Would you walk away from a car that had been painted at some time?

[Big_Jon]

Reason I ask is that we get punters who simply will not buy if they know that the car has been painted at some time.

This baffles me and quite often I say "do you want one with a bumper scrape then?" or something similar.

The reason it baffles me is that many brand-new cars have been repainted to some extent by the time they have been transported from the factories, infact a local VW dealer told me they end up painting about 20% of brand new stock because of transit damage whether it be boat, rail, truck or just reckless shunters in compounds.

Also, how many cars pick-up minor scrapes in car-parks etc? Every car I have kept for any length of time has had some sort of ding put in it.

Vandal damage? Think of how many cars get keyed-up and the like, there is another cause.

The reason I am bringing this topic up is that the customers seem to assume that because it has had paint, it has been rolled through a ditch or been buried in the ****-end of another car or some other sinister reason.

This isnt just the case on new cars either, I recently sold a W-Plated E320CDI and one guy who came to see it didnt want it as it had recieved a front-end repaint due to stone-chipping (138,000 Miles), he outright accused us of buying a formerly smashed-up car even though the paintwork was done at an MB Paintshop 6 months before we got it, the reciept was in the owners pack.

So, would you walk away from a car which had been painted?

 

[stevesey]

Depends how recently it's been painted. When looking for my first car with my Dad I sat a mini that still stank of cellulose inside - even as an 18 year old I got straight out and we walked away. Have done one other time - as l arrived and saw a refreshly resprayed car outside.

Reason I don't like freshly pained cars (especially older ones) is that you don't know what the paint is hiding and how well it was prep'd etc, so have no idea what could come bubbling through or flaking off a in few months. However if it's had time to "mature" I'll give it fair consideration after assessing the rest of the car.

 

[jaymanek]

Well we always rectify paintwork issues before sale... If the buyer wants to buy a car thats had no paintwork, then thats pretty unrealistic these days.

I think it all comes down to how well the job has been done.

 

[Will]

Well, it depends on a number of factors.

Firstly - why it was painted (the obvious one). For every stone chipped, keyed or scuffed panel there is a car that's been in a smack. If it's been repaired properly then it's not such a big deal but if it's been badly done people will understandibly not be so keen. People who might not know how to spot the differences between these cases might naturally be a bit cautious - it's probably the only thing they'll know to do.

The other point is, realistically, a perfect bodyshop repair should be near enough impossible (well, 'un-noticable') to detect for 80% of people. Cheap bodywork can look okay from a few yards but realisitically you can tell very quickly that it's not factory quality paint. There's loads of traders out there who just chuck cars through very quick/cheap bodyshops who don't take all the neccesary steps to ensure a perfect job. Most cars in the UK will have had some form of paintwork in one form or another, as you say it's almost inevitable. There's a difference between a quality repair to a couple of panels and a quick/cheap 'blowover' paint job on a whole car.

Finally - it depends on the car in question. If you're just buying a run-of-the mill car, so long as it looks clean and smart, drives well etc, what does it matter? But if you're buying an enthusiast's/collector's car or something you'll want perfect/original bodywork. Doesn't mean it can't have had paint, just that it'll need to be thoroughly justified and done to the very highest of standards.

All IMHO

Will

 

[st4]

It wouldn't put me off. There are other tell tale signs of a major prang, rippling in the boot floor, chassis damage, ill fitting body panels etc. A minor touch up isn't too much to worry about.

 

[glojo]

I t6hink we need to respect the thoughts of your 'punters' or customers.

When we were looking at a car for my son it had a few chips on it that we requested were rectified prior to purchase and I totally agree about new cars being repaired prior to the new purchazser taking possession.

It happens, and as long as everyone is open and honest then should there be a problem?

I buy a car from you, I ask you if it has been repaired, or had any bodywork damage. You say no and sell me the car with a 12 month warranty.

!3 months later I find some rust on my pride and joy, I go along to my local Mercedes-Benz dealer and try to claim under mobilo for the repair. They test the paintwork and find that it has been resprayed by an unauthorised person!!

I contact the previous owner and they say oh yes, when I traded that car in, it needed a bit of bodywork repair and I guess the garage that sold it to you must have had those repaires carried out!!

I think I would be slightly miffed.

If an individual wants to but a car that has not had any body repairs or paintwork that has been renewed then so be it... They might have a long search but live and let live

 

[Big_Jon]

I know what you mean about levels of damage but like jaymanek, we do any paint before advertising a car.

Incidentally, we only buy minor paint like a scrape, stone-chipping etc, we never buy projects.

I know what you mean about quality, the painter we use does retail quality work, we would prefer to pay the extra and get a proper job as opposed to that of a cheaper cowboy working out of a double garage at his house.

I recently had a couple of customers walk away from a £995 p/x to clear because the bubbled rear arches had been painted. wasnt a top-drawer job on that car but at £995, it couldnt be. I was totally honest and said we had the paint done, and they walked as they didnt want to buy anything that had been damaged.

 

[ackee911]

I agree with glojo

 

[MrT]

Having seen the standard of some 'accident repairs', the aim seems to be 'improvement' rather than factory standard presentation.

The question I have to the traders in the thread - would you price down (for part-ex purposes) a car that's had paint repair - from the discreet well-presented repair to a car that has bodyshop branded number plates on the front and back?

 

[Big_Jon]

Having seen the standard of some 'accident repairs', the aim seems to be 'improvement' rather than factory standard presentation.

The question I have to the traders in the thread - would you price down (for part-ex purposes) a car that's had paint repair - from the discreet well-presented repair to a car that has bodyshop branded number plates on the front and back?

Yes, if a car had been repaired badly I would have to price it down as I would have to have the work re-done to an acceptable standard to enable me to retail the car.

Number plates are irrelevant as we always fit our own branded number plates anyhow, as do a lot of dealers.

 

[DSLiverpool]

On the CLS it had done 6k miles and I expected no paint fixes, on the Aston it had done 33k miles in 2 years and I expected a painted bumper and possibly a bonnet and I was right, I would have walked if any other parts were painted - I think some low use / lowmile buyers do not realise what can happen to a well used car and you cannot reason with them as they dont realise so catch 22

I would prefer to see a chipped car that would be rectified before delivery in the knowledge a authorised dealer had done it (type / value permitting)

 

[Seamster15]

The majority of buys will arrive with Rose tinted galsses, expect brand new for 1k and be suspicious of any repairs to the body work - its life expect it. Just be upfront and if they don't like it there will be some else just down the road.

You can only do your best...

 

[Big_Jon]

Totally agree Seamaster, I always say it is harder to sell a £995 car than a £4995 car.

 

[grober]

Unfortunately for the many honest motor traders out there a sizeable minority exist who indulge in "car cosmetic surgery" to artificially enhance the value of cars that have been badly damaged+poorly repaired in accidents or are rusting quite badly. This makes the buying public wary of any alteration to the cars original finish since it very difficult to know if the price asked is a true reflection of the car's real condition.
To put it another way the trader has seen the "before" and "after" The buyer has only the final appearance to go on.

 

[jaymanek]

Unfortunately for the many honest motor traders out there a sizeable minority exist who indulge in "car cosmetic surgery" to artificially enhance the value of cars that have been badly damaged+poorly repaired in accidents or are rusting quite badly. This makes the buying public wary of any alteration to the cars original finish since it very difficult to know if the price asked is a true reflection of the car's real condition.
To put it another way the trader has seen the "before" and "after" The buyer has only the final appearance to go on.

yep.. this is true but it puts us in an impossible situation where you just cant please all.

generally if a car has anything more than a few chips, the car will be painted.

 

[Deleted member 11979]

It depends, if I could tell it was painted it must be not a top job, so I would walk away, if I couldn't tell, as with my SL I would buy it, and I did, it was vandal scratched 10 years before I got it and a perfect job was done.

My e220 had new genuine wings before I got it and the paint was a bity orange peely, but the car was very cheap, so I bought it and had them done and now you can't tell.

If I was looking at a newish car and I could see it had been painted I would walk on.

 

[Will]

It depends, if I could tell it was painted it must be not a top job, so I would walk away, if I couldn't tell, as with my SL I would buy it, and I did, it was vandal scratched 10 years before I got it and a perfect job was done.

My e220 had new genuine wings before I got it and the paint was a bity orange peely, but the car was very cheap, so I bought it and had them done and now you can't tell.

If I was looking at a newish car and I could see it had been painted I would walk on.

Exactly the sort of thinking I have.

A good paint job should be very hard to spot. A poor one can be noticed very easily.

Paint match, quality of the prep work, how much trim was removed before painting, finish etc are all variables that will depend from one bodyshop to another, normally linked to the amount of money spent on the job.

You can get a whole car painted for under a grand, or spend several times that amount.

Aside from stone chips (or rust ), factory paintwork that has been looked after nicely from day one would be the preferred choice of many IMHO.

Will