Repaint Tailgate: DIY or Shop

So long story short I repainted my tailgate over the summer after fixing some rust spots along the top edge.

Fast forward to winter in upstate NY and the salt is showing my painting skills to be subpar. The tailgate was passable for my liking but now the clear coat is starting to peel and crack. I think I probably rushed the job and didn’t prep correctly.

Should I try again or pay for a shop to do it. Cost would probably be around $400 for a shop, or about $100 (automotive touchup order) plus time for me.

Any advice on what route I should take as well as how to do this properly if I go at it again would be greatly appreciated.

Pictures for reference:

Before winter DIY paint job:


After salt:



I really want to do this myself, To prove that I can...but some things may be better left to the pros.

 

I believe a good repairman/mechanic/technician has to know his limitations. I also believe it's very hard to beat a man as his trade.

So you already spent approx $100 on past paint and supplies plus what your labor/time is worth. To redo - it looks like the peeling means that the whole job you did needs to be stripped off (from the peeling I see ??). IF you do it your self you will then be out $200 + 2x time/labor and probably more due to additional prep. AND you may or may not do it correctly.

I'd cut my loss in money and time/labor to what I've done so far and get it fixed right with warranty.

JMO

 

Id say it depends on if you want to paint it again next year or pay someone that knows what they're doing and not worry about it again.

 

If it were me, i would redo it myself. Its a tailgate and $400 for a respray isn't justifiable for me atleast. You could probably buy a used tailgate for a lot less in your color somewhere. Sand it down, clear it, and buff it. Call it a day.

 

Im in the same boat here. I bought a new "CAPA certified" tailgate and painted it and cleared it with the Duplicolor color match, its starting to chip away and it never looked quite right anyway. Ive been thinking about getting it professionally repainted.

 

Since its just the tailgate - there is no timeline or urgency on getting it back together onto the truck. My 2 cents is to research what materials you need, prepwork is needed, temperature/humidity conditions are needed, techniques (like 'wrapping' the paint around the edges) - take your time and learn how to paint it the right way yourself.

 

If there is no damage under the paint, strip it down to the sheet metal, take off all of the trim, and do a little more searching on painters, should be able to have a pro spray it for closer to 200$

 

You need to get a 2k clear. The duplicolor from autozone aren't that good. 2k spray max in a can is way better than regular clear coat in a can. http://www.spraymax.com/en/products/product/clear-coats-and-spot-blender/2k-clear-coat/
If you have a spray gun and compressor any auto 2 part clear works well.

 

If I decide to try it myself again, I will try this

 

Thanks for the advice and feedback. Since this isn’t a priority, and I’m not doing it this winter myself, I’ll just set aside the money and also see if I can find a shop to do it for <$400 this spring.

 

Did you completely sand off the original clear coat on the whole tailgate before repainting?

Also did you allow base coat to dry 100% before applying the clear coat?

If you prepped poorly before and that's why the paint is peeling, then you need to know where you went wrong before you attempt to repaint. Otherwise you just end up chasing your tail and you waste another $100.

So research and know what you did wrong and you'll have a good shot at being able to fix it.

 

Since I’ve got time, I’ll definitely do the research. I think that my drying times were insufficient as well as the sanding inbetween coats. The automotive touchup spray cans were spot on with color, but the instructions made it seem like even a novice could do it.