Wanting to get a repaint on my M3. Anyone done this?

[IanMan]

Aloha guys and gals. Hoping to get my M3 sedan repainted in Estoril Blue this year. Has anyone ever gone through with a new paint job on their M3 here? Any ideas of how much this might run me? My target I'm hoping to spend is about $12,000. And before anyone says wrap it, I don't want to because I plan on keeping this car for a very long time. Thanks!

[Bimmer Barney]

Wrap will never be the same as paint so I respect that. $12k sounds a little light to me if you're considering a full paint job color change. You're talking about completely disassembling everything and the labor involved would be insane. If you're talking exterior and jams only, then maybe your price point is more accurate.

[IanMan]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Barney

Wrap will never be the same as paint so I respect that. $12k sounds a little light to me if you're considering a full paint job color change. You're talking about completely disassembling everything and the labor involved would be insane. If you're talking exterior and jams only, then maybe your price point is more accurate.

Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate the art of wrapping cars, but honestly, it won't look the same. Have you seen an exterior and door jams paint job that turned out well? I remember a while back Creaminz got a 335i done in Lamborghini Grigio Telesto, but it was a flat color so I couldn't really tell how quality of a job it was.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by IanMan

Aloha guys and gals. Hoping to get my M3 sedan repainted in Estoril Blue this year. Has anyone ever gone through with a new paint job on their M3 here? Any ideas of how much this might run me? My target I'm hoping to spend is about $12,000. And before anyone says wrap it, I don't want to because I plan on keeping this car for a very long time. Thanks!

Like anything in life, there is a wide gamut of paint jobs out there. It will ultimately come down to the skill of the painter, quality of the equipment, prep work, etc.

My advice would be to do a lot of research and be patient with it. The most expensive shop isn't necessarily the best, and you need to be leery of anecdotal "my friend used shop X and they were good" types of advice because there is a marked difference between "commercially acceptable" and "OEM/above-OEM quality" jobs. Commercially acceptable jobs are what you see from a mid-range body shop. 8/10 or 9/10 people will say it looks fine and probably wouldn't notice/care about the minor imperfections. For a discerning eye or anyone who takes good care of their cars, they'll want something better. People love to rag on OEM paint jobs as being crappy, but in reality, they are better than a mid-range body shop will turn out.

If you truly want it to look like a 10/10, find out which shop(s) in your area are certified to do exotic car paintwork, e.g. Ferrari. I know of one in the Chicago area that is Ferrari-certified and their rates are way above everyone else...but their attention to detail and anal-retentiveness is unreal.

Where are you located, exactly?

[GRUESOM3]

12k should get it done. Are you going to be taking the windshield/rear window out? Doors out etc. This car is actually easier then a lot of cars because engine jams and trunk jams are flat from the factory. Also they aren't dealing with rust and replacing panels so you can literally scuff existing paint and paint over no need to go down to metal. I've done it on other cars and you save a lot of money if you do the disassembly yourself, especially interior.

[MaximusB]

As much as I like the idea of wrap (and have a friend that does them) it is still like putting lip stick on a pig.

Most wrap don’t cover the jams around doors, trunk and hood. And most shop would charge extra to do those areas. Also keep in mind that vinyl have a short life compare to paint. Even brand name vinyl is only good for like 7 years or so and that is if you take really good care of it.

Whereas paint could potentially last the life time of the car if done right and cared for. Definitely avoid “chain” or franchise body shops like Maaco. Like the other member said those kind of shops only do “commercially acceptable” work at best, as they focus on quick repair and fast turn around.

If I were you I would ask around in your local car clubs. You could also call your local exotic or “high end” car dealers and see where they send their cars for repair. For example all the exotic car dealers (Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche) all send their customers to only two body shops in Vancouver. Both of them have like a 2 month wait time to get an appointment.

[nrubenstein]

$12k is reasonable as long as you can live with your engine bay staying its current color.

I don’t think estoril looks very good on an E90, though. If you ar going to do this, go for something with more pop. Porsche Mexico Blue, or Santorini Blue, IMO.

[ricardofors68]

Even though not on a M3, I recently had a full color change (from blue to red) on a C6 Corvette in Arizona. Your price point could get you there. My car body panels and windshield were removed but my interior remained in place. Paint system was PPG. The one thing that sucks money away is the prep work as you might expect. The amount of block and wet sanding to ensure every body line was better than factory was, well lets say I wont go that way anymore, specially for a mass produced car.
Good luck, I hope my .02 helped some.

Ricardo

[dparm]

Originally Posted by MaximusB

As much as I like the idea of wrap (and have a friend that does them) it is still like putting lip stick on a pig.

Most wrap don’t cover the jams around doors, trunk and hood. And most shop would charge extra to do those areas. Also keep in mind that vinyl have a short life compare to paint. Even brand name vinyl is only good for like 7 years or so and that is if you take really good care of it.

Whereas paint could potentially last the life time of the car if done right and cared for. Definitely avoid “chain” or franchise body shops like Maaco. Like the other member said those kind of shops only do “commercially acceptable” work at best, as they focus on quick repair and fast turn around.

If I were you I would ask around in your local car clubs. You could also call your local exotic or “high end” car dealers and see where they send their cars for repair. For example all the exotic car dealers (Bentley, Ferrari, Porsche) all send their customers to only two body shops in Vancouver. Both of them have like a 2 month wait time to get an appointment.

Vinyl will last longer than 7 years if you care for it and don't park in the direct desert sun every day. Films like Xpel have 10-year guarantees, and getting a ceramic coating over the top (or even just regularly waxing) will easily get you there.

Let's be honest, even if you are careful, paint on a DD is going to get its share of scratches, chips, and knicks over a 7-year lifespan. At least with the vinyl, you can just remove it and redo the specific panel that is looking bad. Or, if you're sick of the color, you can just remove all of it.

[BOOF-M3]

Originally Posted by ricardofors68

Even though not on a M3, I recently had a full color change (from blue to red) on a C6 Corvette in Arizona. Your price point could get you there. My car body panels and windshield were removed but my interior remained in place. Paint system was PPG. The one thing that sucks money away is the prep work as you might expect. The amount of block and wet sanding to ensure every body line was better than factory was, well lets say I wont go that way anymore, specially for a mass produced car.
Good luck, I hope my .02 helped some.

Ricardo

Did your car need to be re painted or it was out of wanting a color change? I like your style by the way Ricardo, great taste in cars overall.

[simple2010]

If you're planning to repaint it in another factory OEM color, it seems like it would make more sense just to sell and buy one in the color you want. If you have a lot of mods or sentimental value maybe that's not an option though.

[Charlie90M3]

Originally Posted by IanMan

Aloha guys and gals. Hoping to get my M3 sedan repainted in Estoril Blue this year. Has anyone ever gone through with a new paint job on their M3 here? Any ideas of how much this might run me? My target I'm hoping to spend is about $12,000. And before anyone says wrap it, I don't want to because I plan on keeping this car for a very long time. Thanks!

12k should definitely cover the cost to do a complete color change. It's the quality of paint/clear materials that is used that makes a difference. Here are some pics of my E90 that was painted by StrasseSport two years ago. The car was originally jet black and repainted to Sakhir Orange

[ricardofors68]

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

Did you car need to be re painted or it was out of wanting a color change? I like your style by the way Ricardo, great taste in cars overall.

Thank you. I wanted a different color. I was doing other mods so in my infinite wisdom I decided to also do a color change....

OP, resale value could be affected since is not the original color, but this should only matter if you are worried about that, which you are probably not.

dparm makes a good point concerning vinyl as I have two cars currently wrapped but I do admit that it is not for everyone.

[pcohen15]

Originally Posted by ricardofors68

Even though not on a M3, I recently had a full color change (from blue to red) on a C6 Corvette in Arizona. Your price point could get you there. My car body panels and windshield were removed but my interior remained in place. Paint system was PPG. The one thing that sucks money away is the prep work as you might expect. The amount of block and wet sanding to ensure every body line was better than factory was, well lets say I wont go that way anymore, specially for a mass produced car.
Good luck, I hope my .02 helped some.

Ricardo

I'm in AZ. Who did that Corvette paint job? I've had an estimate from Penske's body shop here that's certified by all the exotic lines they sell, like Ferrari, Lambo, Bentley, among others like BMW and Mercedes. It seems they would be capable of dong that work from what they described to me as their process.

[DSilk]

If you are doing a respray, the entire car needs to be the same color. This means removing everything covering a painted panel, and painting under the door cards, the interior of the trunk, and the engine bay. A color change may very well lower the value of your car, since the color you wind up with will not match the color indicated on the VIN.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by IanMan

Aloha guys and gals. Hoping to get my M3 sedan repainted in Estoril Blue this year. Has anyone ever gone through with a new paint job on their M3 here? Any ideas of how much this might run me? My target I'm hoping to spend is about $12,000. And before anyone says wrap it, I don't want to because I plan on keeping this car for a very long time. Thanks!

Remembered this guy and found the thread, should be inspiring reading OP: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1131994.

Btw preeetty stunning build in general.

[ricardofors68]

Originally Posted by pcohen15

I'm in AZ. Who did that Corvette paint job? I've had an estimate from Penske's body shop here that's certified by all the exotic lines they sell, like Ferrari, Lambo, Bentley, among others like BMW and Mercedes. It seems they would be capable of dong that work from what they described to me as their process.

https://www.innovativeautocreations.com

They're in Tempe. Most cars I've seen there are exotic stuff, but they do work on anything and everything.

[IanMan]

Thank you guys for all the replies. Charlie, your M3 looks fucking fantastic. I feel a whole lot better about the color change. In the end, it's just a car.

[pcohen15]

Originally Posted by ricardofors68

https://www.innovativeautocreations.com

They're in Tempe. Most cars I've seen there are exotic stuff, but they do work on anything and everything.

Thanks. Worth a visit!

[kyrix1st]

Are you not considering wrapping? I personally wouldn't like to touch on factory paints..

[IanMan]

Car is going to Ivan at StrasseSport this summer for a color change!

[nrubenstein]

I should note that starting with a black car makes life a lot easier. It's not unusual for cars with interesting colors to have, say, a black engine bay or interior panels.

A white engine bay will really, really stand out.