jkb

so the '03 C2 Cab at the dealer i am looking at has some scratches on the hood and he said they can repaint the hood. dealer made it sound like its really common and not a big deal. a buddy of mine i spoke with freaked out saying "how can you pay that much money for the car they have to repaint"

so... do porsche body shops do near factory quality jobs? are front hood repaints common thing?

discoganya

"are front hood repaints common thing?"

I don't think so. Why would the paint on Porsche hoods be any different from other cars? If you have to repaint the hood within the first, say 10 years, you are looking at something that has been scratched / dented beyond ordinary wear and tear.

fast1

My concern about repainting the hood is the quality of the job they will perform. They could do it on the cheap by eliminating the sanding. It would look great for a year or two and then would likely start to peel.

jkb

i dont know, thats why i asked. i looked at quite a few porsches with lots of stone chips and scratches on the front. maybe because the hood is much lower to the ground and more aerodynamic vs. my 7er which is yet to get (knock on wood) any major hood chips (and i am also at 17K miles).

yeah you right. btw, i am trying to go for car #4 - except the seller already promised the car to somebody else. if that somebody else backs down, i'll get it tomorrow. so root for that somebody else to back down oh and i might see you in SR if i manage to get up at 8. look for a silver 7er bmw.

Gator911

My car could use a respray of the front and hood...

I am contemplating doing it just because of the way it my affect resale value...The last thing i want is purists to shy away because it "might" have been wrecked...

I think i might paint the front and leave the hood alone but i'm not sure...It helps if you can prep it yourself....The less work they have to do, the better IMO...

-Keith

Eric - Plug Guy

I would not let a dealer paint any car. I won't even let them WASH my cars. Forget it. If the hood is that chipped up, pass on it.

stuart_w

not sure I completely agree. My hood (we say bonnet over here) has a few chips from stones flying around as does the front bumper and so does the rear arch where there are no mudflaps. So once a year I get the car touched up where necessary but only by a paint shop that I know very well who loves my car like a son.

Dont let the dealer do it. get a quote and haggle over price. However it may be a sign of negelect if the previous owner has let the car get badly scratched.

GreigM

I think it depends a lot on where the car is sourced - here in the UK it is very common for front-end resprays (hood, bumper, wings) caused by a lot of stone chipping (especially in winter months) - in fact it is common practice for official Porsche dealers to have a lot of cars sprayed before sale. I also find that with the shape of a Porsche the hood is quite prone to catching stones.

42empress

What kind of miles and where is the car from?

smshirk

I am having an aero kit installed now. I anguished over the decision to respray the hood for weeks. I finally decided to do it. The paint still has its' shine, but most of the mileage has been interstate driving and I have picked up quite a few stome chips. That coupled with the scratched I got from using a hood bra qare enough that the hood only looks good right after I've waxed it. I hope I don't regret the decision, but I just couldn't bear to put the new bumper cover on with the hood looking the way it did. The body shop guarantees his work for as long as I own the car, so I swhouldn't have to worry about peeling later on.

I should have had the car back last Friday. He called and said he wasn't satisfied with the way it looked and needed to keep it a few more days. He hasn't called all week and I have resisted the daily urge to call him. I learned long ago not to rush a body guy, but I am starting to worry.

cdodkin

So, do you all think there's something 'magic' about the paint job from the factory?

Many dealerships will respray the hood and front bumper as standard before reselling Porsches - makes them look new, and is relatively cheap (for them)

Especially on 911 & Boxster, as the hood angle catches a lot of stone chips, and the paint seems prone to chips as well.

A good paint shop will do a great job, you'll not have to worry about peeling paint, or color match etc etc.

If you go cheap on your paint shop, you'll get what you paid for...

And there really is nothing magic about the Porsche paint - any good spray man can match the quality of the factory original job - it's nothing extra special.

Ask around in your area, get a good recommendation, haggle the dealer on the chipped hood, get it done afterwards - enjoy a gleaming new paint job.

The only thing a chipped hood tells you is that it's had probable high speed freeway driving - and that the previous owner was a tailgater!

Chris.

Gator911

When buying a used car. sometimes they use some sort of device to check for a respray...Does this check the paint thickness or just search magnetically for bondo or something of the like??

I guess what i am asking, does a respray bring up a flag to these sort of detection devices?

-Keith

Steven C.

People use a paint thickness gauge to check for a respray. The hood on my 964 was painted to touch up chips and my new 996 is about to get re-sprayed for the same reason when the aero kit goes on. My Lexus LX suv sits up high and has very few chips or scratches compared to the Porsches so I think the hiegth of the hood has something to do with it. Also, Porsche people are just pickier than others.

Does it hurt re-sale? I don't think it does if you disclose this from the start, have it done well and keep records. It is when people try to hide things that they get in more trouble(ie: Watergate). Just my opinion.

snaproll

We went to paint/body shop recommended by the dealer after our Carrera got hit and had the rear bumper cap replaced - the paint job was perfect (the shop does Porsche warranty work).

In a word, yes, they can, if you get the right one.

Nicolaasdb

got my hood, fenders and bumper painted and drivers side door repainted when I converted the P....If the P would only be 2-3 yrs old....I don't think repainting should be needed!! But if the P had a lot of highway miles (preferable) than maybe repainting it giving it a clear bra wouldn't be all that bad