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So I recently bought an ‘08 TL with Carbon Bronze Pearl and I love the color but the car has many scratches and marks and certainly shows it’s age.
I was wondering first of all if anyone has had just the exterior of their TL repainted and what the cost was, and also if it’s possible to find the color anymore, even at dealership, so that I could have the paint redone. Basically I just want to restore the original paint by repainting with the same color.
I have a decent amount of mechanical knowledge but don’t know much about paint and have never had to have a car painted or anything of that nature. Would love to find some answers and see how easy it is to have done and also what the cost would be.
thank you in advance
If the paint has swirls and scratches that are not down to bare paint, I would look into getting a paint correction and have it ceramic coating. Not every detail shop can do a paint correction. Look around to see what shop does it and what type of coating they offer. I just had my 2004 TL paint corrected (3rd and last time) and detailersdomain used the Nanolex si3d HD coating which is roughly a 4-5 year coating. Most corrections and a coating can range from $850-$1,800
If I were you I would have the car buffed and polished. Probably cost you about 200 or so that's about what I charge. I only disagree with getting it coated because it is a 10 year old car and worth about 5k so honestly after the car is buffed/polished, if you wax the car at least 3x a year along with proper hand washing, it will basically serve the same purpose and save you a lot of money. If the car was brand new and paint was blemish free I would suggest a ceramic coat. As Evil stated upload some pics of the problem areas
a proper repaint job cost around $7k-$8k because it involve a lot of prep work, I would check with your local reputable detailer first to see if paint correction could be done, 90% of time all you need is a proper paint correction and reseal.
If I were you I would have the car buffed and polished. Probably cost you about 200 or so that's about what I charge. I only disagree with getting it coated because it is a 10 year old car and worth about 5k so honestly after the car is buffed/polished, if you wax the car at least 3x a year along with proper hand washing, it will basically serve the same purpose and save you a lot of money. If the car was brand new and paint was blemish free I would suggest a ceramic coat. As Evil stated upload some pics of the problem areas
I see your point about it's "wasted money" to have the paint properly taken care of, however for what he will REALLY spend on a QUALITY paint job will cost much more than a paint correction and coating. My TL is almost 15 years old now and it looks better than 90% of cars only 2 years old. I know plenty of enthusiasts that ceramic coat brand new cars that they LEASE, yes lease.. I know plenty of enthusiasts that love their vehicles (like myself) and want to keep the car looking great for a very long time. Think about it, for $200 most detailers are going to half ass buff the car, put a ton of glaze on the paint and it will end up looking like crap with holograms by the time you're on the 3rd car wash.
OP your question is easy to answer but immaterial to you as we dont know where you live. The prices quoted here represent very different markets and can vary widely by the shop you go to as well. One other factor you need to determine is if car is worth it, you dont mention miles but a quality paint job can easily exceed the value of the car depending on miles, condition etc. There is a lot of work in doing it right hence the cost. Paint is generally mixed by the shop so no concern about it being available. Painting itself looks easy but requires skill and as stated most of effort is in prep.
My guess is with the scratches you have, given no pic, is that a paint correction wont work. Just a hunch. The best way to determine if correction will work for you is lightly drag finger nail over scratches, if they catch then its too deep for 100% correction. You will be able to minimize with correction but not eliminate. Post pics up and go to some detialers and let us know
lol I laugh every time when people tell me a paint correction cost $200-$300. I wonder have people ever spend the money on the equipment alone? never mind about the 14-18 hours of labor.
Really depends on what you looking to get out of the paint job. I recently just got mine resprayed because the clear was gone on Nighthawk Black Pearl. Now, I paid $2500 for the car. Having to pay $3500-4000 for the pain job doesn't justify for how much the car cost me. I really just wanted a decent paint job to get rid of the clear coat cancer. I went to a local Earl Schieb and the body work and paint job cost me $1100. Its a two stage paint job (Pain and clear) and comes with 2 year warranty. Is it a showroom finish? No. But for what I wanted, I am more than happy with the outcome. Here are some pics.
Really depends on what you looking to get out of the paint job. I recently just got mine resprayed because the clear was gone on Nighthawk Black Pearl. Now, I paid $2500 for the car. Having to pay $3500-4000 for the pain job doesn't justify for how much the car cost me. I really just wanted a decent paint job to get rid of the clear coat cancer. I went to a local Earl Schieb and the body work and paint job cost me $1100. Its a two stage paint job (Pain and clear) and comes with 2 year warranty. Is it a showroom finish? No. But for what I wanted, I am more than happy with the outcome. Here are some pics.
That looks great! And also it sounds like exactly what I’m looking for, thank you for sharing.
I see your point about it's "wasted money" to have the paint properly taken care of, however for what he will REALLY spend on a QUALITY paint job will cost much more than a paint correction and coating. My TL is almost 15 years old now and it looks better than 90% of cars only 2 years old. I know plenty of enthusiasts that ceramic coat brand new cars that they LEASE, yes lease.. I know plenty of enthusiasts that love their vehicles (like myself) and want to keep the car looking great for a very long time. Think about it, for $200 most detailers are going to half ass buff the car, put a ton of glaze on the paint and it will end up looking like crap with holograms by the time you're on the 3rd car wash.
I see your point, I am just saying it is gonna be alottttt in labor especially that color. Yours is white, which is the easiest color to maintain along with silver. Even a amateur detailer can make an old white paint job look great.
I see your point, I am just saying it is gonna be alottttt in labor especially that color. Yours is white, which is the easiest color to maintain along with silver. Even a amateur detailer can make an old white paint job look great.
I completely disagree with this statement lol. Having owned a WDP I can speak from experience that not anyone can make this paint look great, the paint on WDP is actually quite complex when you pay attention to the details, its a tri-coat paint so even blending the paint into other areas is a challenge.
Always used Griots garage products on all my cars...keep iot washed and waxed religiously! 22 year old paint on the fox!... 18 on the AMG!... Very
Minimal paint work on the AMG and S.
These are the deep scratches I was talking about. Going to get some scratch wizard putty and some touch up paint. Any added advice would be helpful, I know the general process but any tips or tricks would be appreciated. The car has plenty of other marks but these are the only ones that are too deep to let stand. This is the spot on the top center of the hood that is fading, I think it’s the clear coat, right? I don’t exactly know how to fix this, Thanks
I had a hunch... when I read 18 year old, possibly first car, probably got it for cheap, 10 year old car, mentions lots of scratches... odds were (at least for me) that it'd need more than a paint correction.
You'll need a repaint for those panels with rusted scratches and the hood will also need a repaint.
I wouldn't bother with touchup paint if you're looking to repaint it in the near future.
Last edited by guitarplayer16; Dec 14, 2018 at 11:13 AM.
I had a hunch... when I read 18 year old, possibly first car, probably got it for cheap, 10 year old car, mentions lots of scratches... odds were (at least for me) that it'd need more than a paint correction.
You'll need a repaint for those panels with rusted scratches and the hood will also need a repaint.
I wouldn't bother with touchup paint if you're looking to repaint it in the near future.
I think my money may be going elsewhere into the car, at least for the next few months. Will probably still touch up as it’s cheap enough to do and it isn’t a huge investment or hassle.
Yea, I think you can get away with doing "spot touch-up" in your case because your clear coat hasn't deteriorated like mine, for the most part. There were too many panels that clear coat is gone that I had no choice but to respray the whole car.
Most of that isn't all that terrible and can be fixed with a paint correction. It won't be 100% but it will be better. For the ding, a paintless dent remover guy can pull it out either fully or at least nearly gone. I would get touch up paint and fill in those spots that are down to bare metal. Fill in very lightly and do 2-3 coats. Since you're in south jersey (Google paint correction detailers south nj) This guy is mobile KJW Detailing | South Jersey Mobile Detailing Specialist and pretty much right where you said you live. His paint correction starts at $600 which isn't a bad price. You can give him a call and have him evaluate the car 1st. Other than that, you could still use a PDR guy for the ding, fill in the spots with touch up paint and try to wax the car yourself though waxing is only a temp solution.
Most of that isn't all that terrible and can be fixed with a paint correction. It won't be 100% but it will be better. For the ding, a paintless dent remover guy can pull it out either fully or at least nearly gone. I would get touch up paint and fill in those spots that are down to bare metal. Fill in very lightly and do 2-3 coats. Since you're in south jersey (Google paint correction detailers south nj) This guy is mobile KJW Detailing | South Jersey Mobile Detailing Specialist and pretty much right where you said you live. His paint correction starts at $600 which isn't a bad price. You can give him a call and have him evaluate the car 1st. Other than that, you could still use a PDR guy for the ding, fill in the spots with touch up paint and try to wax the car yourself though waxing is only a temp solution.
Thank you for the referral/advice. I’m definitely going to touch up at least for now just to protect those spots, since I think there are some other things I’d like to do to the car first
You'll be much happier...
