I have been painting cars for 20 plus years, and tho they have made tremendous progress in the paint and body materials that are used (the urethanes are soooooooooo much better
) the actuall process of doing bodywork and painting is still pretty much the same, its ALL manual labor, and its Very messy. Also, with the newer paint systems, including undercoats, such as etch primers, epoxies, and urethane primer surfacers, you have to use fresh air resperators, plus the use of a spray booth that can cost anywhere between 30 and 60 thousand dollars if it has a paint mixing room also. Using these newer products is very dangerous to the human body if not used properly, its NOT like the old laquer days! Basically the bottom line is look for a shop that uses NAME BRAND materials (PPG, Du Pont, etc, etc) and doesnt skimp on the reducers used either. Make sure the shop has a good spray booth thats kept up and the shop is relatively clean. Alot of times a few of the employees are enthusiasts also, which goes along way to getting a super good job done at a "production" shop. Dont overlook dealers too, they have the money and resources to put into their bodyshop to keep it updated. I work for a Ford dealer in Cleveland as the head painter and we have had numerous people come in to have their Gt's, Cobras, Turbo, and supercharged T-birds repaired and or completely re-painted, including the Saleen Mustangs ( a few lived in Buffalo).
If somebody says they can paint your whole car for 1500 bucks, I'd be a bit leary, you do get what you pay for
Mark
