As many of you know my coop, my lovely ubber reliable coop. My ubber reliable, shiny spotless interior coop that took me a year to find in A1 condition was first ruined by an incompotent spray shop and then deliberately attacked after the courts awarded me the cost of a full professional respray.

Anyway, as a single parent on a modest enough income, I couldn't justify spending the cash on a respray. It's been 5 years since I've been able to take my daughter away on holiday and that's my priority.

But anyway that aside, my heart sinks every time I look at the hideous paint work and the deep deliberate dented scratch on the rear quarter panel.

There are benefits, as in I dont suffer body work paranoia when I park it, but thats really it. I want my pride and joy back.

I'm trying to content myself with the thought that I got £2500 and if you take that away from the purchase price 3 years ago, I've got a solid reliable 20vt low milage coop with a bit of superficial panel damage for £700.

But somehow it just doesn't seem enough.

So I guess I need a point to this thread, so realistically what could I do myself to significantly reduce the cost of a good respray, if anything?

Got any pictures of the scratches John?

there you go

Mmmmm, looks like a panel beater or filler job and respray then! If it were scratches without the dent, then I may have been able to help!

Three insurance approved body shops (only one of which was willing to actually do it without it going through insurance)and two independent automotive assessors have told me it requires fully rubbed back and a complete respray patch

Complete re-spray for one panel? That doesn't sound right to me? Is this what they are saying?

any pics of the rest of the bodywork??

The rear quarter, being creased will at minimum require a bit of straightening, filler, the immediate area spraying and the panel re-lacquering.

Or were you wanting to have a bash at it yourself?

Should explain, that panel was the one that got scratched originally by one of the local kids on their pushbike. Left it in to get fixed...the guy has managed to get over spray all over the paintwork so, areas of the car now feel like sandpaper (even on the drivers side!!!). The paint on that panel simply wont harden, the door (Supposedly used to blend) is orange peeled completely wrong shade, has what can only be described as tide marks on it and the paint is so brittle on the door you could chip it of with a good set of manicured nails.... The car is now 4 shades of silver/grey and according to the experts so heavily appled on the passenger side the whole car will need rubbed down.

You know bridges I'm pretty sure I could do a better job with aersols and a still sunny day than this guy has done.

Wow!

It sounds pretty shocking
I seem to remember your original post when you recieved the car back from the bodyshop chimp with paint.

have a good search for a privateer in your area. Will work out much cheaper than a larger spray shop. A lot of guys with years experience have their own little businesses on trading estates etc.

I'll maybe do that...there's a body shop place beside Eurofix (the alfa specialist who knows his way around the coop over here)

Would rubbing it down myself be feasible or like stripping paint from staircase spindles, is that a thankless task?

John, if the stairs were taxing for you, stay away from the car body!

Do you know anyone in the trade who could spray that for you at mates rate if you agree to to do the prep work (ie sanding everything down). I always thought it was the prep work that took most of time/effort. Wet and dry using 1500 grit is fine and if the paint isn't bubbling then I would have thought you only need to flatten not to sand back to bare metal.

How much does a typical respray cost in Belfast ?

To be honest, you're better off leaving the rubbing down and preparation to a specialist who know what they are doing.

The preparation is the main part of respraying a car and if it's not done right, then the paint that goes over the top of it will be pointless and wasted. Within 6 months, the bad preparation will start showing through the paint.

If you fill and rub down more or less in certain places, then you get highs and lows, which then shows through the paint.

Etc, etc.

The only way you could save some money really is by removing any bits of trim, etc that need to be removed for the job and also put them back on yourself afterwards.

Another way of saving money, is by leaving your car there for say, 3 months and let the person work on your car in between other jobs. If you want it done within say a week, then it'll cost more, as all other work has to be cancelled in order to concentrate on your car.

Any decent body shop wouldn't be happy with you doing the prep work yourself, as their quality of work will be in question a few months down the line when mistakes start showing through.

Thanks folks. Good advice Theresa. Guess I'll just leave it for now. If a few years down the line I still have it and it's still being the best a coop can be in terms of maintance then I guess I'll maybe be more willing and in a better position to make the sacrafices required to get it done properly.

100% agree, A top paint job is something like 90% in the preperation. This is the area where skill is required.