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A typical Auto Paint Job in California = $1250. OR MORE! EPA Busybodies to Blame?
March 1, 2015 | Lee Martell

Posted on 03/01/2015 1:23:41 AM PST by lee martell

Let me be the first to say, I know very little about cars, their construction, their design and their maintenance. I'm also unfamiliar with typical costs of paint jobs. My former car, an old model Honda Civic, 4door had deteriorated. I knew it was time to get another car when a repairman told me "The trouble is that the Head Gasket is cracked', so that's why you hear the bubbling noise when you shut the engine off". "Oh!" says I. So I call Salvation Army to donate the car, get it out of my parking space and out of my life. This car had become a Money Sponge anyway.

Ten days later, I got another car for the time being, nothing fancy, but it gets me to work. It's an Acura 4door that looks quite a bit like my former ride. I feel blessed that I got another car so soon, but I do notice the hood and the roof look to be 'sunbaked'. The paint is peeling away in one large splotchy shape. I had hoped to change the color from dark green to white, just to give the old car a newer look. The mechanic I got my cars from says he may know someone in Santa Rosa who can paint my car for $650. maybe. I was all set to reject that as too far from Marin County and far too expensive. Then he said, "Well Lee, the other places would typically run you about $1200. or more, so you may want to take this Santa Rosa guy's number."

The mechanic further explained. "Painting cars has become much more expensive over the last few years mainly because of all the environmental restrictions that now have to be met." He named two friends who used to have spray rooms, but have gone out of business, because they couldn't afford to moderize their facilities. You know, I'm starting to like this Dark Green anyway. I think I'll keep "Old Rusty" the way it already looks. At least for now. Maybe I'll get a nice tax return before Easter, then, I'll do it.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Hobbies; Travel
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1 posted on 03/01/2015 1:23:41 AM PST by lee martell
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To: lee martell

Repainting a car is one of the few remaining relatively easy things to do yourself.


2 posted on 03/01/2015 1:32:58 AM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Secret Agent Man

I’m still considering all the options. I would have to remove the old paint first with chemicals, then buff it clean with a spinning wire brush, then...
Well, still have that guy’s number, so we’ll see.


3 posted on 03/01/2015 1:39:26 AM PST by lee martell (The sa)
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To: lee martell

No need for all that. A good cleaning to get all the dirt and old wax off, tape everything off, apply a good primer then a couple coats of good enamel.


4 posted on 03/01/2015 1:44:54 AM PST by eastforker (Cruz for steam in 2016)
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To: lee martell

There are two reasons;

Insurance - auto body repair facilities charge insurance for every little item such as paint, cleaning supplies, tape, sandpaper, and so on. They don’t want the hassle of dealing with individuals who would question all the nickel and dime charges.

Product cost - regulations and technical advances have made auto paint extremely expensive. I just bought enough paint to paint new front and rear bumpers for my car. It was almost $200, not including clear coat. That was for 1 qt each white primer and white base coat paint and enough catalyst and primer to spray them. Some colors are much more because of the tinting costs. Reds are around $400 per gallon, without hardener or reducer.

The up side is that today’s paint is far superior to what was put on cars 10 or 15 years ago, if applied correctly.


5 posted on 03/01/2015 1:49:31 AM PST by CarmichaelPatriot
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To: lee martell

You’re absolutely right that we’re talking “busybodies” ... Bureaucrats ... But it goes so much further. Government at all levels has become a massive “make work” project. If we didn’t have these stalwart “protectors” of our environment and ourselves receiving a government paycheck, they would probably be completely unemployable. I think that’s ingrained and true under a Democrat or Republican Administration. Can you IMAGINE the unemployment rate if these “protectors” at all levels from local to federal were to lose their jobs?


6 posted on 03/01/2015 2:15:00 AM PST by JennysCool (My hypocrisy goes only so far)
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To: lee martell

You guys are lucky. For $1,200 you could probably paint just a couple body parts in many places of the world.


7 posted on 03/01/2015 2:38:27 AM PST by Paid_Russian_Troll
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To: lee martell

Just do a light sanding, then apply a primer. light sanding, then two coats of whatever color you want. then one or two clear coat sprays.


8 posted on 03/01/2015 2:46:02 AM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: lee martell
A DIY Guide to Painting Your Car
9 posted on 03/01/2015 2:46:22 AM PST by Robert DeLong (u)
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To: lee martell

In California, 1 Day Paint and Body auto paint jobs start at $449. This is one of several chain Auto paint places.

http://1-daypaint.com/

Then again there are people that spend $30k or more on a custom paint job for a high end car.

If we went back to 1988 environmental regulations the cost would probably start at $299. With some deeper blacks and some brighter classic finishes circa the 1950’s.


10 posted on 03/01/2015 2:50:31 AM PST by Reaganez
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To: lee martell

“I’ll paint any car,anytime for $29.95.” Earl Scheib, Los Angeles TV Commercial 1950’s and 60”s.


11 posted on 03/01/2015 2:51:41 AM PST by Old Retired Army Guy
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To: Old Retired Army Guy

2015.. inflation.


12 posted on 03/01/2015 3:06:01 AM PST by odds
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To: lee martell
I was quoted $2,500 to re-spray the Cadillac XLR I used to have, or double that for a color change, and that is in Louisiana. So those prices that you are quoting, even the $1,200 price quote, are not that bad. To do it right takes a lot of man hours, just for the prepping phase, which includes sanding, masking off areas to protect against over-spray, and wipe down of car to remove dust and other contaminants. Then there are the costs associated with the primer, the paint, and the clear coat, as well as various items such as rags, chemicals to clean of dust residues etc. On top of that a shop has overhead costs, of which some are complying with EPA regulations. So 600 to 1,200 sound like a bargain. Super quality & innovative paint jobs can run into the 10's of thousands of dollars.

Earl Scheib, which I am surprised to see are actually still in business, used to paint your car for about 99.99 if I remember correctly. That was years ago though, but I'll bet they are still the cheapest auto sprayers. You might want to check them out to see if one is close enough for you and see what they charge.

13 posted on 03/01/2015 3:08:21 AM PST by Robert DeLong (u)
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To: lee martell

Real quality clear coat paint jobs on automobiles are quite expensive if you want one that lasts a long time, alas.


14 posted on 03/01/2015 3:21:41 AM PST by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure)
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To: Old Retired Army Guy
I think in the late 80's it was 99.99, though it may have been 199.99, that I paid for a re-spray of a 72 Cadillac Coupe DeVille by ole Earl. The vinyl roof replacement was about 800.00 though. But considering what a land yacht it was, that price wasn't bad. I must admit I had no complaints regarding the quality of the job either.

Not seeing their ads on TV anymore, I'm surprised to see they are still in business. However, they don't list prices anymore. So I imagine cars are priced differently depending on size, type of paint being used, number of clear coats etc.

15 posted on 03/01/2015 3:28:27 AM PST by Robert DeLong (u)
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To: lee martell

I am involved in restoring a 70 VW Beetle and last week after having the 5 old tires removed and discarded ($28), having them sandblasted($75) I went to the auto paint store to buy primer. They had it in spray cans as well as bulk. Two cans of primer was going to be a little over $90. That’s just for 5 rims. I also checked into the price for the paint for the body of the bug while I was there. They wanted $250 to more than $500 per gallon. A gallon would be enough for the VW, but a full size car would be closer to two gallons.

I ended up using rustolium auto primer for $10, but an auto paint shop is not going to do that on the body of your car.

Sooo, it doesn’t surprise me that it’s so expensive to get a car painted.


16 posted on 03/01/2015 3:33:26 AM PST by babygene
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To: lee martell
Have you considered Vehicle Wrapping?
17 posted on 03/01/2015 4:06:40 AM PST by mcmuffin (Freedom's On The March - Wave Goodbye!)
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To: Paid_Russian_Troll

“You guys are lucky. For $1,200 you could probably paint just a couple body parts in many places of the world.”

I raised three daughters. So, my experience with body shops has always included repair and replacement costs in addition to paint. But, it appears to me that in today’s market $1,200 is not out of line for a quality body shop. There’s advertisements on TV for $300 paint jobs but in my humble opinion you get what you pay for. Just a side note; I usually paid out of pocket as most repairs were fender bender types, couple of keyings which really pisses me off. The shop would give me a little price break because I paid cash - and I think that after awhile the felt sorry for me :)


18 posted on 03/01/2015 4:09:37 AM PST by snoringbear (E.oGovernment is the Pimp,)
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To: eastforker

No need for all that. A good cleaning to get all the dirt and old wax off, tape everything off, apply a good primer then a couple coats of good enamel.
*************************************
Wasn’t always so. Around 1955, we had a 2nd car, a ‘48 Plymouth, and the white paint was like a flat light gray.

Dad said if I would prepare it for painting that he would have it done and I could then have the car. ....I spent many hours wet sanding the old paint during that Summer and probably only managed about a 70% job. Tough work back then, without more recent means of prepping for paint.

Dad sold the unpainted car to a neighbor who liked re-doing cars for about $100.

Several years ago, my auto was hit on the passenger side mirror, door and rear fender with a large chunk of tire from a big rig’s blown tire. The Chevy dealer told me would cost around $700 to repair the scratches and minor dents. $700!!
I’m still driving without the repairs.


19 posted on 03/01/2015 4:19:13 AM PST by octex
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To: lee martell

A light tap from a car’s side mirror broke a nickel sized hole in my truck’s tail light. Factory tail light list was well over $200. After market and used was still over $100. I sold the damage tail light for $50!

I’m surprised there aren’t “junk yards” buying brand new cars and parting them out. The parts must be worth ten times the price of a new car.


20 posted on 03/01/2015 4:42:15 AM PST by Born to Conserve
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