Date:         Sat, 1 Oct 2011 09:45:26 -0700
Reply-To:     Jeff Schwaia <vw.doka@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Schwaia <vw.doka@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Van painting cost
In-Reply-To:  <4E86A711.9070800@qadas.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Paint costs seem to vary greatly by location.  I know the supplies here in
CA are very expensive, but the same supplies are much cheaper  in NV.
Several of the small body shops I deal with will commonly get their supplies
from Reno.  Technically, it's not legal for them to do so, however... I
doubt the paint police are patrolling the border.  It's also a fairly common
practice among the hot rod set to take their vehicles to Reno for paintwork.


Cheers,

Jeff


-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Jon Kanas
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 10:37 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Van painting cost

  Greetings John et al,

I'd very very concerned about an estimate that low.  The
materials alone to do my Vanagon were nearly $1K.  High
quality paint alon, when I did mine in 2009 was nearly $200
per gallon.  There's lots of surface area on a Vanagon -
takes lots of primer, basecoat and clear.  If you're going
to take the time and effort to do all the work to
disassemble and prep, you'll be unhappy if the paint doesn't
look decent at all, or doesn't last more than a couple of years.

*Best Regards,
Jon*



On 9/30/2011 7:56 PM, John Rodgers wrote:
> I would be curious to hear painting costs in the South or
> Southeast US. One outfit I talked to quoted $500 if I
> prepped the job - R&R'ed all the hardware, etc, etc ad
> taped it up. Paint type was not discussed. It was sort of
> an of an off-hand quote - prol'ly not realistic. But it
> would be nice to hear costs in other southern locations.
>
> John
>
> John Rodgers
> Clayartist and Moldmaker
> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
> Chelsea, AL
> Http://www.moldhaus.com
>
>
> On 9/30/2011 4:22 PM, Jon Kanas wrote:
>> Greetings Troy et al,
>>
>> The $6500 does not sound too far out of line.  It depends
>> greatly on the
>> amount of bodywork required and the paint quality.  Good
>> materials are
>> expensive.  Per others already commenting on the list,
>> find a small,
>> reputable shop who is interesting in working with you,
>> and not just how
>> quickly they can get it in and out to make room for the
>> next insurance
>> job.  A good place to start looking for a shop is through
>> any local
>> hot-rodders in your area.  These folks are intimately
>> familiar with
>> custom metal and paintwork - and face it, the Vanagon
>> isn't something
>> most commercial shops will have dealt with before.
>>
>> I had my Syncro done last year.  The initial paint and
>> bodywork was
>> $5000.  This included some small dents, surface rust
>> under the window
>> seals, seam rust on both rear quarter panels and right
>> front step.  I
>> removed the pop-top and old canvas (removed most of the
>> interior to
>> avoid dust and overspray, then delivered the Syncro and
>> roof to the
>> shop.  They removed the windows, did the body and
>> paintwork, then
>> replaced all the window seals and windshield seal when
>> reassembling.  I
>> found and acquired all of the parts and seals (the shop
>> wasn't familiar
>> enough with Vanagons to know our favorite part
>> suppliers).   My final
>> cost was just over $7700, including the canvas which I
>> replaced upon
>> reassembly.  The project took about two months.  I went
>> to the shop
>> weekly to visit,  typically on Friday afternoons.
>> All-in-all it was an
>> expensive, but not unpleasant experience.
>>
>> I did add a bit to the paint cost by using a blue-tinted
>> metal flake
>> instead of the normal silver for my Wolfsram Gray, and
>> also painted the
>> roof and lower panels medium blue.  It makes my 1987 look
>> like a newer
>> Syncro.
>>
>> *Best Regards,
>> Jon B Kanas
>>
>> *
>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List
>>> [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
>>> Troy
>>> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 4:41 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Van painting cost
>>>
>>> I just got back from the body shop with an estimate of
>>> $6500 to repaint my
>>> van. For this price, I was going to completely remove
>>> all the moldings,
>>> poptop canvas, side windows and rear, bumpers, utility
>>> outlets, door
>>> handles, etc. and also reinstall. The $6500 does not
>>> include any new rubber
>>> seals. I'm guessing a good $1200 for a complete set of
>>> rubber seals to do
>>> all the doors and windows, pop top, rear hatch, etc. I
>>> do have some rust
>>> around the rear window, and side windows, and in one of
>>> the rain gutters,
>>> and one dent on the passenger side.  I really wanted to
>>> change colors, but
>>> that would add an easy $1500 to the price. So, I guess I
>>> was thinking in the
>>> $4000-$5000 range with me doing part of the work, so was
>>> a little surprised.
>>>
>>> I'd like to get some feedback from others who have their
>>> vans painted, and
>>> what they spent, and was was done for the cost.
>>>
>>> Troy
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>