Current Full Respray Cost

[colonelchestbridge]

Hi there, I found some old posts here about Resprays from 10 years ago but talking to garages, the figures for a bare metal respray aren't £1-2000 anymore. £3500 is apparently 'suspiciously cheap' and £5000 seems to be the starting point in the rare case that there's 'nothing to repair' according to ESM. Some even talk of £10-20,000 which seems ludicrous.

If I'm looking for a proper job in 2020, what ballpark should I budget for a bare metal respray? Any reasonably priced recommendations? I've heard about using 'cellulose' paint instead of modern paint for a cheaper and more authentic, original Moggy paint job. Perhaps this is the disparity?

[Chipper]

It depends on which model of Minor you have; obviously, a Traveller or 4-door saloon would cost more to respray than a 2-door saloon.

Also depends on whether you require the inside surfaces (dashboard, insides of doors, engine bay, etc. done).

Assuming it's just the outside of a 2-door saloon, and doesn't need too much in the way of repairs, I would say £2,500-£3,000 would be fair.

[geoberni]

I found this example website for a small car respray: https://job-prices.co.uk/car-respray-cost/

Ford Focus complete respray. Car is in good overall condition with only minimal of repair work. £2400
Ford Focus complete respray. Car requires some remedial work - dents straightened out and two small rust patches made good. £2900
Focus bumper respray to match original colour £280
Focus respray one side panel to match original, minor repair to panel - small dent straightened out £400

Equally, this site https://www.whitesbodyworks.com/the-def ... ost-guide/

says

To give you an idea of what you should be paying, however, here’s a rough breakdown of what you can expect with White’s Bodyworks for an average car such as Ford Escort or VW that requires a full body respray.

The car requires the minimum of repairs and just has a few minor scratches or chips: £2,000
The car requires minor welding, has small rust damage or a few dented panels that need to be repaired: £2,800
The car requires extensive repairs, welding or panel replacement: £4,000+

The costs, of course, can rise if we are dealing with a luxury or classic car which requires either different processes or more detailed work. That can boost the price anywhere up to £6,000 depending on the vehicle.

So the £5K suggested by ESM seems a bit over the top.

[philthehill]

You do need to take the car to at least three independent spray shops so they can see what needs to be done - get a written quotation from each spelling out what needs to be done and the finished standard that will be achieved.
You also need to spell out to them what finish you expect and what they are to do and as important what they are not to do.
Once you and they have all that information they can make a qualified estimate and you can make a qualified decision as to what to do.
Make sure that whoever gets the job of respraying knows that they have to keep you in the loop in case additional work or problems is/are found part way through the job.
Fully photograph the car before it goes for a respray so that any discrepancies in the finished job can be discussed with the spray shop.
Good luck

[colonelchestbridge]

Thanks for this. If anyone knows good body shops for respray in the south of England that would be ace...

[ianmack]

I would expect that the quotes above in the £2k range are to prepare and spray. Since the first post refers to a bare metal spray I would expect this to be much more as removing all the old paint involves a lot of work.

[myoldjalopy]

Yes, it depends on what needs to be done - and how well they do it. I had mine done for £5,700 - but that included stripping the whole car to bare metal, removing doors wings etc, repairing a front wing and all four door bottoms correctly and putting it back together again (not to mention fitting the dreaded split windscreen! ). And it looks really very nice, even five years later. The firm was recommended by a classic car mechanic who said "He's not cheap, but he does an excellent job." No doubt I could have got it done cheaper, and possibly to the same standard, but it does fit in with the ESM estimate. As a distant relative had just left me £7,000 (a complete surprise) I decided to treat the car as it had gone to look decidedly shabby, although completely solid.
The results of a cheap respray are often disappointing and lack durability.

[colonelchestbridge]

What was the firms name?

[philthehill]

Where are you located - the south of England is a big place.

[Tea]

It depends where in the South you are - if anywhere near Cambridge (I guess this is maybe considered more midlands if from the 'proper' south), I'd highly recommend Ian Allen of Minor Services in Witchford. Certainly on the higher cost end, but the paint on our traveller is still looking like new 13 or 14 years on and worth every penny.

[colonelchestbridge]

North London but willing to travel for a bit to avoid the London surcharge!

[myoldjalopy]

What was the firms name?

Colonel it was Cardrew Bodyworks, Cardrew Industrial Estate, Redruth....but a long ways from London

[Myrtles Man]

Although outside your specified region, these people have a reputation second to none and will at least be able to give you a realistic cost for a top-quality job which might be a useful yardstick for any other quotes you receive:- https://www.option1sportscars.co.uk/classic/

[philthehill]

You may be able to get a feel of the cost of a respray by talking to a bodywork company but any reputable bodywork business would not provide a written estimate of the cost of the work required without seeing the vehicle.

[Key-Shawn Johnson]

A good price for a full respray including prepping, priming, a couple of coats of Nexa Autocolor paint and 2 coats of clear coat, flatted back then reapplied is around £500-£700. This is what I paid back in 2014 including all materials, labour and I see no reason why it should cost more now. I observe quotes for £5000 which are just miles apart from what I paid. The car still looks brand new to this day. I do feel sorry for those people who have paid in the ball park of £5000 and my suggestion to those wishing to have their car resprayed is to search around for good retired old-school car resprayer who has his old Devilbliss equipment and a driveway upon which he can paint the car on a bright spring day. The finished product will be exceptional. When I took the car to one of these modern dust free facilities the owner and bodypaint expert said 'you couldn't get a respray like that for under £7000'. I am proof that you can.
My car had no dents other than very minor dings which were sorted out as part of the job. Just because everyone else is saying that £4000-£5000 is normal, it doesn't mean that there aren't quality salt of the earth folk around that will be happy with £700 and do an utterly sterling job. Remember the paint, hardener, wet-dry paper and clear coat etc doesn't cost more than £250-£300. Are you really comfortable with paying £4750 labour and garage fees? I also got a USB photo album of the entire process as part of it all. I think it took around a week though can't remember exactly how long.

[ManyMinors]

You are a good 10 years out of date - even if you COULD find a retired tradesman working on his driveway (?) for next to nothing. If you use a good quality product like Nexa Autocolour, the paints and materials alone to carry out a full respray would cost the £700.00 you mention. I have recently resprayed my Minor myself using Nexa products so I am well up to date with costs I would expect such work including preparation and priming but not repairs, to cost a bare minimum of £2,500.00.

[Key-Shawn Johnson]

Ah well, I guess that I will just continue to enjoy the decent prices in the part of the UK that I live in. The quote I have just received today from a spray shop with booth for my second Morris Minor, was a whopping £800-£1000 including all materials- 2024 prices I guess. I thought it a little steep and by no means do I think I would be getting a bargain.

That was the price for a Morris requiring no cosmetic improvements other than the full multi-stage respray that I enjoyed from the last chap. I think that the bottom line is that there is a great deal of variance between prices in the UK. Heck, my father was once charged £900 by a chap in one particular part of England- to remove a seized bolt- lucky chap (not my father). My recomendation is also for customers to look into the cost of all materials, the length of time it takes to do the respray (5 days is perfectly feasible) and then decide whether they are paying a fair price. Furthermore, it might be cheaper to have body panels repaired/replaced by a garage with no ties to the person doing the respray- it is a good way to save money and as I say the quote I had today was for a car with no dints/dents etc.

As for the question mark that the last commenter left after I had noted that the car was resprayed 'on his driveway' I'm not quite sure what is to question as a perfectly excellent paint finish can be achieved away from the spray booth. Fresh air is remarkably clean and a great finish can be achieved in fresh air on a clear day. Most good bodyshops know this and they might deem it a very good 'amateur' job, however the reality is that it can look absolutely stunning.

I'm sure Nexa Autocolor isn't massively expensive still as I recently purchased a pot of it with some hardener for a similar price to what I was paying back in 2014.

[les]

Anyone who gets a first class job spraying on a ‘driveway’ should be featured in The Guinness Book of records !

[Key-Shawn Johnson]

I was truly not lying about the driveway being a perfect spot for a good respray. Here's a picture of my driveway-resprayed car attached. It is testament to what was achievable in 2014 for £700-odd; a good driveway, decent folk and good weather. What's more, this image is 10 years after the respray- still going strong without a scratch/bubble- good old Devilbliss spray guns and traditional grit combined with excellent modern paints I guess. I'll post some pictures of the Trafalgar blue Morris that I am also considering having resprayed once complete. The clear coat layers really make the gloss finish 'pop', don't they! I just didn't want people thinking that I was making things up.

Morris.jpg (216.33 KiB) Viewed 1032 times

Morris 2.jpg (619.8 KiB) Viewed 1032 times

[Bornfree]

I'd be interested where you're getting a quote of £1000 in 2024. I could be ok interested at that price. Thanks