How much will it cost to make a Red car Black, by changing the Paint on the Car?

How much will it cost to give a %26quot;Red%26quot; car a %26quot;Black%26quot; Paint Job? My uncles ran a shop, they liked to say that changing a car's color was %26quot;Virtually Impossible%26quot; if done right, as you had to:



1) Strip off ALL old Paint;

2) Sand;

3) %26quot;Wet-Sand%26quot;/Sand again;

4) Prep;

5) Treat/Prep Again,

6) Prime,

7) Base Coat,

8) Apply Layer 1, etc....



But then again there is also %26quot;Maaco%26quot;....



IF i buy this Red Car, HOW MUCh will it take to make it Black?



P.S.: The car is 2-door, Sporty appearance, Color-borrowed-from-Corvette (Stock Beretta Bright Red, not Maroon at all) %26quot;I Drive Fast PULL ME OVER in my 2 Door SPORTY CAR%26quot; Red.. I want to make it Black if i get this car, to appear the Responsible Driver and not the Prone-to-Speeding-in-the-Fast-Car 18-year old.



I am 27, so ive BASICALLY Past that...How much will it cost to make a Red car Black, by changing the Paint on the Car?Figure between $4000 to $6000 if you want it to look right.



You can get it done for less, but you won't be satisfied with the results.



Here's why.



First, consider any work that is done to the car you are on the clock for labor. Figure on at least $100 per hour for labor. You will also need to pay for any materials used on the vehicle.



First, all of the trim must be removed. Also the head lights, tail lights, turn signals, side marker lights, grille, radio antenna, etc. Figure 3 hours labor.



The vehicle must be cleaned. All wax must be removed. Figure 1 hour labor. Figure $50 for materials.



The entire vehicle must be sanded. Figure 4 hours labor. Figure $100 for materials.



Stripping the old paint is not required if there is only one coat of paint and the paint is in good condition. If the car has been repainted at least once or if the original paint has problems like peeling, then the original paint will need to be removed. This is usually done by plastic media blasting. The body shop may do this in house, they may send it to another shop for this. Figure on about $500 for materials. Figure on 8 hours labor.



The body preparation must be perfect. Any underlying defect stands out like a sore thumb. These must be repaired. You may think these are minor, but do you really have any idea on how much preparation it will take to get these areas perfect enough for paint? Figure at least 8 hours for body work. Figure on $150 for materials.



The vehicle must be masked off for the next steps. Figure on 2 hours labor. Figure $50 materials.



The vehicle must get a final cleaning. Get wiped down with solvent to remove any surface contaminants. And get wiped down with tack rags to remove any remaining dust or dirt. Figure 1 hour labor. Figure $50 for materials.



The original paint must be sealed. Figure 1 hour labor. Figure $100 materials.



The car must be primed. Figure 1 hour labor. Figure $150 materials.



The car will most likely need some final sanding while in primer. Figure 2 hours labor. Figure $50 materials.



Most modern paints are Base Coat / Clear Coat systems.



By now, the car is finally ready for Base Coat (Color). This is usually 2 or more coats of paint. Figure 3 hours labor. Figure $300 materials.



Next is the Clear Coat. This is also done in about 3 coats. Figure 3 hours labor. Figure on about $200 materials.



After the paint is dry the masking materials must be removed. Figure on 1 hours labor.



It is not uncommon to have the final coat of paint buffed and polished to make it look like a new car. Figure on 2 hours labor. Figure on $100 materials.



Next, the trim , head lights, tail lights, turn signals, side markers, radio antenna, etc. must be reinstalled. Figure on 3 hours labor.



The vehicle will now get a final inspection.



Add this up



35 hours labor @ $100 per hour = $3500 labor

$1250 in materials



Add it all up and it easily comes to $4750. This will in no way be a fancy or custom paint job. This is just to have the vehicle painted the same color as it is now. This assumes the vehicle has not had the old paint stripped before painting.



Add about 10% if the vehicle is black as this requires addition prep work. Mostly in extra labor. Now the price would be $5275



Add about 10% if you are changing the color. This is because of the added steps, labor and materials to paint the door jams, trunk / hatch area, under the hood, etc. Now the price is $5747.



Add another $1400 if you want the car stripped before painting. Now the price is $6269.



Any cut rate pait shop is going to have to take some serious short cuts to get the price lower. Usually in the preparation. They spend little time repairing defects. They may skip steps like applying sealer. They will use cheap materials. All this will effect the final result. With a black paint job this will really show.
How much will it cost to make a Red car Black, by changing the Paint on the Car?
If you want a $99.00 paint job, then go to Maaco and pray it doesn't rain, but if you want a professionally done car, the complete paint job starts at $3000.00 and can end up costing you as much as $7000.00.