sounds like average for a midrange respray, not sure if they included glass removal or not because that could be a high quote for no glass removal, or a low quote with glass removal. you don't absolutely need to remove the glass to get a good paint job done, but the moldings should definitely be removed so there is no visible paint line.

i wouldn't say you would have to remove the glass unless you have areas you want to fix, like a small rust spot or something along the seal, thats up to you how far you want to go. but cost does not always = quality with paint jobs as is with anything. you going from 1 painter to another may cost a lot different, but their skill with laying paint may be pretty similar. no two painters are the same, as is with mechanics, so find some people who have had resprays done, check the quality of theirs and make a judgement based on that work as to whether or not you want that painter to do yours.

 

Prices may change depending on where you're at.
In California, you can get a legit paintjob done for $3000+

Stock Supra color isn't too difficult to do though. If all the prepwork is done correctly, you'll be fine. If it's a total paintjob, make sure it'll include the door sills, engine bay, that kinda stuff. You want your whole car to be sanded down to bare, primered correctly, shoot the color, clear.

 

you dont need to completely strip the whole car down to nothing to do a color change........

 

Thanks fellas.

Kracin- there is no glass removal. As a California car, I don't see rust, but there may be some in the hatch.

Jordan- I'm told the car will be sanded down (not to bare metal) flat, then primered, paint, then shoot the clear

 

Honestly, the quality of the paintjob itself can also depend on a lot of things, such as what types of materials they're using, how well is the painter's technique expressed.

 

Toyota dealership quoted me at $3k

 

$5,000 is not high, as Kracin said, and $3,000+ is not "legit". I think the Glasurit clear coat on my '85 Supra was $1,000+ and using eco-friendly water-based paints are another factor to consider. This is one thing you do not want to get wrong. Nothing looks worse than a bad paint job. You can't get away from it. It will take the joy out of owning and driving the car so do it right the first time. You are going to need to see the work of local painters up close and personal before making a decision. Good luck.

Ken.

 

It's not mandatory to remove the glasses, but I would highly recommend to take off the rear quarter windows, as you cant get paint under the trims as they are plastic and not rubber and you get a visible line of paint where the trim was masked with tape. Seen this with many Supras and other cars.

 

Pricing I found to do it right were 8k+. Glass removal and all that. Pricing seems to be all over the place. I got a quote for 4-6k to just paint the rear quarters and blend with the doors. I've also heard of a place that will do all the prep and paint the whole car with glass removal and full breakdown for ~3.5k.

As mentioned you can't just say respray. You have to now what they will be doing to figure out if it is a reasonable quote. Glass removal? Jams? Are they taking parts off the car? Are they removing the engine (or are you doing it for them)? Are they replacing the molding and stripping in the price cause that cost ~2k to buy all new.

Personally I feel a decent paint job, not fancy and no color change, done the right way, should cost around 5-6k. But I don't know a ton about paint, its just what I think.


PS: I'd ask them what it would cost if they removed the glass (specifically the rear quarters as mentioned above). And does whatever they quote include replacing any weather stripping/molding, clips, retainers, etc.. If not don't forget to price that out you know have a clear idea what it will cost you in total.

 

If you are going to do it, do it right. Replace all of the mouldings/trim/seals and rear quarter glasses. Do the jams. Take out the glass. The car is at the newest 15 years old, 20 for 1993 models. Replace all of that stuff with new. That alone is around $2K. A quality paint job is going to run $6K-$9K. That is just the way it is if you want the car to look "like new" when they are done.

Steve K.

 

This man is correct. Everybody's version of quality is subjective but I've done a lot of asking around, talking to shops, talking to members, and looking at what other people local to me were getting for their money and if you want a flawless job like new done right you're closer to the side of $9k than $6k excluding trims.

 

OP, help me to understand this. You admit that you don't know anything about the paint and body work and yet you somehow know that 5k is high for a paint job.

For quality job expect to pay anywhere from 5-12k .Price varies depending on other factors as well materials, current condition, and quality standards of the shop doing the work.

And please, do not listen to so-called pros on internet that tell you the car has to be stripped to bare metal.

 

...and please, do not listen to so-called pros on internet that tell you the car has to be stripped to bare metal.

:werd:

 

Thanks for the input guys

 

I spent more than $7K for a color change, including doing a good chunk of the disassembly myself. That price included materials, pulling glass and reinstalling, rolling the rear fenders, skim coat of filler in the bay over the holes I shaved, and PDRing a couple door dings. That doesn't include the $1K+ I spent on new moldings and windshield with Curt and a local glass company.

There is not a one size fits all. Multiple factors are in play: dings, fixing rust, pulling glass and moldings, quality of materials, turnaround time, color change, color of the paint, painting jams and engine bay, and onwards.

 

Personally, I spent $5,500 or so just on the materials, and less than that on labor (with a big discount). I dismantled my car myself, and put it back together myself, so that saved a huge amount in additional labor. I have a thread about it around here somewhere.

 

I had my car completely repainted and removed at least 10 dings/dents for a total cost of 1500. I also got a 5 year warranty on the paint. The car looks great, like a brand new car to 99% of people. It was not worth paying four times more money for minor improvements to me. They did not remove any weather strpping or molding, only minor things like tail lights.

 

Different strokes for different folks. Personally I want it to be perfect.

Steve

 

Everything removed, done right, color change just ran me $4500. But I removed everything to save some cash

 

3-6k range for quality paint job, anything more is rip off anything less expect less quality work. Other people suggesting more in the 7k+ is clearly getting ripped off but doesnt mind because they have peace of mind that thats the price you pay for quality work...sureee

 

3-6k range for quality paint job, anything more is rip off anything less expect less quality work...

i think i understand your point, and i tend to agree with it (in broad brush strokes), but any commodity is "worth" whatever someone is willing to pay for it - it's subjective, not objective. after seeing Stefen's work, i think the outcome justifies a price that might be higher than $7k for a full same-color re-spray (w/o doubt a color change would be higher).


craig

 

So prices are all over the place lol. I can count my dings on one hand. This car is garaged, originally a California car, zero rust. I just need to shop some more I guess.

 

So prices are all over the place lol.

YES!

That's why you gotta understand what you're shopping for, and who the guys are that are doing the work. It's most probably even harder than finding a good mechanic! Since there's soo many different levels of skill and opinion out there.

 

The guy who painted my car starts at 6k for full repaint of exterior (this does not include door jambs, engine bay, etc)... As you can expect, it can get much more expensive from there doing what I did which was repaint EVERYTHING with all glass removed and every single molding removed and replaced... Granted I am extremely picky on paint so I know that it is a "you get what you pay for" type of deal with paint and body work...

 

As far as all the glass, I'd say the only *mandatory* glass removal for a good paintjob would be the 1/4 glasses. The front/rear glasses *could* be pulled back with special tape and you won't get stuck with a freak-nasty paint edge. Unfortunately, the most important glass that should be removed is the toughest --> 1/4 glasses. The ones in the doors can be masked and the windshield/hatch are easy for a glass guy to pull in minutes. Hell, maybe the professional glass companies have a tool for 1/4 glasses like ours, but I know when I pulled them myself with no special tools it was a PITA.

So basically, for a good job, there's not much reason to leave the glass in for a respray. It's not anything extra expensive to pay for, and the replacement gaskets for windshield/hatch are cheap anyway.


EDIT: another reason to pull the hatch glass is because half the MKIVs out there have that rust issue. If you can see it, it's already gotten bad....if you can't see it yet, it's maybe just beginning under there. If you pull the glass and don't have it at all, then you're just one of the lucky ones

 

blkturbo!, there is a button on the bottom right of each post that says "Multi-Quote This Message." Please find this button as it will help your future posts here on the forums...

Okay, back to the topic at hand...

 

lol, fuck that button!

 

:rofl:

 

Went through this past year, Like 1a1, Ken said before, do it correct and be done with it for the coming 10-15-20 years, you want something that lasts like oem.
Think of an completely strip of the car as in, ALL windows and seals, replace old seals for new ones, removal of bonnet, hatch. front bumper rear bumper doors, all oem trims, skirts, window wipers, washerjets, etc. Getting the car blanc will take hours, getting it prepped for the paintcabin will take hours as well. You donnot want it to be sprayed in the open, or an old shed. You want it to be performed in an dedicated paintcabin with all the goodies, paintprocess performed by an qualified painter according procedures. Then all parts being sprayed individually, and installed with new clips etc. This all will set you back for 8-12K$ depending what quality paint/ clearcoat/ basecoat is used. (my estimate is converted from euro to us $)

 

The fact of the matter is this, if you pay 20K for a paint job, it doesn't mean it's going to be far superior to a 10K paint job, and that's not necessarily going to be far superior to a 5K paint job. It depends on the quality of the materials, prep work, and the skill of the painter. You could get a hell of a deal or get ripped off and end up with the same quality of work, so no, price isn't the only gauge as to what you're going to get. Even with quality materials, the painter can still screw it up.