DIY PAINTING PANELS

[cubanchink]

what's up all you "E" owners out there. I'm wonder if anyone can tell me what is needed in order to paint the side panels on my "E" I bought the factory base paint color, primer, and clear coat paint too. should I water sand the panels to give it a smooth over look? your feedback will be greatly appreicated. thanks!

[IN MY]

You should see if Jeff aka sellnacura is around. Check the archives and do a search. Some have done it themselves and reported back. I think most have pics of what they have had done by a shop without the real details. I'm looking to do it myself soon. Maaco, not that I'd quote them, said they would sand, prime and paint. If you look close at some of the pics you'll see the paint looks different. There is this "stuff" that is made for painted plastic like bumpers I think, which was just posted recently. I think the idea was that you might not need to sand and prime, just add this stuff. You might want to take it to a shop and see if they'll give you an idea of what they would do. I think you need to bake the paint too? I'm looking to have it done by someone and want to make sure it is the "best" way. People have also mentioned that stuff you add to the paint like the bumper so that it flexes instead of cracks or chips. One thing I learned is that your E has a paint code, so being the same color isn't really enough. NBP, black is not the same as my NBP black paint code. I also learned that black is the most difficult paint to match. I thought it would have been lighter colors. Now they tell me. If you are sure you are going to diy, you might want to test a side panel. I think they are less than $75 each. If you mess up you are only out one panel. It is around $1k for all new panels. I hope I won't need all of them!

[funkywag]

I have my panels painted and let me tell you what I know. If you sand the panels you will get an uneven surface. So you will have to spray a few coats of primer then paint over it after it is smoothed out by the primer. Make sure you use flex additive too. You don't want all of the hard work costing you double in the long run. Also pull all of the panels off first. It'll make for an easier paint job on you as you'll be able to hang the panels up so you can get the best finish. This is pretty easy considering that they use a "clip" method to hang them. Good luck and post any pictures of the end result.
-Aaron :)