F355 paint refresh?
Discussion
Hi,
I have a 1999 F355 Spider which I've owned for 15 years. It's low miles (25K), always garaged but has quite a few stone chips to the front bumper and bonnet with a slight flaking of the paint under the front arches, there's zero rust and the rest of the paintwork is very good.
I've been thinking of 'refreshing' the paintwork but I'm not sure how best to do this. I'm nervous about blowing over the areas that need attention as I've seen plenty of poor paint matched cars but am reluctant to paint the whole car when it's generally very good.
Has anyone else been in the same position?
I have a 1999 F355 Spider which I've owned for 15 years. It's low miles (25K), always garaged but has quite a few stone chips to the front bumper and bonnet with a slight flaking of the paint under the front arches, there's zero rust and the rest of the paintwork is very good.
I've been thinking of 'refreshing' the paintwork but I'm not sure how best to do this. I'm nervous about blowing over the areas that need attention as I've seen plenty of poor paint matched cars but am reluctant to paint the whole car when it's generally very good.
Has anyone else been in the same position?
Yes similar here, I would definitely PPF after any new paint.
Based in Chelmsford, Essex
Based in Chelmsford, Essex
NDA said:
Answering for bookmark purposes... 
I have a metallic black 911 that has quite a few stone chips and I've been mulling PPF (in the same colour) or seeing what it would cost to respray. It's minor cosmetics only, but I'd like it done all the same.
I have a metallic black 911 that has quite a few stone chips and I've been mulling PPF (in the same colour) or seeing what it would cost to respray. It's minor cosmetics only, but I'd like it done all the same.
NDA said:
Answering for bookmark purposes...
I have a metallic black 911 that has quite a few stone chips and I've been mulling PPF (in the same colour) or seeing what it would cost to respray. It's minor cosmetics only, but I'd like it done all the same.
Riviera Autobody in Ewelme or Daytona Coachworx in Stevenage know 911s very well. I have a metallic black 911 that has quite a few stone chips and I've been mulling PPF (in the same colour) or seeing what it would cost to respray. It's minor cosmetics only, but I'd like it done all the same.
Ferrari: I've done some work for Barrtech in Cambridge (windscreen and glass removal) and found them to be of a very good standard.
I obviously can't advertise, that's not allowed, but I run a small custom paint shop, drop on some photos of the paint issues and happy to give you some generic advice.
The general concept is, its not what the damage is, its where it is, so paint defects in the middle of a panel may be able to be blended out easily, defects near an edge would mean new paint would be going 'edge to edge' and then you will see the colour difference, a decent painter would blend into the adjoining panels, but obviously that's more expensive.
You cant blend clearcoat, so each panel with damage would need to be re-cleared regardless of how minor any damage may be.
'Flaking' rings alarm bells as there must be a reason its flakingt, but stone chips is simple paintwork.
It's impossible to answer all your concerns in a couple of paragraphs simply from your short description, but happy to expand if it helps.
The general concept is, its not what the damage is, its where it is, so paint defects in the middle of a panel may be able to be blended out easily, defects near an edge would mean new paint would be going 'edge to edge' and then you will see the colour difference, a decent painter would blend into the adjoining panels, but obviously that's more expensive.
You cant blend clearcoat, so each panel with damage would need to be re-cleared regardless of how minor any damage may be.
'Flaking' rings alarm bells as there must be a reason its flakingt, but stone chips is simple paintwork.
It's impossible to answer all your concerns in a couple of paragraphs simply from your short description, but happy to expand if it helps.
In my opinion, and this is what makes PH so special, in that there are different opinions, PPF and ceramic coatings are a marketing dream, and they are selling you the equivalent of ‘magic beans’.
Modern clear coat lacquers are amazing, they provide a rock solid glass finish and nothing can ever improve on that finish.
If your a client commissioning me for a custom show car finish, or custom artwork, and I’m spending all that time, skill and patience, working with the best products, and providing you with a glass like finish, and you’re telling me that you are then going to pay someone a load of money to stick a bit of plastic over the top of it, and that you think that looks better, then I’m not going to take on that work.
The price of these products are ridiculous, you’re looking at quotes of around £3000 nowadays, it’s just pure upselling through shiny marketing. The detailing world is crazy and clearly invests in its marketing teams, it’s continually remarketing simple products with new fancy names and telling you that you can’t live without them.
The initial member is asking about some minor paint damage on a car from the 90’s, the original paintwork has done its job, that’s value for money and time now have some new paint, and if its done properly that’s another 20 plus years of a great finish.
Yeah, you might get some stone chips if you’re unlucky, but PPF doesn’t protect against dents or deep scratches and needs to be removed if it’s compromised. It’s of course your money and your pride and joy, and I respect other views, but its like buying a top of the range smartphone or TV and leaving the protective film on the screen in case you scratch the amazing Gorilla Glass underneath in the future. Enjoy it for what it is right now.
I’m looking forward to the replies!!
Modern clear coat lacquers are amazing, they provide a rock solid glass finish and nothing can ever improve on that finish.
If your a client commissioning me for a custom show car finish, or custom artwork, and I’m spending all that time, skill and patience, working with the best products, and providing you with a glass like finish, and you’re telling me that you are then going to pay someone a load of money to stick a bit of plastic over the top of it, and that you think that looks better, then I’m not going to take on that work.
The price of these products are ridiculous, you’re looking at quotes of around £3000 nowadays, it’s just pure upselling through shiny marketing. The detailing world is crazy and clearly invests in its marketing teams, it’s continually remarketing simple products with new fancy names and telling you that you can’t live without them.
The initial member is asking about some minor paint damage on a car from the 90’s, the original paintwork has done its job, that’s value for money and time now have some new paint, and if its done properly that’s another 20 plus years of a great finish.
Yeah, you might get some stone chips if you’re unlucky, but PPF doesn’t protect against dents or deep scratches and needs to be removed if it’s compromised. It’s of course your money and your pride and joy, and I respect other views, but its like buying a top of the range smartphone or TV and leaving the protective film on the screen in case you scratch the amazing Gorilla Glass underneath in the future. Enjoy it for what it is right now.
I’m looking forward to the replies!!
DaveF-SkinnysAutos said:
In my opinion, and this is what makes PH so special, in that there are different opinions, PPF and ceramic coatings are a marketing dream, and they are selling you the equivalent of magic beans .
Modern clear coat lacquers are amazing, they provide a rock solid glass finish and nothing can ever improve on that finish.
If your a client commissioning me for a custom show car finish, or custom artwork, and I m spending all that time, skill and patience, working with the best products, and providing you with a glass like finish, and you re telling me that you are then going to pay someone a load of money to stick a bit of plastic over the top of it, and that you think that looks better, then I m not going to take on that work.
The price of these products are ridiculous, you re looking at quotes of around £3000 nowadays, it s just pure upselling through shiny marketing. The detailing world is crazy and clearly invests in its marketing teams, it s continually remarketing simple products with new fancy names and telling you that you can t live without them.
The initial member is asking about some minor paint damage on a car from the 90 s, the original paintwork has done its job, that s value for money and time now have some new paint, and if its done properly that s another 20 plus years of a great finish.
Yeah, you might get some stone chips if you re unlucky, but PPF doesn t protect against dents or deep scratches and needs to be removed if it s compromised. It s of course your money and your pride and joy, and I respect other views, but its like buying a top of the range smartphone or TV and leaving the protective film on the screen in case you scratch the amazing Gorilla Glass underneath in the future. Enjoy it for what it is right now.
I m looking forward to the replies!!
Very interesting, wasn't aware of that cheersModern clear coat lacquers are amazing, they provide a rock solid glass finish and nothing can ever improve on that finish.
If your a client commissioning me for a custom show car finish, or custom artwork, and I m spending all that time, skill and patience, working with the best products, and providing you with a glass like finish, and you re telling me that you are then going to pay someone a load of money to stick a bit of plastic over the top of it, and that you think that looks better, then I m not going to take on that work.
The price of these products are ridiculous, you re looking at quotes of around £3000 nowadays, it s just pure upselling through shiny marketing. The detailing world is crazy and clearly invests in its marketing teams, it s continually remarketing simple products with new fancy names and telling you that you can t live without them.
The initial member is asking about some minor paint damage on a car from the 90 s, the original paintwork has done its job, that s value for money and time now have some new paint, and if its done properly that s another 20 plus years of a great finish.
Yeah, you might get some stone chips if you re unlucky, but PPF doesn t protect against dents or deep scratches and needs to be removed if it s compromised. It s of course your money and your pride and joy, and I respect other views, but its like buying a top of the range smartphone or TV and leaving the protective film on the screen in case you scratch the amazing Gorilla Glass underneath in the future. Enjoy it for what it is right now.
I m looking forward to the replies!!
Peterpetrole said:
DaveF-SkinnysAutos said:
In my opinion, and this is what makes PH so special, in that there are different opinions, PPF and ceramic coatings are a marketing dream, and they are selling you the equivalent of magic beans .
Modern clear coat lacquers are amazing, they provide a rock solid glass finish and nothing can ever improve on that finish.
If your a client commissioning me for a custom show car finish, or custom artwork, and I m spending all that time, skill and patience, working with the best products, and providing you with a glass like finish, and you re telling me that you are then going to pay someone a load of money to stick a bit of plastic over the top of it, and that you think that looks better, then I m not going to take on that work.
The price of these products are ridiculous, you re looking at quotes of around £3000 nowadays, it s just pure upselling through shiny marketing. The detailing world is crazy and clearly invests in its marketing teams, it s continually remarketing simple products with new fancy names and telling you that you can t live without them.
The initial member is asking about some minor paint damage on a car from the 90 s, the original paintwork has done its job, that s value for money and time now have some new paint, and if its done properly that s another 20 plus years of a great finish.
Yeah, you might get some stone chips if you re unlucky, but PPF doesn t protect against dents or deep scratches and needs to be removed if it s compromised. It s of course your money and your pride and joy, and I respect other views, but its like buying a top of the range smartphone or TV and leaving the protective film on the screen in case you scratch the amazing Gorilla Glass underneath in the future. Enjoy it for what it is right now.
I m looking forward to the replies!!
Very interesting, wasn't aware of that cheersModern clear coat lacquers are amazing, they provide a rock solid glass finish and nothing can ever improve on that finish.
If your a client commissioning me for a custom show car finish, or custom artwork, and I m spending all that time, skill and patience, working with the best products, and providing you with a glass like finish, and you re telling me that you are then going to pay someone a load of money to stick a bit of plastic over the top of it, and that you think that looks better, then I m not going to take on that work.
The price of these products are ridiculous, you re looking at quotes of around £3000 nowadays, it s just pure upselling through shiny marketing. The detailing world is crazy and clearly invests in its marketing teams, it s continually remarketing simple products with new fancy names and telling you that you can t live without them.
The initial member is asking about some minor paint damage on a car from the 90 s, the original paintwork has done its job, that s value for money and time now have some new paint, and if its done properly that s another 20 plus years of a great finish.
Yeah, you might get some stone chips if you re unlucky, but PPF doesn t protect against dents or deep scratches and needs to be removed if it s compromised. It s of course your money and your pride and joy, and I respect other views, but its like buying a top of the range smartphone or TV and leaving the protective film on the screen in case you scratch the amazing Gorilla Glass underneath in the future. Enjoy it for what it is right now.
I m looking forward to the replies!!
The only exception is getting a track pack (ie front end) on a car that you intend doing trackways in, that's definitely worthwhile, one trip to the gravel traps will pebble dash your paint otherwise.
I slightly disagree about the iPhone analogy though, if you run without a screen protector you will get micro scratches all over it pretty quickly which I personally find annoying, It's pretty cheap to buy a multi pack of glass screen protectors and then fit a new one a couple of times a year to keep your screen looking fresh.
Always good to get the thoughts of someone who has real world experience and it has probably pushed me towards a partial respray where it's needed. I have restored a 930 previously and that had a respray which went from a £10k quote to £20k final bill. It had to be a full strip back and paint, I cant be doing with masking lines etc.
I'm still nervous about the paint not matching but hopefully a chat with my bodyshop guy will allay my fears.
Thanks guys, appreciate the thoughts.
I'm still nervous about the paint not matching but hopefully a chat with my bodyshop guy will allay my fears.
Thanks guys, appreciate the thoughts.
DaveF-SkinnysAutos said:
In my opinion, and this is what makes PH so special, in that there are different opinions, PPF and ceramic coatings are a marketing dream, and they are selling you the equivalent of magic beans .
Modern clear coat lacquers are amazing, they provide a rock solid glass finish and nothing can ever improve on that finish.
If your a client commissioning me for a custom show car finish, or custom artwork, and I m spending all that time, skill and patience, working with the best products, and providing you with a glass like finish, and you re telling me that you are then going to pay someone a load of money to stick a bit of plastic over the top of it, and that you think that looks better, then I m not going to take on that work.
The price of these products are ridiculous, you re looking at quotes of around £3000 nowadays, it s just pure upselling through shiny marketing. The detailing world is crazy and clearly invests in its marketing teams, it s continually remarketing simple products with new fancy names and telling you that you can t live without them.
The initial member is asking about some minor paint damage on a car from the 90 s, the original paintwork has done its job, that s value for money and time now have some new paint, and if its done properly that s another 20 plus years of a great finish.
Yeah, you might get some stone chips if you re unlucky, but PPF doesn t protect against dents or deep scratches and needs to be removed if it s compromised. It s of course your money and your pride and joy, and I respect other views, but its like buying a top of the range smartphone or TV and leaving the protective film on the screen in case you scratch the amazing Gorilla Glass underneath in the future. Enjoy it for what it is right now.
I m looking forward to the replies!!
Modern clear coat lacquers are amazing, they provide a rock solid glass finish and nothing can ever improve on that finish.
If your a client commissioning me for a custom show car finish, or custom artwork, and I m spending all that time, skill and patience, working with the best products, and providing you with a glass like finish, and you re telling me that you are then going to pay someone a load of money to stick a bit of plastic over the top of it, and that you think that looks better, then I m not going to take on that work.
The price of these products are ridiculous, you re looking at quotes of around £3000 nowadays, it s just pure upselling through shiny marketing. The detailing world is crazy and clearly invests in its marketing teams, it s continually remarketing simple products with new fancy names and telling you that you can t live without them.
The initial member is asking about some minor paint damage on a car from the 90 s, the original paintwork has done its job, that s value for money and time now have some new paint, and if its done properly that s another 20 plus years of a great finish.
Yeah, you might get some stone chips if you re unlucky, but PPF doesn t protect against dents or deep scratches and needs to be removed if it s compromised. It s of course your money and your pride and joy, and I respect other views, but its like buying a top of the range smartphone or TV and leaving the protective film on the screen in case you scratch the amazing Gorilla Glass underneath in the future. Enjoy it for what it is right now.
I m looking forward to the replies!!
DaveF-SkinnysAutos said:
I obviously can't advertise, that's not allowed, but I run a small custom paint shop, drop on some photos of the paint issues and happy to give you some generic advice.
The general concept is, its not what the damage is, its where it is, so paint defects in the middle of a panel may be able to be blended out easily, defects near an edge would mean new paint would be going 'edge to edge' and then you will see the colour difference, a decent painter would blend into the adjoining panels, but obviously that's more expensive.
You cant blend clearcoat, so each panel with damage would need to be re-cleared regardless of how minor any damage may be.
'Flaking' rings alarm bells as there must be a reason its flakingt, but stone chips is simple paintwork.
It's impossible to answer all your concerns in a couple of paragraphs simply from your short description, but happy to expand if it helps.
when you say recleared, is that assuming teh panel has been repainted anyway? or can panels with laquer issues simply be relaquered?The general concept is, its not what the damage is, its where it is, so paint defects in the middle of a panel may be able to be blended out easily, defects near an edge would mean new paint would be going 'edge to edge' and then you will see the colour difference, a decent painter would blend into the adjoining panels, but obviously that's more expensive.
You cant blend clearcoat, so each panel with damage would need to be re-cleared regardless of how minor any damage may be.
'Flaking' rings alarm bells as there must be a reason its flakingt, but stone chips is simple paintwork.
It's impossible to answer all your concerns in a couple of paragraphs simply from your short description, but happy to expand if it helps.
[when you say recleared, is that assuming teh panel has been repainted anyway? or can panels with laquer issues simply be relaquered?
[/quote]
What do you mean by lacquer issues?
Generally if you've got lacquer issues and its peeled or flaked, the UV rays will have faded the base paint. I would also be wanting to know why there are lacquer issues, there must be a reason why those issues are there and they need treating or it will just happen again. So in principle yes you could just reapply clear but I cant see a situation that would be used. It's either been compromised and needs a respray, or if it's just dull and faded it can be brought back to life with sanding and cut and polishing.
[/quote]
What do you mean by lacquer issues?
Generally if you've got lacquer issues and its peeled or flaked, the UV rays will have faded the base paint. I would also be wanting to know why there are lacquer issues, there must be a reason why those issues are there and they need treating or it will just happen again. So in principle yes you could just reapply clear but I cant see a situation that would be used. It's either been compromised and needs a respray, or if it's just dull and faded it can be brought back to life with sanding and cut and polishing.
Lacquer peel is common, particularly for red cars.
The clear coat provides the UV protection so I would expect to have to use some colour paint in the repair where the base coat has faded where it hasn't been protected by the peeled lacquer, otherwise I think you would still see the outlines of the patches where the peel was if you simply re-cleared it.
The issue you may face is that with old paint that has got to the stage of peeling, edge to edge with a newly lacquered panel the other panels will likely look slightly duller and lighter than the newly painted panel which will possibly be slightly darker, it depends on the colour of the car and which panels etc and how they reflect light, ie, more obvious on higher panels like bonnet against wings than lower panels, ie wings against sills.
The clear coat provides the UV protection so I would expect to have to use some colour paint in the repair where the base coat has faded where it hasn't been protected by the peeled lacquer, otherwise I think you would still see the outlines of the patches where the peel was if you simply re-cleared it.
The issue you may face is that with old paint that has got to the stage of peeling, edge to edge with a newly lacquered panel the other panels will likely look slightly duller and lighter than the newly painted panel which will possibly be slightly darker, it depends on the colour of the car and which panels etc and how they reflect light, ie, more obvious on higher panels like bonnet against wings than lower panels, ie wings against sills.
I'm no fan of PPF but I don't think there's any denying it doesn't offer some protection. Whether that protection is ever tested in any meaningful way is pure guesswork. The recent video of Mat Armstrong rebuilding JWW's GT3 RS showed how the PPF saved some panels but then when the panels next to the one saved needed pulled or replaced only you can decide whether it made any "real" difference.
Personally I'm with the above, on a track car I can see the sense. My GT3 had it on from new (over 20 years ago!) and it totally saved the paint work and especially the lights which are known to milk up when left outdoors. It looked utterly s
t though so off it came!
What it did do however was remove some clear coat where stones had penetrated it so those bits needed touching up anyway. So a pointless exercise?
On a show car, cars and coffee type pride and joy car, I'd always be happier with a good painter and someone who knows their way around a good sander/polisher.
Personally I'm with the above, on a track car I can see the sense. My GT3 had it on from new (over 20 years ago!) and it totally saved the paint work and especially the lights which are known to milk up when left outdoors. It looked utterly s
t though so off it came!What it did do however was remove some clear coat where stones had penetrated it so those bits needed touching up anyway. So a pointless exercise?
On a show car, cars and coffee type pride and joy car, I'd always be happier with a good painter and someone who knows their way around a good sander/polisher.
NDA said:
Answering for bookmark purposes...
I have a metallic black 911 that has quite a few stone chips and I've been mulling PPF (in the same colour) or seeing what it would cost to respray. It's minor cosmetics only, but I'd like it done all the same.
I’ve a black 992 and had the whole car done with Xpel film and have to say I’m not sure I’d do it again. Stones do get through and treating chips is very difficult, there’s also some odd marks here and there that I can’t get rid of, nobody else would notice I suspect, but I know they’re there. I have a metallic black 911 that has quite a few stone chips and I've been mulling PPF (in the same colour) or seeing what it would cost to respray. It's minor cosmetics only, but I'd like it done all the same.
On the plus side the car looks great after a clean and I’ve none of the awful bug marks that afflict black paint, but for what I spent I could probably have a good smart repair done every year for the next decade and still be in pocket.
Blue62 said:
I ve a black 992 and had the whole car done with Xpel film and have to say I m not sure I d do it again. Stones do get through and treating chips is very difficult, there s also some odd marks here and there that I can t get rid of, nobody else would notice I suspect, but I know they re there.
On the plus side the car looks great after a clean and I ve none of the awful bug marks that afflict black paint, but for what I spent I could probably have a good smart repair done every year for the next decade and still be in pocket.
That's interesting, thank you. Is your PPF coloured or clear?On the plus side the car looks great after a clean and I ve none of the awful bug marks that afflict black paint, but for what I spent I could probably have a good smart repair done every year for the next decade and still be in pocket.
I don't know any smart repair businesses, will they do stone chips? I need to get Googling!
I make it sound like mine is bad, it's not... just a few chips that irritate me.
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