Repainting only parts of a car & clear coat failure

[paulri]

I’m thinking about having a paint job on the Sienna. I can pay about twice as much and get the entire vehicle repainted, or I can save about $800-900 and just get the hood and roof repainted (factory colors). The roof has clear coat failure (it looked fine until a few months ago, and then it has gotten progressively worse every month); the hood is just pitted and very dull, much duller than the rest of the car, which actually still looks pretty bright.

Does anyone have any experience with partial paint jobs—is it very tough to get the colors to match? Or can I expect the clear coat on the rest of the vehicle to fail too, in the next few years? If that's the case, I'd just be better off having the entire vehicle repainted at the same time.

 

[csandste]

I just had a rear quarter panel repainted and it's indiscernible from the original paint. I guess if your original paint (that you're not painting) had deteriorated it might be different.

 

[Ethan1]

You don't want an $1,800 paint job.

Very few paint colors can't be matched (you haven't mentioned yours). The fade of the adjacent panels really can't be matched.

 

[mclasser]

I'm in a similar boat with my Accord. The roof and hood have peeling clearcoat; the rest of the body has intact clearcoat but has lost its luster. I'm thinking about getting a mid-grade full Maaco paint job and calling it a day instead of doing spot painting.

 

[paulri]

Actually the other panels still look pretty good. There are of course dents and dings, but the paint itself looks nice and shiny.

Originally Posted By: csandste
I just had a rear quarter panel repainted and it's indiscernible from the original paint. I guess if your original paint (that you're not painting) had deteriorated it might be different.

 

[paulri]

If you want to keep the Accord a while, I'd recommend going up to the 5 year separate clear and base coat job from Maaco. Its several hundred more, but it should last a while longer (they also offer zero interest credit if that would work for you). That was what I did with the Civic 2.5 years ago and it still looks good. At 210K your Accord is just getting warmed up

Originally Posted By: mclasser
I'm in a similar boat with my Accord. The roof and hood have peeling clearcoat; the rest of the body has intact clearcoat but has lost its luster. I'm thinking about getting a mid-grade full Maaco paint job and calling it a day instead of doing spot painting.

 

[dishdude]

I wouldn't spend money repainting a 13 year old minivan. Can you even see the roof from the ground?

 

[pandus13]

My mazda5 had the rear bumper replaced and while at it, I had them re-paint the hood (highway stone chips + me buying light blue touch-up instead of silver).

No color difference.
I used a small chain. (local shop bought by a chain.)

 

[Donald]

Is Earl Shibe still painting cars for $59.95?

 

[Tdbo]

I have the exact same problem on the Ranger. I have about a 12"x12" spot in the hood that got some road rash due to flying debris. It originally was scuffed, but the clear started peeling in the last 6 mos. I also have a second spot on the rear of the cab underneath the drivers side rear window. It goes in next week for repair.

However, I do have the advantage of having a FIL that runs his own auto body shop, when I can convince him to do it.

 

[joekingcorvette]

For an older vehicle as you described I would go to your auto parts store that mixes paint and puts it in the spray cans. Sand the hood and top down and apply primer and paint it yourself. They can do a color match from your existing color. I repainted the back bumper on my 2012 Honda Civic and it really looks good. In my opinion it's not worth spending the money on an older vehicle to repaint the entire van.

 

[SatinSilver]

I'd skip painting the roof since no one sees or cares about it. I would have the hood painted since that is seen a lot. I'd have a mobile painter do the work for a fraction of what a b&m store would charge. Or find someone on CL that does good work, again for a fraction of the price.

 

[Nick1994]

I wouldn't paint the sides, clear coat usually fades on horizontal surfaces.

 

[paulri]

The roof is easily seen. In fact, it is the roof that looks much worse than the hood, and the pealing clear coat on the roof is the first thing that grabs my attention. I never thought about a mobile painter, however. I will ask around and see who comes highly recommended.

 

[SatinSilver]

Car dealerships should know some good mobile painters. Specifically the used car managers. That's what dealers do here and they even have their own body shops. Yet they outsource smaller jobs.

 

[2009Edge]

Does this vehicle go through car washes with brushes?

 

[tomcat27]

some colors, especially silver, is really hard to match tomorrow. it might match today, but not tomorrow...
I have the same dillema right now with the Camry. I'm gonna have the whole car painted; give it a new lease on life.
I have a few friends who have had their whole cars repainted; never a regret.

 

[Ethan1]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
good mobile painters


Sorry but there’s no such thing. Every vehicle manufacturer and paint manufacturer says you have to paint all the way to the edges of the panels or the paint will fail. Lot lizards don’t do that. That’s the opposite of their business model. They don’t even have big enough air compressors to do that. And they will annihilate your car with overspray because they’re painting your car outside in the wind. It’s bad enough dealing with dirt inclusions in a paint job, why pay someone to give you a paint job full of bugs?

 

[SatinSilver]

Sorry but I've seen their work and it looks fine to me. Also the dealerships wouldn't hire them if their results weren't good. Most car buyers focus on the car's appearance. I didn't see any dirt or bugs in the paint. And those would be the facts.

We're not talking about some collectible or a Lambo Aventador here. This is an 05 minivan with 148k miles on it. The goal is to keep it rolling and make it look decent. Versus it looking like an eye sore.

 

[Ethan1]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Also the dealerships wouldn't hire them if their results weren't good.