Pearl White PAINT JOB!
04-26-2010, 07:13 AM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 75
Pearl White PAINT JOB!
I've been waiting to get my car painted pearl white since I blacked out a lot of my Maxima, and I want them to be off set. Can anybody direct me to a place where I can get a good price on a car paint job? I'm not up for spending thousands of dollars. Somebody suggested Maaco to me. Thanks!
04-26-2010, 07:21 AM
#2
I've been waiting to get my car painted pearl white since I blacked out a lot of my Maxima, and I want them to be off set. Can anybody direct me to a place where I can get a good price on a car paint job? I'm not up for spending thousands of dollars. Somebody suggested Maaco to me. Thanks!
04-26-2010, 07:54 AM
#5
Just a heads up. Pearl white is NOT cheap. This is coming from personal experience. I wanted to paint my roof spoiler to match the car. Needless to say, at this point in time, it's attached to my rear window, unpainted.
2 pints of pearl paint will run you near $140 from a reputable paint mixing shop. And you'll probably need a whole gallon or two of the stuff. Add on top of that the extensive labor of painting under the hood, in the door jambs, and in the engine bay with minimal overspray (taping is a *****. Try it sometime, you'll see what I mean), and going to a good shop that actually knows how to paint a tri-coat color, you're looking at at least $3,000. And that's a good deal.
2 pints of pearl paint will run you near $140 from a reputable paint mixing shop. And you'll probably need a whole gallon or two of the stuff. Add on top of that the extensive labor of painting under the hood, in the door jambs, and in the engine bay with minimal overspray (taping is a *****. Try it sometime, you'll see what I mean), and going to a good shop that actually knows how to paint a tri-coat color, you're looking at at least $3,000. And that's a good deal.
Last edited by Mr. Brett; 04-26-2010 at 07:56 AM.
04-26-2010, 08:10 AM
#6
Member
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 58
as others said, a few thousand from a good reputable shop is probably what you're looking for in terms of a good paint job.
maaco.. well that **** will flake off after 6 months. i've seen some of their work and their prep work is terrible.
maaco.. well that **** will flake off after 6 months. i've seen some of their work and their prep work is terrible.
04-27-2010, 05:37 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,132
Whoever suggested Macco is NOT your friend. Don't do it!!!
A real Pearl paint job is plastic flake in the first stage clear coat, followed by more clear. Any color can have a pearl finish if you treat the clear with the additive. Just like you can candy apple any color if you tint the first stage clear with color. Both are transparent coats, therefore you see the base coat and treated clear stage as one, brilliant finish or chameleon look...never really noticing that they are in fact different layers.
The last thing you want to do is get a paint job like this if you plan on cutting corners. Something else you have to consider, if you ever need body work and repaint, it's hard to match so they will be required to repaint all contiguous panels to maintain a matching flow. In short repair work becomes very pricy because there's no way to ensure an exact duplication with the amount of additive, spray technique, and other variables without spraying a whole side.
Let's say a standard paint job would run you about $3500. Pearl coating is going to be probably 30-50% more than that. $5000 would not be unreasonable. Being that your car is white already, you really don't need to paint under the hood or in the door trim's. That might save you a few hundred bucks if you're ok with overlooking that.
A real Pearl paint job is plastic flake in the first stage clear coat, followed by more clear. Any color can have a pearl finish if you treat the clear with the additive. Just like you can candy apple any color if you tint the first stage clear with color. Both are transparent coats, therefore you see the base coat and treated clear stage as one, brilliant finish or chameleon look...never really noticing that they are in fact different layers.
The last thing you want to do is get a paint job like this if you plan on cutting corners. Something else you have to consider, if you ever need body work and repaint, it's hard to match so they will be required to repaint all contiguous panels to maintain a matching flow. In short repair work becomes very pricy because there's no way to ensure an exact duplication with the amount of additive, spray technique, and other variables without spraying a whole side.
Let's say a standard paint job would run you about $3500. Pearl coating is going to be probably 30-50% more than that. $5000 would not be unreasonable. Being that your car is white already, you really don't need to paint under the hood or in the door trim's. That might save you a few hundred bucks if you're ok with overlooking that.
04-27-2010, 01:09 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 392
Pearl white is expensive, and it will cost you at least $3,000+ for a good paint job. But what an awesome color. I think pearl white is a sexy color on anything, even motorcycles.
If worst comes to worst have it painted a pure white. But shop around because each manufacturer has different shades of white. I would get the whitest white you can get.
If worst comes to worst have it painted a pure white. But shop around because each manufacturer has different shades of white. I would get the whitest white you can get.
04-27-2010, 03:28 PM
#13
The 5th Gen would be absolutely SEXY in Pearl White. (though I'm biased as this is my 2nd Pearl White Nissan, my first was an 83 280ZXt 2+2)
Expect $3,000 to $4,000 to get it done right (assuming you have 0 rust and 0 body damage).
Expect $3,000 to $4,000 to get it done right (assuming you have 0 rust and 0 body damage).
04-27-2010, 03:40 PM
#14
Whoever suggested Macco is NOT your friend. Don't do it!!!
A real Pearl paint job is plastic flake in the first stage clear coat, followed by more clear. Any color can have a pearl finish if you treat the clear with the additive. Just like you can candy apple any color if you tint the first stage clear with color. Both are transparent coats, therefore you see the base coat and treated clear stage as one, brilliant finish or chameleon look...never really noticing that they are in fact different layers.
The last thing you want to do is get a paint job like this if you plan on cutting corners. Something else you have to consider, if you ever need body work and repaint, it's hard to match so they will be required to repaint all contiguous panels to maintain a matching flow. In short repair work becomes very pricy because there's no way to ensure an exact duplication with the amount of additive, spray technique, and other variables without spraying a whole side.
Let's say a standard paint job would run you about $3500. Pearl coating is going to be probably 30-50% more than that. $5000 would not be unreasonable. Being that your car is white already, you really don't need to paint under the hood or in the door trim's. That might save you a few hundred bucks if you're ok with overlooking that.
A real Pearl paint job is plastic flake in the first stage clear coat, followed by more clear. Any color can have a pearl finish if you treat the clear with the additive. Just like you can candy apple any color if you tint the first stage clear with color. Both are transparent coats, therefore you see the base coat and treated clear stage as one, brilliant finish or chameleon look...never really noticing that they are in fact different layers.
The last thing you want to do is get a paint job like this if you plan on cutting corners. Something else you have to consider, if you ever need body work and repaint, it's hard to match so they will be required to repaint all contiguous panels to maintain a matching flow. In short repair work becomes very pricy because there's no way to ensure an exact duplication with the amount of additive, spray technique, and other variables without spraying a whole side.
Let's say a standard paint job would run you about $3500. Pearl coating is going to be probably 30-50% more than that. $5000 would not be unreasonable. Being that your car is white already, you really don't need to paint under the hood or in the door trim's. That might save you a few hundred bucks if you're ok with overlooking that.
^^^^^^^^^^
what he said!
04-27-2010, 06:02 PM
#17
I love my pearl white. However, 170,000 miles with no 3m clear bra has demolished my front bumper. And my rear bumper has a ton of spider webs in it from where a hit and run was done.
I'd like to repaint it, but I really don't want to repaint my entire car.
04-27-2010, 07:51 PM
#18
It would be cheaper to sell your car and buy a pearl white Maxima. Absolutely do not cheap out on a paint job unless your paint is trashed and you are just trying to sell the car. A complete repaint with a color change is going to be $3000-4000+ to do right. That means removing all the side molding, window trim, mirrors, bumpers, doors, hood and trunk lid, headlights, tail lights, side markers, and the sun roof. Taping off it not an option if you want it done right. Plus you have all the time it takes to get the car straight, fill or sand down areas with chips, then priming the car, block sanding it again, the shooting two stage pearl base coats and then the clear.
Also, don't ever get in an accident because it is pretty much impossible to get a perfect match repainting pearl.
Also, don't ever get in an accident because it is pretty much impossible to get a perfect match repainting pearl.
04-27-2010, 08:44 PM
#20
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