To Paint or Not To Paint...

vtextc said:
That sounds about right for the type of job you have discussed. My opinion remains the same :)



A
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Thanks, Asif, for your post. I'm leaning in the direction of having the work done but there is a part of me that feels like I'm fixating on this point and that if I could let it go for a little while I would begin to see this 'dilemma' in a greater context...
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, same here...noting that vtextc and I are on opposite sides of this fence ;)



They planning to remove the door handles and any side trim? What about the trim around the sideglass? The bumper covers are coming off, right?



I sincerely wish you the best, whichever way you go.
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Thanks for the well wishes, Accumulator. The XLR has no door handles or side trim to remove and the bumper on the right side, like the left, will not be painted. Still, your concerns resonate with me and I continue to question which course of action to take, if any...
 
dug-mac- I won't beat you over the head with my opinion any more ;) but I *will* say that IMO "when in doubt, just keep thinking". Once you do it, there's no going back so I'd be *absolutely certain* that you're doing what's right for you.



Hey, I'd somehow missed/forgotten that we were talking about an XLR! Those are cool cars, never quite caught on with the masses but they're a rare case of "that styling" that even *I* can appreciate.
 
Accumulator said:
dug-mac- I won't beat you over the head with my opinion any more ;) but I *will* say that IMO "when in doubt, just keep thinking". Once you do it, there's no going back so I'd be *absolutely certain* that you're doing what's right for you.
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So very true. All the best Dug!
 
Accumulator said:
dug-mac- I won't beat you over the head with my opinion any more ;) but I *will* say that IMO "when in doubt, just keep thinking". Once you do it, there's no going back so I'd be *absolutely certain* that you're doing what's right for you.



Hey, I'd somehow missed/forgotten that we were talking about an XLR! Those are cool cars, never quite caught on with the masses but they're a rare case of "that styling" that even *I* can appreciate.
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The XLR is a car that I had my eyes on for years and finally last May I purchased one. It is a fun car that definitely stands out styling wise. Your posts and "less is more" approach has caused me to pause, Accumulator. Currently I'm trying to disassociate myself from the 'problem' to see if it is something that I will gain a greater perspective on. Just the other day I was driving the car and for one tiny moment when my mind turned to the 'issue' I had to try to recall which side had already been painted - I consider this progress in a strictly personal sense...



Doug
 
Dug-Mac- Heh heh, I too consider your momentary lapse to be "progress" ;)



Just FWIW, if that thing were mine, I'd be all about doing a *COMPLETE* detail, and I don't mean "polishing the paint" nearly as much as I mean doing the areas that most people never see. I'd have it up on jackstands with the wheels off, doing the undercarriage/wells/engine compartment/etc. as if I were taking it to a big concours. I'd simply *LOVE* to get that car assembly-line-new in that sense.
 
I think I understand where you are going with this, Accumulator - invest my time, blood, sweat and tears in other areas to increase my sense of pride of ownership. Makes good sense - thanks!



Doug
 
dug-mac- Yeah, having those out-of-the-way areas all nice and showroom *really* gives me that pride of ownership feeling.
 
I have that exact same scenario on my favored S8 (18k miles, nicer than showroom other than that one occurrence, and so forth and so forth.) and I chose to live with the distinction and I'm extremely happy I did. After [however many] years it doesn't trouble me the way it once did, and I have more certainty in the unmolested OE paint than I'd have in any repaint, regardless of how great.
 
Danny_Harris said:
I have that exact same scenario on my favored S8 (18k miles, nicer than showroom other than that one occurrence, and so forth and so forth.) and I chose to live with the distinction and I'm extremely happy I did. After [however many] years it doesn't trouble me the way it once did, and I have more certainty in the unmolested OE paint than I'd have in any repaint, regardless of how great.
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You guys do know that there are quite a few instances where vehicles are painted multiple times before they even get to the dealership right? It's pretty common for them to have damage in transport and have to be repaired. I ran into this a while back on a 2011 F-350 that I repaired a door. It had 3 layers of paint and the guy bought it brand new. Also on the hood I'm putting on my truck has been painted 3 times. Just because a vehicle is bought "new" doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't been re-painted. Here is the hood I speak of. Notice you can see the 3 levels of paint.



 
xtremekustomz said:
You guys do know that there are quite a few instances where vehicles are painted multiple times before they even get to the dealership right? ...
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My '85 Jag is a perfect example of that! Oh, the stories that poor thing could tell...starting with why it was mostly repainted half-way through its original manufacture! And a presumed "point of importation" repair barely lasted until it got to the showroom :rolleyes: All-in-all it was a perfect example of why those cars had the terrible reputation they did back then (gee, lucky me...still dealing with it, years of frustration).



Never had any such damage on the Audis as long as they were still "in the wrapper" upon delivery, but if I didn't see the bag/wrap come off I'd be awfully suspicious :nervous: One more reason why my dealer insistted that I take my new-car purchases that way.



The Crown Vics seem to show a lot of this pre-delivery work, so I guess I'm not surprised about your hood having been repainted.
 
Strange thing I've seen about these re-paints is that the clearcoat from the last job isn't even sanded before new coatings are applied so it has to be done at the factory when the paint is still fresh. I know some clearcoats say you have a re-coat window of 24 hours but I'd still be scared to try it. It's hard to tell in the pic but where the clear feathers out it is still shiny.
 
xtremekustomz- With the factory-use paint supposedly being so different, I suppose that might factor in. I wonder how the baking fits in when they do stuff like this :think:
 
I don't know how true it is but I've heard a lot of manufacturers use PPG. I would imagine they will just go for the cheapest route. I know the paint on my Nissan is pure crap and will be stripping it down to re-paint one day. I know Klean Strip makes a spray called Jamb & Edge that you can just clean your door jambs well and just spray it on them and then paint. You don't have to sand. It seems to me that baking the clearcoat on would require you to scuff the surface before applying the next coating unless they use something like the spray and coat the whole vehicle. I've talked to a few people that do motorcycles and said they've seen Harley Davidson do the exact same thing. When stripping for paint they would get to the lower coatings and it would actually peel off instead of feather out.
 
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