Sterling silver is the way to go, believe me. I've had my superblack for 3 years now and the amount of damage that shows is unbelievable. I wash and wax it every 2 weeks on average, but living in FL it just looks like a dingy brown all the time. Add that to the fact that lovebugs have turned the front end nearly silver and you can see why I recommend staying away from black!

Good luck with the repaint.

 

As far as prices go...that seems about right. I don't know how prices are in the mainland, but here in Hawaii, that's about right. If I dare say, a bit on the low side, especially if you're doing a color change. Most estimates at body shops are done with electronic estimating systems that use a standard "book" time. But these refinish times are for exterior only. I'm assuming that you're doing jambs, trunk lid (underside), hood etc...I've done estimates for customers to refinsh a whole car at over $5,000. And that's for exterior only! The shop you're taking it to seems like they're on the right path. I guess when it comes down to it, you get what you pay for. Well, hopefully, you get what you pay for.

 

wanna trade ur car for mine? i got silver..and i hate it..i love black..

 

yes it would reduce scratching, but i would only use it when i park at nihgt, not when i go to malls, markets etc, and thats when u get the small scratches from other people not being careful....

I dont have any pics of the candy black, but i hear its really nice...

 

350Z Brickyard. You'll never see another car like yours....

 

I hope i am right when saying this because this is what my painter told me when i asked him why i have so many paint chips and such. He told me that when a factory paints the car it puts the right amount of paint on but they dont do it in the same amount of coats as he will do it. What they do is spray a greater volume on at one time. Then to speed up the process they turn the temp up higher to dry the cars quicker to speed up production. He said all this attributes to messing with process and makes for a brittle paint job. Does this sound right to anyone else?

 

Are you saying don't use it at malls and parking lotts? I would think that would be the best time to use it.

 

Another thing people need to keep in mind is that i am not using nissan paint and this is not a factory paint job which we know all sucks! And i am getting the door jambs and the trunk and most of the engine bay painted so i think it should look ok

 

Well, actually, it kind of depends on the paint company and what's recommended. At our shop, we use Sikkens exclusively. As far as what's recommended. Well, technically if it's a new panel, the sealer is laid down, base coat is laid down, but only enough to properly cover the sealer. As far as multiple layers of base coat....that's not necessary. Once you get enough coverage on the panel, anything else is just waste. The base coat is only for color. There's no protection or REAL shine in the base. Then the clear coat is applied. Our paint manufacturer recommends 2 coats. Some people believe in laying on tons or clear, but that is also wastful. The only reason why you would need 3 extra coats of clear is if you need to color sand that car all day because there's a ton of rubbish or fish eyes in the clear. Technically, a perfectly painted car doesn't require color sanding and buffing. As far as baking the car, that's basically so that the color dries faster. Depending on the amount of refinishing being done, baking the car is a must. At our shop we have 1 paint booth that we use for little bigger hits, and we have a "prep" station that we use for 2 or 3 panel jobs, as well as bumpers. The main difference between baking and air drying is just the time frame. Usually bigger jobs ( like yours ) require the painter to bake it to ensure the clear dries quicker. Quicker drying, means less chance of dust or rubbish in the clear. Brittle paint job? I don't know about that. We follow our paint producers recommended steps, and our customers will still get rock chips. I'm pretty sure that no matter who's paint you got on your car, whether it be PPG, Dupont, Standox, or Sikkens, if a rock hits it at 60mph, it'll probably eventually chip through. That's the price we pay to have daily drivers. Hope that helps. Good luck with the paint job.

 

Oh yeah, and make sure that they're going to R/I ( remove and install ) all of your mouldings, handles, mirrors, and spoiler and paint them separately. Also, mostly also all of the glass should be either roped or removed. Now would be a good time to have them shoot the face of your wheels same color black as your car. For me, Black rims with a polished lip looks SSSSIIIIIIIKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe you may want to paint your power window and lock bezel the same color. Or maybe your radio bezel. Or...... sorry OT. Most def, get a quote from your boy to shoot your wheels. If done properly, the finish will last a long time, and you'll regret it if you lose the chance. Just think, the color is in the gun already.

 

black wheels might look sick on with a black car.. hmmm ask about that one!!!!

 

Most def, It'll look ill! I would also suggest doing a 5% tint job too. Black on Black looks crazy....IMO

 

I talked to him and he said he is using sherwin williams paint. Is that a decent brand for car paint? Also i didn't think you were suppose to paint the wheels. I've always heard of people just powdercoating them. Also he said he is seperatley painting the spoiler and door handels and all that stuff.

 

Nothing stealthier or sexier than a glossy black Max cruising the streets at night......
if you hand wax it regularly and hand wash it, its not so bad- this is my 4th black car-I learned from my last 3

 

Well, our shop uses Sikkens, and they're the BEST! Nah, I'm just kidding. Whether they use Sherwin Williams, Dupont, House of Kolor, PPG, Standox, they're all quality brands. One of the biggest factors in getting your car refinished properly is the prep process. From a body shop point of view, to properly refinish your car, it takes a lot of TIME. I would estimate at least 2-3 weeks unless your car is the only one they're working on in the shop. As much as possible, be patient. It costs a lot, because it's a TON of work to properly refinish a car. Just imagine having to basically take apart your the entire exterior and most interior or your car. Then having to sand all of those parts down. Not to mention any body work on door or presure dings. Shooting the car, Buffing the car, then completely reassembling the car. That's the reason why our shop doesn't do completes. It takes too long, and for most customers, we're too expensive. Just let your boy do what he does best, and you'll hopefully be rewarded in the end. Not to mention upping the resale value for a new paint job. As far as the rims, I prepped my wheels and had my painter shoot'em for me. I got a pearl white '00 SE and I painted my stocks SE's gunmetal. I guess I got too much time on my hands. As long as you clear coat the wheels, you shouldn't have any problems. AND you can wax/polish them just like a painted panel to protect from water spots, brake dust, etc...Thanks. Support our Auto Body Industry!

 

THanks for the advice, i am deffinetly going to be patient because i know it is worth it in the end. Right now i am big pimpin a chevy impala rental car

 

Cool! Hope everything works out for you. I wonder if a Chevy Impala can drift???? Kidding!

 

i'm saying that it would be best to use it everywhere, what i meant by not using it at malls is that, I am lazy and that I probably would get lazy and not use it... lol... but if you can cover it, that would be really good for the car...