Hi.

Can someone suggest a good painter in London area? I got qoute from local garage for £260, which in my opinion is too much for a tailgate(pic added).

http://www.netcarshow.com/audi/1991-100_avant/1024x768/wallpaper_05.htm

Thanks in advance.

Sorry i cant suggest as i have no idea of the area.

As to the price.

Depend what is being handed to be painted. Was the Quote from a Garage or a Body Shop?

Is it getting a colour change, so interior of rear hatch needing done.

or paint/lacquer needing repaired, badges to remove and replace.

Is it a new panel needing prepared & finished.

Are they getting the car or a hatch left with them?

Materials & hourly rate & VAT.

A customer, not 'mates' rates or 'on the side'.

?? So whats needing done?

george

I have a spare one, and everything will be removed, i.e. lights,, badges and upholstery.

Color have to be changed from dark brown/violet, not sure, to tornado red.

and I can do all preparation work, it's not like it takes ages.

And it was a body shop.

And there is not much to paint either.

Edited 20 October, 201213 yr by hunker7

OK,

A colour change is,

de-grease/de-wax, Preperation, mask or remove glass, sand, mask, prime, colour coats, and polish.

I would charge if in London 3 hours & material & VAT, £260,

or up here 4 hours & material & no VAT £260.

(job to be finished to look factory, not Kerbside Autos)

I would price it up at,

'not bothered if he wants it done or not'.

Price seems fair to me, best get other local quotes.

See how it goes.

george

EDIT<

That was supposed to say 'look factory & not Kerbside Autos.

edited now. DOH sorry.

ok thanks very much. I'll shop around

de-grease/de-wax, Preperation, mask or remove glass, sand, mask, prime, colour coats, and polish.

I can do it my self can't I?

I've just paid £480 to have the rear bumper fix and re-painted along with the very lower part of my front grill and a small part of the body under the rear passenger door when the car tried to fall off it's jack whilst trying to place the axle stand (not happy with the work but that's a different matter!)

If a customer said to me, ' I can prepare it myself, can't i ?',

I say,

'then go on and finish it yourself.'.

There is no way that you trust someone elses preparation.

You might once or twice when doing someone a favour,

then you get a muppet that is back complaining the paint is rubbish or bubbling, flaking off.

Just learn to do it yourself.

Hire a compressor & watch Youtube or get a book out the library.

'How difficult can it be, anyone can paint a car!'

? Does someone come to your work and want something on the cheap

& think they can do better than you do your job, offer to do part of the job to cut the cost.?

george

If a customer said to me, ' I can prepare it myself, can't i ?',

I say,

'then go on and finish it yourself.'.

There is no way that you trust someone elses preparation.

You might once or twice when doing someone a favour,

then you get a muppet that is back complaining the paint is rubbish or bubbling, flaking off.

Just learn to do it yourself.

Hire a compressor & watch Youtube or get a book out the library.

'How difficult can it be, anyone can paint a car!'

? Does someone come to your work and want something on the cheap

& think they can do better than you do your job, offer to do part of the job to cut the cost.?

george

I am actually thinking of doing it myself as tailgate isn't the only thing i would like to paint. And how about drying process?

Loads of help and good sites online.

Not to be cheeky but thats why people serve their time and do an apprenticeship & get training.

It is not difficult or rocket science.

A small area like you are wanting doing in a solid colour would be an easy a short job to paint with rattle cans of colour and lacquer on a warm dry day in a dust free place.

Preparation on the other hand should be done very carefully and with pride, remove wax/silicon and grease, free of contaminents & seal the original finish & well keyed paint work to prime/undercoat.

£40-50 of materials & someplace to do it and allow 8 hours for doing it to get a factory finish even from Spray cans.

Practice on an old panel from a scrap yard or a skip.

Best thing is get someone that knows what to do to show you.

Clean & careful & dead easy really.

Do not even attempt metallic untill you are doing nicely with solid colours. JMO

all the best.

george

So do you think in my case, it is possible to use spray can, as there is no big surfaces (like Octy's boot).

Steps

1. Proper wash
   
2. sanding (what grade sandpaper?)
   
3. masking
   
4. primer
   
5. color ( 2-3cotes?)
   
6. lacquer
   

right?

walking my dogs saw a bodyshop just outside London, they said £140 all in. Brilliant.

Being honest I think £140 all in is far too cheap. I paid more than that to get my vrs bootlid repaired.

Being honest I think £140 all in is far too cheap. I paid more than that to get my vrs bootlid repaired.

Place looked good. They had a proper garage, C-class Merc and some classic car ready to paint. :D

There is not much to paint tbh.

Edited 22 October, 201213 yr by hunker7

Being honest I think £140 all in is far too cheap.

not really tbh, been in the trade a long time and it depends on alot of things, it could be a small place with low over heads that doesn't need to charge the earth to keep the place open. i work on my own, have my own spray booth and my rent on my unit is low, my over heads are low so can charge less