I'm looking at a used 991 that needs paint correction for swirls, 2 wheels have been curbed minorly and need refinished, and the driver seat bolster is worn through the vinyl on the leading edge either requiring a replacement panel to be sewn in by an upholstery guy, or a new cover, or a new seat? (I'm not sure the construction of the seats on 991's)

It is enough stuff that I typically wouldn't bother, but it is an unusual color that I've had a hard time finding examples of.

So, based on best/worst case for the items described above can anybody share any experiences for costs for paint correction, wheel refinishing, and what am I looking at for this seat issue.

If I can make the math work out I'll happily hire out the work to recondition the car... Just no reason for me to end up up side down in a restoration project.

Thanks Rennlist!

 

Paint correction cost varies dramatically depending upon two things; 1) how bad the paint is/how much work is needed and 2) the quality of the detailer doing the work. Good detailers don't come cheap. Also after you correct, you should do some type of a nano coating. I'd budget $1,200-$2,500 for this type of work. Note, I'd highly recommend that you get someone to put a paint meter on the car before you buy to make sure you have adequate paint depth for aggressive correction. Any good detailer would have this tool; if they don't, run away.

Quality repair of wheels around here is $200-250 per wheel, though I've heard others quote less in other places.

No idea on the seat repair, but new seats are ridiculously expensive, so I wouldn't even consider that unless you are getting an amazing deal. However, if that bolster is that worn out, unless the car has really high miles, I'd question the use of the car and how well it was cared for in general.

 

Everything can be fixed, I would budget about $3000 total for all the work.

 

My recommendation to you is to get a ceramic coating done and generally the Detailer will do a paint correction on your car before applying it. It's going to cost about $800

 

The car is between 50-60k miles, and the normal service record requirement and PPI is being worked out. Other than the pretty minor wear issues, and some surface scratches and swirls that aren't through the clear, it is a pretty nice car.

Yes--I can find one with less miles and without condition issues, but would love to educate myself a bit either way.

So the seat covers on 991's aren't easily replaceable with factory skins?

 

It depends on where you are too. For reference, I'm in VA and I'm getting quoted about $1400 - $1600 for Modesta coating. For CQuartz, I've been told around $1100 - $1200, not including the paint correction required before doing these coatings.

For paint correction, I'm seeing anywhere between $500 - $800 for a quality job.

Like Archimedes said, wheel refinishing usually go for about $200/wheel. As for the seats, I'm not 100% sure what you can do without getting an upholstery guy to take a look.

 

I recently had the paint correction and ceramic coating (1 year warranty) done on my sedan in the Bay Area for under $700. My car had only light swirl though. The shop was working on a new M3 and a R8 when I was there.

 

THPorsche - mind sharing where you had that done? I was quoted $800 just for paint correction on my Cayenne.

 

If you got a one year warranty, you didn't get the permanent type of coating, you got the temporary one, ala OptiCoat Gloss Coat. That, coupled with only light swirling, will put you down in that $800 range. A permanent coating and/or more extensive correction will cost a fair bit more.

 

Also, coating prices can drastically differ in price. You'll find that installers usually charge around $400 - $500 more for Modesta than CQuartz.

 

Ok, so the big question remaining is: What about seat skins? Can replacement skins be had for standard seats, and what are the costs? Who has them

 

I sent you a PM.

 

I think the next level was like 3 years warranty. Anyway, I was going in for paint correction initially and ended up doing the coating too.

 

Where are you located? I think 2-3K is a budget to start with to have it done right... sight unseen.

 

Northern California