1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Clear coat peeling. Considering a wrap. Knowledge seeking

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by ColoradoCrow, Apr 23, 2022.

  1. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2019
    919
    372
    1
    Location:
    Leawood, KS
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    I
    So the crappy clear coat that a dealership put on my car is peeling. I can spend 10 hours myself sanding/stripping the old clear coat off and then take it and have it painted. Then I heard about wrapping the car. Any idea on quality of that or cost. I’m sure it is like anything else. Cheap for $750 poor quality or $2,000 for a great job that can last awhile. Does anyone have personal experience with the car wrap experience?
     
    #1 ColoradoCrow, Apr 23, 2022
  2. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2019
    919
    372
    1
    Location:
    Leawood, KS
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Had a shop can me back finally car wraps start about $2,000 for 250 square feet of wrap. Lasts3-5 years. Hand washing only no auto car wash with brushes. Paint surface must be super smooth so the clear coat in my case will need to be sanded off and smooth. So for either paint job or a wrap the surface must be clean and smooth or it will show imperfections. So the cheapest option is do all the sanding and prep work myself. Then have Macco do a two step paint job. Color then clear coat. $1,000 basically
     
    #2 ColoradoCrow, Apr 23, 2022
  3. ski.dive

    ski.dive Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2008
    864
    223
    0
    Location:
    Hutchinson Island,FL. Mt. Snow,VT
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I had an independent shop paint and clear coat my Prius a few months ago for $1400
    I would never let MAACO or any of those shops paint my car,
    == You get what you pay for...
     
    #3 ski.dive, Apr 23, 2022
    ColoradoCrow likes this.
  4. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2019
    919
    372
    1
    Location:
    Leawood, KS
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    I
    True. $1,400 is a bit much for the age and use of this car. But absolutly you get what you pay for. Indy shop told me I could save $600 if I sanded it myself and removed all the badges, lights, etc. so that quote seems on par with the $1,000 I would have to pay an Indy shop.
     
    #4 ColoradoCrow, Apr 23, 2022
  5. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    10,870
    4,410
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    We just had this same conversation on here yesterday and someone shared this video. I think most of us can do a higher quality job than this dude:



    Also mentioned in yesterday's thread auto body shops are slammed with way too much work right now because nobody is simply buying a new car but waiting out the EV shortage. So it will take months of waiting for the paint booth at a professional shop.
     
    #5 PriusCamper, Apr 23, 2022
    ColoradoCrow likes this.
  6. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2019
    919
    372
    1
    Location:
    Leawood, KS
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Awesome info. Thank you very much.
     
    #6 ColoradoCrow, Apr 24, 2022
  7. JahT

    JahT Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2007
    145
    75
    0
    I'd be curious how his hood turned out. I thought about trying shooting clear coat over the existing basecoat, but it seems to be a similar amount of work to shoot new base coat too, then the clear. If I do the work I would like it to be good enough to last a while, but I also don't need it to be high quality since it still has door dings and faded plastic. My hood has so many chips it will definitely need a base coat applied, and my roof does have a rusty chip in the paint so I probably can't just clear coat that. I considered teaching myself vinyl wrap, but that would still require sanding and prep. Still deciding what to do myself.
     
    #7 JahT, Apr 27, 2022
  8. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    10,870
    4,410
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I worked in a body shop in High School... Painting a car so it looks good as new isn't something you can do without a spray booth, there's simply too much dust in the air to get a perfect finish.
     
    #8 PriusCamper, Apr 27, 2022
  9. Another

    Another Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2021
    1,802
    510
    0
    Location:
    Naples, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    A problem with wraps seems to be that you can’t use automatic car washes anymore. If they’re that fragile, it is crazy.
     
    #9 Another, Apr 29, 2022
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)