What Questions Should I Ask at the Body Shop?

[Evan]

I'm contemplating a complete repaint on my 540 but I'm not sure what questions to ask at the body shop.

I want to be sure that the proper paint is used, that the car is prepped properly, and that the finish will last.


Is there a specific paint or process that I should request?

Regards,
Evan

[SharkmanBMW]

what are your symptoms? do you really need a total repaint?
I know one place I went to for a quote explained that they disassemble everything - lights, handles, trim..... not just tape it up, so it is a much better job...

[Evan]

My front is severely chipped... there are some minor dings and dents here and there... and severe swirl everywhere.

I'm planning on replacing every piece of exterior plastic and I estimate it would take 2 hours to remove every piece of exterior trim, including all lights, lenses, grills, sunroof seal, and badges. Installing the new pieces will take 4 hours.

I need to know my paint color code etc... I'm Googling right now to get as much knowledge as I can.

[ajt3nc]

Prep work is the key to a quality job. Make certain they are using premium products( not lemco or nassan quality paints).
Do they have a high end paintbooth? A well lit downdraft will yeild a cleaner, less trashy job. Is the paint baked on?
Are they stripping to metal or going back over the factory primer with a compatable paint? I have seen a lot of scuff and buffs, a green scratch pad to coarse up the paint and reshoot it.
Most importantly, Does the shop look clean?

[Gayle]

I need to know my paint color code etc... I'm Googling right now to get as much knowledge as I can.

Here is a list of the e34 colors.

http://www.bmwinfo.com/25330.html

Paint Scratch has a search function that shows you paint chips if you enter your year and model #.

http://www.paintscratch.com/


I would ask my indy for body shop recommendations. You want advice from someone who has seen repainted bmws. Anyone can talk a good game about what they will do, but you want advice from a knowledgeable person who has seen their work. You might also ask the dealership who they recommend for jobs that are too small for them. For example, the local dealership refused to install a new windshield for me because it was too small a job and they were too busy so they referred us out.

Have you searched this forum. There have been past discussions about paint jobs here. For example:

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthr...ighlight=paint

[angrypancake]

Here is a list of the e34 colors.

http://www.bmwinfo.com/25330.html

i dont see my color on there. odd?

[Gayle]

i dont see my color on there. odd?

Did it come up on the paint scratch search? Pancake--maybe your car is not really an e34.....

[angrypancake]

Did it come up on the paint scratch search? Pancake--maybe your car is not really an e34.....

sigh, no. it's a bmw color, zinnoberrot, i've seen a few e30's that color before. gayle you caught on it's not an e34 its a ufo.

[632 Regal]

I had a UFO one time...what a trip!

sigh, no. it's a bmw color, zinnoberrot, i've seen a few e30's that color before. gayle you caught on it's not an e34 its a ufo.

[ThoreauHD]

I'm looking at doing a full repaint as well. I seem to have the Dunkelgrun color aka dark dreen. The proper way is to remove each part and remove the paint, lightly sand it, and then repaint. I'm looking for shops that have a lifetime warranty for this for the best work possible. I really wish they had a list of recommended shops for this.

I heartell it costs 3K and up. But it'll be worth it with a lifetime warranty. If anyone has experience with doing this I'd love to know what to look for in a quality shop- or name the shop if you can recall.