Who has re-painted their runner?

[PitbullRescuer]

You didn't tell us the rest of it looked bad too. But I'd still go with the shop your mom recommended. Have them wet sand, buff and wax the rest of it. I'm not trying to be a d*ck but I can almost guarantee you you'll be sorry with the Maaco job.

 

[drtyjerz47]

go on craigslist and go to the automotive services and look around.

i have a imperial jade mica (green) with the tan 2tone (its a limited). i contacted him and he was going to paint the bottom part the original green color for about 400$. i bartered with him and I'm giving him some things in exchange for the labor and i only need to buy the paint (35$ for the pint)

he's doing it next month. ill post pics on how it turns out

 

[kymo]

I had the same type of damage on my truck - hood / roof were peeling all over. The rest of my paint looks almost new.

I got the roof, hood, and my Satoshi grille repainted for around $1000 CDN cash. Came out great.

Ended up scratching the roof putting my Whitson rack on though. :frusty:

 

[packweco]

Wow, tons of replies, I appreciate all of the input guys! I'll get some pictures of it as soon as I can. For those that are recommending just "buffing it out", I can almost guarantee I won't have any luck with that. If there were any clear coat left to buff, I'd be all over it, but the clear coat is straight up gone. In some areas it's cloudy, but in most of the areas the clear is gone.

Painting the roof and the hood is an option, I'm just afraid that in a year the spot right next to it will just wear out. I'm sure I can preserve a lot of it with regular waxing though. The other issue is that it's not just on the hood and the roof. The tops of my fender flares are getting cloudy/flaking, there is a sizable spot just below the rear window on the hatch where the clear coat is gone, etc.

It sounds like the quote I got isn't that far off the money from what you all have said. That was for two tone for the main color and the fender flares. Unfortunately I'm just not willing to pay that for my daily driver 16 year old 4runner. I think I'd like to get some quotes elsewhere and see what people say they can do.

I'll get some pics up tomorrow so you guys can see, unfortunately my roof rack will cover up a lot of the roof but I'm sure you'll still be able to see. In the mean time, there are a few pictures in this thread. You can see the hood, where it's worn through in the center and cloudy around that.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/157572-finished-fairing-my-wmw-rack.html

 

[kymo]

Sounds like you have the exact same problem that I had. The tops of my flares were also starting to flake, but not nearly as bad as the hood / roof. When I got my hood / roof painted, I asked for a quote on the flares / cladding (also two tone) thrown in and it was substantially more.

I am going to end up painting them black myself with SEM trim black when it gets a little warmer out.

That fairing for your Whitson rack looks awesome BTW. Are you going to paint it black to match?

 

[seabun]

I thought the Toyota black was single stage paint?

I did not know that, hrmm then I dunno what's been going on because as far as I know it wasn't in an accident (guess its possible, will delve deeper) but something definitely has peeled off bc the rest of it is shiny black and the affected area is a matte finish and you can see something chipping off along the edges. Thanks for the info!

 

[2runnersnyynyg]

I have 2 anthricite runners and both have the same problem as yours.
When i put my 99 on the road the 98(anthricite) got parked and on left unwaxed for almost 2 years took it to the wash and noticed.
paint the roof and hood and polish/detail the rest of the truck. I think this would be ideal
just noticed you metioned the flares,see if you remove the rack flares and hood(if they require) if a shop would give you a better deal, just make sue you get new clips and flare pads for the flares.
and dont let anyone tell you they can paint the flares on the truck,if they do run in the other direction,the paint will chip and fail

 

[5RUNNERZ]

I would remove all plastic trim, fender flares, and all badges then send it into mako! like you said it is a 6k truck, it is not a show truck, so the paint might not be 100% perfect but it will look 100 times better then what it is. Plus you will only have spent a quarter of the other option!!! I am all about the mako paint job! start a poll and see witch gets more votes! i just can see spending 2k+ for paint job on a 6k that is not a show truck and will prob be in the woods at some time!

 

[IBallEngineer]

WOW, where do I start.

Let me be very direct and tell you guys that SOME of you are just wrong. You guys would be the first to slam someone for buying a cheap set of brakes that won't last very long, pushing them to buy OEM and do the Tundra upgrade. But you think there is ANY comparison between Maaco and a REAL body shop.

I started painting cars when I was in high school, I graduated in 1980. Back then we paid more for a good quality paint then Maaco pays for their crap today. Good paint costs a lot. I owned my own body shop for 14 years, I saw the prices rise every year. By the time I sold my shop last year I was paying, not charging, over $300 for a gallon of clear coat. Color was $200-$800. Buffing materials alone ran close to $80. In all materials were $600-$1200 of my costs. For a vehicle like a 3rd gen with flares and painted bumpers, mirrors, handles we painted it in 2 or 3 trips to the booth. I would have the vehicle 3 to 4 weeks, we didn't work on it non-stop but tried to do something everyday.

Toyota pretty much abandoned the single stage paint in the era of the 3rd gen, it would not surprise me if some were, whites and blacks. But 2O2 is most certainly 2 stage. Black is the HARDEST color to paint, although the material isn't the most expensive.

There is no justification for a 5K paint job on a 5K vehicle. But there is no justification for a Satoshi Grille, or LED/HID light conversions either. If you can't afford it, that is certainly understandable. But don't fool yourself into thinking you are getting the same thing from the guy who drops his price to $1000.

Small difference are fine, different shops have different overhead, some guys work cheap too. But knowing the costs of materials, and the work involved, you have to be realistic. OK, I'm off the soapbox.

:behindsofa:

 

[5RUNNERZ]

WOW, where do I start.

Let me be very direct and tell you guys that SOME of you are just wrong. You guys would be the first to slam someone for buying a cheap set of brakes that won't last very long, pushing them to buy OEM and do the Tundra upgrade. But you think there is ANY comparison between Maaco and a REAL body shop.

I started painting cars when I was in high school, I graduated in 1980. Back then we paid more for a good quality paint then Maaco pays for their crap today. Good paint costs a lot. I owned my own body shop for 14 years, I saw the prices rise every year. By the time I sold my shop last year I was paying, not charging, over $300 for a gallon of clear coat. Color was $200-$800. Buffing materials alone ran close to $80. In all materials were $600-$1200 of my costs. For a vehicle like a 3rd gen with flares and painted bumpers, mirrors, handles we painted it in 2 or 3 trips to the booth. I would have the vehicle 3 to 4 weeks, we didn't work on in non-stop but tried to do something everyday.

Toyota pretty much abandoned the single stage paint in the era of the 3rd gen, it would not surprise me if some were, whites and blacks. But 2O2 is most certainly 2 stage. Black is the HARDEST color to paint, although the material isn't the most expensive.

There is no justification for a 5K paint job on a 5K vehicle. But there is no justification for a Satoshi Grille, or LED/HID light conversions either. If you can't afford it, that is certainly understandable. But don't fool yourself into thinking you are getting the same thing from the guy who drops his price to $1000.

Small difference are fine, different shops have different overhead, some guys work cheap too. But knowing the costs of materials, and the work involved, you have to be realistic. OK, I'm off the soapbox.

:behindsofa:

I agree completely!!!!!! but in my experience i have seen someone trying to save a few dollars and some not to bad paint jobs from mako last 5 years or so and look fine! but I think everybody on here knows you get what you pay for!:cheers:

 

[JayRolla]

Ive known people to use earl scheib and its not bad for the price. Never had peeling issues, just the clear coat fades after a few years and the car now looks like a Matte color. My brother got a deal on his Talon about 5 years ago for $650. Entire car, still holding up.

 

[txbonds]

WOW, where do I start.

Let me be very direct and tell you guys that SOME of you are just wrong. You guys would be the first to slam someone for buying a cheap set of brakes that won't last very long, pushing them to buy OEM and do the Tundra upgrade. But you think there is ANY comparison between Maaco and a REAL body shop.

I started painting cars when I was in high school, I graduated in 1980. Back then we paid more for a good quality paint then Maaco pays for their crap today. Good paint costs a lot. I owned my own body shop for 14 years, I saw the prices rise every year. By the time I sold my shop last year I was paying, not charging, over $300 for a gallon of clear coat. Color was $200-$800. Buffing materials alone ran close to $80. In all materials were $600-$1200 of my costs. For a vehicle like a 3rd gen with flares and painted bumpers, mirrors, handles we painted it in 2 or 3 trips to the booth. I would have the vehicle 3 to 4 weeks, we didn't work on it non-stop but tried to do something everyday.

Toyota pretty much abandoned the single stage paint in the era of the 3rd gen, it would not surprise me if some were, whites and blacks. But 2O2 is most certainly 2 stage. Black is the HARDEST color to paint, although the material isn't the most expensive.

There is no justification for a 5K paint job on a 5K vehicle. But there is no justification for a Satoshi Grille, or LED/HID light conversions either. If you can't afford it, that is certainly understandable. But don't fool yourself into thinking you are getting the same thing from the guy who drops his price to $1000.

Small difference are fine, different shops have different overhead, some guys work cheap too. But knowing the costs of materials, and the work involved, you have to be realistic. OK, I'm off the soapbox.

:behindsofa:

I hear what you are saying but personally on my 16 year old truck that will get scratched on trails, I'll take my $450 done in 2 days paint job and keep my CBI bumpers, Stubbs sliders, Warn winch and a few other goodies purchased with the savings. To each their own though. eace:

 

[packweco]

WOW, where do I start.

Let me be very direct and tell you guys that SOME of you are just wrong. You guys would be the first to slam someone for buying a cheap set of brakes that won't last very long, pushing them to buy OEM and do the Tundra upgrade. But you think there is ANY comparison between Maaco and a REAL body shop.

I started painting cars when I was in high school, I graduated in 1980. Back then we paid more for a good quality paint then Maaco pays for their crap today. Good paint costs a lot. I owned my own body shop for 14 years, I saw the prices rise every year. By the time I sold my shop last year I was paying, not charging, over $300 for a gallon of clear coat. Color was $200-$800. Buffing materials alone ran close to $80. In all materials were $600-$1200 of my costs. For a vehicle like a 3rd gen with flares and painted bumpers, mirrors, handles we painted it in 2 or 3 trips to the booth. I would have the vehicle 3 to 4 weeks, we didn't work on it non-stop but tried to do something everyday.

Toyota pretty much abandoned the single stage paint in the era of the 3rd gen, it would not surprise me if some were, whites and blacks. But 2O2 is most certainly 2 stage. Black is the HARDEST color to paint, although the material isn't the most expensive.

There is no justification for a 5K paint job on a 5K vehicle. But there is no justification for a Satoshi Grille, or LED/HID light conversions either. If you can't afford it, that is certainly understandable. But don't fool yourself into thinking you are getting the same thing from the guy who drops his price to $1000.

Small difference are fine, different shops have different overhead, some guys work cheap too. But knowing the costs of materials, and the work involved, you have to be realistic. OK, I'm off the soapbox.

:behindsofa:

I totally understand where you're coming from, and the cost of the materials makes sense. You're paying for a highly engineered material that lasts an insane amount of time for the environment that it's in. How many things do you own that could sit in the sun everyday for 10 years and not wear out?

As far as the other mods, there is a line between something that is aesthetic, like paint, and something that makes the vehicle perform better. I'm with you on the grill mod thing, but better brakes or oem parts are easier to justify than an expensive paint job. I do have autozone brakes on mine though

Like I said, I'd like to get more quotes from some other shops. Maybe from your experience you can say whether or not it's a good idea to get just the roof and hood painted. Seems to me like the area where the new and old paint come together would wear out and look crappy quick, since there would be new clear going over old clear in some areas.

Thanks for all the opinions everyone!!

 

[packweco]

Sounds like you have the exact same problem that I had. The tops of my flares were also starting to flake, but not nearly as bad as the hood / roof. When I got my hood / roof painted, I asked for a quote on the flares / cladding (also two tone) thrown in and it was substantially more.

I am going to end up painting them black myself with SEM trim black when it gets a little warmer out.

That fairing for your Whitson rack looks awesome BTW. Are you going to paint it black to match?

Thanks for the compliment, I am planning on painting it matte black, and I got some gloss black trd stickers to put on it, should look pretty sweet!

 

[IBallEngineer]

Like I said, I'd like to get more quotes from some other shops. Maybe from your experience you can say whether or not it's a good idea to get just the roof and hood painted. Seems to me like the area where the new and old paint come together would wear out and look crappy quick, since there would be new clear going over old clear in some areas.

Thanks for all the opinions everyone!!

You are correct, painting the upper areas is a compromise, but it can be done with success. Personally, that is what I would do. But of course only you can make the decision based on your expectations, and financial needs.

 

[packweco]

Some Pictures:

 

[downpour11]

Gotta love arizona! That sun is a killer.

 

[amalik]

my flares are the same as yours, but my hood and roof are in much better shape.

 

[txbonds]

Did someone already suggest this?

How about paint the whole thing with plasti dip? Would be cheap and you could touch up panels as needed. Might buy you time on a more expensive paint job.

 

[drtyjerz47]

Finally got my craiglist job done before is on bottom.. I got rid of the gross gold I just wasn't a fan