What exactly is a "bad" paintjob?

[toeknee]

I bought mugen side/rear kits and am looking to get them painted and installed very soon. So I've been running around getting quotes from body shops. There is this place that quoted me $850 and the other that quoted me $650, for paint and install. Naturally I was disgusted because it exceeded my expectation and I felt like there are better upgrades to spend $600+ on than the kits.

Anyways my friend introduced me to this "drift car shop", and they quoted me $400 for the job, without even looking at the kits' fitment. I'm fairly happy that I found a place for this reasonable price, but I can't help but feel that there's a catch for this price. So I'm planning on visiting this shop next week and maybe take a look at some of the paint jobs they've done in the past. Can anyone offer me some pointers/checklist that I should pay attention to when trying to figure out whether this is a "worthy" body shop? Is there any way that I can check the durability/resistance to chipping of a paint job? Just a peace of mind before putting my money down for this.

[bulit184]

you get what you pay for. its that simple. good luck

[PrEgO CaNe]

i would recommend going to a shop that has a good rep. that doesn't seem to steep of a price for a good job. the $400 sounds like a maaco price

[Brown_Bear]

Originally Posted by PrEgO CaNe

i would recommend going to a shop that has a good rep. that doesn't seem to steep of a price for a good job. the $400 sounds like a maaco price

what he said...maaco paint is crap...my buddy redid is suv from them and wow...lots of overspray and runs....400 seems fishy....unless you know the guy but i would keep lookin around..i'd rather pay for a great job even if it cost me alot...than cheap and crappy work..paint could chip...G/L man..in for pics..

[cuzzybubba1]

It's worth it to go with a quote from a reputable well-known shop. I recently had to get my mugen spoiler painted, which included removing the oem paint, and I received a fairly low quote of $175 from one shop and $375 from a very reputable shop. I went with the higher priced shop due to the company reputation, and looking back I'm glad I did. Good luck with your decision.

[PrEgO CaNe]

Originally Posted by cuzzybubba1

It's worth it to go with a quote from a reputable well-known shop. I recently had to get my fake mugen spoiler painted, which included removing the "oem" paint, and I received a fairly low quote of $175 from one shop and $375 from a very reputable shop. I went with the higher priced shop due to the company's reputation, and looking back I'm glad I did. Good luck with your decision.

*FIXED*

[xheartcore_boyx]

^LOL kinda what I feel when i see someone rocking the same kit as mine for 1/4 the price

[cuzzybubba1]

Originally Posted by PrEgO CaNe

*FIXED*

Very intelligent post.. My mugen spoiler is oem, please get your facts straight before spewing false information. Have a nice day.

[cuzzybubba1]

Originally Posted by xheartcore_boyx

^LOL kinda what I feel when i see someone rocking the same kit as mine for 1/4 the price

You must be looking at the wrong people then.

[PrEgO CaNe]

Originally Posted by cuzzybubba1

Very intelligent post.. My mugen spoiler is oem, please get your fact's straight before spewing false information. Have a nice day.

then why did you give buddy such a hard time having the mugen badge on his mugen grille when you have a mugen badge on your mugen spoiler.

Originally Posted by cuzzybubba1

^I have a Mugen wing but that doesn't make my car a Mugen SI... I would not put a Mugen Grill badged "Mugen SI" on my car unless I had the entire mugen kit imo since my car is not a "Mugen SI". Still, the car look's great.

[cuzzybubba1]

Seriously... The "Mugen SI" badge is stating its a Mugen SI, I have a Mugen Spoiler that has a badge that says "Mugen". I was stating my opinion that I would not put the "Mugen SI" badge on my car unless I had the whole kit. Please read before accusing me of giving someone a hard time, it was a legitimate question I was asking not giving anybody a hard time.

[PrEgO CaNe]

his grille says mugen your spoiler says mugen. he has every right to put it on as you do to put your spoiler on. easy as that!

[R18Mug06]

Should i put the Mugen badge on mine since i have the mugen CSX lip kit on mine lol? no i wouldnt

[cuzzybubba1]

Originally Posted by PrEgO CaNe

his grille says mugen your spoiler says mugen. he has every right to put it on as you do to put your spoiler on. easy as that!

Sure thing man, have a nice day.

[cuzzybubba1]

Originally Posted by R18Mug06

Should i put the Mugen badge on mine since i have the mugen CSX lip kit on mine lol? no i wouldnt

[PrEgO CaNe]

^point? if it came engraved into your kit and you wanted to pay to have it taken out and fixed your choice but if you decided to keep it you would have every right too!

[R18Mug06]

i always wanted to put that badge on but i would get laughed at cause its not a mugen lol. i wouldnt reallly care about that but i would need the spoiler first and last thing to make it a complete kit lol. ill just make a custom R18 badge for the grill for now

[xheartcore_boyx]

Originally Posted by cuzzybubba1

You must be looking at the wrong people then.

I posted hence his post, didn't even look who he quoted lol

[xheartcore_boyx]

Originally Posted by R18Mug06

Should i put the Mugen badge on mine since i have the mugen CSX lip kit on mine lol? no i wouldnt

The Mugen CSX lip kit doesn't work on USDM civics, that definitely is a replica, which is not a bad thing, don't get me wrong, it's just not "Mugen"

[Yodums]

Originally Posted by toeknee

I bought mugen side/rear kits and am looking to get them painted and installed very soon. So I've been running around getting quotes from body shops. There is this place that quoted me $850 and the other that quoted me $650, for paint and install. Naturally I was disgusted because it exceeded my expectation and I felt like there are better upgrades to spend $600+ on than the kits.

Anyways my friend introduced me to this "drift car shop", and they quoted me $400 for the job, without even looking at the kits' fitment. I'm fairly happy that I found a place for this reasonable price, but I can't help but feel that there's a catch for this price. So I'm planning on visiting this shop next week and maybe take a look at some of the paint jobs they've done in the past. Can anyone offer me some pointers/checklist that I should pay attention to when trying to figure out whether this is a "worthy" body shop? Is there any way that I can check the durability/resistance to chipping of a paint job? Just a peace of mind before putting my money down for this.

I would recommend going to a body shop that local car members have had good experiences with. There are too many factors in determining whether a body shop is good solely based on its price. To answer your original question - a bad paint job is one that has runs (excessive paint that 'runs' while paint is being applied), doesn't match the rest of the car, and isn't properly finished. A reputable body shop will always ask to leave your car overnight to make sure the part properly fits and to benchmark their mix of paint with yours.