Motoring
Everything you need to know about respraying your car
Looking to get a fresh look for your ride? We speak to the paint experts at Reflex Auto Design.
Paintwork: it’s the first thing you notice on any car. Done well, it can make a car's bodywork pop and come to life machine. Done badly, it can make the car look like a hunk of junk.
To get the scoop on how to go about changing a car’s paintwork, we spoke to the guys over at Reflex Auto Design – one of the best shops in the business. Jonny Leggett, co-owner and paint shop manager, was on hand to clue us in about the respraying process, why people decide to paint their vehicles, the different paints you can get and some common misconceptions about painting your pride and joy.
So Jonny, when choosing your car’s new paint, can you literally choose any colour you want? Or can some stuff just not be done?
Choosing the colour for your vehicle is often the hardest part of the project. With literally thousands to pick from, it’s sometimes easier to see the colour you want on a production car and find out what that is, rather than flicking through books of colour chips; it gives a more accurate representation of the colour than an inch square chip ever could.
In principal, you can do any combination of colours, but whether you should is sometimes up for debate! As with anything, like home decor or clothing, some colours go better together than others…
What's the process involved in painting a car, and how long does a full respray take?
The term respray can be taken different ways by different people. Some think of a quick ‘blow over’, others see it as a full restoration, and others see it as being various things in between. The truth is that there is no one way to complete a respray, and it often comes down to what the customer wants to achieve and how much they want to spend.
A bare metal respray could easily consume 200+ hours of labour
The very best way is to take the vehicle down to bare metal. Doing it this way means you remove any old paint and filler that could cause issues if left alone. It also means you can uncover problems, such as filled dents or rust, that the customer was not previously aware of. These things all add to the time involved in carrying out the work, though.
A bare metal respray could easily consume 200+ hours of labour. For those not as concerned about a bare metal respray – if they’ve got a newer car, for instance, where they know the history of the vehicle – it is possible to work on top of the existing paintwork. As long as the original paint is keyed correctly, the new primer and paint will adhere perfectly. This process is much quicker and cheaper.
Taking a car down to the bare metal is the best way to paint it
© Rexlex Auto Design
Could anyone respray a car or is a specialist skill?
There is no denying it, paint spraying is a skill. It’s similar to asking if anyone can paint a portrait. Of course the answer is yes, but to what level is a different matter. Most painters will undergo college training and attain various qualifications. They will learn not just how to apply paint but also health and safety and cost effectiveness.
Some people are more than happy to give paint spraying a go, often in their garage at home or in a lock up, and many are happy with their handiwork. If it’s good enough for them, then happy days. The only problem with this is the safety point of view. Paint isn't particularly good for you. You really need good ventilation, extraction and an air-fed spray mask.
So to answer your question, can anyone respray a car? Yes. Should they? Maybe not.
Alright, let’s talk about the dirty business to money. How much would a respray cost?
Full resprays can vary massively in price, but no way is cheap. An exterior respray in one colour, not including in the door shuts, would start at around £3,000. A full, bare metal restoration could set you back between £10,000 and £50,000 or more depending on the vehicle age and condition.
So what’s been your favourite project to-date?
Over the years we've done many projects of which we are very proud, but a few spring to mind. We had the pleasure of working on Rauh Welt Number One, a Porsche 993 transformation which involved the legendary Nakai-San completing the build in our workshop. We prepped and applied all the paint to the car and the bodykit was then fitted by the Rauh Welt guru himself.
Another would be an E-Type Jaguar nut and bolt restoration and bare metal respray. Just about everything has been replaced or refurbished on that vehicle and it’s truly stunning.
I also wouldn't be happy not mentioning our current build, a Porsche 997 Flatnose wide-body conversion. This one may not sit well with the purists, but it’s sure to turn a few heads this year.
We’ve also done a Bentley Continental GT wide-body conversion. To take a prestige vehicle and turn it into a road-going race car was pretty cool.
