I just got a new paint job from a body shop for $4000, I dissembled everything and putting it back together, it included a little bit of body work (filling in minor dents) the paint came out awesome. The paint job itself has a slight texture to it when looking at it under certain light, I think it's from the clearcoat and it's like an extremely light orange peel but it's my understanding that all freshly painted cars have this until wetsanded to get a glass like finish. So my question is, is it normal for body shops to include wetsanding and buffing as part of the paint job or is that something extra that I would have to pay for?

 

I would think that for 4000.00 it should, but it is always better to ask before you start, if it is included. That could also be the finish after it's been W/S and buffed. If you peel the heck out of it, it won't all come out. Also depends on how much clear is on the car whether or not it can be cut and buffed any farther.

 

It definitely hasn't been wetsanded or buffed prior. I would do it myself but the thought of putting sandpaper to my fresh paint terrifies me.

 

Most shops I know use a bake booth. They can get them to lay out pretty nice that way. I would not suggests learning how to color sand and polish on your car unless you are ok with painting it again if you Go through.

 

always ask to see cars painted buy shops you are thinking of using. they will always take this as a way to show off.. if they Dont..Or can not..then stay away. $4000 bucks it should be glass smooth. and look the same up close! under any light..if not... they need to finnish the Job!!! most of the time you can get better pant jobs from bodyshop schools for a Fantastic price!

after all.. just add up the supplys it takes to paint a car...it's not even $500.

 

I did do quite a bit of research and it is quite common for newly painted cars to have an extremely slight texture do to the thickness of clearcoat and then the glass finish is acheived with wet sand and buff

 

It depends on the shop and the individual painter. Some do, some don't. For the price you paid I would expect them to sand out any dirt nibs but not to sand and buff the entire car. Don't do it yourself though, you don't want to screw up a $4000 paint job to save $300 on a buff job.

I'd say about a grand of that is paint and other supplies if they used halfway decent stuff. Double that if they used high quality stuff.

 

I would just take the car back down there and complain to them about it...don't feed them any info about wetsanding/buffing...just see what they say they can do about it..I would think that they would fix it at no charge..

 

It may have been wet sanded. If it was done lightly, some texture in the clear will remain. Wet sanding is not hard, but I would have a pro do it if you have never done it before. The paint is fresh, and even if it was baked in a booth, it will still be soft for a few months. You could burn through it fairly easily.

 

The wet sand and buff is not always part of the price and the job is not 'wrong' or incomplete because of the light texture. I assume you got a quote for the job? When I had my car done years ago it was very clearly noted that the wets and buff was not included in the price I received for the paint and would be extraI if I wanted it done.

 

A shop should also apply extra coats of clear if the car is going to be aggressively wet sanded.

 

I know quite a few painters in my area. They all charge extra for a color sand and buff.

I plan on having my Iroc shot soon. Just for the paint and supplies to do it, I'll be spending over $1000. All the product will be PPG and sold to me at cost. I will be removing all trim, weather stripping and lights. I was given a quote for $3000 to $4000 for the paint job, color sanded and buffed.

 

I'd play on the painters ego and reputation. Orange peel and rough paint for $4K - I wouldn't be satisfied. I'd make them fix it.

 

that's why I decided to paint my car myself. 4 coats of clear gave me plenty of margin of error that I could wet sand and buff it to a smooth mirror.

And no, I didn't't have high dollar equipment, or even a decent place to paint. Just an old dusty garage.

 

Yeah we wet sand and buff everything we do if all you had done was light body work and paint then $4000 should cover that

 

 

I had a friend (pro-painter)do my $ 3,000.00 (4 to 5 thousand equivalent ) and no wet sanding was done.IMO it did not need it .Its my DD and even though it will be harder to do I figured I could do it a few years down the road to remove some light scratching/nicks that occurs during daily use.

 

Do all of you guys that are saying to play on his reputation and make him fix it, really believe that a fresh repaint should be a perfect gloss finish? Most shops do not wet sand and polish after the paint. You also can't say that materials cost $500, so the other $3500 should have included that. The OP stated that minor body work was also included in that cost. How much is considered minor? He also stated there is slight texture in certain light. This does not sound like heavy orange peel to me. All paint will have a slight texture. If you want a glass reflection finish, you need to pay extra for that.

What you can do, is go to the shop and ask them about wet/color sanding and when it would be safe to do it. The shop may ask why and then you can mention the slight texture. Tell them that you want a glass finish and they may ask you to bring the car to them after a couple months and they will do it for you. This way, there are no demands, no attitudes, you will reuse the shop in the future and recommend others to use them and all is happy.

Some of the advice on these boards is definitely in the wrong attitude to getting things done correctly. Keep making "demands" of the food server and see if your food is spit on before they serve it!!!!

 

I understand where your coming from Scott but the OP disassembled and assembled all his own parts,he basically did all the labor and for $4000 he shouldn't have to ask if his paint job is flawed.Now I'm assuming he got just a basic paint job,the OP doesn't state whether he had special paint or not.

 

the last cut and buff should have been done before picking the car up...
to fix any goofs

 

No special paint, it's in no way flawed, just a tiny little run here and there in the clear which is to be expected and can sand right out. The body repair consisted of quite a fairly large dent in the door getting fixed, crease dent on the fender, and small (very small dents) filled in in various parts. So a little more than minor I suppose.

 

Any runs in the paint should be addressed by the painter. Slight orange peel is expected. extreme orange peel means the painter applied the clear too heavy in a single spray.

 

I don't know anyone who would cut and buff anything with out it being attached to the vehicle. being as you are doing the R&I, I would finish putting it back together and then take it to them and express your concern with the texture if you find it excessive. Beware that some colors actually look better with some texture. especially metallic. If you go to any dealership you can look at the factory finishes and see the texture on new cars. You may find the texture of yours is not bad at all.?
IMO.

 

As a professional painter I can tell you that what u are asking for is considered a custom job. In my shop the only sand and buff after refinishing is for dirt nibs and runs unless the orange peel is excessive. I am assuming that the shop also removed and installed exterior trim, mirrors, door handles and bumpers. Many jobs like this also includes fixing things the customer didn't even know we're there such as rock chips, cracks and small dents. This is the reason a "good" shop will charge u 4000. Personally I would charge another 500 or so for a full color sand and buff.

 

So an update, I went to the shop today to address my concern. And he said it's completely normal for a new paint job and said that when I get it all back together, take it back to their shop and they'll fix any scratches that I made while putting it together, any things that concern me and a full entire sand and buff. All free of charge, very happy with their service. Here's a picture of what I'm talking about, this looks a lot worse in the picture, I had to get the perfect angle with the reflection of the sun to emphasize it.

 

From that pic the orange peel does look pretty bad. Make sure after you get it back from them to check all sides of the car with the sun hitting it. There will most likely be some swirl marks that shouldn't be there. If it's parked in the shade when you pick it up that is a bad sign. Also any areas that you know for sure they did body work on check the texture in the clear around it for scratch marks(sand scratch swelling). Looks kind of like a kid took a color to it but u can only see it in the texture of the clear most of the time. If you have any questions i would be happy to try and answer them. Good luck

 

Also if there are major scratches from resembling it all they are going to do is touch it up. That's not very pretty so be careful.

 

Amazing! As I said in my earlier post, approach the shop with the right attitude and they might take care of the issue at no cost. It looks like that's exactly what they offered. The orange peel in that picture does seem excessive. If the body work done was minimal, less than $1000 worth, then I'd say the shop does need to take care of that. For the price you paid, you should have "factory" style orange peel which is typical of a repaint without sanding. What I see there should embarrass the shop owner if the paint is supposed to be high quality product and finish. If the majority of the cost was in body work and the paint was thrown in at a minimal cost, then you get what you paid for.

 

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar!! It's all in the ATTITUDE!!!

 

That orange peel is excessive. Parts of my car looked like that and the painter told me not to worry and he wet sanded and polished it to a mirror finish.