PROcede

BMW paint isn't that great either. My 335i looked like it was blasted by sand . Perhaps it because i go canyon carving like every weekened but still. The Evo is def getting clear bra for the whole front end based on the horror stories i read here.

hotdog

iTrader: (4)

I blame your high pressure fuel pump.

PROcede

37,000 hard abusive miles and still on my first pump but don't jinx me kthx

Evo4Emperor

im not sure if this would work.. but if someone was say to buy a new X and drive it straight to Maaco and have them spray clearcoat all over it... would that help add "another layer" of protection???

or am i just being retarded cause i dont know jack about painting a car

TrackDays

Well my Black paint has a bunch of small surface scratches all over the place. I also have a ton of chips all over the place on the door panels.. I think im going to do some decals as well as go get all the scratches power buffed out and extend the 3M farther on the door panels. It makes me sick when i look at such a sexy car and see imperfections on the paint!!! Also if i could go back i would not have gotten black even though it looks so sexy when its perfectly clean, its a rare occasion when it is perfectly clean.

lancerarmstrong

iTrader: (5)

this is the same way on my GTS. the paint quality of even the rotor glow on mine (premium? lol) is rediculous. most spots i've noticed are obviously on the from lower lip, the front top of the nose, hood and a TON on the front of the rear wheel wells where the door's line is at. it's like they don't put enough clear coat on it or something?

i hear that hyundais now have one of if not the best factory paint jobs you can get. or so their commercial seemed to make me think...

CC16

You don't just "add another layer" like that. You gotta sand every panel to give paint something to adhere too, and then you could add another layer of clear. But maaco doesn't really use clear, they're singlestage most of the time. Color and Clear mixed as one.

The clear bra approach is good, but it's expensive around here. Also for what its worth, there are VERY few OE manufacturer paints that are worth a damn. Mercedes has some of the most awful I've seen. It's not so much the paint itself as it is the process of applying it. Fact is, computers and machines paint these cars barely thicker than a piece of paper (slight exaggeration). There is little to no clear to protect it. They'll save money anywhere they can. New Z06 corvettes have such thin clear if you try to wetsand it you're walking on paper thin ice. You'll sand thru or burn thru through in a instant.

Methodical4u

iTrader: (9)

actually people say that BMW paint is one of the hardest paints out there... just ask some of the pro detailers on this site... anytime you are hard on a car there will be paint issues and if you go canyon carving a lot, then maybe you should get your whole car clear bra'ed.

mlomker

iTrader: (1)

The only paint issues I had on my BMW was the plastic parts (rear view mirrors & bug splatter). The metal parts held up very well.

Methodical4u

iTrader: (9)

yeah, that's what i've always heard... not about the plastic panels, but the paint itself is very hard and is quite nice.

waltezee

iTrader: (1)

Cason I all ways though Maaco's horrible paint jobs were do to shotty if not non-existent prep work.

CC16

Waltz? Whats up dude! Yes, never go to maaco, they're barely taping your car, let alone sanding it.

EndlessRed

iTrader: (17)

on average at a shop i frequent nearby, they charge customers 3000 dollars for painting (in and out) the entire car, complete with sand + prep process. they use dupont. price varies slightly with color. of course, i always say clear bra is your best protection; no paint is eternally durable.

Xtremist

iTrader: (1)

The lancer paint seems to be the cheapest of the entire Mitsubishi line up. My Dads 2008 Endeavor is near flawless rather than a few self inflected scratches. If you look at most Eclipses and Galant's the paint is rather good as well! My Starion has fade in a few areas, mainly back bumper but for a 23 year old spots are its held up great!

CC16

That's pretty good. I did a piece by piece line by line estimate on our program here at work (CCC pathways) using my cars VIN. After all the necessary R&I and clip replacement it was around $4500. The kicker comes in if any panel needs repair time or not. I just did straight refinshing time, no repair. Any dent ding or rock chip adds repair hours, which is $44/hr here. That's where additional cost will come from.