Repaint the front end

[Shaun Ray]

I'd like to get the nose of my '95 NSX back to looking new. Mainly, I have rock chips on the lowest cross section (right above the lip). The lip is okay but scratched from normal use of 10 years.

I took the car to a local shop for an estimate and it came back at $900. That included a new lip for approx. $100. This was a bit more than I was expecting. Am I unrealistic?

Also, can they even replace the OEM lip? I was thinking that only a newer version was available and not sure about the fit.

Shaun
95 NSX green/tan

 

[LJSB]

Specifically what parts are being painted for $800.00?

 

[Hugh]

I had the nose repainted last year. Just the upper piece. The cost was about $450.00. The piece was removed from the car for the work. If you're being quoted for both the upper and lower nose your estimate doesn't seem that far off especially including a new air dam. The newer version fits all model years by the way.

 

[Shaun Ray]

Thanks for the replies. The quote was for the lower and upper section. The lower has the rock chips, but the upper has some slight blemish that I would want to have addressed while in the shop. Sounds like they're treating me fair and I do believe they are a quality shop based on local references.

 

[ibDursty]

I had my 95 nose repainted last fall. It had to go into the shop anyway because somebody backed into my motorcycle which then fell into to the passenger door and damaged that. My local bodyshop quoted 770 to take out the dents the in the door and repaint it. I also had them repaint the nose and rear bumper for an additional 650. When I got the car back the paint work really wasn't that good. The biggest thing was the amount of orange peel compared to the original paint. The original paint is perfect minus the 11 years worth of small swirl marks and specks, but not one bit of orange peel, just perfectly smooth. Not sure what the process is for painting where you don't get orange peel but they didn't do it. I'm guess more wet sanding in between layers of painting(?). Just make sure that you request that you don't want to see any orange peel on the newly painted services..

 

[painlus]

I took my 92 to two reputable shops and they both quoted me $1000 for upper and lower front end. This was for removal, repaint and reattach. I couldn't get myself to pull the trigger and just got the WW spoiler painted...

 

[blownoffvalve]

try using the clear bra... great investment

 

[Shaun Ray]

Thanks again for the replies. As for the Clear Bra comment, I rarely drive the car. The chips are from the two previous owners. The chips are just on the lowest area of the nose (just above the lip).

Sounds like the price quoted to me was reasonable. Good to know.

Shaun

 

[Synthesis]

I had my 95 nose repainted last fall. It had to go into the shop anyway because somebody backed into my motorcycle which then fell into to the passenger door and damaged that. My local bodyshop quoted 770 to take out the dents the in the door and repaint it. I also had them repaint the nose and rear bumper for an additional 650. When I got the car back the paint work really wasn't that good. The biggest thing was the amount of orange peel compared to the original paint. The original paint is perfect minus the 11 years worth of small swirl marks and specks, but not one bit of orange peel, just perfectly smooth. Not sure what the process is for painting where you don't get orange peel but they didn't do it. I'm guess more wet sanding in between layers of painting(?). Just make sure that you request that you don't want to see any orange peel on the newly painted services..

i hear it's cause not enough clear coat.... i could be wrong - i'm not a body person.... either way, all other hondas suffer from it.

 

[MvM]

I took the car to a local shop for an estimate and it came back at $900. That included a new lip for approx. $100. This was a bit more than I was expecting. Am I unrealistic?

Did the estimate include taking of and taking apart the front bumper and mounting it again also ??
I have found that many people think the NSX front bumper has a lot of small parts and therefore takes a lot of time to take apart. And of course, if the shop is going to do that as well, they will probably charge you for that time as well.
One shop once quoted me about 500 USD for painting the front bumper but this was raised to around 750 after the shopguy talked to someone else (they had done a minor repair on my car) and this was because of the work involved in taking the bumper apart.
If you have the manual, taking the bumper of yourself is actually not difficult at all and it might save you some.

 

[The Kid]

Ive considered repainting my front end but my 1992 isnt really that bad and id rather wait till it really needs to be done. When I get it repainted, I want the entire front bumper, hood, and fenders done at the same time. It will match alot better and this way all the rock chips will be gone. If your goin' do it, do it right:wink:

 

[Shaun Ray]

Did the estimate include taking of and taking apart the front bumper and mounting it again also ??
I have found that many people think the NSX front bumper has a lot of small parts and therefore takes a lot of time to take apart. And of course, if the shop is going to do that as well, they will probably charge you for that time as well.
One shop once quoted me about 500 USD for painting the front bumper but this was raised to around 750 after the shopguy talked to someone else (they had done a minor repair on my car) and this was because of the work involved in taking the bumper apart.
If you have the manual, taking the bumper of yourself is actually not difficult at all and it might save you some.

The quote did include removal of parts. I think the estimator said something about "did you know the front bumper is actually 3 parts?" with my response of "no". Taking the parts off might save a little money. Nice idea.

Shaun

 

[Hugh]

When I took my car in for a bumper re-spray I included print outs from the service manual. Just in case the shop doesn't know, and most won't, there are several of the specially coated bolts used in the assembly that prevent galvanic corrosion that MUST be re-used. The print out clearly illustrates their locations and torque settings.

 

[Shaun Ray]

Thanks for the heads up. I would not have known.

And welcome back to Prime!

 

[NsXMas]

When I took my car in for a bumper re-spray I included print outs from the service manual. Just in case the shop doesn't know, and most won't, there are several of the specially coated bolts used in the assembly that prevent galvanic corrosion that MUST be re-used. The print out clearly illustrates their locations and torque settings.

great info Hugh!

 

[Hugh]

Thanks guys.