Cowboy Paint Job?!

bmw virgin · Post by **bmw virgin** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:16 pm

Hi All!

The previous/original owner of my car paid a chimpanzee to repair damage to the paint on itâ€™s rear n/s wing, for it to end up like this:-

It doesnâ€™t stand out too much but can be seen quite easily if you look more closely.

Needless to say, Iâ€™m not going to leave it as it is, so am looking for recommendations for a decent, fairly priced paint shop to take the car to.....preferably in the West Midlands (Birmingham) area?

Just to get an idea of the max Iâ€™m likely to pay, I took it to Sytner Solihull for a quote:-

Repair: Â£308 +vat (That was supposedly discounted at Â£40/h)

Paint & Materials: Â£225 +vat

Not being too â€œau faitâ€ with paint shop prices, Iâ€™m hoping that this really is a top price quote?!

Any info, advice or suggestions would be most welcome!

ade and liz flint · Post by **ade and liz flint** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:29 pm

Can't comment on price etc, however my titanium silver E46 coupe had EXACTLY the same problem. Quick blow-overs do result in poor finishes on that particular colour, so take recommendations very carefully. I had mine looked at a couple of times, and my local bodyshops were nervous about spraying it as it is really difficult to get a finish. I ended up living with it and the guy that bought it from me didn't comment on it

Obviously, the re-work of yours should take the paint edge into the door recess for a better finish.

Most dealership bodywork is subcontracted, so find out where they send it before you say 'yes'

ALPB1033 · Post by **ALPB1033** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 4:06 am

How about in Bruntingthorpe. I know someone there can do a good job. He did all the body work of my cars including my baby. His charge is reasonable. If you need him just drop me a line.

bfive · Post by **bfive** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:05 am

If you can travel I would try Research Garage Group, Nuneaton. They have a dedicated body shop and frequently re-sprayed the front of Craig's B6 (Craig is one of the owners!) If you do intend going let me know beforehand and I will "prime" them to give you a good price!!

bmw virgin · Post by **bmw virgin** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:21 pm

@ Ade or Liz ?

I always thought it was black that was hard to match!
The finish of the repair is good, it just wasn't blended in properly......it's a good job that I got the car at a very good price!

@ ALPB1033
Bruntingthorpe is 47miles from me.....which still makes it a possibility. If you could pm me the details, that would be very much appreciated!

@ bfive
Nuneaton is 30miles from me, which is a bonus & the fact that you can get me a better price is brilliant!

It's important to me that they're recommended and I'm well pleased that I now have at least two to choose from but to save wasting people's time & if it's ok with you guys, I think I'll hold out a little longer to see if anyone recommends a bodyshop that's a bit more local to Brum?!

Colin

ade and liz flint · Post by **ade and liz flint** » Tue Jan 24, 2012 2:05 pm

bmw virgin wrote:@ Ade or Liz ?
I always thought it was black that was hard to match!
The finish of the repair is good, it just wasn't blended in properly......it's a good job that I got the car at a very good price!

Depends who gets here 1st!

Silver is godawful to match, our previous silver Astra estate suffers with the same paint issues, too, and obviously from a different sprayer. Our E46 had a spot-on paint finish but it was almost impossible to blend. Prior to supply to us, it had had the front edge of the bonnet blown over and the o/s/r arch (which looked very similar to yours, but a smaller area) by the lease company on its return through their hands. Later on, I found the rear bumper had been completely done, too as a result of a small rear end bump, but was harder to see as it was a full panel spray. It still went 'blotchy' over time, though. I have to say, the bonnet paint drove me mad as it worsened over the years we had the car and in some light looked dreadful

In saying the above, a good paint shop will get it right for you. The warning from the posts is really that a dealer-job does not guarantee finish quality - recommendations from owners and skill of the operatives will

The bumpers of both our black cars have been tidied, and other than a poor prep on the Roadsters nose (Sytner Leicester, I believe), the finishes and matches are very good, indeed.

ALPB1033 · Post by **ALPB1033** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:11 pm

The silver paint job is very awful as the paint shop I use told me once. Sometimes a small area will become the whole panel job instead as the silver paint is difficult to blend in. So that is why I like you to see my car first before you give him a try. Then I point out what has he done to mine before you give him the job.
If you like we can meet in Ashton in Feb on 12th or 13th before the Villa/Man City game. Then this will save your travel and can decide from there on.

simon13 · Post by **simon13** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:00 pm

To do that properly that will need the whole rear quarter painting and then blowing it in up the door and C pillar. They might even blow it in on the bootlid a little. If a good bodyshop does it you wouldn't know to be fair.

says alot about the previous owner if thats a repair they had done to me a bit

brett · Post by **brett** » Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:57 pm

Hi Colin
Give individual specialist cars ago its just uo the road from sytner central ,heading out of the city

bmw virgin · Post by **bmw virgin** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:24 am

@ ALPB1033 - Sorry, but I can't make either of those dates.

@ simon13 - Yeah, the guy at Sytner's said the same...Like this:-

@ brett - Thanks for the recommendation - you have a PM.

So, what would I expect to pay for a job like that?

simon13 · Post by **simon13** » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:45 pm

As a rough guide 150 a panel

I reckon 300 would cover it?

I've just had a similar thing done on the wifes golf for about that price. take out the dent the father in law did! and paint the door, and blend in up the rear quarter and front door.

bmw virgin · Post by **bmw virgin** » Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:00 am

Took the car to "Individual Specialist Cars" for a quote.....looked at thier web site beforehand.....had a feeling they wouldn't be cheap but thought I'd give them a chance....they seem like a very good quality bodyshop but the quote came back at over Â£900!

Then today I had the car serviced at BM Euroservice in Wolverhampton and just happened to get the chance of a quote from the bodyshop they use (Bodytech).....it wasn't a big place but the guys knew what they were talking about & the fact that a BM specialist use them made me feel more confident......they quoted at Â£336....which is a bit more like what I was expecting & tallies with Simon's estimate.

I'll still get a quote from bfive's Research Garage Group but Bodytech are definitely in the running....Sytners & Individual Specialist Cars definitely aren't!!

bmw virgin · Post by **bmw virgin** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 4:29 pm

Update on this issue!

Took the car to Bodytech in Wolverhampton to have the rear quarter resprayed & then, a few weeks later, I had the whole car detailed by Midlands Car Care in Walsall!

I'm sure you'll agree, it looks a whole lot better:-

Job done!

Hodge · Post by **Hodge** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 4:38 pm

Certainly does more shots please

Cheers

bmw virgin · Post by **bmw virgin** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:00 pm

I'm planning on taking some pics of my own when I get a chance but in the mean time, there's plenty on the Detailing thread!

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/s ... p?t=262075