Full Prep and Repaint Cost

[e30strube]

My Bavaria is currently in Sacramento undergoing what has amounted to a full restoration. I've gotten prices for paint prep and paint from 3 shops...the prices are $12k, 8.5-10k and 7-8k. There is no rust repair and all of the metal work has been done. This would only include block sanding, smoothing of panels as necessary and full paint (paint and clear, non metallic color). The car is completely apart, no trim, no glass, engine, etc. It would be a color change so the underside of panels, door jams and engine bay would be resprayed.

The cost seems a bit high. The shops are quoting around 200 hours, which assuming ~$1500 for materials is between 27-52/hour.

Does the price sound about right?

 

[aearch]

It right on paint is very expensive now

 

[HB Chris]

$8-10K sounds about right.

 

[kasbatts]

My painter told me when I did my coupe that is was 200hrs for primer, blocking and paint only.
So if they charged $50 pr hr (pretty normal rate here in NZ, even a bit low for some shops), your 10k in labour + the materials which are expensive
so the 12k seems about right to me, but I would have very high expectations of the finished product for this sort of money.

 

[jmackro]

The shops are quoting around 200 hours, which assuming ~$1500 for materials is between 27-52/hour.

Did the shop quote the $1,500 material cost? That sounds low to me. As HB Chris wrote, automotive paint is ridiculously expensive. A materials budget of $2,000 would not be unreasonable.

If the total bill is $10K, and the materials account for $2K of that, then the labor is $8K. But I'd expect 200 hours to cost more than $8K; after all, $8K/200 hrs works out to only $40/hr, which seems low since the rate billed includes shop overhead as well as wages. Also, 200 hours equals five man-weeks assuming 40 hrs/wk, which seems like a lot of time if no metalwork is involved. I would guess that if the labor costs $8K, that would be more like 100 hours @ $80/hr to 120 hours @ $67/hr.

Regardless how the total is calculated, a quality paint job can easily cost five figures.

 

[NewSixCoupe]

Based on my experience—add 50%...

 

[e30strube]

I was just making an assumption on the material cost. Seems that should be more of a range...$1500-2k based on comments here.

On the lower end of the total cost, $8k, $2k materials/6k for labor = $30/hr. The rate seems good, but 200 hours still seems like a lot of time for the repairs.

I've considered going to a single stage paint, any thoughts on how much that would reduce the total cost? Maybe $1k-1500?

 

[sfdon]

I wouldn't consider using a shop charging 30 an hour for paint labor rate.
$50 maybe but not $30

 

[jmackro]

I wouldn't consider using a shop charging 30 an hour for paint labor rate. $50 maybe but not $30

Yes, exactly. As I mentioned in my previous post, the shop's hourly billing rate is not the take-home pay of the guy working on your car. It covers that, but must also cover rent, insurance, payroll taxes, income taxes, utilities, solvent disposal fees, equipment, etc, etc, etc. So if you are only paying the shop $30/hr, the guy working on your car is barely getting minimum wage - not a strategy that produces a quality outcome.

 

[e30strube]

It is a case of low overhead as mentioned.

The cheaper cost is the guy with separate garage space used for prep, sanding, etc. and rents a booth at night from a local body shop. The higher costs are full on shops with higher rates to accommodate everything.

Like any restoration, I should have budgeted more :sad:

 

[Bmachine]

It right on paint is very expensive now

What is causing this recent increase? Is there some raw material that is getting rarer by the minute? Vagaries of the market? Large manufacturers having eaten the small ones thereby reducing the competition?

 

[Markos]

I don't know how prices have been affected, but the industry has seen change. State VOC regulations are driving a switch to waterborne paint. This means new guns and paint drying techniques. My FIL is a pro painter and was complaining about all of the IL regulations. Also, disposal fees are going up. The cost change isn't unlike what has happened with chrome, acid dipping, etc.

 

[craterface]

Cheaper here in FL

I had a local guy do my Alfa GTV (which has a lot less surface area than the Bav), and the cost was 6k. His standard rate is $60 per hour, but for larger jobs (like mine), he is willing to quote a flat price and stick to it. I don't think it took 200 hours, and he took out all the trim and glass and put it back in. And he did a great job. He is from Cuba, is a US citizen, and runs a legit business. He is a true craftsman and takes great pride in his work. He took a bunch of pix of the Alfa when he was done because he was so proud of his work. He only knows a few English phrases, and his favorite is: "It's a lotta work". But, a lot of these small guys are getting some stiff competition for regular collision work from the Caliber Collisions of the world, who have all the insurance contracts. But Cali is a different market!

Scott

 

[jmackro]

But Cali is a different market!

Yea. Just meeting the environmental regulations probably costs our shops the equivalent of $60/hour. But then, the smog situation has improved.

 

[dang]

There's a guy in the complex where my shop is that does this kind of work. His shop is always full of older classics getting prepped, then they're taken to another place for paint. He does good work. I can ask for a ballpark number if you want, just send me some good photos and I'll get another data point for you...

The name of his shop is Nice Twice.

Dan

 

[Nicad]

I hear they do great restoration work in Viet Nam. I was at my local body shop recently and they have moved to some 3M system where they throw the gun out rather than clean it