Repainting

[Iggy]

As a 928 owner peeking at your 911 board, I'm curious what you all think about repainting your cars. My black 85 928S has some scuffs and scratches that won't rub out so I'm considering getting the whole car painted (same color, not from bare metal).

Considering that my car is in good mechanical shape with 80K miles and that I paid less than $9K for it, do you think getting a decent repaint with a clear coat is a bad idea? I'm figuring that because of the good mechanical condition and already-low price, I'm not going to ruin the car for the purists out there.

What do you think?

What should I expect to pay for an acceptable (non-show-car) job?

Thanks!

[Zendalar]

If your car has no rust or such, you should not paint. Your car looks awesome!

[Jdub]

I love the 928's looks and your car is a looker for sure (I call it the coffin car for the rear end configuration).

You say you don't want to ruin it for the purists. Do you mean color, or original paint? And in saying so, do you mean to say that you are ready to pass this car on, and thus keeping the car "as-is" for that possibility?

If so, then save the money on the paint. I'm assuming you've been to the best shops in your town to be certain that nothing can be done with the scratches and other blemishes you find. If the car's paint is as good as it is ever going to get, then save the 3-4K you'd spend and target your next car purchase.

Otherwise, paint it as you prefer. It is your car to love, and you shouldn't worry about what anyone else might think about how you are maintaining your car. Maybe an S4? A 911?

John

[rob911]

Looks fine from that angle.

Just drive the beast and save the greenbacks for all the "surprises". Maybe you'll need brakes and tyres within a year, possibly even a service

I would love a 928 but I imagine buying a cheap one would end up costing the same each year in maintenance. It seem the engineers designed a brilliant V8, but didn't design it with home maintenance in mind. No surprise really for a £60,000 supercar.

Nice looking motor though.....

[MIK911]

if the blemishes bugs you enough, go for it. nothing like admiring/taking pride in an awesome car --including it's paint job.
i wouldn't take a 2nd house mortgage to pay for it, so if the $3-5G's aren't prohibitive, why not?
if concerned about 'purists' and resale--ask yourself if the car's for YOU or OTHER?
my $.02
mike

[dad911]

I think you would be amazed at what a GOOD detailer could do. I was. Took out a 12" scratch & 2 dings on my wife's Black BMW using dent wiz & chips away type repairs.

[Pillow]

I agree that a really good detail shop can make it look brand new... How I do not know, but it works.

[Iggy]

Thanks for the compliments.

Seeing as though I'm not keen about spending $3-4K for a full repaint, a good detailing looks like the way to go.

Here are two more pics:

[MarkY]

Originally posted by Iggy
What should I expect to pay for an acceptable (non-show-car) job?

Thanks!

The above sentence tells me that you should NOT repaint your car. IMO, if you're going to repaint an auto such as a Porsche, do right or don't do it at all.

An "acceptable" paint job will look much worse than getting your factory paint job professionally detailed.

[rstoll]

Car looks great in the pics, just have it detailed.

[scedmonds]

The PO of my '83 SC Targa had it repainted, and I wish he'd have waited.

He went with a less-than-top-quality provider, and it shows. Well, it looks great from 20+' away, but get to 10' or closer and you'll see quality problems on every panel:
~ fish eyes (1/4" round 'dots' that look like air bubbles kept the paint from drying properly) . . .
~ accumulations/pooled paint in 3 spots . . .
~ a drip from a 2nd-3rd coat that wasn't cleaned up . . .

If you're going to do the paint, go to a top-notch provider, paint it the same color as the original, and take care of it (clean/polish/wax quarterly)!

Cheers!

C.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

According to Autoweek a week or two ago, the value of 928s is low and "dropping daily." I think it's a wonderful car, so I find that sad; racked up my highest-ever indicated speed on a public road in a 928 S4--163 mph--on an absolutely empty, straight, not-putting-anybody-else-at-risk road in eastern Oregon almost 15 years ago. But I wouldn't worry about being a purist. Yeah, it's a Porsche but not a very important one (at least in the market's view), so economize if you wish. It's certainly the logical thing to do.

Stephan

[jlui]

Dude, judging from the pictures, use the money on performance upgrades, not repainting over the car's glossy paint.

I had my 911 fully repainted....


-----EXPENSIVE-------



You car looks rather nice. If your only problem is scratches I'd say DON'T repaint it.

[R22tech]

IGGY: Don't paint it! This is what you need to do and how much it should cost: 1) Find the best detailer in your area and ask them if they know Porsche's type of paint well.
2) Make appointment for job in 3-4 weeks (you need to get suppilies for the job)
3)Go to local auto paint store and see if they can get you a product called "Liquid Ebony" swirl remover. Order/buy
4) Get fresh factory touch-up paint in your exact color
5) Bring car and supplies to detailer
6) tell him to high speed polish with Liquid Ebony until all imperfections are gone, constantly checking paint thickness with a good paint guage(if he is good he'll have one on hand)
7) If necessary, have him "wet" sand really problem areas, again measuring paint thickness.
8) On the lower portion of the car(anything below the top of rims) allow him to wet sand deep scratches and air brush using factory touch up paint(he should know how to do that too!)
9)apply good , hard wax- porsche sells factory hard wax that really makes a good , long lasting finish. It is difficult to work with, but after cutting the paint extensively-it is what you need.
10)re-apply hard wax a 2nd time( Iknow, I know... what a pain in the a$$!)
11) enjoy show quaility paint job-have a beer with detailer!
12) if it comes out like I know it will-give him a big tip!

Job price:
1) polish material=$40
2) paint material= $20
3) labor $350.00
4) tip $50.00

Total = $460.00 for a job done right that will last!

How I know: I've been showing black cars at Concours and done well. "Liquid Ebony" and high speed polish ability are the key ingredients to perfect black paint!

Let us know how it turns out.....


BTW: this only works for BLACK paint- so don't go trying it on other colors!!!!

[ToyCollector]

Doug, who do you recommend in the Atlanta area as a detailer? I may want your opinion on my black car.

P.S. Concrete slab forms are being done any day now.

[R22tech]

Mike- Executive Detailing off Alpharetta highway has a good guy for Porsche's and a second good guy for other makes.

You can also request the owner/manager to do it on a Sunday for an ultra fabulous job=$$$ worth every penny in some circumstances.

I'm still trying to get a day out of Adam for this weekend- I'll let you know when I know if you still want to go.

I'll be doing some preliminary work with the BSB guys' architect on Monday and Tuesday, so I'll try and hook up with Bob on Wednsday. I've got a different, better idea for your job that I'll be running by you after I speak with Bob.