how much will it cost me to repaint my car (to the same color)?

Question

I have a white 04 lancer es. A long story short, I hit one of those small yellow poles on the side of the road. No dents or anything, but like a 10-12 inch yellow paint mark.
Could I just paint that area or would it look bad? (I'm selling my car so I've got to get it painted lol)
Should I just paint the whole car? The paint job isn't bad, how much will it cost? I can't afford those 2,000 paint jobs..espically because of a 10 inch mark! Lol

What is a pricing and what should I do?

Answer 1

Since there is yellow on your car that means the paint transferred from the piling to your car. It will come off...

1) Wash the car.
2) Get some lacquer thinner and rags you don't care about.
3) Lacquer thinner will melt most rubber gloves so you have to do it bare-handed... it will dry out your hands BAD...
4) Pour some LAX on a rag, enough to make the rag damp, but it should not drip off the rag when you wring it out.
5) Quickly wipe off the yellow paint transfer.
6) Work on that area no more than 1-2 minutes at a time, wait 15+ minutes (for all LAX to evaporate and for the paint to re-harden) and repeat if needed. LAX will temporarily soften your car's factory paint job, and remove paint if it was already painted and not properly baked on. Keep looking at your rag, if it starts to show signs of your car's color on the rag then ease up and proceed with caution. Never set the rag on your cars paint and leave it...it WILL ruin your paint. If you need to set the rag on your car to keep it clean and out of the way for a minute set it on glass (windshield, rear window, sunroof).
7) You can use the same procedure to remove tar and tree-sap, but bugs will not come off with this method.
8) Wax the area that you worked on. You don't need a "Cleaner-wax" or anything fancy. Meguiars, Mothers, Turtle-wax, etc are all fine. If you have a preference for some other brand go ahead with that...

Disclaimer: I have 3 years professional detailing experience, however I can not be responsible for your own actions. This information is deemed reliable, however blah blah blah...

Answer 2

The cost of painting a car varies just like anything in life.

If you are selling it, then look at the costs from a dollar standpoint (how much does it cost vs. how much will I get back for it).. call up some basic auto shops and get some costs. Out here in Calif, you can get a whole car painted for as little as $400.. its not going to last long, but it sure looks good the next day...

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Answer 3

Sounds like you need to get a polishing compound and rub off the yellow paint, the white paint under it is still good.

So about $8.00 and some elbow grease...

Answer 4

You get what you pay for. You will most likely be looking in the $1,500 - $2,500 range for a decent paintjob, at least in my area. Stay away from Maaco unless you plan on selling the car Snow shovel on paint, seriously? Sorry - what were you expecting to happen?

Answer 5

Have you tried to buff off the yellow paint?? If that doesn't work, most auto parts stores carry small containers of paint that might just match your car.