[alfa] paint and body work

["Watry, Andrew (LNG-SFR)" <Andrew.Watry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Most of what I've read in the last couple days here on the Digest on paint
and bodywork agrees with my own limited experience. It's hard to find good,
affordable shops to do full restorations and paint.  Mid- to good-quality
shops crank out a lot of insurance work, mostly limited to dents, scrapes,
crunched fenders and bumpers, and partial repairs, not full repaints on
weird cars.  In my searches (California), full paint jobs were mostly
available at the sub-$1000 MAACO or Miracle level, or $10,000 hot rod or
foreign restoration shop level. Not much in between.

That said, more than in any other service I know, you get what you pay for
in body work and paint.  Cheap price equals poor job.  It's a nasty,
laborious business, and prep and time are the keys to a good job.  There are
many variables, and sometimes you do find good sprayers at the Miracle
shops.  But I looked at a bunch of them before going with a cheap local
non-chain shop for my Berlina, and the Miracle jobs, especially metallics,
were nasty. That is, NASTY.  Unless you're planning to run the car at a
Saturday night dirt-track race, I guarantee you'll be disappointed.

Not to say my Berlina's job was perfect.  Say it with me: "It's only a
Berlina."  But it was far better than the local Miracle, for $1200 rather
than $800.  It's a fair match of the original color, and doesn't scream
"repaint" from a block away, which is how Miracle jobs always look to me.
I'm in the ballpark of happy.

Andrew Watry
Berlina Register
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