1998CLK320

I have a light green CLK320 and I wanted to know how much it would cost to get the color changed?

Also, would it wreck the car's paint in general? meaning will the new paint just fade?

And do I have to get my old paint taken off?

krayzie_e99

a good paint job should cost somewhere from 1500 to 2000. just dont go to maaco or earl shieb. go to someone who has a rep in your town for doing good paint jobs

scottster77

you never had any of your previous cars repainted? i really don't know crap about painting cars or the cost, but from my experiences...
all body shop HAVE to remove/sand your old paint or the paint will not stick! not even earl sheib, where they paint your car for $99, they'll probably do a quick sanding and probably not remove things completely.. then the paint will fall off in the rain.. lol

pending on how much you want to have changed! i think it ranges from $2K-5K pending if you want just basic exterior or complete inside out (engine, every nook and cranny).. if you have a benz, don't go cheap! shop around! u currently have a light green CLK? was it a rice rocket before? that gotta be an eye sore... well, good luck finding a decent shop! post up some pics of before and after!

hoe

This is going to sound crazy. but there is a maaco where Im at in ohio.....they have a very very experienced show car painter they highered about a year ago.. I guess they are paying him big bucks to paint. I laughed when I heard this but there are a couple of very high dollar car (mopar)builders in the area that send all their work there... the 6 pack cuda I saw looked mint. he sold it for 125,000. if that tells you anything. anyways I got a price through my shop.. base/clear paint and basic sand prep is 890.00. I am taking off all bumpers trim and moldings. I can barely get materials for that.

gregory13lil

WOW 890.00!!! Thats a steal.. I hope I can find a deal like that when I am ready to respray mine.

Hitman0187

The maaco in perth amboy new jersey does a ton of dealer work from ford, gm and dodge. so yeah they arent all hack shops.

to get a good paint job with everything included prepare to spend 5 grand and 2 - 3 weeks for the car to be finished.
I prefer ppg paint and dupont at a close second for factory colors. If you want to get a bit more creative look for a shop that uses house of kolors. They have a awesome line of custom mixes and clears that look tremendous.

The only other thing you could do is cruise by some of the places and ask to see cars that are finished and for a fast tour of the shop and make a judgement. Look at the condition of the shop is it neat and orderly or a chaotic mess ?, do the workers look like cheap labor learning as they go? The worst thing you could do is drop the keys off at the front desk and return when they call you with a check.

humplok

900$ for a paint job? no thanks

LowRydeR

Your Mercedes deserves a $5000+ paint job.

eundaddy

$900 isnt even with the paint... thats just the prep work lol. $900 is a steal considering the amount of hard work that has to go into it. I wouldn't do it for a customer for $900... it's just not worth my time.

Just Is

http://www.wrapfactorykc.com/
this is a local company that doesn't paint cars, but instead wraps them in a vinyl. it protects the original paint while giving your car a new look. its also alot cheaper from what i have heard. first saw this idea on a new m3 a few months ago. you really cannot tell that it isnt paint.
i saw this matte black supra in person and was very surprised when i found out it was a wrap.

eundaddy

you're right that looks amazing

clk430convert01

Someone on the W209 forum has a high quality grey matte finish looks pretty sweet. If your going to kill the resale value of your 320 with aftermarket paint and color, might as well try the matte its probably longer lasting than the cheap, flaky paint.

onlinealias

Consider what has to be done. First, the entire car has to be disassembled. This is because one has to be able to paint the inside of the engine compartment, the hood, the door jams, trunk and wheel wells. Much of the interior metal will need to be painted also. Any factory body kit plastic will have to come off, locks, handles, lights, windshield, glass...it goes on and on. A Benz is probably the worst candidate for this to start, as it is an expensive car and every surface is painted. If one doesn't disassemble the entire car, all of the secondary parts and rubber will be the wrong color and it will look truly awful.

Now consider that the car will depreciate because it has been painted. Anyone worth their salt will be able to tell that it has been an all over repaint, and the color codes won't lie. So, take at least 25% off resale. By the time you pay to have it properly painted ($5k to $10K at least), and you take off $5000 in resale, you might as well have just sold it and bought a newer one with less miles in the color you wanted in the first place.

BTW, you don't have to take the old paint off. It just has to be prepped by "scuffing" it with a 3m pad, assuming the paint that is there is sound.

Just Is

if i am not mistaken, he wouldnt necessarily have to go with the matte. he could go with a normal gloss look as well.