Paint.

[ByStorm]

Men... has any one had any experience repainting their vehicle? I am planning to repaint my '01 STS next year, Sable Black. It is currently black now. Cost help would be appreciated and any other help.

Thanks, ByStorm

[Willie Hank]

I can't imagine your having to repaint your 2001 vehicle, .... whats the deal?

A good paint job will cost you $3500 in Texas, probabaly $ 4500 - 5000 where your live.

[JIMDTS]

As far as the cost Not sure it depends who does the job.I would imagine to get someone good would be a few thousand at least The materials to do the car are expensive plus a lot of labor.

The key to the whole paint job is the preperation. Sanding taping etc..and removing most of the easy to removing trim,mouldings,etc.

Unless your finish is really messed up I would just have the car spot painted where it needs it. I do my own paint work and now I'm at the point I just keep the car looking good and the hell with a custom paint job.Nothing worse than spending a lot of time and money on a great paint job and have someone nick your car in a parking lot or get some debris from the road thrown into the car.Black is black Sable black is probably just the name but is black.If I was going to repaint my car which is black I would use Dupont Imron which is mostly used on trucks very tough paint and has no clear coat to the finish with the proper additives added to the paint it sure is tough I painted a few of my cars with this stuff and eveyone would always ask me how many coats of clear is on that car I would tell them none just wax Clear coat is crap in my book The car makers just went to using clear coat because it's much cheaper than paint.All they have to do is put a couple coats of paint then clear it out.Plus on the high metallic colors you need the clear to smooth the paint finish out.Black it's not needed .When you are building a few thousand cars per day it adds up. I would look for a good paint guy and have your car spot painted where it needs it then a good wheel and waxing and it will look like a new paint job. My car is a 01 and it's black and the paint is as good as one that just rolled out of the factory.I couple nicks here and there which I touched up I didn't want to bother painting with refinishing the areas and you cant see where it has been done. On a black color with the clear coat it really does show fine scratches easily which a good wheel good will remove if they are not very deep.

Good Luck

Jim

[Willie Hank]

Its hard to make a recommendation without knowing the "why" of getting it re-painted, but JIM DTS makes a good point.

Because of the recent age of the vehicle, certainly your defects must be local and not long term degradation, such as UV fading or such (UV is almost a non-issue with new paint technology).

It is amazing what a good body shop can do, you may save some significant bucks having them taking a look at the areas needing some work.

As far as clearcoat goes, its great for very minor scratches which can normally be removed with very LIGHT rubbing compound and pressure. But it really complicates things when the scratch is into the base paint, you might as well repaint the whole section.

[ByStorm]

Sorry for taking a while on getting back to this subject but, I was contemplating the responses. I think I will try the spot paint option.

Most of the paint issues are on the front of the hood from the road hazards or what ever. The thing is when ever I wash the car I get annoyed at the front hood. Most people can't tell because they are not that close to the car or are admiring the whole vehicle but, for me I of course notice this sort of thing more.

I will take it to my garage and see what AJ says.

Thanks, ByStorm