Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am buying a new TV and would like to have my fenders painted to match the color. The fenders are not installed yet, so I planned on taking them to a local body shop and having them sprayed. The body shop I have used in the past quoted $700 just to spray the fenders? Seems like way too much.

I am wondering who else has done this, how you got it done, and how much it cost?

Thanks,

drew

4 cans of automotive touch up paint from O Reilleys.
I think they were about 7 bucks a piece.
Last couple of coats are clear coat.

drewh1 wrote:I am buying a new TV and would like to have my fenders painted to match the color. The fenders are not installed yet, so I planned on taking them to a local body shop and having them sprayed. The body shop I have used in the past quoted $700 just to spray the fenders? Seems like way too much.

I am wondering who else has done this, how you got it done, and how much it cost?

Thanks,

drew

I'm guessing with a price like that, they don't need the work (small job) and were trying to quote an exorbitant price to chase you off (or make it worth their while).

Quite honestly, that's barely a $100 job for many shops.

Did you try Maaco? Where they are brand new fenders, there is less prep work for them to screw up.

Not sure of your area but we have a automotive paint supplier in Modesto called Benson and Zimmerman, they can take any color coded auto paint and put it in a rattle can. Just a thought.

I guess it all depends on what you want the final result to be.

Lets see... ... to do an automotive quality finish properly you need to clean and degrease to remove any manufacturing lube used in the drawing/forming process and/or finger prints. Then a sealer coat. Then primer. Then sanding and more primer. If you want a true automotive finish, repeat this step several times until all flaws are gone. Mask the under side. If you're using a two stage paint (base coat/clear coat) there maybe several steps/coats to get the color down. Any significant trouble spots need to be dealt with prior to clear coat. The clear coats. Then with some systems you need to cut and rub out the clear.

Times 2 for two fenders.

Shop rates of $70/hr, that's 10 hrs not including materials/consumables.

Doesn't sound unreasonable to me for a quality job.

Spray bomb? Sure, that's just a couple of bucks and a little lava soap to get the over spray off your finger tip, but it won't look anywhere close to the same in quality.

Or you could take a stab at doing a little better job with prep and sanding between coats. A little more money, a lot more effort, and maybe okay results (depending on what you want the outcome to be).

You pays your money and you takes your choice.

Not knowing what the color is on the fenders, if it's something trick, that can drive the cost on the paint. I do a fair amount of paint work and that seems out of line to me. If you don't have a gun and compressor, like mentioned, prime them out of a rattle can, get the good stuff, not the Walmart primer. If you go to an automotive paint store, many can mix your formula into a couple of rattle cans, get your primer there as well. If it's a dark paint, get a dark primer, if it's light, get a white. This paint will spray much better than the regular paint in the can type spray. You should be able to get a good result if you have some basics with spraying. You can also buy a straight clear or a catalyzed one in a spray can as well. Once it's all looking all nice and you get them installed...be prepared for them to take some chips. It's just a fact of life. FWIW...on one, I had a dead compressor...paid 90$ to have them shot with black, had it done when they were spraying something else. Doug

You can get a quality look by doing it your self. Base coat/ clear coat. at least for me, was by far easier than a single stage paint. I would assume that a auto paint supplier could mix up and fill a rattle can with basecoat paint. SEM makes some great spray can primers from the self etching to the high build ones. Just take your time and make sure you use the correct paints.