Your opinion on body/paint repair on used cars

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filphil

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I'm considering buying a used Mazda Miata. I've looked at plenty and have noticed that some of the really well mechanically maintained cars have a few scrapes, rock chips, etc. on them. The degree of them varied also. An example was a scrape(or better described as a gouge) on the plastic bumper. It looks like it rubbed/crashed rather hard into a curb.

I'm not asking for help on buying a used car, but more on the repair required to make an aesthetically unappealing car into a like-new/detail enthusiast acceptable one. What procedures are taken and how would a scrape like the one I described above be repaired? I'm sure that with money, anything can look excellent considering classic car restoration.

Is it important to you, the detailing enthusiast/autogeek, to restore a car's paint condition to virtually rock chip, scrape, and scratch free condition and at what cost? Or do the age of the cars reflect how well a car should look?

Consider that it will be daily driven(3-4 times a week among other cars).

In my opinion, rock chips and scratches are acceptable on daily drivers. Scrapes and dents however are an eye sore to me. Paint matching is also a concern to me. I imagine that the bumper I saw would require a full respray with the scrape filled in to repair it.

Any opinions on my thoughts or would anyone like to share their opinions? The detailers mind is an interesting one, so I'm actually very interested in hearing the thoughts I hope everyone shares.
 
On a DD I learned a long time ago to accept a certain amount of rock chips, minor dings (door bumps) and other imperfections in the paint. When they total up to an unacceptable amount it's repaint time. What is considered an unacceptable amount of dings varies greatly however between different people... As far as the repaint goes, with me it might be just the hood and bumper and other times it might be the entire car depending on the cars worth, age, mileage and my bank account:)

I'm lucky enough to have a buddy running a P & B shop and when the time comes, I buy the paint, prep the car and he shoots it. My end of the bargain is helping him buff out or prep a car or two. The bad part is the cost of paint lately. Those guys think it is made from liquid gold!!!
 
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Thanks for the offer detailgod and thank you for your opinion GeorgiaHybrid.
 
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Back on topic. :)
My rules of thumb for doing a paint repair:
1. If it is going to allow further damage such as rust or peeling, fix it.
2. If it bugs me enough when I see it, fix it.

A very good friend of mine has a body shop and he discourages me from messing with the factory finish. The original paint was done on fresh metal/plastic, done with state of the art equipment, and is pretty hard to beat.
Paint matching is a concern. Your present paint can be matched with out a lot of problem but, will it still match in a year or two. The new paint may not, and probably won't, fade at the same rate as the original paint.
 
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CharlesW said:
Back on topic. :)
My rules of thumb for doing a paint repair:
1. If it is going to allow further damage such as rust or peeling, fix it.
2. If it bugs me enough when I see it, fix it.

A very good friend of mine has a body shop and he discourages me from messing with the factory finish. The original paint was done on fresh metal/plastic, done with state of the art equipment, and is pretty hard to beat.
Paint matching is a concern. Your present paint can be matched with out a lot of problem but, will it still match in a year or two. The new paint may not, and probably won't, fade at the same rate as the original paint.
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Is the paint matching that far down the road THAT much of a concern? The tone you have seemed like it's a serious concern, although I understand it is because resprays aren't cheap.
 
filphil said:
Is the paint matching that far down the road THAT much of a concern? The tone you have seemed like it's a serious concern, although I understand it is because resprays aren't cheap.
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A year or two doesn't seem "that far down the road" to me, but yes, it would certainly matter on one of my vehicles.
Maybe the fact that I keep a vehicle for several years makes a difference, but I wouldn't be happy with non matching paint 5 years down the road. :)
 
Now if I were to buy a pre-owned vehicle, would you recommend a FULL respray with necessary body work(such as the gouge I described in my original post) or spot work. Now I understand that budget, overall paint condition, and degree of perfection a person is looking to achieve will affect the answer to my question.
 
filphil said:
Now if I were to buy a pre-owned vehicle, would you recommend a FULL respray with necessary body work(such as the gouge I described in my original post) or spot work. Now I understand that budget, overall paint condition, and degree of perfection a person is looking to achieve will affect the answer to my question.
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Keep in mind you are just getting an opinion and it might very well be worth no more than it cost you.

Personally, I would do as little paintwork as possible. As I said before, the original paint is hard to beat.
Not knowing how bad the gouge is, it's possible that a spot repair could be done. The body shop could fix the damage and repaint just the repaired area with base coat, blend it, and reclear the bumper.
A spot repair that is blended will not be terribly noticeable.
Stop by a reputable body shop and discuss your concerns with them. If possible, stop by with the vehicle and let them see exactly what needs/can be done.
If you are willingly to pay for a good job, they can do some amazing things.

One thing to remember, automobile painting is expensive. It can cost anywhere from $100 to $300 a gallon for good quality paint. Add in $100 a gallon reducer/hardner and a lot of money has been spent. Just doing your bumper will probably require close to $100 worth of material. A basecoat/clearcoat job also requires a lot of labor. Sanding, prep, primer, sand again, at least one base coat and probably two, then two or three coats of clear.
It isn't like picking up a gallon of $20 paint at Home Depot and using a $4 brush to paint your house. (Actually, you should be using a $25 brush to paint your house.) :D
 
I had a mazda MX-6 and drove it daily (75-80 miles 5 days a week= hence 243000 miles on a 96 model) and I can tell you how I got every little scratch or nick. To me they are scars that reflect on the life of the car and they give the car character. Many will disagree with me. But I feel I would only repaint/repair if the damage interfers with the safety or performance of the vehicle. To me what matters is the overall shine and gloss. If my car still looks new, I don't need a new car because I feel it is new--no matter how many miles I have on it. If the overall look of the car is dull, thats a different story. I would not be happy with it.
 
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