how can a find a professional person that paints cars and does it on the side at home or somewhere??

Question

for alot less, i think 3000$ to paint a car is just to ridiculous, anybody paint cars on the side?

Answer 1

Go hang around your local "gin-mill" & make friends, sooner or later you'll meet a body/paint man.

Or hang around a "Lounge", then you'll find an Automotive Cosmetics Expert.

Answer 2

To paint a car takes at least 1 gallon of automotive paint. Depending on the color this could range from $200-$1000 for this gallon of paint. Silver is cheaper, red is most expensive. Then figure in they need a gallon of reducer to mix with the paint to spray it. That's another $100. Then tape and paper for the car to protect all that is not going to be painted, another $100-300. Then add in the sand paper, tac rags, wax and grease remover and you have another $50 at least.

Now that is just supplies and you are over $1000. Then figure in the labor. Takes hours to tape up the cars. Takes hours to sand the car and get it ready for paint. If the color is changing then primer needs to be added. Even if the color isn't changing any bad areas, sanded through the paint would need primed and sanded. Plus any rust or other locations fixed. This stage can take 1-3 days alone. Labor is not cheap.

Then figure they have to spray it, clearcoat it, let it dry, then wet sand it, buff it up and clean it all back up. Let alone put back together anything they took apart.

Not to mention the EPA rules and regulations they have to follow with proper use of filters, spray guns, ventilation, paint booth, etc.

$3000 is cheap. If you pulled into my shop and asked for a full repaint, I'd START at $4000 and not a penny less. If you want some "home garage deal" then go to Maaco and get a crappy job from a shop. You get what you pay for, specially in automotive paint.

Answer 3

Your best bet would be a place like Maaco who does sub-factory-quality paint jobs, usually for under $500. It won't look as good as it did coming off the showroom floor, but with some elbow grease and a rub on clear coat on your part it will.