ShinkaTeen

hey guys i was wondering how much does a paint job cost on a kit ?

im asking because im planning on getting the J speed kit and wanna know how to budget the cash i have.

or if anyone can recommend me to a good shop.

lemme know thanks = ).

CometX

My RX8 is currently in the shop as we speak. I'm paying $5500 CDN for paint and install on hood/front/back/sides.

Two tone paint job tho. This price is in the upper ballpark of what i've been quoted from a few local shops.

I've been told you get what you pay for

laythor

Go to your local forum and get recommendations for local shops.
Makes sure you're comparing apples to apples, ie: The price is for paint and install with fitment corrections.

You want to make sure each shop giving you a bid is going to paint to match your existing color (not just slap on the factory coded paint, you paint is not brand new so it will be slightly different then fresh)

Make sure their bids includes adjusting fitment so that it will look good once it's on.

Make sure every bid has some time frame included. One shop might be 500 bucks less but they want 4 weeks to do it, you'll have to decided if cheaper is better then faster

Ask to see every shop you go to. Look around and make sure it's clean. Look at the cars they're working on currently. A dirty shop with a few low end cars is probably not the best place to go. A clean shop, a busy (but not overwhelmed) shop, a shop with mid to higher end cars is most likely doing all this business because they're good.


It really comes down to this: Leg work = good results. If you put in the time to drive to a few shops, talk to the guys who own the place and who will be working on your car, get your bids and compare prices.. then you'll maximize your chances of having a good looking car at the end.

FYI Putting a case or two of beer in your trunk when you drop it off and letting the guys in the shop know it's for them goes a LONG way towards greasing the wheels of progress.

gothamite

i was gonna say bribe em but i guess this works...

chrism

knock off kit your looking at usually 3kish around me and 1500-2000 if the fit is real good....

ShinkaTeen

yeah me and my buddys r gonna put the kit on ourselves.i may not have much experiance putting on a kit but they do.

chrism

then i can almost assure you a terrible job, lots of scratches and unless they are body guys with allot of experience it will come out far worse than you expect.....pay the money and do it the right way....dont be cheap

CometX

There is a reason i'm paying as much as I am. I'm not full of cash :P

ShinkaTeen

18 year old college student = ).

it may be a smarter idea to just go for the CF look without a kit and just get some CF parts like the vents and hood . and blue HID's , side markers and LED's set.

CometX

That might be a good idea.

You will NEED an authentic kit. Replica's are going to cost you WAY more body shop hours to get it looking good.

I have an authentic veilside kit (same as Chrism) and my front bumper fits poorly as it is.

They have estimated it at 60 hours of work (some of it is custom and overboard). But just imagine how many hours a cheap kit would take.

And on top of that, you have a $30 000 car. If your going to change the look of it, do a good job. Otherwise EVERYONE is going to mock you and wonder why an 18 year old kid got his hands on this car.

ShinkaTeen

your probably right , i just added the numbers and i think should wait and just do the CF look instead. thanks alot for the advice.

saved me a whole lot of headache.

CometX

Any time.