Capt Solo

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/61281/euro_trash.jpg"></center><p>I'm thinking of re-painting my 85 4KS bright red as I found a bit of surface rust creeping around the taillamps. It is nothing big, and can only be seen upon real close inspection. I also don't care too much for the gold color "Eurotrash" is now. It is alright, but I would rather prefer a German road rocket in red. I can get a pretty decent paint job for about $250 here in New Mexico. Any advice? (see picture of Eurotrash in her current regalia to help form opinion)

maxh2o

a little more and get a paint job that'll last.

PJM99

You may as well save the 250 and let the car rust.

StormChaser404

You canot get a decent paint job for $250. It will be a single stage paint job, possibly with "integral clearcoat" (which is a total BS marketing thing)...it will look semi decent for a year rr two if you wax it carefully every 60-90 days then go to total crap. Pluis, if you are changing colors, you need to do the door jambs, under hood, trunk, etc...count on at least $2,000 for a good color change paint job...

austinado16

As we speak the $1,400 2 stage paint is peeling off my beautiful VW Rabbit Pickup truck, in sheets. It's lasted less than 5 years! Guess what it will cost now to strip it and repaint. And the bodyshop that painted it said, "No, get the single stage metallic. It'll be fine. Why do you want to spend the extra on a 2 stage paint for that thing?"

Leave your car as is. It looks great in gold.

PJM99

The factory paint is probably the best paint job the car will ever had. In order to repaint you will have to at least wet sand the factory paint in order to get the new stuff to adhere properly. If you go and use a cheap low quality paint then you are going to end up making your car more vulnerable to rust. A good paint job is totally striping the factory paint down to bare metal and then using etching primers and good quality paint and clearcoat which all said and done can cost well over $2,000. I would leave the car alone for now. Maybe just concentrate on the trouble spots. If you want the car to look good for just a year or two then hey go for it. But if you plan on keeping the car then do the best you can.

Whitjr

2nd vote for a good paint job....

Capt Solo

Thanks for the advice, I guess the Gold will stay golden! Then when it really starts to rust, I will get a complete paint redo. I know a place that re-did a 1988 BMW M5 to factory standards after an accident, they even got the orange-peel effect right, but for $2500, they should.