Paint prices

Im wanting to paint my Tacoma and have been getting price estimates. My fenders have been trimmed and not really feeling the look anymore and wanting to go fiberglass, also the top of the cab has really bad rust spots.

one reputable shop I’ve seen lots of jdm car friends go to quote me $10k. Which included removing the glass and molding, and other stuff. Another shop quoted me $8k but didn’t really say what he’s going to do and I haven’t seen any of their work.

just curious what others have paid to have their trucks painted.

 

10k is ballpark, it that probably doesn’t include engine compartment that’s more 15-20k depending on the shop.

 

There have been a few examples of maaco jobs that have been fine in my opinion. I’m sure they will be around shortly

It’s not a show example, but it’s a truck right? Especially if you are going fiberglass fenders, you use the truck, it won’t stay perfect for ever

 

I thought the same. Ran it by my brother and he think it’s too much but I think with all the labor and effort in taking out the glass the molding, prep work and the size of the truck. I think the price is right.

yeah, not a show example. I don’t see myself getting rid of the truck any time soon. I use my truck in the sense that I camp with it, I drive out of state with it. I don’t rock crawl or do desert runs (at least not yet).

 

Those prices are exactly in line with what I'd expect for a good to great paint job - at/near OEM insurance repair quality. Not cheap, but it's a shit ton of labor to do it right and materials have also gotten very expensive (at least for the good stuff).

Autobody / paint is almost always "you get what you pay for" unless you have some sort of hookup or just luck into finding someone who's charging less than market rates.

Personally, I'd stay away from cheap paint jobs. Not only can I spot them a mile away but I've seen way too many of them fall apart way too quickly - flaking/peeling paint and super easily chipped up from road debris.

If you want to try and cut cost a little and you find a shop that is willing, you could try to do a lot of the prep yourself. Basically remove as much stuff as you can so its less labor for them. Remove lights, bumpers, mud flaps, flares, bed rail caps, mirrors, body trim...etc and ask that you do the reinstallation as well. This not only saves them labor but helps discourage lazy masking (although at $10k with glass out I would imagine they're already doing enough work to make sure you won't have overspray).

 

Or
RaptorLiner. All in $3500. I prepped as best I could. Had project completed by local reputable shop. Budget friendlier idea

 

Thats crazy to pay $10,000 or more to paint an 18 year old 2wd truck. Thats probably as much as the truck is worth. You’ll never get that money out of it when you sell. You’d be better off selling the truck, and adding $10,000 to the purchase of a newer (lower mileage) truck.
Or you could go to MAACO and have it painted for a third of that. I had my truck painted by them 5 years ago , did a great job and still looks like new today. I have 2 friends including my neighbor who had MAACO paint their trucks between 4 to 6 years ago and they still look great. But if you just have to spend $10,000 or more to paint your truck by all means go for it.
I paid $2500 and that included my camper shell but that was 5 years ago.
Here’s a pic of my truck taken a year or so ago, looks the same today and my truck is outside 24/7.

 

It looks great for the money but the painted moldings are a no go for me. Other than that, it looks great!!

 

I wouldn't say all Maaco shops are good or bad or any other shop for that matter. It just depends on the person doing the work and quality of the shop equipment. Do you have anyone local that paints out of their garage as a side gig?

 

No paint job at all is better than a cheap paint job. Drive it like it is.

My 07 with 255,000 miles needs some love, but I'll drive it like its



My 07 with 255,000 miles needs some love, but I'll drive it like its

 

If you can do the prep yourself, the cost goes down just for them to shoot the base and clear.

 

It’s expensive to paint a vehicle and also a gamble. What happens if it’s a subpar job? It really doesn’t make financial sense to paint a 2007 simply because the paint job is probably more money than the value of the vehicle. And it would be more cost effective to sell as is and add your paint money to that and get a newer used truck.

 

How much labor is the general public estimating a paint job takes?

40 hours? More?

I’m mean 10 grand….. 200$ an hour shop rate @ 40 hours is 8 grand.

Paint and supplies is another 2k?

Then to think people are estimating more. 12,15,20k.

Math ain’t mathing. At least to me.

 

If just taping off and prepping then painting maybe 40hr. If you’re talking pulling all the glass, all the mouldings, headlights, taillights, all the misc clips, fender liners, pulling the bed, grill etc. then all prep work, paint, wet sand? If wanted, cleared and wet sanded again and polished, more than 40hrs easy. Quality paint jobs are cheap anymore.

 

I went down the Google rabbit hole because I was curious and yes, you are right. Typical full paint with mild prep is 40-60 hours. Minimum prep 20ish.

Seem like a ton but with property leases, labor rates and the hours of labor, it’s not as much of a stretch as it seems on the surface.

Hate to think what it’ll cost in 5-10 years lol. 40k for a repaint.

 

Think about like this. 2 guys take two full 10 hour days to just prep and do the minor body work that right there is 40 man hrs and you still haven’t painted the vehicle or put it back together. It can get expensive.

 

100%

When I first read how long it typically takes professional shops my first thought was bullshit. Then I started thinking about how long it would take me to tear down my truck, prep it, tape it and put it back together and went, well shit.

 

Already been said, Maaco, or similar...
Theres plenty of them throughout Cali...

 

This is why when I buy a used car the paint is the #1 factor in my decision. Interior condition is #2. Mileage and mechanical stuff after that. Fixing paint and interior gets EXPENSIVE very fast. Whereas I'll happily handle needed maintenance or repairs myself. And any car that has been repainted is basically a deal breaker for me. Accident repair done to OE / insurance repair standards are typically OK but 99% of the time if the owner had the car repainted you know it's going to be worse than the factory paint and better to just move on to the next one.

My last daily driver started to have some peeling paint issues (known paint issue with that make) and as soon as that started I put the car up for sale and got rid of it. I knew it was only going to get worse and it's value on the used market would be dropping every time another piece of paint peeled off. It was smarter to cash out than chase the rabbit hole of fixing the problem.

I assume the OP @Its_Taconie already has his truck outfitted how he likes it but if the money was the big concern then I'd personally be looking at selling the truck and buying one that's in better condition. In almost all situations the cost to paint your vehicle will be more than the cost to sell yours and buy a similar one with better, original paint. It's just hard if your vehicle is already special to you or modded just how you like it.

 

What about a wrap? Cheaper but you’re going to have replace it in 3-7 years depending on the quality of the vinyl and climate.