Kinder Suprize

[Joloke]

Chocky Dooby



 

[Vince70]

If it's completely rot free and without any lacquer peel and it's not been keyed etc then I would say leave alone as a bit of patina will just add to the character of the car especially when selling in a few years time..

But saying that I know what it's like when something bugs you and have made the mistake of paying a small fortune on getting cars back up to scratch in the past..

 

Two of my old cars are immaculate but I've got to the stage that I'm too scared to leave them anywhere so I bought a nice little 18 year old rot free smart car for the station run in the mornings and although it's a good one the Plastic panels have faded from bright yellow to primrose but I think it just adds to the character so I would say keep it as it is and just give it a good wax and waxoyl underneath every so often.

 

But then it looks like you've got the skills to do a nice paint job cheaply going by that beetle.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I'd say drive on for six months and see what your thoughts are then. If you still like the car and have no intention of selling, get it looking as good as you can. Personally, I'd get the two sides painted and leave the bonnet and roof if they're in good nick. Still cheaper than a full repaint and if the car is worth what you say it is, probably a better long term choice. If you want to make it stand out from the crowd and don't give two hoots about the value though, get the ronseal sprayer fired up.

[Honey Badger]

Its simple really.

 

If its a keeper then spend the money on a professional job, and enjoy it for the next 10 years.

 

If your going to sell in the next few years just drive the bloody thing and forget about the paint, the shoddy paint still probably looks better than a roller job.

[sporty-shite]

Will you get the colour back with a good mopping on the original panels? Might be worth a go. It seems a bit of a shame to take away all the originality by painting it badly. If it's solid, I reckon it'll still bring decent money when they climb, despite the lack if provenance.

[sporty-shite]

I Agree in one sense as mopping can bring back colour but as its metallic I think the UV fading is in the base coat and ill only be mopping the clear that's on top?

Maybe? I'm not sure. Worth a try, though?

[xtriple]

Get the sides painted. Oh, and possibly the bonnet and boot. I know I'm a bad one to listen to but that would drive me mad as well and spoil the enjoyment of the car. I have never been able to understand why people do things up for sale when they have been suffering the less than perfect for years. Get it done properly and YOU enjoy it looking great.

[HMC]

As you say it's had paint in the past, so it's not original ( they've sprayed over the rubbing strips and sills on what looks like a pre facelift car) so why not?

[Skizzer]

[Junkman]  It's a W124.  Kill it.  [/Junkman]

 

[anonymous user]

You've really answered your own question, economically it doesn't make sense, but does that have to come into it, personally I would just live with it, but that's me. If it really annoys you and you can't bring yourself to spend a fortune to sort it, an alternative would be to sell it as it is, before it turns into a money pit and buy something that doesn't annoy you.

 

With my pessimistic hat on I know that the first thing that always happens after a paint job is that someone will open a door into it or worse.

[purplebargeken]

If it bugs you then just do it. It'd be interesting to see the progress and outcome.

 

My Toledo has shit paint. I notice it but it hasn't become something that cannot be tolerated.

[danthecapriman]

I can totally relate to how your feeling on this.

My Capri was the same, from a distance it looked alright. Up close there were mismatched shades between panels, micro blisters etc. Most people would of probably left it and just used it and patched up as required, but it bugged me tremendously, so much so I couldn't live with it like that anymore.

 

I would say that if it's not a car you intend to keep long term then leave it as it is, I'm very much of the opinion that with a good paint job you get what you pay for. Cheap jobs are more often than not shit and don't last long. The paint on my Capri was a cheap job and it was pretty shit! Ultimately as it aged it let the car down.

If it's a car you love and want to keep hold of then save up some cash over the next months/years and spend the money on a quality professional job. I appreciate it's not easy to save up sometimes or spend cash like that but it will make all the difference and it'll last well.

The only car I'd ever consider trying to paint myself at home would be something that looks rough as hell anyway and where I'm not going to make anything worse. I think your Merc looks pretty good tbh as it is and I wouldn't touch it personally.

[MarvinsMom]

Get it nato green already!

 

no it wants to be field grey with swastikas on the sides....

 

i wouldn't spend any great amount of coin on this cos its a shitter, it always will be a shitter and no matter what you do to it, its going to be a shitter.....

 

every paint job i've had done on a car has been an expensive disappointment, the cars have all looked great for a few months, even a year or more but then what ever underlying issues there have been with the cars body before hand comes back, only worse than before!

 

plus painting that properly means getting all the side mouldings/body kit off of it, in one piece that just won't happen. not with out breaking ome/many/all of the mounting clips. and if someone else is doing it, then it will be horribly expensive!