SC4ME

ive never heard of a paint restorer, i need to look into this. i hope theres one by me. ill pay upto 1500 if they can restore the cars paint !

i understand maaco is only for cheap cars under 5k. but they are a last resort option. but ive asked a couple shops and i was quoted some crazy prices. 9,000 for full car and 4500 for blends or just exterior. 3000 for engine bay and trunk, 1500 for front end and 1000 for rear end.

SC43052

Paint restoration is typically done by a body shop, who is trained in using buffing compound and buffers to remove oxidation and expose a new surface of the original paint.

If your rock chips are heavily localized (as they usually are) to the front bumper cover you can have only that part repainted (must be done by experts that can match the existing paint) so that the repair is not noticeable.

Making invisible repairs to rock chips can be done by yourself, but it is time consuming and requires a good deal of patience.

First, clean the chip and the area around the chip with a wax remover (available at auto stores) and make sure it is completely dry. The paint application process involves using a toothpick instead of a brush. Dip the toothpick into the paint, place the tip of the paint coated toothpick into the recess of the chip and let gravity drip a VERY small amount of paint down the shaft of the toothpick (little is more in this case) into the recess of the chip. This method is better than the brush because unless you are using an extremely fine brush and a very trained steady hand, you will end up with paint outside of the chip and on existing good paint. This creates a higher surface and makes the repair stick out. Placing paint only in the chip recess is the objective.

Then let it dry up to 24 hours and repeat the process up to four or five times, slowly building the paint level in the chip until a bubble, slightly higher than the original paint around it, sits where the chip was (with little or no overlap onto paint outside of the chip). After it has dried up to a week, then carefully wet sand the bubble until it is flat with the paint around it. Then follow with rubbing compound and final polishing. Done successfully, I have seen chip repairs done that are virtually invisible unless you know exactly where to look.

Unless the original paint is really bad, or you need to do extensive repairs, there is no paint like the quality of the original paint, and Lexus does a superb job of finishing a car at the factory.

SC4ME

^^^ very true but my car was burned so the paint is damaged, not to mention its got over 20 yrs of age showing. i was looking to add a coat of metallic to give it more pizazz.

Taysdad

Paint restoration and wet sanding is what I was talking about in the above post. If you look at the link, you can see samples of their work. While costs vary by region, these guys charge $55 per hour. It takes a few days of work to get it right.

SC43052

Very true. Sorry I missed your post.

SC43052

Yes, if the paint is burned through to the metal then you are correct that wet sanding won't help much. I did a double-take on the 20 years of age, but then realized that you must have a previous generation SC (300 or 400).

For southern states, keeping the car out of the sun is more important than anything else you do for the finish. Even with the outstanding UV oxidation inhibitors in paint made in the last 5 years, UV still will win if the paint is exposed often and long enough.

SC4ME

oh yea sorry i have both a 1st gen and 2nd gen sc but im talking about the 1st. it hasnt burned completely through but i could always repair the paint and top it off with a clearcoat.

Habious

If someone knows of a reputable paint restorer, like has been talked about in this thread, in the Washington DC Metro area, I'd love to know about it.

My '03 SC's paint is also showing its age and could use some "refurbishing".

SC43052

You need to use Google to research companies. This is just the first one I found.
http://autorefreshva.com/

Do not assume all are the same. Put the company name and the word "review" in Google to see if people are happy with the results. It appears that reviews for the above company's work are positive, but getting someone to show up at the appointed time can be difficult. But I would take that with a grain of salt, as everyone who works wants them on non-business hours.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/auto-refresh-arlington

sdfaith

Hey SC43052, I like that idea of paint restoration. My 2005 special edition has chips on the hood and a baby scrape on the side. Would love to get those fixed without having to paint the whole car.

You said: And even then, there is never a paint job as good as the factory paint. I would suggest you take the next step after detailing and look into a paint restorer who will professionally fill in chips, use paintless dent repair where possible and then buff with compound to bring back the original paint. This might be in the $1200-$1500 range but may achieve what you desire with the original paint intact.

Curr

Woburn Foreign Auto Body in Woburn MA. It's who I plan on having repaint my wife's 03 SC.