Bodywork or Body Panels?

[AndrewTerry]

My much loved DB9 is accumulating a growing list of things to put right this coming winter...

Top of the list for me is the bodywork. Like most 2005 AMs, it's suffering from bubbling paintwork, particularly on the front end of the bonnet, but also around door handles and down the edge where the body meets the rear windscreen (on this panel, there's also a small - but huge to me - ding, too)

I haven't sought any quotes for this yet, but I was wondering what the best balance between cost and quality is likely to be - have the individual trouble spots rectified and resprayed or replacement bonnet and rear-side panel?

I'd be interested to hear your opinions/experiences!

[8Tech]

Why would you replace and then paint a panel rather than just paint the panel already on the car? Either way, if the panel is prepared correctly, and clearly better than they did in the factory when it was new, the paint should last another 10 years hopefully.

[Murph7355]

I had a quote for a full respray on my V8V last year and it came to ~£7k - I asked them because the quality of the work on some older cars was incredibly good.

Replacing panels would seem excessive unless they're especially damaged, which it doesn't sound like. A decent repair shop should be able to sort them.

Whether you need a full respray will depend on the general state of disrepair and the colour (to a lesser extent). But the above should give a decent ball park price I reckon.

(I haven't had mine done at this point. The car drives perfectly and is used regularly so any new paint job will be subject to damage itself. Though it couldn't possibly be worse/softer than the factory original job.)

[AndrewTerry]

Thanks, both - appreciate the comments... I go down the repair/respray route.