MINI2 - MINI Forum - View Single Post

Jul 13th, 2003, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CurtP
I paint cars (not for a living though) and although many think the above is true, most of the time it is not. The two biggest factors that contribute to a paint job is the quality of the paint and how much time/effort is put into preparing the surface before painting. Almost all quality paint is catalyst cured these days, and that includes factory paint. Baking it just speeds the process -- it doesn't necessarily mean the paint will be harder or resist chipping better. By speeding up the process, it means that the manufacturer (or body shop) can move more vehicles in the same amount of time and since it dries faster, it means that there's less chance of debris getting on the paint while its curing. Baking the paint can result in a better paint job, but it isn't absolutely necessary.

I have found that the waterbourne paint OEM is using these days is not very durable and scratches quite easily. Read the various posts on this message board and one will see that it can be easily damaged by bird droppings.

Unfortunately, people don't want to spend money on a quality paint job which is why places like Maaco and Earl Scheib exist. Plus many body shops cut corners when prepping and painting cars when they're an insurance repair (because many insurance companies insist on paying as little as possible for paint and body work).

If you're looking for a good paint shop in the US, look for a I-CAR "Gold Class" shop. I wouldn't have my car repaired at a facility that wasn't at least I-CAR certified, and if I was going to pay someone to do custom paint work out of my own pocket, it would only be at an I-CAR "Gold Class" shop. Expect to pay for it though. More information can be found on I-CAR's website:

http://www.i-car.com

Curt, when I wrote the message, I couldn't think of the type of paint. It was a powder coat that was baked on, and apparently it is rather difficult to get off if you ever want to start over. Anyway, the point of my message is that in almost all cases, a repaint is never going to be of the same quality as the original coat.

-Andrew

Jul 13th, 2003, 01:14 PM	#19
L8 Apex Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally posted by CurtP I paint cars (not for a living though) and although many think the above is true, most of the time it is not. The two biggest factors that contribute to a paint job is the quality of the paint and how much time/effort is put into preparing the surface before painting. Almost all quality paint is catalyst cured these days, and that includes factory paint. Baking it just speeds the process -- it doesn't necessarily mean the paint will be harder or resist chipping better. By speeding up the process, it means that the manufacturer (or body shop) can move more vehicles in the same amount of time and since it dries faster, it means that there's less chance of debris getting on the paint while its curing. Baking the paint can result in a better paint job, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I have found that the waterbourne paint OEM is using these days is not very durable and scratches quite easily. Read the various posts on this message board and one will see that it can be easily damaged by bird droppings. Unfortunately, people don't want to spend money on a quality paint job which is why places like Maaco and Earl Scheib exist. Plus many body shops cut corners when prepping and painting cars when they're an insurance repair (because many insurance companies insist on paying as little as possible for paint and body work). If you're looking for a good paint shop in the US, look for a I-CAR "Gold Class" shop. I wouldn't have my car repaired at a facility that wasn't at least I-CAR certified, and if I was going to pay someone to do custom paint work out of my own pocket, it would only be at an I-CAR "Gold Class" shop. Expect to pay for it though. More information can be found on I-CAR's website: http://www.i-car.com Curt, when I wrote the message, I couldn't think of the type of paint. It was a powder coat that was baked on, and apparently it is rather difficult to get off if you ever want to start over. Anyway, the point of my message is that in almost all cases, a repaint is never going to be of the same quality as the original coat. -Andrew