Gentlemen

I have a question that is paint related. I never post over here but I have over 400 posts on the forum offering whatever I can whenever I can. Hopefully this question has an easy answer.

I recently bought a new sport UTE. The car was in the garage with the deck lid / tail lid whatever ya call it open. My Mother in Law hit the pushbutton to open the garage door and produced a 14 inch or so scratch down the surface of the lid when the lift bar on the door contacted the paint surface. Mother being the "mother" she is ("It is only a little scratch") aint gonna pay. Off I went to the dealer body shop.

The estimate was $750.00!!!!!!!! Now I gotta add there is no dent and the scratch does not go thru the primer. What I got was I think a load of BS. "Well we gotta clear coat the entire deck lid and we gotta repaint the color in just the area of the scratch but because we have to clear coat it all we gotta remove all the rubber window seal for the rear window and the rear window wiper and washer and the 3rd light, the marker plate frame and and blah blah blah. I felt like asking "Do you also have to lift the body off the frame because of the clear coat?".

I think this guy is setting me up. I have painted in the past (not professionally) but never done base coat clear coat. Am I missing something here? Is it that big a deal? Are there issues with the new paints today? I mean has this gotten to where the paint is so special from an enviro point of view...would I need some sorta moon suit if I decided to get an air brush and fix the problem myself???

Seems to me a little sanding with some 1700 grit, apply some color coat and then just shoot some clear over the repainted area. Wait a while wet sand it out and buff.

Any comments?

I'd just go to the paint shop and have them mix you up a little single stage to match the color, touch it in with a brush. I am no expert, but I've never had any luck trying blend in BC/CC. I tryed it once, but ended up repainting and re-clearing the entire project. I've done it with single stage.

To do the job properly everything that contacts the rear hatch should be removed, to prevent peeling later on. It is usually not worth the hassle of trying to blend clear in the middle of a panel.Now if there is a fairly sharp body line you can back tape to that.All work at our shop is guaranteed for as long as you own the car that is why we try to do it right the first time!!! Mike

Sounds to me like everything they told you about how to fix it PROPERLY is correct. If they do a lousy patch job and you come back in 6 months with paint falling off the panel, it would be their fault and they would have to fix it. Blending the color around the scratch and clearing the panel is only way to fix it and know it will last. Thats why they explained it to you. Sounds like a lot but, if you want it fixed right...

Agree with 69ssmike.Everything on the gate needs to be r&i'ed (removed and installed) Not much is masked anymore. The interior trim needs to be removed to access things like the gate handle,license light ect.Basially the gate is stripped of all bolt ons and possibly the glass.That is to do it RIGHT.You said the thing is new,so the guy probably assumed you dont want a halfass job.You shouldnt have to look hard to find someone to halfass it for you if you want to save a few bucks.

The only real way to do the job right is to r&i all of the components, repair the scratch, blend the color within the panel and clear complete, as previously mentioned. Now if you want to save a few dollars just do all the R&I work for them, remove all of the parts and drop the vehicle off, have the shop do the paint work then assemble it yourself. If they wrote an estimate for you then break it down to figure what the scratch repair and refinish work will cost. I'm guessing here but I'd bet around 5-6hrs. labor and $100-$150 un paint and materials. You may also consider the refinish time for the gate includes full sealer coverage and color application complete as most shops charge, but in your situation the gate will not be completely sealed and colored and the shop in all reality should reduce the labor and paint and materials to reflect the operation they will actually perform. Most don't. Bob

$750 seems kinda high to me also.
I would guess maybe 2 hours R&I plus 1 to repair scratch at 38 an hour $114.
Say maybe 5 hours paint including cover the car and colorsand and polish + $22 per paint hour for materials. Comes to around $370??? I'm just a dumb painter but I think thats in the ballpark???
Maybe try a reputable independent in your area?? Mike

If you tell us the year and model i can work up a price with my estimating software and give you an exact price. Or better yet,post the breakdown of the estimate and we can analyze it for you and see if he's trying to hose you.

Reply to ALL respondents!

WOW there are some good body guy here.

Badbob71...you're "spot on" as the Brits say. Your numbers / estimates are almost exactly The numbers I got. Paint and Materials was $144.

The car is a 2005 Toyota 4 Runner. There was $89 for parts...the 4Runner logo they say has to be replaced..dual sided tape or glue on or something.

I guess I am surprised at all the hassel that goes into something like this. It would seem that the CC would be easiest to blend..guess not. He specifically said ya can blend the color easily and the CC is tougher. He also said that unless you go up under any of the bolt on parts things will start to chip and flake around the edges. Might be this guy is telling it to me straight.

The stomach acid related to this comes from the fact that the car is NEW (2000 miles) and I buy cars and run them till they won't run anymore. Indeed it appears that I gotta just suck it up and fix it right. Ouch is all i can say.

70isfine....all the data should be here to run your estimator tool and I thank you for the offer. The estimnate is in the car and Mrs Oman has the car at the grocery store. I can post later and we can compare numbers.

Oman