Painting your car is an opportunity to renew its original look or try out a completely new look (like a different color) altogether. However, spray-painting any vehicle is a challenging process that involves unique skills and tools and is better left to professionals. It is also essential to ask yourself the following question: “how much does it cost to paint a car?” before you head out to auto shops.
Do it Yourself (DIY) or Professional painting?
Although it is possible to paint your car, it requires skill, patience, and tools and paints that you may have to purchase for this job specifically. The result might not be of a very high-quality, making the DIY paint job more suitable for old vehicles or all-terrain cars that tend to get scratches. Those people looking to restore their family vehicle or a collector’s car to its original state might be better off with an auto repair shop service where the professionals can apply up to about 24 even-coats of paint to get a durable, high-gloss finish.
Professional Auto painting cost
Different auto shops offer a number of different service levels to cater to their variety of customers, such as those with specific requirements and budgets:
- Basic: This is the least expensive paint job that offers very few coats, using synthetic enamel paint. For this primary job, painters are not likely to paint areas that are usually not visible, for example, the inside of the hood. The cost of this typically ranges from $300 to $900.
- Standard: A standard paint job mainly includes sanding the vehicle’s body and removing any rust before painting and getting a beautiful finish. The costs range from between $1,000 to about $3,500.
- Showroom quality: This kind of process involves sanding the vehicle’s body down to just its bare metal, removing all the dents and rust, and then going on to apply up to 24 coats of high-quality paint. As this project is long, it may take around a month to complete, and in some cases, the costs may be incredibly high, that is $20,000.
If the value of your vehicle changes, remember to let your insurance company know. If you’re looking for an online brokerage that can connect you with the best insurance policy for you, consider reaching out to Surex.
DIY Auto painting Cost
For certain older vehicles, getting a professional paint job done might be too costly. In this case, you might want to try painting your car on your own. The materials necessary are widely available from automotive stores and hardware, in as little a price as $75. The real costs here are the effort and time you will eventually put into the job.
The tools and materials required for it are as follows:
- Primer
- Gloss paint
- Paint trays
- Foam brushes
- Sandpaper
- Masking tape
- Mineral spirits (used for cleaning purposes)
A significant concern with a DIY project is finding the right place where you can paint your vehicle. Quite a few body shops have booths that are climate-controlled and hence designed to limit how much dirt and dust might come in contact with the paint and damage the eventual finish. For your DIY project, the right place to paint your vehicle in a well-ventilated and clean garage.
Price Versus Quality
Everybody is looking for a cheap service, so when deciding which body shops to go for your auto-painting project, it is always tempting to go with the lowest price. But remember, you do get what you paid for. This means a lowball quotation will result in a low-quality overall paint job done with inferior materials. Instead of removing the trim, the painters might mask it off and might leave the areas that are not visible unpainted. Moreover, the quotation might also not include some services that auto painters will eventually charge as an additional fee.
So before you commit to any particular service, remember to ask painters what all their price covers. Remember to check if preparing the bodywork and sanding are part of the total cost. Also, try to look at the previous work examples to ensure you will be happy with the quality you eventually receive. When it comes to repainting your vehicle, be sure to estimate how much a car paint job cost is. After finding out the total fees, you can consider and decide your budget correctly.
If you try to get your job done in an expensive manner, you may not get the highest standard of work, and you will be the one disappointed with the results. You can also consider paying for the cost of painting a car with your credit card so you can earn back rewards or cash. Perhaps you look at some of the more expensive paint jobs and decide to trade your car in for a newer model. You may even decide to consider an alternative, like vinyl wrapping, which starts at about $1,500. It all depends on your choice at the end of the day.
The cost of painting a car depends on the various factors mentioned above, so now you should have a better idea about what to expect when heading out for a car paint job.