Used canopy, worth it to get it color matched?

Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone here has some long term experience with canopies that have been re-painted and if you've been happy with the outcome.

I picked up a Leer 100 XL in very good shape and I think its black sand pearl. I've got a Spruce Mica and while the cap doesn't smack you in the face as being a totally different color it still bugs me a bit.

I'd prefer to get it color matched and have found a couple of paint guys in the area who seem to have a really good rep on some of the online forums. What I don't want to happen is to fork out $600 only to have things start to peel or flake in the next 3-4 years. Are there any inherent problems with getting fiberglass canopies repainted assuming the paint guy is good at his job?

 

Doing a canopy is the same as doing a vehicle...if the shop is good at what they do they should be able to match it and it should last. Much of the issues with peeling and such is from lousy prep before paint. Use a quality shop that guarantees their work and you should be fine.

 

Thanks RKCRUZA. A couple of places I talked to wouldn't give any paint guarantee without popping the windows which may increase the chance of leaks after which I currently don't have.

 

Might not be an exact match but have you thought about vinyl wrap?

 

Not really interested in a vinyl wrap....

 

The black doesn't look bad. If you paint it Spruce and decide to sell the cap later, it will be a much harder sell than if you kept it black.

 

Agreed. Black doesn't look that bad. I'd rather have black than a "slightly off" Spruce. All depends on the quality of the paint job that is done.

 

Paint it if it makes you happy. There shouldn't be any problems if it is done correctly. I had a fiberglass toneau cover that I had re-painted under warranty once the clear started to haze up about a year after I bought it. Another six months and it hazed up again and I didn't want to deal with the hassle so I left it. Couple years after that, I got sideswiped and the dumbass managed to leave a tiny little scratch on the lip of the toneau. The body shop painting my truck offered to paint the lid because of the little scratch and I said sure. That thing stayed beautiful for another 10 years after that until I sold the truck. Turns out, the place I bought the cover from used crappy paint or improper technique when they painted my lid twice! Kinda sux because they are a reputable shop and have always been known for quality products. It's all a matter of where you take it and making sure they do it right.

 

That is very true and definitely something to consider. If I decide later to go a different direction with the truck, unloading a spruce mica cap will be a lot more difficult. Black goes well with a lot of things......

 

Good points. I've gone around to a few different shops ranging from the cheapest (Maaco) to some of the larger collision shops and have gotten quotes anywhere from $400 - $1000. The general consensus is that unless all of the windows and the Thule rail are pulled (adds some shop rate time & possibility of leak points later) so they can get everything sanded, those are all areas where the paint edge will be exposed and sites of potential peeling.

Not sure most of the other shops automatically do this or not, but the one guy that I was talking to about getting the cap painted was the only one who talked to me about the color variances of spruce mica (6v4). As it turns out there are 5 tone variances of spruce mica that were produced. He seems to really know his stuff.

 

I painted my cap myself at home with an HVLP gun a few years ago and it's holding up just as well as the rest of the paint on the truck. If they do it right there aren't any durability issues you need to worry about. Mine still looks great and I'm by no means any kind of professional painter.

 

That's probably the guy you want to go with then. Most shops will just say, "Yeah, we can do it." and you go pick up something that looks worse than before. Also there are ways around removing all the windows, but to do a really great job, they will have to come out ($$$).

 

Keep it black. Keep an eye out for a spruce one in the meantime. If you see one, buy it and sell the black one.

FWIW I think the black looks fine. Not like it's speedway blue or something that doesn't look good with green.

 

I'd pay to have it painted to match the truck. I would remove/reinstall the windows & rack myself to save money. That's my .02.

 

THIS! Just take out the windows and stuff yourself, it's not very difficult. On my leer 100xr it a ton of screws but very easy to pull the windows. The hardest part was the rear window b/c I had to drill out 4 rivets but that still wasn't a big deal. You should ask shops if they'll charge less if you do the prep, sanding isn't exactly rocket science.

 

If this is a democracy, I'd say keep it black. Looks good, saves bucks for other toys. But I don't have to drive it, either.

 

Pretty straight forward here , if it bothers you that it's not colour matched then paint it , if it doesn't , don't paint it

 

Will leer do it back at the factory?

 

Doubtful, and shipping would be an absolute killer both in price and in likelihood of damage.

The paint quality from manufacturers of shells seems to be below the quality of a decent paint shop, and TBH Leer, ARE and SnugTop have a hard enough time getting undamaged shells out to paying customers.

 

If all the windows and accessories are pulled and reinstalled carefully, you shouldn't have any leak issues. Your paint guy is right - that's a huge key to getting a quality paint job. They do it all the time.