OT: Do the $99 auto paint jobs still exist?

[Coronita]

Lol.. On the complete opposite extreme. I sort of cracked an already cracked bumper on my auto-x miata..And I finally got around to plastic welding it back together, sanding and priming it…

To make it look less ghetto, does anyone know of a really really cheap place where they would spray a few coats of color matched paint and clear coat I provide? I’m thinking no more than $90 for both bumpers that I will carry in

I am considering a few options….

Option 1: (which is what originally) was going to do..
The ghetto option: get out a foam roller to paint…

Option 2: bite the bullet and buy a spray gun and decent air compressor, and chalk this up as “adding to the tool collection” since the air compressor can be used for other projects

Option 3: Take a auto body shop at the local community college and use their paint booth

Option 4: Find a student taking a class and offer him/her $50 and practice time, since most likely he/she will screw it up the first one or two times..

Option 5: Someone here knows of a dirt cheap Maaco/Earl S type body shop that would be willing spray a few coats of customer provided paint for like $90, no prep work, or anything.

Yes, I’m going to try craigslist too.

[XBoxBoy]

How about a variation of Option 3&4. Go to the local community college auto body shop and see if they won’t do it for cheap. The teachers are often looking for projects like this so the students get hands on experience. I know Palomar College has a good auto body program. Might cost you a small “donation” but would be cheap and probably decent quality.

[barnaby33]

Tijauna!

[spdrun]

Keep it as ghetto as possible to make the HOA dictators cry. Rattle-can, baby.

[Hobie]

You are going to flip when you price auto paint/thinner/ect! $$$$ Brush on hardware store enamel is $ but will fade fast.

[moneymaker]

It can’t be as expensive as boat paint! Used house paint on my little 14 footer, mainly to make it match the house but also because real boat paint is like $150 a gallon. It’s on a trailer and sees little action so have not actually water tested it yet.

[Coronita]

So… I sort of went 2 steps above ghetto…

1. I bought paint from here:

http://www.automotivetouchup.com/?A=437&SubAffiliateID=Car%20paint_e

1 pint white base coat was like $80 bucks
1 pint clearcoat was $24 bucks.

2. I decided not to get the heavy duty compressor and paint gun. Instead, I decided to give this a shot…

Wagner HVLP sprayer…. $50

The auto paint from the online store was already prediluted,which was good since the sprayer only works with really thin paint.

The results actually came out ok.. I wouldn’t do this on a nice car, and the finish isn’t as smooth as what you would get with a real paint gun and air compressor, but it’s “good enough”…

I’ll need to wait a few days for the clearcoat to dry and I’ll wet sand it..

[img_assist|nid=18961|title=pt|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=300|height=400]

Bumper stand courtesy of my kid’s wagon that is now speckled white…

Idiot as i am, I made a mistake of carrying the bumper when it was still wet, so there’s a wrinkle on the bottom and top of the bumper…

Oh well..

I might do the rear later.

In hindsight I probably should have paid someone to do it…Total cost ended up being $200, which is how much a bumper doctor person costs..

Well, at least I get to keep the paint gun for other projects….And learned how to paint…sort of…

Hmm…. there was another thread about hoarding……

[svelte]

You might own my old car. My Miata was white of about the same vintage.

All the plastic bits on another one of my cars faded and the finish crumbled back during the 80s. So I sanded all the parts down, bought paint at an auto store and repainted them. Came out great and lasted longer than the original factory finish did! 8 years after I did it, it was still looking good when I sold the car…

[bibsoconner]

This topic is a little old, but just in case I’ll ask….

Someone(s) mentioned Tijuana for a cheap paint job. Any pigs out there have specific recommendations for places in Tijuana. I have a ’96 Geo Prism (basically a Toyota corolla) that works great but is depressing me due to very faded paint job. I don’t want to spend a ton, but it would be nice to have a bright new paint coat to brighten my day. I also need to replace the liner on the roof. Don’t know the name of it, but the cloth thing inside the car (headliner?) that is now all torn up.

Thanks,
Dave

[moneymaker]

Ditto on older vehicles that run fine, needing new paint. Have an older RV, about the same age as the one used in “RV” probably. Runs great, everything works, just needs a new paint job. Would be willing to go south pending price and recommendations.

[Author]

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