Atlanta peeps -- cheap car painter

School me on some Atlanta area painters that are either hobbyist or shops willing to do a scuff and spray good enough for the 10 foot test. My '99 LX470 has bad peeling and fade on the hood and the mirror caps are in bad shape as well.

The car place that repainted the front, rear, and side of the car after my side swipe said they wouldn't touch the parts because the hood 'had been damaged and had body filler on it' and the mirror caps were too old to remove and prep without a high risk of them cracking.

Originally they quoted $400 as the additional cost to spray them while they did the other sections. The service guy said the painter was a bit of a fanatic when it came to paint work and wouldn't touch stuff he wasn't sure he could paint to his standard. I can't fault the guy since it's his reputation.

Soooo, I'm looking for a guy or local shop that would be willing to scuff, prime, spray, and clear the hood and mirrors. I'm not looking for 6 coats of paint wet sanded to 3000 grit between coats with 325 coats of clear for that show car finish. Just something that will make my 24 year old car less of a local pariah with a paint job from someone who doesn't charge the 'Buckhead Discount' (10-25% mark up based on the area)

Too many Tesla's, S classes, AMGs, Audis, etc. to keep up with on this damn street (16 houses and I'm at the end of the cul-de-sac) . Working for a startup at 1/2 my last salary and being house poor does suck a bit....

I do have a Graco HVLP and ain't above trying the mirrors myself unless that's just a disaster in the making and will most likely result in needing extra work and a spray again. My finishing experience is mostly on wooden boats with Interlux paints and various varnishes.

 

Cops pulled over a stolen car at gun point in front of my house a couple days ago. Passenger got away but driver didn’t. #ATL

No clue on painters, I just moved here but the wife’s car could use a big dent fixed after she decided to use a post as a pivot to make a turn at west side provisions

 

https://www.corzav.com/for the body work.

And welcome to the ATL. My fiancé was almost hit head on by a guy who just murdered a man and stole his car 300 yards from, and a few seconds earlier. https://www.11alive.com/article/new...pdate/85-21b36c8c-f649-4831-ba66-99b724285d5f

 

I'm looking for a painter myself, kind of. Sold both my '96 Impala SS and my '04 Mercury Marauder (to my future son-in-law,) because they needed a paint job.

 

Earl Scheib still around?

 

Go get some spray cans, single or 2 stage, in the correct color. You can order from the internet or local supply place can get them or make them. Clean and scuff the hood. Tape off fenders and go to town. Modern spray cans like this can give you amazing results, if you lay down thin layers and let it flash.

Are the mirrors body color? clean and scuff. Tape everything off and start with a plastic primer. Then topcoat with same spray cans.

done. Maybe 200-300 for all materials and beer while you do it.


edit these guys have a location south of downtown.
http://touchstonepaint.com/

 

Hop in the car. Call Mongo and tell him what color you want. Drive to the executive WERA offices in beautiful Canton GA. Check in with Gabe at the entrance. He will provide you a name badge and escort you to Mongo's 12,000 sq ft office/work/paint shop.
Park the vehicle and then hang with Ev and discuss the world's news. Meanwhile Mongo will be painting your car with spray bombs from Home Depot. Then give Ev 3 grand and drive home, see it was easy and your car looks great

 

If you are willing to travel to Cherokee County/Woodstock:

http://www.rpcollision.com/

He was recommended by a friend. I had a minor sideswipe on my 11 year old Camry that the other driver's insurance was going to pay for. He did a great job. Completed some non-accident work for me as well. Even detailed the interior. I just picked it up today.

Matias is a great guy and I hope you consider using him. Tell him JC's friend Rick with the white Camry sent ya.

 

Mine's Red, and 13 years old now. What's your odometer reading?

 

248,xxx

 

Find a local vocational school with an auto body program. This sounds like the perfect kind of job for them to do in class.

 

Maaco or Earl.

 

You are not scuffing and shooting paint that is delaminating, like you describe. it will need to be stripped to bare, and started over, which usually isnt cost effective, so you need to start with new parts, and added costs.

people think it is easy to get paint to adhere to autos, lots of prep work. and more so now with the water born paint systems. if you dont start with a good substrate, you wont have a good top coat. there are not short cuts, unless you dont mind spending the money, and having it fail rather quickly.

everyone says, it only needs scuff and shoot, everyone says, it is just surface rust, everyone says, they dont care if it isnt perfect, everyone says they dont mind paying for a good job... then the quote gets there, and reality sets in.

sorry, those of us in the industry, see this daily, and more so in the spring, when people get their tax refund back, and want their car "new, and or looking good" for summer. Ski

 

Ashamedly, I'm in this boat. I have an 06 mustang and the paint is bad but it's not worth the cost to paint it for the same price I paid for the car. At least I feel like understand the amount of work it takes for it to not be shit again soon and I understand the cost, I just can't afford it and that bums me out and I wish there was a solid middle ground option.

 

I used Maaco on my one time getting my truck painted.

 

This makes sense. I'm not sure if I can get the mirrors but I can get a hood. Although they are damned expensive.

 

sooo... Plasti-dip it is? or vinyl wrap?

 

Purple and gold wrap seems popular....

Bedliner the whole damn thing.

 

I disagree with this, to some degree. You are coming from the paint world where it need to be 'perfect'. For a 20+ yo vehicle it doesnt sound like he needs it perfect. And for that just scuff/sand the hell out of it and go to town with the rattle bomb cans. And it will look better than faded/peeling paint by a long shot.