Need to repaint my LS460L!!
07-18-10, 09:34 PM
#1
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Need to repaint my LS460L!!
I got my LS used from Florida and shipped to Houston. Obviously, I wasn't able to inspect it but I did get the Carfax which showed no reported accidents etc. That was 5 months ago.
With the Houston blazing heat, I noticed a bubble in the paint job and below that, the paint crack line that is about 3 inches. Additionally, the passenger side paint looks bad.
I guess the previous owner had some light damage and repaired it without involving insurance.
I was wondering how much is it to repaint the entire car? It is black and I don't want to have a faded black with a new black paint job.
Anyone know how much it is and who would you recommend to repaint? Dealer or Independent?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
-Mike The Realtor
With the Houston blazing heat, I noticed a bubble in the paint job and below that, the paint crack line that is about 3 inches. Additionally, the passenger side paint looks bad.
I guess the previous owner had some light damage and repaired it without involving insurance.
I was wondering how much is it to repaint the entire car? It is black and I don't want to have a faded black with a new black paint job.
Anyone know how much it is and who would you recommend to repaint? Dealer or Independent?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
-Mike The Realtor
07-18-10, 09:55 PM
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JC autobody ask for Jorge 713-433-6250, he painted all my cars and does many many award winning show cars in houston. he did a great job on my pearl white GS. and match the paint flawlessly. couldnt even tell it was repainted. I just picked up an LS460 also and will have him repaint my hood and fender soon.
07-18-10, 10:13 PM
#3
Wow! I have purchased two cars in Florida but I went to inspect and drive both of them before I made the purchases. You are very brave to buy a car sight-unseen. Anyway, it would have been difficult to detect the paint flaws unless you have a trained eye. Obviously, you didn't notice anything when you initially got the car five months ago.
Good luck with the repainting.
Good luck with the repainting.
07-19-10, 05:51 AM
#6
Any inspection services that you can reccommend, because im most likely going to purchase out of state and dont wanna get ripped off?
07-19-10, 06:04 AM
#7
Pole Position
I'd the seller stated that the cat had never been in an accident you can AMA should sue him, although that is easier said than done, ESP from outta state
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07-19-10, 06:18 AM
#8
Lead Lap
I got my LS used from Florida and shipped to Houston. Obviously, I wasn't able to inspect it but I did get the Carfax which showed no reported accidents etc. That was 5 months ago.
With the Houston blazing heat, I noticed a bubble in the paint job and below that, the paint crack line that is about 3 inches. Additionally, the passenger side paint looks bad.
I guess the previous owner had some light damage and repaired it without involving insurance.
I was wondering how much is it to repaint the entire car? It is black and I don't want to have a faded black with a new black paint job.
Anyone know how much it is and who would you recommend to repaint? Dealer or Independent?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
-Mike The Realtor
With the Houston blazing heat, I noticed a bubble in the paint job and below that, the paint crack line that is about 3 inches. Additionally, the passenger side paint looks bad.
I guess the previous owner had some light damage and repaired it without involving insurance.
I was wondering how much is it to repaint the entire car? It is black and I don't want to have a faded black with a new black paint job.
Anyone know how much it is and who would you recommend to repaint? Dealer or Independent?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
-Mike The Realtor
You should have had the car inspected by a mechanic and a body shop prior to purchase. CarFax is not god. It does not see non-insurance cash jobs. You are just as much at fault as the seller on this one. I'm sure it was sold-is, so that is car all yours now.
The second part of the bad news is that a paint job 80% similar to what it would have been from the factory, all in black, would run far north of $10,000-15,000. There is a lot of tedious time-consuming wet color sanding involved in getting the black to look like that. You will never replicate a factory job, ever. It's only factory once. There is no body shop that has the Lexus robots, bake shop and skilled color sanders in the USA.
Painting an entire late model car is a double negative when it comes to value. You blow $15k on a paint job, and is subtracts and equal $15k from the value of the car. Nobody wants to buy a late model non-collectors car with a non factory paint job, especially in black. At that point you should just throw your money into a trash can and light it on fire.
The best option would be to repaint only the affected areas at a VERY good body shop who is skilled with wet sanding and a 99.999999% dust-free spray booth. They will blend in the surrounding panels. Most people will never know it was painted. This will cost FAR less (it could be $1000-3000) and won't detract much from the value of the car.
07-19-10, 07:29 AM
#9
If you use them, let them check the car for the common problems (windnoise, amp issues, transmission abnormal shifting behavior...etc). You can tell them to check whatever you want when you fill out the service request form. There is a box towards the end of the form where you can add whatever you want.
HTH
07-19-10, 11:46 AM
#10
07-19-10, 12:32 PM
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What!!!
Well, I've got 3 bits of really bad news.
You should have had the car inspected by a mechanic and a body shop prior to purchase. CarFax is not god. It does not see non-insurance cash jobs. You are just as much at fault as the seller on this one. I'm sure it was sold-is, so that is car all yours now.
The second part of the bad news is that a paint job 80% similar to what it would have been from the factory, all in black, would run far north of $10,000-15,000. There is a lot of tedious time-consuming wet color sanding involved in getting the black to look like that. You will never replicate a factory job, ever. It's only factory once. There is no body shop that has the Lexus robots, bake shop and skilled color sanders in the USA.
Painting an entire late model car is a double negative when it comes to value. You blow $15k on a paint job, and is subtracts and equal $15k from the value of the car. Nobody wants to buy a late model non-collectors car with a non factory paint job, especially in black. At that point you should just throw your money into a trash can and light it on fire.
The best option would be to repaint only the affected areas at a VERY good body shop who is skilled with wet sanding and a 99.999999% dust-free spray booth. They will blend in the surrounding panels. Most people will never know it was painted. This will cost FAR less (it could be $1000-3000) and won't detract much from the value of the car.
You should have had the car inspected by a mechanic and a body shop prior to purchase. CarFax is not god. It does not see non-insurance cash jobs. You are just as much at fault as the seller on this one. I'm sure it was sold-is, so that is car all yours now.
The second part of the bad news is that a paint job 80% similar to what it would have been from the factory, all in black, would run far north of $10,000-15,000. There is a lot of tedious time-consuming wet color sanding involved in getting the black to look like that. You will never replicate a factory job, ever. It's only factory once. There is no body shop that has the Lexus robots, bake shop and skilled color sanders in the USA.
Painting an entire late model car is a double negative when it comes to value. You blow $15k on a paint job, and is subtracts and equal $15k from the value of the car. Nobody wants to buy a late model non-collectors car with a non factory paint job, especially in black. At that point you should just throw your money into a trash can and light it on fire.
The best option would be to repaint only the affected areas at a VERY good body shop who is skilled with wet sanding and a 99.999999% dust-free spray booth. They will blend in the surrounding panels. Most people will never know it was painted. This will cost FAR less (it could be $1000-3000) and won't detract much from the value of the car.
If someone would spend over $6k for a paint job it had better be a show car. I am the GM of a repair facility and can easily replicate factory finish or better as an all over for $6k. In fact I just bought a 07 460L in black and will be doing the entire car as it has small imperfections from wear over the years and the paint job I will put on it will be better than from the factory and cost less. In fact we did an overall on a BMW 5series last year in black and it turned out fantastic and the retail price was less than $6k and the customer was ecstatic
No matter what facility you go to NO shop has a 99.9999% dust free environment. In fact almost all high end cars end up getting de nibbed and buffed because there is no way to eliminate dust even in a "clean zone".
I will agree that an overall paint job may not be what you need and I generally will tell my customers that they most likely do not need an overall as it is almost always better to keep your factory paint.
I would recommend finding a local shop that has a mil guage and determining how thick of paint you have on each panel. If a panel is over 4.5-5 mils it has been either repaired or replaced. I would also look for the factory VIN number on each part to determine if it is OEM or not if this is a concern for you. Although you can easily replace the door skin and leave the VIN tag on the shell. This should give you a good idea of what has been done to the car. Also check all the jambs as this is a common overseen area by shops and will give you a tell tale sign it has been painted.
It is possible that you only need a good buffer and detailing done. If your willing to pay $15k for a paint job how about you drive to Indiana and pay me $10k and you will walk away with a better paint job than the factory and $5k in your pocket. I will have my car done in a few weeks if you want to inspect my car however I will have the advantage of spending a small fraction of the $$ on my job as being the GM has its advantages
I have heard of people paying BIG $$ for a refinish job and find it somewhat hilarious to try to understand what they spent the money on.
What I will do to my car is to remove any and all moldings, parts that would need to be taped, and possibly the glass. Then I will fix any and all damage to the car and block and prime it at least twice at repairs. Then I will paint it with a 2 stage base clear with minimal imperfections. That will bake in a booth for about 30 minutes to ensure a proper cure. then the entire car will be blocked and then re cleared again with minimal imperfections. Doing this twice will give it the texture you get from the OEM. I may at that point decide to take it to a glass like finish by sanding and buffing the entire vehicle but it is better to have some texture as it is designed to hide small scratches and spider webbing you get from daily use and generally isnt recommended for daily drivers.
I hope this helps,
07-19-10, 02:20 PM
#13
Lead Lap
COMPLETELY DISAGREE IMO
If someone would spend over $6k for a paint job it had better be a show car. I am the GM of a repair facility and can easily replicate factory finish or better as an all over for $6k. In fact I just bought a 07 460L in black and will be doing the entire car as it has small imperfections from wear over the years and the paint job I will put on it will be better than from the factory and cost less. In fact we did an overall on a BMW 5series last year in black and it turned out fantastic and the retail price was less than $6k and the customer was ecstatic
No matter what facility you go to NO shop has a 99.9999% dust free environment. In fact almost all high end cars end up getting de nibbed and buffed because there is no way to eliminate dust even in a "clean zone".
I will agree that an overall paint job may not be what you need and I generally will tell my customers that they most likely do not need an overall as it is almost always better to keep your factory paint.
I would recommend finding a local shop that has a mil guage and determining how thick of paint you have on each panel. If a panel is over 4.5-5 mils it has been either repaired or replaced. I would also look for the factory VIN number on each part to determine if it is OEM or not if this is a concern for you. Although you can easily replace the door skin and leave the VIN tag on the shell. This should give you a good idea of what has been done to the car. Also check all the jambs as this is a common overseen area by shops and will give you a tell tale sign it has been painted.
It is possible that you only need a good buffer and detailing done. If your willing to pay $15k for a paint job how about you drive to Indiana and pay me $10k and you will walk away with a better paint job than the factory and $5k in your pocket. I will have my car done in a few weeks if you want to inspect my car however I will have the advantage of spending a small fraction of the $$ on my job as being the GM has its advantages
I have heard of people paying BIG $$ for a refinish job and find it somewhat hilarious to try to understand what they spent the money on.
What I will do to my car is to remove any and all moldings, parts that would need to be taped, and possibly the glass. Then I will fix any and all damage to the car and block and prime it at least twice at repairs. Then I will paint it with a 2 stage base clear with minimal imperfections. That will bake in a booth for about 30 minutes to ensure a proper cure. then the entire car will be blocked and then re cleared again with minimal imperfections. Doing this twice will give it the texture you get from the OEM. I may at that point decide to take it to a glass like finish by sanding and buffing the entire vehicle but it is better to have some texture as it is designed to hide small scratches and spider webbing you get from daily use and generally isnt recommended for daily drivers.
I hope this helps,
If someone would spend over $6k for a paint job it had better be a show car. I am the GM of a repair facility and can easily replicate factory finish or better as an all over for $6k. In fact I just bought a 07 460L in black and will be doing the entire car as it has small imperfections from wear over the years and the paint job I will put on it will be better than from the factory and cost less. In fact we did an overall on a BMW 5series last year in black and it turned out fantastic and the retail price was less than $6k and the customer was ecstatic
No matter what facility you go to NO shop has a 99.9999% dust free environment. In fact almost all high end cars end up getting de nibbed and buffed because there is no way to eliminate dust even in a "clean zone".
I will agree that an overall paint job may not be what you need and I generally will tell my customers that they most likely do not need an overall as it is almost always better to keep your factory paint.
I would recommend finding a local shop that has a mil guage and determining how thick of paint you have on each panel. If a panel is over 4.5-5 mils it has been either repaired or replaced. I would also look for the factory VIN number on each part to determine if it is OEM or not if this is a concern for you. Although you can easily replace the door skin and leave the VIN tag on the shell. This should give you a good idea of what has been done to the car. Also check all the jambs as this is a common overseen area by shops and will give you a tell tale sign it has been painted.
It is possible that you only need a good buffer and detailing done. If your willing to pay $15k for a paint job how about you drive to Indiana and pay me $10k and you will walk away with a better paint job than the factory and $5k in your pocket. I will have my car done in a few weeks if you want to inspect my car however I will have the advantage of spending a small fraction of the $$ on my job as being the GM has its advantages
I have heard of people paying BIG $$ for a refinish job and find it somewhat hilarious to try to understand what they spent the money on.
What I will do to my car is to remove any and all moldings, parts that would need to be taped, and possibly the glass. Then I will fix any and all damage to the car and block and prime it at least twice at repairs. Then I will paint it with a 2 stage base clear with minimal imperfections. That will bake in a booth for about 30 minutes to ensure a proper cure. then the entire car will be blocked and then re cleared again with minimal imperfections. Doing this twice will give it the texture you get from the OEM. I may at that point decide to take it to a glass like finish by sanding and buffing the entire vehicle but it is better to have some texture as it is designed to hide small scratches and spider webbing you get from daily use and generally isnt recommended for daily drivers.
I hope this helps,
07-19-10, 02:56 PM
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To be honest it is not that hard to do a nice job on an overall but alot of shops lack the skilled labor and knowledge to do so. I do not employ any illegals and all of my technicians do a great job and are long time employees. I do recommend that people keep their OEM paint unless they want a custom job. I do disagree with the fact the paint job will de-value the vehicle by the amount you spend on it. If it is a quality job the only diminishing value I have seen is that it will keep some people from buying it just because they want the factory finish and are not knowledgeable and secure with what was done to it. Not that it looks bad but because they know it was painted. Dealers dont care that a car has been painted at least the majority dont. They know that if a car looks good and has a clean record they can sell it just like a car that has no aftermarket paint work.
In regards to the BMW the owner wanted a very smooth finish which we were able to achieve and was actually a smoother finish than OEM Lexus cars have. The BMW owner did not want an absolute perfect job as a PERFECT job is impossible. I can find flaws in any paint job OEM or not.
If someone was going to refinish their car overall it had better be for a good reason. The reason on my car is that it did have previous repair on it that I feel is unacceptable and also there are small chips and scratches here and there that will bother me. I could detail it and have it looking good enough for the majority of people but I like my cars to look really nice.
I'll leave it at this. If someone is going to paint their car just to paint it without a reasonable problem then I think it will either de-value it or make it undesirable by future buyers. If they are then going to trade the car in and it was done with quality then it will not affect the trade in price. This is at least just from my experience dealing with a reputable Lexus dealer for about 8 years. Even when I say quality what I mean is that it is a standard repair for my shop. Not a custom one like I am going to do on my car with two separate clear applications or sanding and buffing. The only real issue I have ever seen with a quality repair is in the private market. There are people that do not want to purchase cars that even have just one panel repainted and that is ok but the majority do not care as long as it is quality.
Price wise I think it comes down to the fact that we are geared to be a production shop and mainly a collision repair facility. What that means is that I have 9 cars a day coming in and out so this allows my technicians to do alot of work and make good money. Where as custom shops will have one technician and work on one vehicle for a few weeks and just that car. Those shops usually will have the same expenses as my shop except they are only doing one car where I am doing dozens. Doing an overall is not typical and I will try determine if that is really what a customer wants to do before actually scheduling it. Here is how I see the break down and obviously it will change depending on vehicle and options and assuming no damage and no parts needed
Maaco paint job $300-2500
Typical paint job from my facility exterior only $2500-$4500
My facility on a vehicle exterior only but peticular $4000-$6000
Custom paint jobs $6000 and up
I would classify the paint job I am going to do on my car as custom since I will be applying clear coat 2 separate times. My car will look better than it did from the factory if I decide to eliminate that much peel. I am a bit scared to being black and showing scratches so easily but I think it will look so good.
The only way for a very particular person to know what sort of job any shop does is to see their work but anyone spending $6k on a paint job at my facility should expect and will receive a very nice paint job that 99% of the public would not be able to determine it was not OEM.
That being said all shops are not the same and all areas of the US are not the same. In my area customers are very particular in general so our quality on everything is better than alot of areas in the US.
In regards to the BMW the owner wanted a very smooth finish which we were able to achieve and was actually a smoother finish than OEM Lexus cars have. The BMW owner did not want an absolute perfect job as a PERFECT job is impossible. I can find flaws in any paint job OEM or not.
If someone was going to refinish their car overall it had better be for a good reason. The reason on my car is that it did have previous repair on it that I feel is unacceptable and also there are small chips and scratches here and there that will bother me. I could detail it and have it looking good enough for the majority of people but I like my cars to look really nice.
I'll leave it at this. If someone is going to paint their car just to paint it without a reasonable problem then I think it will either de-value it or make it undesirable by future buyers. If they are then going to trade the car in and it was done with quality then it will not affect the trade in price. This is at least just from my experience dealing with a reputable Lexus dealer for about 8 years. Even when I say quality what I mean is that it is a standard repair for my shop. Not a custom one like I am going to do on my car with two separate clear applications or sanding and buffing. The only real issue I have ever seen with a quality repair is in the private market. There are people that do not want to purchase cars that even have just one panel repainted and that is ok but the majority do not care as long as it is quality.
Price wise I think it comes down to the fact that we are geared to be a production shop and mainly a collision repair facility. What that means is that I have 9 cars a day coming in and out so this allows my technicians to do alot of work and make good money. Where as custom shops will have one technician and work on one vehicle for a few weeks and just that car. Those shops usually will have the same expenses as my shop except they are only doing one car where I am doing dozens. Doing an overall is not typical and I will try determine if that is really what a customer wants to do before actually scheduling it. Here is how I see the break down and obviously it will change depending on vehicle and options and assuming no damage and no parts needed
Maaco paint job $300-2500
Typical paint job from my facility exterior only $2500-$4500
My facility on a vehicle exterior only but peticular $4000-$6000
Custom paint jobs $6000 and up
I would classify the paint job I am going to do on my car as custom since I will be applying clear coat 2 separate times. My car will look better than it did from the factory if I decide to eliminate that much peel. I am a bit scared to being black and showing scratches so easily but I think it will look so good.
The only way for a very particular person to know what sort of job any shop does is to see their work but anyone spending $6k on a paint job at my facility should expect and will receive a very nice paint job that 99% of the public would not be able to determine it was not OEM.
That being said all shops are not the same and all areas of the US are not the same. In my area customers are very particular in general so our quality on everything is better than alot of areas in the US.
07-19-10, 03:49 PM
#15
Lead Lap
Dealers dont care that a car has been painted at least the majority dont.
Private buyers can range from not noticing at all to walking away from the car. Most will just low-ball offer because they know the car will be hard to sell later on.
It is best to avoid all this and do the least amount of paint you can.