Should I get my car painted?

Yes. Paint it pink and tell people you are a Mary Kay salesman.

Your paint job is already fading? We have a 2001 and it looks fine. Then again, I’ve rear ended someone and had the frnt pulled off so it’s been redone twice.

If you want to get it painted, then go for it.

make sure you take it to a reputable shop. it’ll cost more but you don’t want it to chip or crack within 2 years… also after you get it done, wash and wax it every 1–2 weeks to help strengthen the clear coat. Don’t do white for obvious reasons. I think a dark orange would look good on that, or a midnight blue. with silver accents.

@casheroo what color is your car? Red has the weakest wavelength, so it tends to fade before most other colors. I have plastic bumpers and they are the only part of the car that’s slightly fading, all the metal parts of the car are still pretty bright.

@Kiev749 Thanks! So I shouldn’t take it to a Maaco type place then?

Also, I think this might be a good time to do it because for the first time since I bought the car, I have a garage to put it in.

@TheRocketPig It’s silver

@casheroo oh, that paint job should stay brilliant for a long time! Bet it keeps the car pretty cool too. :)

I lived in Florida, and I had my car painted. My paint job was a Maaco one and did not last at all. They also nickle and dimed me over such things as not painting the backs of the mirrors.

If you go for a bottom of the line paint job, forget it. It will fade and lose its shine, and the clear coat might just bubble up and crack. However, if you go to a well-respected shop and get one of their more expensive paint jobs, and you take care of it afterward, it should last you a long time.

Whatever external color you choose, makes sure it goes well with the interior colors, and make sure you get mirror backs, etc, painted as well. I also suggest you get something done to make it look like a custom paint job, just so people won’t think you had it painted to hide an accident.

However, before you do anything double check your warranty – sometimes paint is covered separately. We got one car repainted for free because it was one of the GMs with the bad black paint.

Thanks a lot Darwin! I’ll do me local research… eff Maaco then :)

@Kiev: What’s wrong with a white car? I have a 1997 white car, and besides the part that’s been re-painted because of a wreck, the car looks brand-new.

@la chica White always shows dirt. so if its not kept in a covered area or a garage, then it will normally look dirty unless you wash it everyday… too much hassle. other than that, white isn’t so bad…

@Therocketpig Maaco seems to be a decent shop. if you want the paint to last, go with the base coat + CLEAR COAT urethane. The base coat is your car color followed by the clear which is like a plastic covering you can put over your ipod or cell phone, (screen protector) and it also will chemically bond to the base to make it stronger. thus if properlly taken care of, it wont chip or crack for atleast 20 years.

@Kiev749: Interesting. Though I have to disagree that white” always shows dirt”. My car has been outside for weeks (I do sometimes keep it in a garage) and it doesn’t show any dirt. I certainly don’t wash it every day. More like once a year (literally) And I really do get a lot of comments that it looks brand new.

@La_chica_gomela Where do you live? if you don’t mind me asking. Sometimes your location sometimes depends how much you have to wash your vehicle. people who live near the coast should wash and wax more to keep the paint strong and to help keep the clear coat from pealing off. I know where i live in the middle of nowhere, if i dont wash my car or keep it in the garage, the dust will show in about 2 days. But i live in kansas. so high winds and no blockers.