I’m considering painting my car. Is it more expensive to change the color?

You bet it is! That’s because it there is a lot more work involved. Color changes involve painting the interior portions of the door jambs which requires a great deal of tedious masking and/or removal of parts.

My car is fairly new and somebody has already scratched the fender. I wanted to have it repaired but the estimate I received seemed far too high for such a small scratch! When I questioned the price I was told that it was because my car has 3 stage paint.

Three stage or multi-stage finishes are typically used with iridescent or pearlescent colors. The application process for these colors requires more time and more material than single stage or two stage finishes.

Can you tell me more about the paints you use and details of your paint booth?

We use the Sherwin Williams \"Ultra 7000\" system for two stage work and the Sherwin Williams \"Dimension\"system for single stage completes. Our Oceanside store has two new pressurized, semi-downdraft booths with 1.5 million BTU ovens.

How should you take care of a new paint job? Wax your car every 6 months?

The most important thing is to keep the surface clean. The surface dirt that your car accumulates contains many harmful chemicals. Pollutants in the air also settle on your car\'s finish. This causes your car\'s finish to oxidize more rapidly.

I just bought a new Saturn Ion. I want to get the paint coated so I never have to wax it where can I get this done and what is the normal price?

Your new Saturn most likely has a urethane clear coat which was applied at the time it was painted at the factory. There is no need for an additional coating. The most important thing is keeping it clean.

What\'s the difference between single stage and two stage paint jobs on a silver paint job?

A two stage job has a base coat and a clear coat. The base coat which would be the silver color is applied first. After it dries a clear coat is applied over it. In a single stage paint job the color and a mixing clear are applied together in a single app

My dog has scratched the hood of my neighbors van. There are several long scratches through the finish. My insuranse co. advises against filling a claim. I\'m still not sure why. What would be an estimate of what I would have to pay out of pocket? Thanks

If the scratches are confined to only the hood the repair cost will most likely be less than $500. There is also the possibility that the scratches can be polished out. Have your neighbor get an estimate before you decide what to do.

I have a 95 Chrysler Cirrus that\'s starting to delaminate. It has had some body repairs over the years, but it is the original paint that\'s the problem. Should the car get a complete re-paint (in the original color,maroon)or a sand and re-clear coat?

It sounds like it is definitely time to repaint. There is no way to remove the remaining clear coat without damaging the color coat.

I was recently involved in a traffic accident and my insurance company is telling me that I should use the repair shop that they recommend. Should I go with their recommendation?

Most insurance companies utilize a network of repair shops with whom they have established relationships and have tentative agreements as to standards of repairs as well as costs of repairs. The final decision however, is yours.

Would a paint job still look good in a 1st stage or do you need the 2nd stage of paint? Because if the 1st stage of paint looks pretty good and doesn\'t cost so much, than how important is the 2nd stage? Thank You

You can get a very good looking single stage paint job. The process is just different. Certain colors require the two stage process.