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So lately I've been back and forth "I want this, no I want that!" and so now I really think I just need to get back to basics first. As you know I have a silver hood on my steel blue Neon. It's not the prettiest combo and I KNOW I need that painted. But I also have a cracked front bumper that I'm thinking about switching out to the '02 bumper as soon as I order it. I am also planning on stripping the door moldings.

I'm planning on staying the steel blue since I think it is Teh Sex but my car is an '01 and has NEVER been garaged and has seen it's good share of salt and I'm guessing it is faded from the factory color.

My questions are:

-How should I get it painted?

-Should I just get the bumper primed and then have a shop JUST paint the hood and bumper? Do shops do an ok job at matching faded colors?

-Should I have them spray the entire car? (Expensive but probably do-able over time)

-Should I try to get the bumper sprayed from the place I'm getting it from and then hope it's the same color?

I'm a total newb with paint and I don't want to screw it up. I'm sick of being two-toned and I don't want to buy a nice set of wheels until my car at least looks normal.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts as I just need a good push to get me going.

moving to exterior

racer12306 wrote:moving to exterior

Ah, thanks. Kind of realized it after I posted.

shops can typically charge around 500 for a hood and bumper.

and so you can compare it to a full car paint job at between 1k - 2k.

If I were you, I would visit the local paint shops and get an estimate from them all, and compare them to see which ones give he best prices. And try to observe some of their work to see if they paint other cars well.

just dont go to maaco, ive had bad experiences there

you will be much happier in the long run if you just save up and have the entire thing painted at once. matching faded and corroded colors can be done, but it's a pain in the ass and can easily be messed up.

Re-spray the entire car. It will all be uniform in color and finish and you'll be so much more pleased that you took the extra step.

LilSparkPlug wrote:Re-spray the entire car. It will all be uniform in color and finish and you'll be so much more pleased that you took the extra step.

agreed.... and yes, maaco has the WORST reviews around the country

they r horrible

Yeah, I wasn't planning to go to Maaco. I'll probably have it sprayed in New York because I know absolutely no good paint shops around in Vermont. Now I just have to save up!

Thanks for your input everyone!

my opinion just save up. get the entire thing painted. dont go to a high rated shop cause they will charge you like $3000. just find someone that can paint and that they can show u cars they have painted. but done go paying more than $1500.

but choose your color wisely. and be unique. dont go painting it some color you liked on another car.

fresh04neon wrote:my opinion just save up. get the entire thing painted. dont go to a high rated shop cause they will charge you like $3000. just find someone that can paint and that they can show u cars they have painted. but done go paying more than $1500.

but choose your color wisely. and be unique. dont go painting it some color you liked on another car.

Lol. Your post made me giggle like a little school girl getting tickled under the table at lunch.

A "high rated" shop is going to charge alot more than 3k. A local well known shop that I supply won't paint a car for less than 8k. And that is just a basic color too. nothing special. They are the best around. People drive cross country to have their cars painted by them.

A decent shop will spray it for 3k. A cheap shop will spray it for 1500. Be weary of those though. For 1500 they are buying the cheap paint and clear. And aren't gunna put as much time or effort into the job.

As for color. Just pick one you want. If you see a car with the color you like then spray it that color. No point in not having something you want just because someone else has it.

fresh04neon wrote:but choose your color wisely. and be unique. dont go painting it some color you liked on another car.

Well, I'm probably going to stay the original Steel Blue color because I'm not gonna paint the engine bay and that would look a little strange...