Ever heard the old saying... "
Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go...?"
Having help several friends spray before (some for themselves, one that painted trade-ins for several dealerships), I fully agree with the "
... you get what you pay for....", with some minor exceptions:
- large, reputable body shops will generally charge more than smaller established body shops, and they generally more than small 1-2 man private body shops;
- price is generally a good indicator of the quality you'll get;
- size is NOT a good indicator of the quality of work you'll get;
- longevity is rarely a good indicator;
- going to a dealership does not necessarily mean that because you've chosen what is usually the most expensive alternative, that you'll get the best or even a good paint-job done.
While price is generally a good indicator of the quality you'll get, there usually are variations in price between "types" of body shops you look at (dealerships -vs- regional body shop chains -vs- large local body shops -vs- small independent body shops). That is, the best dealership, best regional body shop chain, best large local body shop, and best small independent body shop will usually have different prices and pricing structures for what they offer.
In my experince, neither size nor longevity ("
we've been in business since....") tells you what kind of job you'll get. Some of the best body shops are the small 1-2 person shops that have been open just a few years. These are often experienced bodymen that have left dealerships or large collision repair facilities to go in business for themselves. They get tired of geting paid squat, by shops and facilities that have continually raised their rates and see the opportunity to make a lot more working independently. If they've made it independently several years, it's generally a good sign that they do good work.
And as others have said above, ask those with experience. Chase-down those guys with candy-apple, metal-flake, multi-color paint jobs and ask them who they used, what their experience was, and most importantly how well the paint job has held-up.
"Rake-and-bake" places like macco will make it look nice, but will short-cut everything they can for profit-margins - quick/poor prep-work (use an air-gun to remove paint dust versus tacking), fewer and thicker layers of bondo (more likely to have air bubbles and/or crack), not use sealer (potential for the introduction of corrosion - rust - below the paint), quality of paint used (fading, chipping), poorer overall color-matching, quantity of primer and paint applied (rapid color-fading/peeling) .
While you're just wanting a clean top-coat and clear-coat, do realize that whoever sprays the car
should remove the old clear-coat to ensure the best results. The different color-coats are used for a reason, and mixing layers of color-coat/clear-coat/color-coat/clear-coat repeatedly will likely create problems later - higher probability of chipping being the most common.
Talk around, take your time, and visit the shops you're considering a few times before jumping at the first/cheapest solution you find. While all paint-jobs look great the first year or two, it's the attention to detail that determines how long the paint holds-up, and how long it looks good.
And remember, if you don't like the results, you can't simply "change it back" like you can with a set of rims that don't look as good as they did in the store, exhaust mufflers you don't like the sound of, or a cam-grind that you just don't like the response of, etc. Once it's done, it's done and you have to live with it every time you walk up to the car, drive the car down the road, and then look at as you walk away. TAKE YOUR TIME !!!
