Cost of full spray job on a 911 at OPC
Discussion
No, but I hate to think. They will sub it out and add margin. Better off using someone like www.finish-first.co.uk They used to do work for our local OPC and their quality is better than anything produced by Porsche. In fact they have to dumb down the quality to ensure a good match with original quality when doing doors/wings etc. They're restoring my Austin Healey at the moment and it's a work of art to behold.
The reason I ask is that I have had my 996 vandalized shall we say and it needs all but the front & rear bumpers and the roof spraying. My insurance sent me to a local Hyundai & Seat dealership for an estimate and after much oohing and ahhing and I hope we dont have to remove this piece along with we've never had one of these to paint before. The gent who looked at the car has submitted a quote to my insurance. Needless to say my confidence in the place isn't very high. They have quoted just over 2k for the job and in my opinion this would not equate to a job that I believe I would be happy with.
I intend to combat my insurance with the cost of what an OPC would charge and then hopefully find some middle ground where we can come to a sensible settlement and then I can get the work done at a recommended paintshop rather than somewhere where I have a nagging doubt that I will a not be happy with the workmanship and b I believe I will be back again complaining within months at most.
The car is staying the same color and has the full aerokit factory fitted if this helps.
I intend to combat my insurance with the cost of what an OPC would charge and then hopefully find some middle ground where we can come to a sensible settlement and then I can get the work done at a recommended paintshop rather than somewhere where I have a nagging doubt that I will a not be happy with the workmanship and b I believe I will be back again complaining within months at most.
The car is staying the same color and has the full aerokit factory fitted if this helps.
I do have a question about this...I thought that modern cars were actually dipped rather than sprayed with some kind of charge to make the paint stick?. Is there a difference on the longevity of the paint on a respray?...I ask because I had a panel resprayed (perfectly, perfectly matched etc.), but it appears to be softer and recently got a stone ship that left a groove in it. Am I completely out to lunch here?
I thought that it was the insured's right to have their vehicle repaired or painted at whichever body repair centre i.e. Porsche's own they wanted. The insurance company might moan to high heaven but dig deeper and someone in the know might be able to confirm this?
Your argument is that only they know how to take your P&J to pieces, paint it properly and put it back together the way it should be.
Your argument is that only they know how to take your P&J to pieces, paint it properly and put it back together the way it should be.

jccs said:
The reason I ask is that I have had my 996 vandalized shall we say and it needs all but the front & rear bumpers and the roof spraying. My insurance sent me to a local Hyundai & Seat dealership for an estimate and after much oohing and ahhing and I hope we dont have to remove this piece along with we've never had one of these to paint before. The gent who looked at the car has submitted a quote to my insurance. Needless to say my confidence in the place isn't very high. They have quoted just over 2k for the job and in my opinion this would not equate to a job that I believe I would be happy with.
I intend to combat my insurance with the cost of what an OPC would charge and then hopefully find some middle ground where we can come to a sensible settlement and then I can get the work done at a recommended paintshop rather than somewhere where I have a nagging doubt that I will a not be happy with the workmanship and b I believe I will be back again complaining within months at most.
The car is staying the same color and has the full aerokit factory fitted if this helps.
2K? Oh boy...I intend to combat my insurance with the cost of what an OPC would charge and then hopefully find some middle ground where we can come to a sensible settlement and then I can get the work done at a recommended paintshop rather than somewhere where I have a nagging doubt that I will a not be happy with the workmanship and b I believe I will be back again complaining within months at most.
The car is staying the same color and has the full aerokit factory fitted if this helps.
A full respray is a costly job when done right. It is a costly job when done wrong too. It costs the owner of the vehicle a lot of money in lost value when the true extent of the lousiness of the job is found out.
What can be removed should be removed.
What can't be removed has to have the rubber tied out of the way. Taping will leave ridges. The paint has to be smoothed even on the sides of the panels that are in the gaps.
Captain James T said:
I thought that it was the insured's right to have their vehicle repaired or painted at whichever body repair centre i.e. Porsche's own they wanted. The insurance company might moan to high heaven but dig deeper and someone in the know might be able to confirm this?
Your argument is that only they know how to take your P&J to pieces, paint it properly and put it back together the way it should be.
Nope, many now have clauses, especially the Admiral/elephant club that insist that you either take it to their approved bodyshop, or you pay the difference between what they would have quoted and the more expensive one.Your argument is that only they know how to take your P&J to pieces, paint it properly and put it back together the way it should be.

Sometimes they will just double your excess.
You need to make sure that they will remove the glass so that the ,ask lines are under them, as well as remove all door fittings, and refit or replace as required.
2 grand seems cheap for what is essentially a full respray, but times are hard, and who knows what deals some bodyshops will do with insurers.
At the end of the day, it's just a car like any other, and unless its a matt or pearl finish, assuming that the bodyshop has the capabilities, it might be OK. Just insist on seeing the car through various stages to make sure that its stripped down how it should be before paint, and if you aren't happy, reject the car until it's done to your satisfaction.
2 grand.... the paint costs alone would be 25-50% of that!!!
Forget it for £2k. It wont be anywhere near good enough.
I would suggest it goes to an OPC - but as stated be mindful that some of the approved body shops are indeed crap. My local one did not do a good job on my 997. In the end it went back to the supplying OPC who corrected the problem.
How much trim would they break? But tbh for £2k I doubt they will be taking any trim off! If it needs a full re-spray it needs all glass out, all rubber off, mirrors, lights, fuel cap, bumpers, wheels, wheel arch liners, engine lid, badges etc. There is a days work there, plus a day to put it all back together. That's 16hrs @ £120 ish = £1920 just to strip and re-fit..
Forget it for £2k. It wont be anywhere near good enough.
I would suggest it goes to an OPC - but as stated be mindful that some of the approved body shops are indeed crap. My local one did not do a good job on my 997. In the end it went back to the supplying OPC who corrected the problem.
How much trim would they break? But tbh for £2k I doubt they will be taking any trim off! If it needs a full re-spray it needs all glass out, all rubber off, mirrors, lights, fuel cap, bumpers, wheels, wheel arch liners, engine lid, badges etc. There is a days work there, plus a day to put it all back together. That's 16hrs @ £120 ish = £1920 just to strip and re-fit..
It seems everybody is on the same wavelength as myself in that 2k for painting all but two bumpers and a roof equates to what is most likely to be a very poor quality or at the very least a very rushed job. My insurers have asked that I get another quote when I stated that I did not wish to use their "approved" bodyshop but at what seems like may be double if not triple what they have in mind I think I may have a prolonged battle in the very near future. Any thoughts or previous experiences on how these matters pan out?
red_slr said:
How much trim would they break? But tbh for £2k I doubt they will be taking any trim off! If it needs a full re-spray it needs all glass out, all rubber off, mirrors, lights, fuel cap, bumpers, wheels, wheel arch liners, engine lid, badges etc. There is a days work there, plus a day to put it all back together. That's 16hrs @ £120 ish = £1920 just to strip and re-fit..
£120 an hour and all day to take wheels and bumpers off 1 car, and the guy doing it is being paid what £10 an hour, for an everyday repair not a labour of love restoration 
Edited by blade7 on Wednesday 31st July 21:53
jccs said:
It seems everybody is on the same wavelength as myself in that 2k for painting all but two bumpers and a roof equates to what is most likely to be a very poor quality or at the very least a very rushed job. My insurers have asked that I get another quote when I stated that I did not wish to use their "approved" bodyshop but at what seems like may be double if not triple what they have in mind I think I may have a prolonged battle in the very near future. Any thoughts or previous experiences on how these matters pan out?
I know nothing about paint but presumably paint comes in different qualities and certainly process of application.I'd be getting the "preferred" bodyshop to provide a detailed estimate of what they do including manufacturer of paint etc.
I would then go to an OPC and a high quality specialist asking them to do the same.
Hopefully that will highlight that not all bodyshops are created equal.....
Does the 996 still have any kind of warranty from Porsche for rust? Presumably that specifies you need a Porsche approved repair ?
I'm sure it can be done for 2K but perhaps that's because it requires less panels sprayed than many on here may be imagining?
It also depends on the colour. Perhaps it is not metallic? In such case easier to paint only the areas that need painting, and no rubber/glass removal required.
The worst places are the windscreen and all fixed glass surrounds (unless a paint ridge is acceptable!) so if these areas don't need to be painted then it's relatively straightforward. Front wings, doors, bonnet and engine cover, all easy, it is the actual shell / rear wings where things can get interesting but a competent sprayer can also do a good job here "feather in" the new and old where any differences are likely to be very hard to detect, likely impossible for a non metallic colour.
If it's all about the above then it will cost the GARAGE around 500 in labour and less than that in paint, so perhaps making over a grand in profit is fine by them.
Taking out glass and completely stripping is where much more time and much more money comes into it.
It also depends on the colour. Perhaps it is not metallic? In such case easier to paint only the areas that need painting, and no rubber/glass removal required.
The worst places are the windscreen and all fixed glass surrounds (unless a paint ridge is acceptable!) so if these areas don't need to be painted then it's relatively straightforward. Front wings, doors, bonnet and engine cover, all easy, it is the actual shell / rear wings where things can get interesting but a competent sprayer can also do a good job here "feather in" the new and old where any differences are likely to be very hard to detect, likely impossible for a non metallic colour.
If it's all about the above then it will cost the GARAGE around 500 in labour and less than that in paint, so perhaps making over a grand in profit is fine by them.
Taking out glass and completely stripping is where much more time and much more money comes into it.
Glass out etc top quality respray on my 911 3.2 was £3500 and that did not include roof, bumpers or rear lid (we fitted a flat one later that was sprayed separately, and the bumpers had been done the year before and matched perfectly).
£2k for your job? I wouldn't have thought it possible to do a proper job for that.
£2k for your job? I wouldn't have thought it possible to do a proper job for that.
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