Tomorrow I am getting a VRX kit painted and fitted and my car resprayed at the same time ($3500 total). I forgot to ask whether it would be a bare metal respray or not.

Just wondering if it it not a bare metal respray, what is done? Do they sand any of the old paint off or just paint over the old paint? Is a bare metal respray much better than the alternative?

My paint has fine scratches and bird dropping damage on the bonnet (courtesy previous ownr parking it outside) which I am sick of looking at now :confused:

Anyway - any opinions on bare metal respray vs non bare metal respray would be appreciated!
How much EXTRA would such a respray cost? (ballpark)

i wouldnt really worry about getting a bare metal respray
as long as the car is prep right you shouldn't have any problems
is it getting resprayed the same colour?

Just wondering if it it not a bare metal respray, what is done? Do they sand any of the old paint off or just paint over the old paint? Is a bare metal respray much better than the alternative?

In a bare metal respray, it's sanded right back to the bare metal, hence the name. In a regular respray, they'll sand off just enough to get the final coat looking good.

A bare metal respray is a couple of grand more. My old man got his previous Walkinshaw Commodore resprayed a couple of years ago, and I think it was ~$5k for a respray or ~$8k for a bare metal respray. He went for the bare metal, but that was because it was a collector car.

If your car's in reasonable condition (which it sounds like) and you're getting it done the same colour, I don't see why you'd need a bare metal respray. Even if you're going to get it done a different colour, I don't think it'd have much effect on the final outcome.

Thanks for the reassurance. Yes - it will be painted the same colour (Sable / Black). Very excited to see the results...

Bare metal respray isnt very practical on a car that is 90% plastic anyways just let the old paint add some strength :) Just wondering, why the respray, any particular reason?

Bare metal respray isnt very practical on a car that is 90% plastic anyways just let the old paint add some strength :) Just wondering, why the respray, any particular reason?

Just wanting to get rid of patches of bird poo damaged paint and scracthes from the cat etc - since I am getting the two bumpers replaced and my door panel beaten for $1000 and the VRX kit fitted and painted for $1000 and my bonnet resprayed for $300 and the front guard straightened and sprayed for $400, I thought I would fork out an extra $800 and get the whole car painted at once - so I don't have panels with nice paint and panels with crappy paint...
It's damn expensive loving your car...

its easyer to get a better finished on existing paint, you cant beat a weathered surface for smoothess to build on

its easyer to get a better finished on existing paint, you cant beat a weathered surface for smoothess to build on

Are you saying it is easier to get a good finish by painting over existing paint rather than sanding it down to bare metal?

Are you saying it is easier to get a good finish by painting over existing paint rather than sanding it down to bare metal?
Yes, he is.

factory 2K paint makes an excellent base to paint over. as long as it is prepped properly the new paint will stick to it easily and nothing sticks to metal better than the factory stuff.
bare metal resprays are really only needed for resto work as you will be removing rust and all the original paint (acrylic) as its usually buggered.

Cheers guys! Thanks for all the answers. I can happily go blow my money now on a respray :D

And there's the cost to do bare metal properly too. I had my 635CSi stripped to a bare shell -no drivetrain, no glass, no interior. Then had it chemically treated to remove all paint and start from scratch. Back in 97 I had this done at a place in Sydney where they were authorised to do Lambos, Ferraris, Astons, Benzes etc. Paint cost was 8k, stripping down and reassembling car was another 12K. So that's 20k total :shock: Marginally worth it on a classic car. On anything else, forget it. Enjoy your respray :) (And yes I still miss the BM:cry: )