Bgoldey

My 97' 993 with 90k miles has reached the point where it needs a total repaint. No damage just wear associated with lots of miles,time,and parking lots etc. I'm really picky about paint and am willing to spend the extra time and money to go to a "true craftsman". I'm in Northern SD County and so far my list consists of:

Phillip Therles in Santee (did my passat wagon, 4 1/2 stars, lifetime warranty)
European in Escondido
West Coast Specialties in Mira Mesa
Deshlers in OC (Are they collision only now?)
Refelections in Wilmington
Juiniors house of color in Bell Gardens

I'm looking for very high quality work possibly warrantied work (I had a 83' SC done in 88' and the paint blistered 10 years later).

It seems that most large shops are collison repair/ insurance claim assembly lines.

Any recomendations or thoughts,

Thx,

Brian

911CabSteve

Other Rennlisters have thought very highly of Deshlers in OC if you search previous posts on this. Not sure about whether they are just collision only (insurance is paying) or not now.

My experience has been that there are 2 basic types of body shops. Those that won't touch anything but an insurance claim and those that will do specialty work for the guy who owns the car and is footing the bill.

Good luck, and if you find out about Deshlers, I'd be interested in knowing if they still do non-insurance work..

ZombiePorsche44

When I was t-boned in my old 79 SC Phil Therle did an increadible job with my car....I highly recommend their work....no affil...just a happy customer.(agree 4 1/2 stars)

Syndicate Motor Cars in Kearny Mesa has done some work for me in the past and has a really competent paint dept. (4 1/2 stars)

I have also heard (and seen) good things about WCS in Mira Mesa although I have never had work done by them.


Please let us know who you choose and how the work comes out because I will need a repaint one day too as my car is a daily driver with the chips to prove it.

Good Luck,
ZP44

avillena

West Coast Specialties I often hear from fellow PCA member. Pay them a visit, they work on lots of Porsches'.
Bgoldey I reside in Oceanside.

trojanman

Deshlers did some work for me last year (new bumper cover and paint) and I was very pleased. I understand more recently that they're not doing Porsche work any more, but I don't know if that's only collision or if it includes paint.

I'd recommend checking with them.

Pete Lech

South County Auto Body in Lake Forest recently did a friend's Boxster after the garage door came down on the hood and fenders! They were very pleased. They recently did some minor paint work for me and did a good job.

Tim at Deshler told me that he won't do any Porsches prior to the 993s now.

24FPS

dc auto craft, in i think it's burbank, is da'bomb! (do bentleys, rr, pcars, etc...) state of the art everything. though i'll bet they have a wait. worth a try @ least gettin a bid. 818.846.5032 (no aff'l other than being a sat. customer) love to know what they would quote on a full repaint. curious... gotta' be aound $6k @ least.

though i do remember steve did get rufus beautifully painted elsewhere... sure he'll hop in.

bol & hope to see ya round bgoldey

SCMomentum

Brace's Auto Body & Paint Service in Marina Del Rey. Phenominal place and they specialize in Porsche's. They did work on my '88 Coupe and painted my Polar split grille to match perfectly. (310) 823-2474

JDP993

I have used Brace's a number of times but not for my P-car. They did a spectacular job on my wifes brand new audi after she hit a parked truck. Brace's moved from Marina Del Rey to Culver City in February.

I had Junior's House of Color do some work on my 993 and I think they are without doubt one of the best shops around. It can be expensive though. Their shop rate is very reasonable but they take everything to the nth degree. It is a great place to visit as they always seem to have very rare and unique cars in the shop.

Good luck on your search.

Temple

Another vote for Brace's -- he matched my side view mirrors perfectly when they were replaced. (and he showed me how much the years in the sun had degraded my paint so that it would look horrible to use factory artic silver paint since it would be so different from the patina my car had taken).

John Velasco

Bob’s auto body and paint in Pasadena. He has painted 3 cars for me (356C, ’71 911T) and repaired my badly crunched ’70 280 SL Mercedes, with excellent results.

jv

Don Plumley

Automotive Innovations and Restoration in Van Nuys is highly, highly recommended from the Pelican board. KevinP73 is a regular contributor and does flawless, craftsman work.

Automotive Innovations and Restoration
15020 Oxnard St. unit E
Van Nuys, Ca. 91411
818 786 2181

Bgoldey

Thx for all the recs.....I'll keep you all apprised. just starting the process....contemplating upgrades...car is currently 100% stock...probably will do 18" wheels, euro bumper cover etc... a new 06' Cayenne S is crowding the garage....so until the 01' Passat wagon goes... no refinishing will be done until a secure area has been established. With 2 small 4 1/2 year old Porcshephiles around I have established a 3' no-lone-zone/buffer area around all vehicles. Part of the reason for the re-paint is the boys tried to "wash" the 993 with plastic dish scrubby things.

Thx,

Brian

Martin S.

West Coast Specialties in Mira Mesa. They do all the paint and body work for Pioneer. Call and get an appointment with Ryan to give you an estimate. I have had good experiences here painting little parts....spoilers, wings, splitters, etc.

Deshlers in OC is great but I too heard that they don't want to paint P-Cars anymore. Too labor intensive was the rumor.

David '96 993

Since we are taking a vote, I highly recommend Braces. They did my bumper cover and many Rennlisters pointed me that direction when I was looking. When I was there, all they had in the shop were p-cars.