Looking for Paint Shop for Small Jobs

[NoTempoLimit]

Hello All,

I'm looking for recommendations of automotive paint shops that are willing to work with you on small jobs. What I mean by that: Non-insurance, non full-respray cash jobs. Regrettably I am in one of the worst places in the country to get reasonably priced automotive services: The San Fransisco East Bay Area. But I would be willing to travel a reasonable distance (ideally <150 miles) if the work and the deal are worth it.

I need to get a replacement rocker panel painted on my BMW Z3 (original got crunched by a high-side curb), and depending on cost respray the front bumper cover.

Also, the paint on the roof of my Toyota Land Cruiser UZJ 100 is quite worn from exposure, so I would consider a respray if I can avoid having to do the whole truck.

Also I will need to get the LC wheels repainted. HINT: Never apply wheel cleaner on a 100ºF day while you are waiting for the car wash berth to free up...

Thanks!!

 

[aztoyman]

I've been watching this thread to see if anybody actually had found a shop like this. I had once wondered myself if I could find a place like you're looking for. I'm not sure it exists.

I ended up learning to do my own. And now that I see how expensive paint and supplies are and how much work is involved to properly apply automotive paint, I think it's unlikely you'll find one.

Maybe if you search enough on social media you might. Or maybe a community college auto body program class might do it if you supply materials?

A neighbor of mine just recently ended up taking his 4Runner to Mexico. He actually got a pretty good looking paint job for what he paid. Only time will tell how long it will last as you never know the products or methods that were used. I could not have bought the paint and supplies for what he paid for the job.

I still hope you are successful in your search though.

 

[NoTempoLimit]

I've been watching this thread to see if anybody actually had found a shop like this. I had once wondered myself if I could find a place like you're looking for. I'm not sure it exists...
I still hope you are successful in your search though.

Thanks for the reply! I do know how to paint but I have nowhere to work. Also the Z3 is metallic black so that paint would require some experience to properly apply. The rocker panel could be painted as a separate part and installed afterward.

Interesting story about the Mexican paint job! A long, long time ago when I lived in Miami and needed to get my 1st Gen Mazda RX-7 painted, my dad tracked down the same guy that had painted cars for him in Cuba, and that's who did the final spray on the RX-7 after I had prepped everything.

From what I can remember the PPG paint + clear coat + hardener, etc, cost less than $200 to do the whole car in 1991. I'm sure today, especially in California, it would be AT LEAST 10x. I recall once a body shop in LA telling me they were required to use water-based paint that cost $600 per gallon, and that was over 10 years ago.

 

[aztoyman]

I was shocked to see what paint costs today and I was lucky to be able to buy products not allowed in Cali and other states. Top tier stuff like PPG is crazy expensive. I had to set up a temporary booth in my garage which is still not ideal. I'm not expecting perfection on what I do though. I do know I'm prepping properly and I know what paint product is being put down at least. Even if I supplied the paint to a shop I would never really know what was actually used or how well the prep was done. Especially on a budget job.

Since you have know how to prep and paint, I would think it might be easier to find an experienced painter to do a "side job" of just the top coat if you did the prep work. They might not be willing to guarantee it since they had no control over your prep. There are places here in Tucson that will rent the booth out. If you have anything like that in your area maybe an employee would spray the top coat at a reasonable price?

Maybe an intense social media blitz type search will find you what you need. Good luck man.

Scott in AZ.

 

[NoTempoLimit]

I was shocked to see what paint costs today and I was lucky to be able to buy products not allowed in Cali and other states. Top tier stuff like PPG is crazy expensive…
Maybe an intense social media blitz type search will find you what you need. Good luck man.

Scott in AZ.

This was over 30 years ago, but from what I recall the paint was PGG Acrylic Urethane. And you need a supplied air respiratior (one with an air pump) to spray it because the hardener is an isocyanate (cyanide based).

I would not be opposed to traveling out of state for the right deal. The Reno, NV area would the closest for me, followed by Las Vegas and Kingman, AZ.

The catch would be that they’d have to do the job quickly, because I don’t want to add two plane tickets to the cost.

 

[NoTempoLimit]

I may have found the guy! I will report back once the work has been completed.

 

[Augustiron]

I would definitely love to know who you found in the Reno area. I've been looking for a painter for projects there for years.

See my posting in the body and paint section