painting questions

[Zsolt]

Obi,

If your car is not in bad shape and all you need is a new coat of paint
you should be able to prepare it yourself. Your original paint works as
an excellent primer surface for the new paint. You can use 400 or even
320 grit dry paper to sand the entire car by hand.

If I were you I would remove as much as I can from the car (lights,
bumpers, door locks handles etc.). That way the body can be painted
properly and you also don't have to worry about taping things. For small
dents you can use a 2 stage putty, send it with 120 paper, prime it, and
sand it with 400 or 320 as the rest of the car. Make sure you use a
block when you send the puttied areas otherwise you can't get it straight.

For the paint itself you should use a 2 stage system (base coat and
clear coat) and I think you should have it painted in a bodyshop. For
primer your best bet would also be a 2 stage primer, which you can wet
sand with 1200 grit. This is especially a good idea if you use a base
coat clear coat system. If you use acrylic primer it may look smooth
initially, but when it completely dries out it will show the sand marks
under the paint. If you really want to do the painting yourself, there
are shops around where you can rent the booth including the spray gun to
do your own work. Some people do their painting in their own garage, but
you have to make sure there is nothing inside, you have good lighting,
and freshly wash the floor before you do the work. You also need some
ventilation, that will suck out the paint vapours.

I found a website where it describes some of the work with pictures.
http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox/tips/paint/dent/body-01.htm

Good luck,
  Zsolt

PS. to tell who's a good painter, take a look at the job they did.


Obin Olson wrote:

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>OK, I want to get my 90q painted in the same factory red it is, I want to save money by doing the taping and sanding myself, what grit to sand it in? how deep to sand it? should I also get some bondo or filler and fix the tiny dents in the doors? should I buy a orbit sander for my aircompressor or do it by hand? can someone tell me who to contact about buying new mid level door trims? the ones that have the audi logo on the front and are black plastic and serve to protect door from dings...any advice? can I paint it myself if I find a clean garage? I do have a auto paint sprayer but have never been to school for painting.
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>tia
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>-Obi
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>also how can I tell if someone is a good painter ? any BTDT advice?
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