Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:25:28 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Subject: Re: paint?
In-Reply-To: <200707172226.l6HMQm3u028402@ss72.shared.server-system.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Bryan has several good points in his post copied below. Not only does quality of work vary from shop to shop but even between people within a shop. If you want a decent job inspect their current work in progress and just finished vehicles and see if they meet your expectations. Confirm with the shop just what level of quality you will get for your money. The more prep work you do yourself the less you have to pay them for, but remember that sanding and prepping a vanagon is a big job and will take some time. If you do your own prep work leave all externals, lights, handles, etc, on until most of the work is done removing them only when it is time to do the area around them. This will cut down on the mess that gets inside the body. Once you go through all of this work you may want to rethink using Maaco, Earl Schieb, etc, as the difference in price is not just how much of the prep you do but also the quality of materials that they use. Quality materials alone will run
over $1,000.00 for a decent paint job. The manager of our local Maaco franchise once described their work to me as good for a few years or a vehicle being resold. Much of their customer base comes from used car lots trying to freshen up the merchandise for resale. Do you want to go through the time and expense for a so-so paint job when a nice one can be had for a bit more? It is up to you, your spouse, and your financial situation to decide. Is the rest of the van in good enough condtion to warrant the investment in time and money, if so go for it, if not do something else with the money.
My daily driver `87 Syncro w/sunroof has some seam rust and specks all over the front from rock chips, once I deal with the seams I may just have someone paint flowers or who knows what over the areas that get repaired. Saves me from repainting the whole van and gives other drivers something to look at. Our Westy Syncro however will get a full paint job to replace the cheap one that the former owner did to make it look better for resale. The body on it is in great shape due to its residing in Sacramento from new until we purchased it four years ago. The original paint suffered from sun fading and door dings so he took it somewhere cheap and now their paint is starting to come off in a few places. When I am ready I will prep the body as much as I can myself late in the winter when we are not driving it and turn it over to a good shop to finish the prep and then paint. When they are done I will take it back and install the externals. This will cost between $4,000.00 a
nd $5,000.00 in our area but it is worth it to my spouse and I. Just like shops spouses vary, mine is willing to spend money on our Westy to the point of replacing it with a nicer one if I were to find one. I would rather work with the one we have because unless I have someone custom build one anything we find will need something changed, why pay all of that money for a van that is not the way you want it?
just my 2 cents worth.
Mark in AK
"It seems the Maaco's, etc. vary by owner, one is good, the other sucks. My advice would be that you sand it yourself and take all the parts off the van yourself too. If not, they will just do a crappy tape job on your flashers, etc. then spray a coat of paint over your last wax job. Once again, it varies by shop the quality job they will do. A good paint job is $4000 and by going to one of these cheap places you are giving up allot, mostly prep work so that is why I recommend doing that yourself.
I'm sure I'll catch allot of heat from the list even mentioning using Maaco but I myself would not pay $4000 for a paint job, sorry. I could muck easier get a Zetec price tag passed "she with the look" then telling her I want to spend $4K to make it one color and shiny.
Bryan"
----- Original Message -----
From: Brendan Slevin <brendan@BELLATAZZA.COM>
Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 4:07 pm
Subject: paint?
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> So when we sell our Blazer (soon, please-I can't stand it,) I'd
> love to get
> Totoro new paint in it's original light blue. Any luck-good/bad--
> with a
> discount place like Maaco or Earl Scheib? It sounds to good to be
> true, but
> I am not expecting a show quality finish, just a good, fairly
> shiny coat to
> freshen it up. I plan on doing the little body work it needs. Any
> thoughts?
>
>
> Brendan Slevin
> 84 GL Totoro
> I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. -T.S. Eliot
>
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