Any recent experience with RDU area body shops?

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:41 pm

I should have been more specific. When I said "several grand," I meant, like $5K. For a full body respray the sky is pretty much the limit, and some of the local MBCA guys had told me to expect around 5 bills. The car might be worth about that amount all in. :lol:

$2K would be fine. $2500 would probably be my upper bound for what I'm willing to pay. With great paint my guess is that the car could sell for $7-8K to a W124 nut, but it would take a while to find such a person.

The sad fact is, I bought this particular example partly on emotion, and I missed the prior paintwork it had received earlier in its life. It's all up high, so when I checked with my paint meter, I missed it. And it's pretty lousy work. This makes the car non original to other MB nerds, so I figure if sold as is, I'd get dinged for the lousy paint work. If I get the problems fixed, I should at least be able to recover some of the cost come sell time. It'll sell better, and I'll get to enjoy it looking nice for a while.

Les Davis · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:04 pm **Posts:** 2059

Instead of spending $2500 painting your "oldmanmobile", you should buy a Miata instead.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:57 pm

Les Davis wrote:

Instead of spending $2500 painting your "oldmanmobile", you should buy a Miata instead.

That...is not a totally terrible idea.

But I could still use some body shop rec's for middle ground between Maaco and Kenny Hawkins.

Stephen Westerfield · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:08 pm

Paragon did a good job on my S2k. I think they are on the higher end side, but quotes are free.

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:12 pm

Had a bad experience with Foster's on Capital. Too much metallic, paint finish did not match my one year old WRX. Would not recommend.

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:13 pm

Karl Shultz wrote:

I should have been more specific. When I said "several grand," I meant, like $5K. For a full body respray the sky is pretty much the limit, and some of the local MBCA guys had told me to expect around 5 bills. The car might be worth about that amount all in. :lol:

$2K would be fine. $2500 would probably be my upper bound for what I'm willing to pay. With great paint my guess is that the car could sell for $7-8K to a W124 nut, but it would take a while to find such a person.

The sad fact is, I bought this particular example partly on emotion, and I missed the prior paintwork it had received earlier in its life. It's all up high, so when I checked with my paint meter, I missed it. And it's pretty lousy work. This makes the car non original to other MB nerds, so I figure if sold as is, I'd get dinged for the lousy paint work. If I get the problems fixed, I should at least be able to recover some of the cost come sell time. It'll sell better, and I'll get to enjoy it looking nice for a while.

You're letting your OCD get the best of you. No way you paint that car and increase the value one thin dime, IMHO.

I'd enjoy it like it is or move along quietly without spending any serious dough on it that's pretty unnecessary...it's still a very nice car right now just like it is.

--Donnie

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:44 pm

^truth. Call it "patina" and act smug. It's all the rage these days..... :wink:

BretLuter · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:52 pm

Steven Carter wrote:

^truth. Call it "patina" and act smug. It's all the rage these days..... :wink:

Just put a roof rack basket on the roof and fill it with old suitcases, then put some ~185/50 tires on some 10" wide wheels for some stretch and you'll be golden.

:thumbsup:

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:59 pm

Donnie Barnes wrote:

You're letting your OCD get the best of you. No way you paint that car and increase the value one thin dime, IMHO.

I'd enjoy it like it is or move along quietly without spending any serious dough on it that's pretty unnecessary...it's still a very nice car right now just like it is.

I'll give you that. Especially the OCD part. :oops:

But I do think that having that gone will at least help a little. Or maybe it's better to say, the car is worth less with the rust spot on it that it would be without it.

Anyway, Paragon worked on one of the three CRXs I've had, and that was like 20 years ago. I guess if they're still around, they're probably pretty good, even though they did a pretty lousy job matching the red on that CRX. Maybe a body shop will surprise me, and suggest some way to improve the car without painting the entire thing. One of the deals Kara and I made when I sold my S2000 was that I got to spend some money on the Merc.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:05 pm

You might try Capital Ford. They did a great job with the bumper on our 97 Mustang (laser red metallic).

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

Karl I had my WRX painted at Cary Auto Body on recommendation from others for a decent cheap paint job, and I think I got a 100% decent cheap paint job. $900 for a respray of 1/2 of the car. Shiny paint and good coverage with some runs and a not-great color match on a hard-to-match color. For a cheap 10 year old car I thought it was just fine. Something to consider. Fyi I did bring the car to them basically disassembled. And they did put a couple of scuffs on the windows. Again, in non-OCD perspective I had no complaints for the price. Just wish the color match had been a bit better, but it still looked great to 9/10 people.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:26 am

Thanks Mike. You have the right idea, something like a sub $2000 paint job would be just great. How much disasselmbly did you do - was the car driveable? I can take off pretty much anything on this car now. Lights, mirrors, washer jets, door handles, etc.

FWIW, I've gotten some feedback elsewhere suggesting that the Maaco in Cary does surprisingly good work. I haven't seen any of it in person though. It could be that they are the bargain of a lifetime, but when the feedback says "whatshisname got his race car painted there and it looks awesome," I tend to stop listening after the word "race car," :lol:

but maybe I'm not being open minded.

I kind of like the idea of having it shot single stage, which i think wold be cheaper, and I can color sand out any flaws. Not sure if you can do that with this color though, it's a metallic.

George Bright · **Posted:** Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:44 am

Capital Collision has done a far amount of work for Bob Kendrick. Luckily I have not needed a body shop much.

310 Kennedy St, Raleigh, NC 27610 (919) 500-7639

http://www.capitalcollisionraleigh.com/

They have done every thing from his Sebring convertible to repairing and matching white Pearlesent on his dad's Lexus.

steve remchak · **Posted:** Sat Jan 26, 2013 1:39 pm

Performance in Chapel Hill did a nice job on the wife's E90.

JamesShort · **Posted:** Sat Jan 26, 2013 1:50 pm

steve remchak wrote:

Performance in Chapel Hill did a nice job on the wife's E90.

^^ This on both the SI and my wife's Accord. But very pricey. I talked to the body shop guy working on the Accord and he said a single quarter panel repair (ding so pull, hammering, bondo?, prep paint on the 996 he was working on was $3400). The scraped up front bumper on my wifes car and a nick on the side view mirror was $1300.

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Any recent experience with RDU area body shops?

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