I know this is a common question, and I did a search. Opinions seem to differ, but I am interested in what a decent paint job costs in southern California. How much and what do they do? Also, what can you expect and what are the risks. Is overspray considered a "norm" even in the best paint shops? What is the minimun one can pay and get a very satisfactory paint job in which the customer does not need to come back and complain?

I used to live in SoCal and I only knew of one shop that did decent paint jobs but they were EXPENSIVE. I just couldn't afford to use them. Every other shop that I had used were mediocre at best, overspray guaranteed if you didn't pull off what you didn't want painted and I was never satisfied with the first attempt. In fact I usually had to make 3 to 4 trips back until the job was acceptable to me.
I would just say good luck in trying to find a good shop. Best thing is just ask around and your posting this thread might help you as well.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

tkamiya- please post the two shops in Central Florida you would use, or private email them.

I'm looking at getting my 500E repainted. I'm in Jacksonville, FL.

:-) neil

I went to Maaco years ago to get a fender repainted. The car was not washed when I picked it up, the paint didn't match very well, and there was noticable overspray.

When I went back to complain, the response was, "You bring me crap (I had put the fender on myself, but it was a perfect fit), so what do you expect?"

Needless to say, pay what it takes to get the job done right. You'll be happier and you'll be better off when you go to sell.

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Current:
2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles.

2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's).

Past:
2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13.
1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07.
1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06.
1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation.
1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver.

Years back I had a hot-rod Camaro that had a very high-end paint job. I saved some dollars by stripping all the exterior bits off the car myself and doing some of the preliminary prep work.

Talk to some car clubs in your area. See who is doing their custom work and see some examples of their work. A well done flawless job costs about $5Kcdn and up. I would expect to pay at least $3Kus for something top notch.

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

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