For Those of You Who've Painted your Skirts/Bumpers

[infinity5]

Did you have to blend the paint up into the doors/body pannels for a good match or did it look fine with the side-skirts/lower bumper trim being a slightly different shade of your body color?

I'd like to have that stuff painted but the second i tell that to a body shop they're going to tell me it absolutely has to be blended up into the body or else it'll look awful.

What have been your experiences? any close-up pictures? My car is alpinewhite 3.

[DanDombrowski]

I had bodywork on my Volvo done in Gainesville at a place called University paint and body, it was right next to where Richard's import Store used to be (Volvo guy). They were really good, cut me a deal for $500 less than my insurance payout (so I broke even after the deductable) and they did a great job of matching the paint with some light meter thingy. Since then, they're under new management, but you might give them a try.

I thought you wanted a new car?

[Phil Sanderson]

...it needs to be color-matched. They need to paint the complete bumpers, not just the bottom bits. Because there is a definite cut off between the bumper/body and skirt/body any color-match problem should be less visible. If they need to blend the paint on the skirts half way up the doors, you will have more chance of seeing any mismatch in color. My car is metallic and they did a perfect color-match. If your guys say they need to blend, I would find someone better. White is a lot easier color to match than any metallic.

regards
Phil

[infinity5]

I had bodywork on my Volvo done in Gainesville at a place called University paint and body, it was right next to where Richard's import Store used to be (Volvo guy). They were really good, cut me a deal for $500 less than my insurance payout (so I broke even after the deductable) and they did a great job of matching the paint with some light meter thingy. Since then, they're under new management, but you might give them a try.

I was thinking of using Buchholz paint-body. They were highly recommened to me and offer a lifetime warrenty on all their paint work.


I thought you wanted a new car?
Well I did, or I do. I don't know anymore. My main goal in getting a new car was finding something smaller (sportier) and something that got better milage, like at least 25 in the city.

I had my sights set on a Golf TDI but when i drove one it was terrible (well, it seemed pretty bad, maybe it was me).But it made me realize there's probably not any other car in the world that's going drive like a bmw or feel like a bmw.

With that in mind, my choices are limited to a 3-series or a Z3. An e30 in good shape is going to be a chore to find, an e36 that hasn't been abused to heck and is cheap enough to make sense isn't going to be that easy to find either.

I'd kill for a Z-Coupe, but they're still way out of my price range, even if I sold my 5'er first.

So i've started to think that I should just upgrade and enjoy my 5'er until I get out of school. At that point not only will z-coups be cheap, but z4-coupes will be reasonably priced, and with the right job I could probably pick one up. Well.. assuming z3-coupes dont turn into some kind of super rare collectors deal...

There are probably other options, but they're either ugly or I don't know about their exsistance.

[Phil Sanderson]

...pic
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5273/525i0022fg.jpg
regards
Phil

[infinity5]

Thanks Phil. I don't know much of anyhting about anyhting paint related, thanks for the information.

[Qube]

White isn't difficult to botch up... unless they use a very bright white. It will fade in the first few weeks and match up better. Plus, it gets dirty quickest and is usually shaded by the rest of the body, making full matching unnecessary.