24 replies to this topic

[77 layland]

I would like to no what the average price of a respray for a mini is, if I prep the whole car myself. And provide primer paint clear coat, Iv started to sand down some rust after reading an article on here about, which got me worried. Haha

Thanks

[Baldspeed Racing]

Most bodyshops probably wouldn't take on a "self prep" job as it could affect the overall finish, if it doesn't come out good who's to blame etc. Same kinda goes to the paint side as they probably have their own tried n tested paint company. Its probably best to speak to the bodyshop/s direct and maybe tell them your budget as some would do the work for you at the price....that's if the budget isn't silly cheap

[77 layland]

Thanks.... And a thousand pounds, I don't no if that's reasonable to be honest? I'll try some spray shops, hopefully some guys on here will no a good place for mini's.

[Dusky]

1000£ WIll not get you a show car finish.
But, as always, there are probably a few people around you who will accept a self-prep job ( most of the time non professional/ backyard job) and do it within your budget.
As a guideline, I payed 450£ In paint alone for a full respray, I did order a bit too much material tho.

[robminibcy]

as someone who has worked in that industry a lot of self preps can cost more than just giving them the car. By all means strip it down and do any welding but when people start using cheap rattle cans or do poor filler repairs it will take far longer than if a pro just did it from scratch.

[slidehammer]

I paid £2,000.00 cash for a good respray, which is better than factory but not show quality. That included stone chipping sills and inner rear arches and then going over in top coat. Doing engine bay, boot and visible areas within the shell. He took it back to bare metal, I was told he used about £1,000.00 worth of consumables. Seemed a lot of money at the time but when you think about it is not bad at all.

[Ben_O]

It always depends on the work required to get the car ready. This is where the big differences in price will be.

 

£1200 is a starting price if the car is in good condition, has had any necessary parts removed and literally just needs prep, paint and then flat/polish.

 

We would not accept any jobs that had been prepped by the customer because as has been said, if something is not quite right and shows through the paint, then they are likely to blame us and things can get messy.

also, there can be compatibility issues with primers and paints which can cause no end of trouble.

 

Last month I took in a job that the customer had tried to do himself. It was front and rear bumpers on a 330ci cabrio. He had rubbed down the scuffs and repaired the damage and applied primer but had a reaction with the primer so decided to pass it to us to do.

 

The repairs were not completed fully under the primer so i ended up stripping it back and re-doing it and then had more issues with reactions and silicone and ended up painting the job twice.

it just wasn't worth my while in the end.

 

I would have thought that you would find someone to paint the car if you do the prep but be prepared to sign a disclaimer voiding them of any liability if the finish is not perfect.

 

Good luck

 

Ben 

[Ben_O]

Also, i forgot to add.

 

Most pro shops won't accept customer supplied paint.

 

The BMW customer i mentioned in my last post did and i didn't use it.

 

Different manufactures paints act differently so most painters tend to fins a brand they like and stick with it.

 

Cheers

 

Ben

[Moggyton]

I paid over £4000 for a bare metal respray. Also included new door skins and a panels. Depends what sort of finish you want. Mine has about 20 coats of paint on so plenty to polish :)

[Mini 360]

How long is a piece of string?  As ever, buy cheap, buy twice.  Rubbing down rust doestnt remove it.  Cut it out and replace with new metal or your paintjob wont last long....

[77 layland]

Thank you all very much,its been an eye opener, I'm finding things out all the time to be honest I think I paid over the odds for my mini after discovering things lol but I'm learning, Iv found filler bits n bats that I'm repairing, with regards to rust the stuff that converts rust into a solid, is that worth what it says?? And mini 360 buy cheap buy twice is ringing tru, I will be upping my budget as in no rush. Prefer a proper job guy's, sorry for the the questions lol

[neon1991]

If you don't know and don't ask, you will never know :)

 

I'm doing my own and plan on about 3-400 for the paint... this will probably go up because I have a wife that changes her mind like the wind :)

Edited by neon1991, 19 August 2016 - 03:29 PM.

[sonikk4]

Rust on a mini falls into two categories.

 

Surface rust, this is exactly as it says a very light film of rust that once removed leaves no pitting.

Pitted rust, this is the onset of panel changing time. If you remove all of the surface and you can still see pitting then realistically thats too far gone on a mini panel.

 

Remember the vast majority of mini panels are only 0.9mm thick which is very thin to start with.

 

So rust converters. I used to advocate Krust but to be honest its not all that so far better to use Bilt Hamber Deox but you must follow the instructions to the letter.

 

Also please bare in mind our cars rust from the inside out so what you see on top is just the tip of the iceberg. 

 

With all of that in mind if you suspect anything at all then cut it out, change the panel etc etc. No point in spending thousands of pounds on a paint job only for it to start bubbling six months down the line. So many people get told it will be ok but no it wont be. The crap i see on FB goes to show that very thing.

 

If you are intent on restoring a very old mini then sometimes you go that extra mile to preserve as many original panels as possible, media blasting etc plays a big part in this BUT it will only do so much. Its back to the metal thickness thing again. Our cars are the strongest in the world and every little bit helps.

[77 layland]

What would be best paint if I was allowed to get it myself for the spray shop, been told lead based is best for water proofing Paint. Which sounds right,

[sonikk4]

What would be best paint if I was allowed to get it myself for the spray shop, been told lead based is best for water proofing Paint. Which sounds right,

 
Lead based?? are we on about primer here?? if so then use an Epoxy primer. This is water resistant and is readily available.
http://www.bilthamber.com/electrox.
 
This will allow you to work on your car and keep it protected before it goes to paint.

Edited by Deathrow, 22 August 2016 - 10:33 AM.
Fixed link.