Getting a car repainted, what to look our for?

[syednayl]

Hey everyone, I have a Passo 2010 that I am looking to get completely repainted. Due to the previous owners carelessness most of the clear coat on the car has faded in different places and the footboards have also begun to rust. I am getting it painted and have come to an agreement with a painter nearby in Johar (Karachi) for 45k for the complete denting and repainting of the car.

Now I have no clue how the painters and denters here skimp out on work so I am looking for any pointers I should be looking for when they are doing the body work and paint job, any precautions and tips would be appreciated. I will post pictures of the car by tonight. I have done professional detailing, and still do it for friends and family when needed so I do have a good idea of what a good paint job looks like and I am familiar with the process of painting a car i.e body work, filling, sanding, primer, sanding, base coat, clear coat, wet sanding, compounding, polishing, no wax for a couple of weeks.

The color of the car is pearl beige, almost the color of sand. The paint I have agreed upon is Nexa for base and clear. I will be going with the painter to fetch the paint. Any other brands recommended, are there fake paint products in the market?

Appreciate any input!

[Xulfiqar]

Take this with a grain of salt as nowadays people are complaining that Im blunt/rude etc. - but I have painted/refinished cars myself

there are tons of cheap and fake stuff available which can bite you. This is why you need to find a good supplier. Secondly the air compressor you are using should be large enough to not short cycle constantly and you should have a very good moisture separator so you are not shooting water with the paint.

The paint gun should be learned so the amount of spray can be dialed to the person handling the gun. A cheap gun results in bad finish.

Use correct techniques to prep the paint including pepper coating to see the high and low sanding areas. Spraying it is also an issue as its easy to shoot dry spray which will result in a dead finish.

Buy some mixing cups with measurements and ratios printed on the side of it and follow the manufacturer specs of the clear coat and its catalyser to get the correct ratio - do not try to "andaaza" it - it never works. (been there done that) - 3 wet coats of standox 2K clear will give you a very good finish provided you have sprayed the base correctly and evenly with a 30% overlap.

Tape/disconnect/remove anything you can to get a clean/crisp finish everywhere.

lastly - be safe, painting a car is hazardous to your health and can kill you so buy a respirator. Do not try to be He-man and commando the job with andaaza and no calculations or no safety. If you or your painter dont care then you might as well burn your money in a pile.

[mshoaib432722]

For the top coat and clearcoat, use acrylic thinner (nippon, master, equivalent etc), and not open container thinner. You will need 2 litres of it (max.).
Its going to aid you in the final glass-like finish.

[Xulfiqar]

thinner?

you mean the catalyzer? because reducing the clear with a thinner will require a completely different spray technique and can cause a lot of runs if your compressor doesnt have enough volume to keep going.