Best place to get factory-color paint (to spray)

SWMBO's Mariner has a fender that was likely at some point before she got it repainted and the clear has peeled off of half of it. I picked up a replacement fender from a junkyard earlier this year and am finally hoping to have the time to repaint the replacement the correct color (were it my car I'd likely be saying 'berk it' and not bothering, or just dipping the whole car another color- but it's hers and appearance matters more to her than me). The plan is to try and do it remotely right, so sand it down and spray it in primer, color basecoat, and clear.

Where are some good places to get said paints at a good price? Thanks!

ScratchWizard makes color-matched paint buy my own personal experience with them was abysmal. 5 months later and I still haven't received product or a money return, just a few e-mails back and forth which takes them weeks to respond.

Automotive Touchup has worked well in the past for my BIL. I ordered some Miata stuff and it got damaged in transit, so the shipper threw it away and I didn't have time before I move to reorder - but they gave me a refund, no problem.

I have had great luck with duplicolor stuff in the past.

Whoever sells Cromax in your area. Axalta has a pretty good sized distribution network. Most places can mix it and put it in a can for you.

I usually go to the local body supply shop in the car in question. Then I tell the guy at the counter "X is what I want to do, Y is my level of experience, Z is the quality of result I want". He comes out, has a look and explains what I'm getting into and the options I can take. I have never been disappointed with my results or the amount I have paid so far.

My boss tends to use our local napa. They can mix it using factory color code off the sticker. He occasionally has them add white or black extra depending on age/condition of what hes trying to paint match.

Right now an ad on TV Maaco 354.00 whole car.

I just got a can of custom-mixed aerosol from the local CarQuest.. I've used Napa plenty in the past with good results. Like other guys, I explain what I'm trying to accomplish and just do what they say.

I've found the single-stage Martin Seynor 5.0 Gold urethane lays down really nicely. That's NAPA paint, and we use it for repainting engine bays in V8 swaps.

I have used Automotive Touchup on two occasions. Order online with paint code. Color match was good and was satisfied with results.

This may sound weird but the last couple times I painted car fenders etc. I used duplicolor products. I use the primer and then use a generic color that is close to the OE color that I can get as a base coat. I then put a second coat of the color matched paint over that. The reason for this is that the color match stuff is crazy expensive and usually in very small cans. I have got excellent results with this method and if by chance you get a fish eye or a run in the base you can wait and sand it out before putting the final coat on.

viccath5 wrote: I have used Automotive Touchup on two occasions. Order online with paint code. Color match was good and was satisfied with results.

This. If your car uses clearcoat, get their 2k product. And a respirator. If you are planning to use their spray cans, get two of color and two of clear to really do a S10 sized fender right. Unless it is a really small fender. Then maybe one of each would do. Not the cheapest stuff, but very good quality from my direct experience s month ago.

One advantage to getting it mixed locally is that you can bring in a sample piece and get them to match it. Your Mariner Blue today may not be what Mariner Blue was a quarter century. Especially if you have clear - that's not factory paint.

A Mariner blue Mariner would be pretty cool ... !!

Duh.

TR7 wrote: I usually go to the local body supply shop in the car in question. Then I tell the guy at the counter "X is what I want to do, Y is my level of experience, Z is the quality of result I want". He comes out, has a look and explains what I'm getting into and the options I can take. I have never been disappointed with my results or the amount I have paid so far.

^ that

I weighed the Maaco route and for half the cost I could get twice the quality of paint. (I paid $560 out the door for PPG omni and Euro clear, and for single stage base mixed with clear I was at $1000 at maaco). The guys at my local shop were super helpful.

The hard part is the matching. The level of mismatch you're willing to tolerate is very subjective. I thought my local shop did a great job, but there was a review on their website from a guy who'd been there three times and still wasn't happy with the match.

**disclaimer: If I'm honest. I probably was right at Maaco's price if I count tooling. $200 for a compressor. A little under $200 for the DA sander and Dekups set. The paint gun from Eastowood and sandpaper probably were about $100. But you get to keep the tooling )

Well, this was a timely thread. I gave Automotive Touchup a try. I just ordered a spray can of Ram PCL blue to fix a booboo I did to Mrs Logdog's truck.

I do have a decent supply shop here local, they're where I got the bumper texture that is on the DMC's louvers and where the pinstripe masking tape I used to mask off the curves on the Patriot came from. May have to pull the gas cap off the Mariner and take it in and see what they can do.

I'll almost certainly be needing to do more painting than just the Mariner's fender too depending on what happens challenge-car-wise- whether I decide to keep the Riviera (with its late-90's peeling white GM paint) or buy and decide to bring a currently half-primered & multicolored Trans Am 'vert, the car I bring will need to be painted... though likely more on the cheap than the I'll be aiming for on the Mariner (though still something that will last better, especially if it's the TA which I'd be wanting to keep for a while.

Hungary Bill wrote: The hard part is the matching. The level of mismatch you're willing to tolerate is very subjective. I thought my local shop did a great job, but there was a review on their website from a guy who'd been there three times and still wasn't happy with the match.

Some colors are an absolute bear to match. We did a mid 90s Audi convertible that was pearl while. It needed a door, two quarters, deck lid and rear bumper. We couldn't get a good match, neither could our DuPont rep or a guy from PPG. We finally pulled the car apart and shot the whole thing.

Hungary Bill wrote:

TR7 wrote: I usually go to the local body supply shop in the car in question. Then I tell the guy at the counter "X is what I want to do, Y is my level of experience, Z is the quality of result I want". He comes out, has a look and explains what I'm getting into and the options I can take. I have never been disappointed with my results or the amount I have paid so far.

^ that I weighed the Maaco route and for half the cost I could get twice the quality of paint. (I paid $560 out the door for PPG omni and Euro clear, and for single stage base mixed with clear I was at $1000 at maaco). The guys at my local shop were super helpful. The hard part is the matching. The level of mismatch you're willing to tolerate is very subjective. I thought my local shop did a great job, but there was a review on their website from a guy who'd been there three times and still wasn't happy with the match. **disclaimer: If I'm honest. I probably was right at Maaco's price if I count tooling. $200 for a compressor. A little under $200 for the DA sander and Dekups set. The paint gun from Eastowood and sandpaper probably were about $100. But you get to keep the tooling )

Having a car done at maaco is what prompted me to do it myself. I was abhorred with what was returned to me compared to what was promised. Frist time I did it using harbor freight guns in my driveway and I was far far better for less than half the cost.

And you still need to at least partially prep the car for maaco, and get it to them and back anyway, so it doesn't really take more time to do the whole thing yourself. The only problem is the paint will stink up the whole neighborhood, so make sure your neighbors really like you or you have enough property where it won't be an issue.

And don't forget to wipe down everything with alcohol to remove grease and oil before painting.

Ouch.

So for this week I have SWMBO's Mariner to drive around at will as she'd visiting family, so over lunch today I stopped by the auto body supply place I've shopped at before to get their thoughts on what I should use on it.

The good is that they're as helpful as ever and I have a good idea of what the supplies will cost to paint it. The bad is that they looked the car over and pointed out that it looks like most of the whole passenger side of the car looks to have been repainted at some point and that in the next few years the clear will likely start delaminating from the whole side like it is on the fender (which I'm guessing started sooner because of the heat from the engine). So paint (primer, base, and clear) alone for the side of the car will be $500+ and it will of course take a LOT longer and far more work than just repainting the fender.

I need to talk this over with SWMBO now and decide just what we want to do... paint just the really bad fender as cheaply as possible and deal with the rest of the paint when it becomes a problem? Spend the money and do it all now? Say 'Berkley It' and trade the thing in on a newer SUV for SWMBO?