Paintwork pricing

[Ocsltd]

Looking for a bit of advice, ideally from someone who works in a bodyshop….

I know from experience you get what you pay for when it comes to paintwork, but what should be the going rate be to have a Clio 200 front bumper painted Racing Blue to a good standard?

Cheers

 

[Daniel]

I use two blokes for paint. The first is a mobile painter and he will mask everything up and paint the bumper. This is fine for cheapies but I wouldn’t do it on a car worth more than £3/4k. He charges £180, no vat.

I also use a big Bodyshop about 5 miles away for the proper cars, they’ll remove the bumper, all the trims and clips, paint it, re-assemble and polish the surrounding areas. Fantastic job. They charge £300 + vat for a bumper as long as there’s no big damage. Scuffs etc are fine but if it needs welding or re-shaping then the cost goes up.

 

[Ocsltd]

I use two blokes for paint. The first is a mobile painter and he will mask everything up and paint the bumper. This is fine for cheapies but I wouldn’t do it on a car worth more than £3/4k. He charges £180, no vat.

I also use a big Bodyshop about 5 miles away for the proper cars, they’ll remove the bumper, all the trims and clips, paint it, re-assemble and polish the surrounding areas. Fantastic job. They charge £300 + vat for a bumper as long as there’s no big damage. Scuffs etc are fine but if it needs welding or re-shaping then the cost goes up.

Thanks mate, that’s what I would expect.

 

[JamesBryan]

Yeah £300 ish I'd say.

 

[Jekyll]

£300 + Vat is the common price

 

[Gus]

Clio 200 bumper is two colours too so may well cost more.

 

[Ocsltd]

Clio 200 bumper is two colours too so may well cost more.

View attachment 1670633

It’s only the blue bit that needs painting…..

 

[Mr Underhill]

£100 to get a rear 182 bumper painted and that’s zero labour and cost of materials. That’s because I work for the company.

I got a whole car painted for £1,000.

Hopefully that’ll give you an indication of the price of materials alone before you get into labour and profit margins.

 

[Touring_Rob]

£1000 in materials?

 

[Jekyll]

Paint
Lacquer
Hardener
Thinners
Primer
Plastic adhesion spray
Filler
DA discs
Flatting papers
Compound
Degreaser
Tack rags

Etc, it all adds up. And of course if you need to double prime areas, you'll use more materials. Rust repairing, etch primer, rust prevention materials....

 

[NickReilly063]

I was lucky to have mine painted for £800 - I'd dread to think how much it would cost retail.

Both Rear Quarters ( windows removed )
Bonnet
Both bumpers painted as shells
Lower side sills removed and painted
Top roof trims - boot lock surround - door handles

Wheels where free however I gave them £100 for dinner's

 

[Louis]

I was lucky to have mine painted for £800 - I'd dread to think how much it would cost retail.

Both Rear Quarters ( windows removed )
Bonnet
Both bumpers painted as shells
Lower side sills removed and painted
Top roof trims - boot lock surround - door handles

Wheels where free however I gave them £100 for dinner's

Will they sort my rust for that 😂

 

[Touring_Rob]

Paint
Lacquer
Hardener
Thinners
Primer
Plastic adhesion spray
Filler
DA discs
Flatting papers
Compound
Degreaser
Tack rags

Etc, it all adds up. And of course if you need to double prime areas, you'll use more materials. Rust repairing, etch primer, rust prevention materials....

Add it all up, its not a grand in materials. Looks an impressive list when you write it all out but unless you are buying a million tac rags. Top 5 are the expensive lines obviously.

Its incredibly labour intensive to do a good job and there is genuine skill involved, 1k is mentally cheap (let alone £800!) but the materials are more like £500.

 

[Gally]

Add it all up, its not a grand in materials. Looks an impressive list when you write it all out but unless you are buying a million tac rags. Top 5 are the expensive lines obviously.

Its incredibly labour intensive to do a good job and there is genuine skill involved, 1k is mentally cheap (let alone £800!) but the materials are more like £500.

You think you can paint a car for £500 in paint materials? 😂😂😂

 

[Touring_Rob]

You think you can paint a car for £500 in paint materials? 😂😂😂

Hahahah hahahaha so funny.

Yes I think the materials to paint a car come to around £500.

 

[TheCAB]

Resprayed my Ford Anglia in 2K earlier in year in spruce green with white roof. Good few coats of primer were required and looking back I definitely didn't spend more than £250 on painting materials at my local supplier.

So £500 estimate for materials should leave you with change.

Most of the cost for a decent paint job is in the labour element.

 

[Touring_Rob]

Pics of Anglia please!!!!

 

[Mr Underhill]

@Touring_Rob Honestly it's scary how much stuff costs.

I probably didn't put my point across too well, but I was trying to give a flavour of what things cost to people in the trade. I still thought I could get a bumper painted for £30

A bin wagon went down the side of the missus Hyundai Tucson and put a small scratch and dent in the rear quarter. It went through their insurance, but that was £1,400 to repair. 😲

 

[Jekyll]

Add it all up, its not a grand in materials. Looks an impressive list when you write it all out but unless you are buying a million tac rags. Top 5 are the expensive lines obviously.

Its incredibly labour intensive to do a good job and there is genuine skill involved, 1k is mentally cheap (let alone £800!) but the materials are more like £500.

I did a loose list but if your doing a whole car, you'd buy a pack of rags for that job, a box of 180 discs, 320 discs, 400, 500 etc. There £25 a box? You wouldn't just charge for the discs you use, you'd round it up.

I'd say the first 5 bits on the list are near £500 there? I don't know full prices and that's based on the supplier we get ours for, but I can't see how you'd get much change from painting a full car in materials for £1k.

Just my 2 pennies worth based on my experience. Maybe where you are, you get cheaper materials. Likewise, some have a car painted for £1.5 but I know we wouldn't even consider it for under £4k off the top of my head.

 

[Touring_Rob]

I did go back and dig out my costs from a few years ago, prices have gone up since then so I did some price checking (over 30% in 5 years).

For 2k base/clear and whole car in primer without any major repairs or corrosion to deal with its £325-454 not including abrasives or oven time. The cost difference is depending on paint brand, primer brand and paint colour.

That price is for a 7.5l hs clear kit which is LOADS more than you need and also 5l thinners, 5l hardener which again is loads more than you need. I usually use left over thinners as gun wash anyway.

Tack rags are £5 for 5, panel wipe is 30 for 5l. - just from regular supplier, much less in bulk.

And I would estimate £100 on abrasives. Abrasives, tack wipes and panel wipe I tend to always have a few tins/packs so the cost is spread across multiple jobs but agree some abrasives aren't cheap!

This is using Jawel paints and the price is INCLUDING VAT. This is 3l base, 3l hb primer and hs clear.

So I more or less stand by my £500 estimate for an average sized car done in 2k base/clear for a non professional. For a professional outfit who mix paint on site and buy primer/clear/abrasives and cleaning materials in bulk/trade their materials cost price is naturally lower.

You can do it for less if you use common paint colours or non-brands or a small car obviously.

EDIT* Those are current prices

 

[Touring_Rob]

Also - just for a fair comparison. My total cost was, or over 1k. I rented a spray booth/oven for £500. But have also painted cars in garages using extractor fans and fast thinners, taking lots of care with dust etc.

 

[Jekyll]

@Touring_Rob We must have a more expensive supplier then as our products aren't that cheap.

Obviously labour can't be included if we're just talking materials and you can save money if you have the skills/place to do it yourself, like you have.

 

[Jekyll]

Going back to the OP, I'd say more than £300 + Vat as its a 200 bumper and like someone said, it's 2 colours.

 

[Touring_Rob]

@Touring_Rob We must have a more expensive supplier then as our products aren't that cheap.

Obviously labour can't be included if we're just talking materials and you can save money if you have the skills/place to do it yourself, like you have.

Who do you guys use?

Abrasives - Jawel Paints

Full range of coated abrasives available for Automotive and Industry. Including 3M, Mirka Abrasives, Indasa abrasives and Jawel own brand.

www.jawel.co.uk

They have been good so far. I have also bought paints from a larger supplier in Brighton (forget their name) and I get spray cans for small jobs from Riolett. There are a few places that sell over stock on eBay too. A mate has painted all of his race cars in returned paints for a fraction of the price.. just can't be overly fussy over the colour 😂.

 

[Jekyll]

We use either MV motorsupplies which we have for years. Very small firm but great service.

And/or either:

https://www.ardavies.biz/

Car Paint and Commercial, Industrial Paints UK from Leonard Brooks

Suppliers of car paint, motorcycle paints, aerosols and special paint coatings for cars and commercial vehicles in Essex and throughtout UK. Car paints, Industrial and engineering paint and refinishing systems.

www.leonardbrooks.co.uk

 

[Touring_Rob]

Honestly I think they are different ends of the spectrum - you guys are professionals who want high quality supplies quickly without faff, someone like me is happy to wait and piss about online looking for good prices so I can see why/how the price could be so different.

 

[Clart]

I wish i knew cheap painters.

The guy i went to see wanted £650 to do one side of an e92 bootlid

 

[MAXRUNDOWN]

I had the rear bumper, side strips and door bullets painted on my 172 cup this year, painted off the car so inc labour for removal/refit. £280 all in.

I painted most of my bike myself, its no cheaper than paying someone if you've got to buy everything from scratch, once you've got a stock of consumables, primer, clear etc its pennies for the odd litre of colour here and there but its loads of hassle and the neighbours don't love it.

 

[NickReilly063]

Looks like they have done a fine job for you there 👍🏻

 

[Clart]

where are all these cheap paint shops?

 

[Gally]

Why are there any cheap paintshops... A painter in the UK is currently a rockstar.

It seems there isn't any brands being discussed either when it comes to paint or longevity.

I want to offer some context for the people that are asking.

£300+vat at a relative "discount" for 5ltr of lacquer. Just clear coat. Just to give some idea.

 

[Touring_Rob]

Good for you Gally.

I concede defeat, you have won this important internet victory.

While you are indeed a professional, it was more important for you to come along with your passive aggressive, zero humoured one liner to my materials question than it was to give a sensible answer to the question being asked in the first place, a topic you could add genuine value to, probably an answer you could have given in your sleep.

You took the low road today but did prove your point, you can make any old s**t expensive and people will still buy it if it says superior on the tin.

 

[Mr Underhill]

 

[Sir_Dave]

where are all these cheap paint shops?

You live near Birmingham, the capital of backstreet bodyshops and chopshops, how can you not find a cheap one lol.

 

[Clart]

You live near Birmingham, the capital of backstreet bodyshops and chopshops, how can you not find a cheap one lol.

I don’t know the right people obviously

 

[Sir_Dave]

Just leave your M3 in the city centre and follow it when it gets stolen

 

[Ocsltd]

Going back to the OP, I'd say more than £300 + Vat as its a 200 bumper and like someone said, it's 2 colours.

It’s just the blue bit that needs painting. Thanks for the info though. 👍

 

[Gally]

Good for you Gally.

I concede defeat, you have won this important internet victory.

While you are indeed a professional, it was more important for you to come along with your passive aggressive, zero humoured one liner to my materials question than it was to give a sensible answer to the question being asked in the first place, a topic you could add genuine value to, probably an answer you could have given in your sleep.

You took the low road today but did prove your point, you can make any old s**t expensive and people will still buy it if it says superior on the tin.

Daniel already answered the question in fairness. So he was £300+vat for one part. Yet you think £500 is reasonable paint materials to paint a car. One of us is wrong...

 

[Martin_172]

id guess £1500 for a flawless finish on my exclusive was a bargain paint job after reading this!

 

[Touring_Rob]

Daniel already answered the question in fairness. So he was £300+vat for one part. Yet you think £500 is reasonable paint materials to paint a car. One of us is wrong...

Pick a different hill to die on because I genuinely don't care for this one. I am more than happy for you to be right and for me to be wrong especially as it has nothing to do with what was originally asked and I freely admit to being a DIYer and not a professional.