm sure he didn't either, that's just the way it worked out and Da Vinci's work is an "Aquired taste"..I don't see the "Greatness" of the mona Lisa Myself...Or most "Art" thesedays. Remember, only YOU will spend countless hours working on YOUR car for free...Everybody else semms to want to charge you for whatever reson, I know, i know, sounds crazy right?

You are correct about the first try thing...
However, you are paying for the experience of the bodyman/painter to hit the mark...Paint jobs are NOT cheap, neither is HEMI's...There are some things in the this world you WILL pay for once you have tried it a couple times. God knows I've been behind PLENTY of so called "Painter/bodymen" and one thing is universal, They ALL have the same thing to say when they are done giving it their "Best shot"....
"To hell with it, I'll just pay someone to do it next time"....Most don't have the stamina to go through Months of prep work only to find out they need to go through months more.