"Changing Color"

Hello Everybody,

I hope everybody is doing great. How many of you have changed the color of your first generation Tacoma? We have a 1999 Tacoma painted in the Sunfire Red Pearl, and the paint is beat up, and we are thinking of changing it to the Imperial Jade Mica, which is the Toyota Hunter Green.

Please let me know the costs involved. I already know it is going to be expensive.

Take care,
Paul Muzinich

 

Anywhere from $400 to $4,000

Successful preparation is key to a successfully, great looking paint job that'll last.

How well do you want it to look? How long do you want the paint to last?

Also, how much of your vehicle's trim will need replacing? And will you use aftermarket pieces or factory? That'll add to costs.

MAACO if you want cheap though I suggest you do much of the prep yourself. Small shops that do restoration for a living if you want best results.

This is something you'll need to research yourself, locally. This isn't something we can do as you may not have the same shops available to you as I do, or vice versa.

 

Thanks for your reply Kwikvette. I am currently trying to get the local skill center auto body program for high school kids to do the prep work.

 

This is something more people should investigate if available in your area. Trade schools and shop programs may need a donor for experimentation. Usually it comes out 1/2 decent if the instructor is overseeing the repair

 

Or worst than it orginal went in. The saying is, there's no such thing as a free lunch, someone is paying for it. In this case, free prep may cost you more in a year or two.

 

I definitely wouldn't use a new doctor who never done an open heart surgery to perform on me. I sure don't want to be their experiment and become a statistic.

The term "professional" gets toss around a lot nowadays. I would rather take my vehicle to a mom and pop shop who do painting for a living vs a big chain company who is there to make money. The faster they can crank vehicles out, the more money they'll make. When they offer "lifetime warranty" it means just that. It WON'T last! They hope that within the next 2-3 years, you'll sell that vehicle aand won't be their problem later on. Seen that one too many times.

 

I am interested in having my 2004 Double Cab painted. I intend to do the local small shop paint job. I’ll be interested to follow this thread and see how yours goes.

 

You'll be shocked to hear that surgeons are trained the same way. A resident will do the surgery while the surgeon oversees.

Of course that's not always the case... but also...paint prep isn't heart surgery.

OP and the instructor can both inspect the prep work.

 

I’m a retired surgeon. I know about training surgeons. That simply reinforces my desire to have a professional do it.”amateurs teach amateurs to be amateurs “

 

Paint it Copper Canyon Mica. Its a rare color only produced in 1998 and only a few thousand in that color

 

The internet can't answer that for you. But the shop that does the work can.

OTOH, if you're going to start a pricing pool for bets, and you'll state your goal to be 'as factory' (meaning underhood, jambs, etc etc) I'll take the square that's 'more than the value of the truck pre painting'. And I'll take a 2nd square that's 'more than the value of the truck post painting'.

Not trying to be discouraging. Just realistic.

 

That's why I'm watching. I hate the prospect of reality.