Finally I decided to take the car to the shop next week for a complete repaint job. 16 years were not enough to rust the body except some tiny ones under the side moldings, however I am not too happy with the shine and luster anymore, even 5 coats of Klasse doesn't make the paint as shiny as it used to be. What should I consider in order to get another 16 years of rustproof paint? What kind of surface prep and undercoating I should consider? Does the paint brand and type make any difference? The original color is white and I would like to know if a clearcoat application make the finish look better and last longer?

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2001 E200 Kompressor Avantgarde
1987 300E 5-speed
1976 450SLC
1975 280S (sold)
1973 230.6 (sold)

The key to any good paint job is the prep work. And this is what makes a good paint job costly....it is very labor-intensive. To do it right you need to remove all trim, bumpers, moldings, antennas, whatever, and of course sand and prep the metal before applying the paint and clear coats. Use quality materials and you will get a quality paint job, assuming the people who do the work are real craftsmen. Don't cut any corners if you want it to look good and be a long-lasting paint job.

Take off all of the parts that are removeable yourself. Thoroughly clean the entire surface of the car that will be painted with a solvent and then scrub the area again with a mild abrasive detergent. The idea is to absolutely remove anything that will cause a paint job problem. Even go under the rubber with a soft tool like a toothpick as the spray gun could blow some dirt out onto the paint. Obviously, remove all traces of the detergent and of the water before you take it to the shop. Also, mark any defect in the body, rust, a dent, a scratch, etc. so they can easily find it and repair it. The more you do to the car, the better job you will get. A few "bribes" to the workers wouldn't hurt either. Beer , cigarettes or money works. Good luck!

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'76 240D-Sold
'78 240D-Sold
'85 300 SD, 165K-Sold
'88 300 TE, 165K-Sold
'64 Porsche 356C Cabriolet- under restoration
'86 560SL 124K Miles-Sold
'94 320E Wagon, 74K Miles-128K Miles JUNKED
'06 E350 Wagon, 84K Miles
07 SL550, 14K Miles

rob,

can u tell me how much its costing u?