Painting Old BMW Need Help Please

[tremanrolls679]

I am inheriting my dad`s old 1999 BMW 323i and it is a distasteful green with a ton of scratches. I was thinking about changing it to a very dark blue instead and was wondering two things.

1.) How much would it cost me to get it done professionally?

2.) How much/ and would you advise me trying to paint the car myself?

[jtford95]

First welcome to Autopia. There is a lot of info you can learn here. Second I think you get what you pay for with paint jobs. The more you spend, in most cases, the better the job. The cheaper you spend, in most cases, the cheaper and crappier it looks.

I would just shop around for a good price for a paint job.Or just clean it up. It may look good enough so you won`t have to paint it. Good Luck Joe

[levander]

One tip I`ve found in finding cheaper work on your car is that the further you go away from whatever downtown area you`re in, the cheaper the labor rates are. They still pay the same for parts and materials, but with their lower cost of living (cheaper rent for their shop, etc.), around here at least, they manage to keep labor rates lower.

[termigator]

Can you show us some pics? Unless you have clearcoat failure, the paint might still be salvageable. You`d be amazed at how much better your "distasteful green" might look after a good polishing and waxing.



As others have stated here, you get what you pay for. When I bought a 96` Prelude VTEC five years ago, I had it repainted at a local Maaco for a little over $2k. You would think for $2k they would do a great job, but after picking up the car, I could definitely tell they cut a lot of corners. If I had to do it again, I would have paid extra to get it done right. And not have gone to Maaco!



Repainting the car by yourself is definitely an option. I`m planning on doing it some time this year to another car of mine, a 97` Acura 3.2TL with clearcoat failure. I already purchased a spray painter (Earlex 3000. No need for compressor) and I`ll probably buy the paint from Eastwood. The total should be less than $500.



If you`re on a real tight budget, there`s a forum that actually advocates using Rustoleum paint and a foam roller, all for less than $100. I`ve seen the results and they are actually quite impressive. If you decide to go this route, be prepared to do a lot of wetsanding and buffing because that`s how they get the mirror-like shine after painting with a roller.

[David Fermani]

Here`s your best bet:



Whole car painting | Car Painting Options | Maaco Auto Body Shop (http://www.maaco.com/paint-overall.aspx)