Recent VH Car Paint refresh/front end/door corrosion?
Discussion
Has anybody had any paintwork recently on their car, particularly front end refresh (bumper bonnet wings for stone chips) and or a door handle small corrosion spot sorted?
I have this preconception that paintwork cost has been rising quite rapidly in recent years, so wondered what other's experiences were in the last 12 months or so for such work?
Also any recommendations for SW london/surrey area? I'm a somewhat low end AM owner so want to find a decent enough job and not a pant's pulled down situation.
Some clown quoted me £5.5k recently for the above
I have this preconception that paintwork cost has been rising quite rapidly in recent years, so wondered what other's experiences were in the last 12 months or so for such work?
Also any recommendations for SW london/surrey area? I'm a somewhat low end AM owner so want to find a decent enough job and not a pant's pulled down situation.
Some clown quoted me £5.5k recently for the above

While it's not the same it will give you an idea of price. I had someone hit the back of my Aston. Luckily i only lost some paint. The cost to have the rear bumper completely repainted was £960. This was Quantum Works in kent. While I know it's a bit further away they are very good and the colour was spot on.
More your way there is Trinity in Ripley. I only know them via reputation.
More your way there is Trinity in Ripley. I only know them via reputation.
Up in Norfolk so prices may vary. Had the front bumper, a new-to-me side sill and rear three quarter panel painted and blended recently and the cost was about £2,500. I had a quote of £800 to do all that, but didn't trust they would do a good job. The BodyCentre in Norwich did a great job and even gave me some water-based car paint for touch-ups as I have struggled to match the Tungsten Silver AST1262 in the past (see separate thread).
I think (like everything) prices have risen recently, but for an AM you want it right. Shame I then pulled some of the paint off when I replaced the PPF around the rear wheel arch (whoops), but that's a whole,new story!
I think (like everything) prices have risen recently, but for an AM you want it right. Shame I then pulled some of the paint off when I replaced the PPF around the rear wheel arch (whoops), but that's a whole,new story!
The world of bodywork and people’s opinions on a good job are normally based on the fact it looks “shiney”. I’ve had many customers turn up to show off their cheaper bodywork jobs, only to see fish eyes, paint on rubbers and just a poor finish. Of course they are not all the same.
Calling the £5500 quote overpriced from a clown suggests you’re not up to speed on the real world costs. A full front end repaint and painting a door with VAT should be around that much. We run a Bodyshop here and the overheads and cost of paint are ludicrous at the moment. What colour are we talking?
At the end of the day, most punters can’t tell the difference between a very good job and an average job. I know I couldn’t until I’ve been around this business the last 15 years.
XJR500bhp said:
The world of bodywork and people s opinions on a good job are normally based on the fact it looks shiney . I ve had many customers turn up to show off their cheaper bodywork jobs, only to see fish eyes, paint on rubbers and just a poor finish. Of course they are not all the same.
Calling the £5500 quote overpriced from a clown suggests you re not up to speed on the real world costs. A full front end repaint and painting a door with VAT should be around that much. We run a Bodyshop here and the overheads and cost of paint are ludicrous at the moment. What colour are we talking?
At the end of the day, most punters can t tell the difference between a very good job and an average job. I know I couldn t until I ve been around this business the last 15 years.
Thanks for the above, thats very interesting. Not casting aspersions at all on the discipline of painting to a perfect standard, more the particular place I went for an idea. The car is Mercury silver, which i'm told is hard to match. Calling the £5500 quote overpriced from a clown suggests you re not up to speed on the real world costs. A full front end repaint and painting a door with VAT should be around that much. We run a Bodyshop here and the overheads and cost of paint are ludicrous at the moment. What colour are we talking?
At the end of the day, most punters can t tell the difference between a very good job and an average job. I know I couldn t until I ve been around this business the last 15 years.
The thing is, while its a nice solid car and generally great nick and very cherished, it's still a slightly leggy £25k ish value car and it's hard to justify spending up to a quarter of it's value on paint... even though I know the value doesn't have any bearing on the work/materials/expertise required a top end job.
Frankly, i'd rather find a solution was "average to good" and at least colour matched to eye, fresh, durable and as you say, shiny, rather than an A* concours finish. Especially as it's only one area of the car and not the whole car, when a uniformly excellent fresh job all round makes more sense.
I'd add even with my completely untrained eye i've seen some fresh top end full body paint on extremely high end classic cars up close, and even to me you can see the quality, depth etc

Edited by Krhuangbin on Thursday 19th February 12:36
Auto Panel Craft in Crookham Village, near Fleet in Hampshire. They are only small, do a lot of Porsche work and also very often have the job of painting previous years F1 cars that then go an a tour around the world.
I had some work done on my rear bumper some years ago and was very happy with their work. I've also had company cars and my wife's car worked on after we hit deer. Couldn't fault them.
I had some work done on my rear bumper some years ago and was very happy with their work. I've also had company cars and my wife's car worked on after we hit deer. Couldn't fault them.
BiggaJ said:
Auto Panel Craft in Crookham Village, near Fleet in Hampshire. They are only small, do a lot of Porsche work and also very often have the job of painting previous years F1 cars that then go an a tour around the world.
I had some work done on my rear bumper some years ago and was very happy with their work. I've also had company cars and my wife's car worked on after we hit deer. Couldn't fault them.
Blimey, things have changed in crookham village from growing up there years ago. It was primarily turnips and a newspaper shop!I had some work done on my rear bumper some years ago and was very happy with their work. I've also had company cars and my wife's car worked on after we hit deer. Couldn't fault them.
Blitzuk said:
BiggaJ said:
Auto Panel Craft in Crookham Village, near Fleet in Hampshire. They are only small, do a lot of Porsche work and also very often have the job of painting previous years F1 cars that then go an a tour around the world.
I had some work done on my rear bumper some years ago and was very happy with their work. I've also had company cars and my wife's car worked on after we hit deer. Couldn't fault them.
Blimey, things have changed in crookham village from growing up there years ago. It was primarily turnips and a newspaper shop!I had some work done on my rear bumper some years ago and was very happy with their work. I've also had company cars and my wife's car worked on after we hit deer. Couldn't fault them.
... It would seem so, though I've lived in the area for 14 years and they've been there long before I moved south. Used to live in Fleet, still work there but moved to Yateley/Blackwater area.BiggaJ said:
... It would seem so, though I've lived in the area for 14 years and they've been there long before I moved south. Used to live in Fleet, still work there but moved to Yateley/Blackwater area.Do you use Trinity for your Aston needs? I've heard good things about them, same with chicane in basingstoke.
Krhuangbin said:
Has anybody had any paintwork recently on their car, particularly front end refresh (bumper bonnet wings for stone chips) and or a door handle small corrosion spot sorted?
I have this preconception that paintwork cost has been rising quite rapidly in recent years, so wondered what other's experiences were in the last 12 months or so for such work?
Also any recommendations for SW london/surrey area? I'm a somewhat low end AM owner so want to find a decent enough job and not a pant's pulled down situation.
Some clown quoted me £5.5k recently for the above
Have a look at https://www.gemcleandetailing.com/ give Michael Hobbs a call who owns the company there are few of my fellow Aston Martin owners that have used him. I had him refurb my alloys which I know is completely different to bodywork but very impressed.I have this preconception that paintwork cost has been rising quite rapidly in recent years, so wondered what other's experiences were in the last 12 months or so for such work?
Also any recommendations for SW london/surrey area? I'm a somewhat low end AM owner so want to find a decent enough job and not a pant's pulled down situation.
Some clown quoted me £5.5k recently for the above

I too have had some costs to spray 2x areas of corrosion on the roof which was £2,500 and a further £1,600 for spraying a small damaged area (a small scrape) underneath the front number plate about the size a 10p piece, as a result of a piece of rubber tyre hitting the car on the motorway from the car in front of me, when it had a blowout. The second part also included the application of ppf. While I would love to have this work done, my car is worth around £25k, so I can’t justify this for a car that is 18 years old. Good luck with your search and making the right decision for you.
Astonmannow said:
I too have had some costs to spray 2x areas of corrosion on the roof which was £2,500 and a further £1,600 for spraying a small damaged area (a small scrape) underneath the front number plate about the size a 10p piece, as a result of a piece of rubber tyre hitting the car on the motorway from the car in front of me, when it had a blowout. The second part also included the application of ppf. While I would love to have this work done, my car is worth around £25k, so I can t justify this for a car that is 18 years old. Good luck with your search and making the right decision for you.
Thanks for all above recommendations will have to quote a few quotes to see what to expectOn the point above, this highlights the point i'm sure..... how many bodyshops see a "posh" car come in, albeit worth less than a middle new Golf, and rub their hands together. I'm sure that's at play and that's my problem I think.
Blitzuk said:
BiggaJ said:
... It would seem so, though I've lived in the area for 14 years and they've been there long before I moved south. Used to live in Fleet, still work there but moved to Yateley/Blackwater area.Do you use Trinity for your Aston needs? I've heard good things about them, same with chicane in basingstoke.
We are blessed in this part of the world for Indy Aston people. Unfortunately, the Gen 2 Vantage I have now has to go to main dealers as the Indies dont have the AMDS etc. for the newer cars, so I'm told.
BiggaJ said:
Blitzuk said:
BiggaJ said:
... It would seem so, though I've lived in the area for 14 years and they've been there long before I moved south. Used to live in Fleet, still work there but moved to Yateley/Blackwater area.Do you use Trinity for your Aston needs? I've heard good things about them, same with chicane in basingstoke.
We are blessed in this part of the world for Indy Aston people. Unfortunately, the Gen 2 Vantage I have now has to go to main dealers as the Indies dont have the AMDS etc. for the newer cars, so I'm told.
Krhuangbin said:
Thanks for all above recommendations will have to quote a few quotes to see what to expect
On the point above, this highlights the point i'm sure..... how many bodyshops see a "posh" car come in, albeit worth less than a middle new Golf, and rub their hands together. I'm sure that's at play and that's my problem I think.
Aston paint is in another league compared to BMW and Mercedes, let along a Golf, just get the right light and look at all that orange peel. Unfortunately if you want a factory result you have to pay the price of a high end shop. On the point above, this highlights the point i'm sure..... how many bodyshops see a "posh" car come in, albeit worth less than a middle new Golf, and rub their hands together. I'm sure that's at play and that's my problem I think.
With no bodywork damage, and a bodyshop that will colour sand the paint to get the proper AM final finish, not the standard "gun" finish, and blend the wings into the doors, should cost around £2000.00 to £2500.00 assuming the bonnet and bumper are removed for painting by them. Add around £400.00 for the door as that will need stripping out and then we are into blending into the rear wing.
Over £5k is a bit strong though!
JC Autobody in Church Crookham did mine, but not the door.
Over £5k is a bit strong though!
JC Autobody in Church Crookham did mine, but not the door.
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