[xj-s] Re: '88XJ-S RePaint Questions

[Harry Trafford <traff@ICON.HMSD.UFL.EDU>]

****** On 24 Jul,  Rory Young Wrote: *******

(much snippage)

My '88XJ-S, which is grey, is starting to look a little shabby. 
**
So, I went out and got some prices...
, quoted around $4,800.00, 
***
Another place (much less superb), quoted me about $1,800.00 
, and it would be ready to drive literally in a day or so.
**************************************************************************

Rory,
I'm sure there will be some that disagree, but putting paint on a rolling metallic thing is no mystery. Ford, Chevy, Vauxhall, Jag; they're all rolling metal things. (Except a Gullwing Mercedes which is rolling art.)
The difference is in the quality of paint, preparation and how good the current "base" paint is. If the base is good, then a thorough sanding, ding fixing and spray with a sealer, primer base and clear coat(if desired). No need to strip to metal. Waste of good money. Prep could take a week or more depending on how busy the shop is. Sealing and sanding; 2-3 days. Prime and sand; 2-3 days. Base coat and bake; 2 days. Clear coat; 1 day. Cure period; 30 days(but you'll have the car during that time). 

The $4800 shop is too much, the $1800 sounds like an overpriced $50 paint job. Some (good) auto parts stores that sell paint to the professionals should have a knowledgeable person that can tell you about higher quality paints and what you should be looking for when shopping for a place to do the car, if he's not too busy. Knowledge is power. The hardest part is finding a shop that is honest, experienced, will not rip you off and will give you your money's worth. I had to ship my car from Florida to Salisbury, N.C. to find those qualities, but most people will find something within 50 miles of their home.

 While it's not a Jag, my Lotus was hand sanded to the gelcoat, dings,scratches and stress cracks fixed, sealed, primed, base and clear coat (all multiple coats with hand sanding between each coat) of high quality PPG paints. He also did the jambs and the inner fender liner in the engine compartment, and sprayed a "rock-guard" coating on the rocker panels and the rear fenders where the wheels would throw up debris. Cost me the princely sum of $2500. I don't expect our XJS job to be more than $1800 for the same quality. 
Keep looking. 

Cheers,
Harry and Adrianne
'86 XJS
'78 Lotus Eclat

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