Repairing small dents / paint job DIY

[GCAdidas13 10+ year member]

If there are small dings, etc on the exterior of the car, on the body panels, such as:

1.) Mailbox Pulling Incident



2.) Cured Resin/Hardener Incident (after removing resin/hardener)



would I be able to repair this before sending it in to the paint shop to save a little cash? In fact could I sand down my entire car?

As much info as possible would be GREATLY possible, detailing what I can do to save money on my next paint job, including specific how-to's.

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[GCAdidas13 10+ year member]

bump... anyone experienced at all?

 

[jacko 10+ year member]

I don't think they sand down your entire car when you get it re-painted, they maybe sand it down a bit to get rid of any wax buildup, etc, but I don't think all the way down to the sheetmetal, or primer for that matter. But i'd sand that white spot on your car just so it's flush with the rest of the paint, and then bodyfill that ding on the side after sanding it down to the primer.

On a side note, expect to have the same color car as before, or your can pretty much double or triple the price of paint, the prep work for painting the car is easily over 50% of the labor cost in a paint job. It's easy to paint the outside of the car, but if you want a different color you have to do inside the doors, under the hood, trunk lid underside, etc. This means on top of what they usually do, they have to seal the inside of the car with the door being open, take off the door panel and the speakers inside, etc. So basically just keep the same color so that the doorjambs, hood underside, trunk lid underside, etc, all match and it doesn't looked two-toned when you open any of the doors or anything, because they won't be taken the time on with a cheaper/same color paintjob. Also, it takes a couple more coats of paint when you change colors, so that adds to the price. I'm not an expert, but I hope this helps.

If anything I'd call a few reputable body shops around and see what they say as far as prices go, don't go to a maaco or anything. Also, don't go with the cheapest paint/finish available, it's worth it to upgrade this a bit. I'd figure from my expirence about $1,500 for the same color paint on your car with a quality finish. $2,500+ for a different color with same quality.

 

[InhumanAcura 5,000+ posts]

a GOOD paintjob should include taking all the paint off and completely coating the car with filler and then sanded back to bare metal...

some shops wont paint a sanded/primered car in fear of you coming back and *****ing about something that was your fault..

some will cut you a price break...best thing is to do is find a shop that you trust to paint your car, and see what their policy is //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[GCAdidas13 10+ year member]

a GOOD paintjob should include taking all the paint off and completely coating the car with filler and then sanded back to bare metal...
some shops wont paint a sanded/primered car in fear of you coming back and *****ing about something that was your fault..

some will cut you a price break...best thing is to find a shop that you trust to paint your car, and see what they're policy is //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I think it was skeptikal that made that one car look really nice even though it was beat to hell... maybe he will have a few words?

 

[InhumanAcura 5,000+ posts]

I think it was skeptikal that made that one car look really nice even though it was beat to hell... maybe he will have a few words?

were gonna start on the van soon here..guess we'll try to post some pics, since your interested. im pretty much a n00b when it comes to bodywork as well, but ive been around it alot

 

[GCAdidas13 10+ year member]

Well yeah, then basically I'm only trying to get rid of really small dings and stuff... The mailbox and resin problems are what i'm REALLY concerned about, but i have other really small things as well...

like on the edges of some of my doors, there is a small patch of rust... do i just sand that rust to bare metal, body fill, then sand down again?

Same thing with small dings... like if there's a ding on a door that is just barely noticable when you look at it from the side, at the reflection that it shows... does one just sand that down, body fill, then sand again to make it even?

Thanks,

Brian

 

[skeptikal Premium Member]

um... if you already have it sanded and ready to go for paint then you might save a little bit, but it really just depends on what detail shop you go to.

 

[SSS 18734 5,000+ posts]

Yeah I've been looking for a shop that will re-paint my hood, roof, and left rear quarter panel. Cheapest i've found is Macco for $600. The guy said if I do the bodywork and prime it it will cost me $400.