farmdevil

My 2002 TL-S has many minor paint issues. It's black so the scratches stand out. I'm thinking about this now because I still have a garage to park it in for the next few months before I move. I know that fresh paint can't be waxed for 60 days so I don't want to get any major painting done after I move when it has to park outside.

My back bumper has a small hole in it as well as several scuffs here and there. My hood and front bumper have the normal chips associated with 127,000 miles. There is a ~5-inch deep scratch that has been touched up on the trunk (looks to have been keyed in a previous life). There are small scratches and dings on pretty much every panel. Also the B-Pillar and the trim over the windows looks like crap (as I've read most do). What I really need is new paint on my trunk lid, rear bumper, and over the doors and the car would at least be presentable. But it seems to me that having nice glossy paint on those panels is going to stand out when the rest of the car is covered in minor blemishes.

The body shop guy said he could paint them fresh and then basically buff it to dull it up a bit so it wouldn't clash as much with the faded paint on the rest of the car. I hate the thought of getting brand new paint and having it dulled like that and I really want to do this right. I am seriously thinking of getting a complete repaint. If I do it, I will take the bumpers and the trim off and do it right. I've been quoted around $2000 for the whole job if I take all the trim off.

I need opinions. I know that logically, I should not fix any of it because it's a huge expense and it's going to lower the value if anything. But I really hate driving a luxury car that looks so bad. Mechanically the car is doing great and I've been spending the money and time to do things right. So far (fingers crossed), the car has been extremely cheap to own. I plan to keep the car for at least 3 more years so I'm more worried about my satisfaction with the car than resale value. I hate that it's all pre-existing damage and if it were me, the thing would still look perfect. So I guess my emotional side is competing with my logical side. I really want my car to look perfect but I'm very wary of letting a shop mess with such an important aspect plus this would be the most expensive thing I've ever done to a car.

Do any of you have experience with repaints?

Any experience on how it will affect my resale value (it will be repainted but it will also look better)?

Do you have experiences with repaints holding up compared to the baked-on factory paint?

Any advice on how to make sure I'm going to get a quality job?