Repairing my car

[SimonExtreme]

As some of you know, the rear offside wheelarch of my car has been damaged to the point where it needs serious panel beating and painting. So, I have a dilema about how to do this properly.

My car is an original panel, 964RS (matching numbers) in pretty good nick, in Guards Red. The only evidence of any previous repairs is that the front pu has been replaced and the ppi done on the car showed up no panel work etc. The paint is in pretty good nick, save for a series of chips in the front, bonnet and wheels arches due to use. To me, those add character and originality. Mechanically, the car is as near as purfect as you will find and the interior is not bad, although I have to admit to buying but not yet fitting a new carpet set as I wanted purfection!

So, IMO, I have a pretty good example of an original 964RS. Now it needs a significant repair. Guards Red is about the worst colour for this. The problem is when it comes to colour matching. It is possible to repair the wing without filler so all will be OK there. Now, insurance will only pay to repair the area of the car damaged and although the people I intend to use for the repair (Mark at Ninemeister) will do the best job they can, it is hard to believe that over time there won't be a colour difference. To make matters worse, to do the repair really properly, insurance companies will not allow enough money. All they care about is the external look.

So here is my problem. The only way of ensuring that the paintwork will never be seen is for a respray of the whole car. Insurance won't cover that. At best, its going to cost me £3500 to do that. If matters go badly with insurance, it could cost closer to £4000. Alternatively, if things go well with insurance I will have enough money for the best repair possible without a respray or if things go badly, it could mean I have to add £500-800 to get the best job.

So, what effect will this have on my car, its looks and future value. A pukka respray of the whole car is obvious, as there wouldn't be a mark on the car, which doesn't happen on 14 year old cars but does that reduce or increase the value. Does a good repair without a respray devalue the car and if they both do, which will do it less.

Any views are welcome as there is no right or wrong. However, I would appreciate if we didn't discuss the insurance situation as this is still to be resolved. You just need to trust me that I will not be able to get the whole cost of the respray out of anybody and I will have to pay the balance.

 

[pncarrerars]

I would not worry too much about the colour match. My guards red 964rs has had some panels repainted but I have not found them by difference in colour but by lack of stone chips! Value wise I would expect any RS to have had some repairs done by now, part of their history. Done properly should have minimal effect on value. Only a zero mile museum piece will be badly effected by damage repairs. I would document with pictures the JD2 misshap, it all adds interest to the car. Personally I would never respray the whole car, it implies that there was something more serious to cover up. Also the only way to do it properly is to completely strip the car down to bare metal otherwise it will always just look like a respray.

Pete

 

[clubsport]

Agree guards is possibly the worst colour...it may look good for a year or two, but the new paint will almost certainly be a different type from the existing and will age differently.

If the option is to spray the whole car, to maintain value it would make sense to tak before during and after photos. that way you can show why the car was re-sprayed.

It depends what you want to use the car for, you don't seem over keen on owning a garage queen?
I had a full OPC repspray on 3.2 clubsport, when I got the car back it was too perfect to use as before and I ended up selling it soon after!

From my experience of a car to use, I would be inclined to have the best individual panel repair possible and consider a complete respray at a later date if the car needed it.

 

[SimonExtreme]

I should have added that my car lives outside and although i have started to use a car cover, it is not practical to put this on all the time. because of this the car will be subject to more UV attack than a car that lives in a garage.

As for not driving the car after a respray, it's no different from buying a brand new car and I never have a problem ragging them

 

[clubsport]

There you go...so get the whole thing resprayed then.....doesn't sound like much of a dilemma if you have already made your mind up []

I am sure it will look fantastic []

 

[SimonExtreme]

ORIGINAL: clubsport

There you go...so get the whole thing resprayed then.....doesn't sound like much of a dilemma if you have already made your mind up []

I am sure it will look fantastic []

I really haven't made my mind up. Yes, I do fancy a respray to get the car imaculate but it's a lot of money and I have a big hurdle to overcome, known a "she who must be obeyed". Now, she is a rational person and as, I hope, am I. If the evidence suggests that a respray will protect "our" investment, fine, but I need to show it makes economic sense. I guess she will allow me a £500 "feel good allowance"!

 

[jason]

Sort the panel out and document with pictures - gives the car an interesting story bit don't see how it could possibly devalue it.

Spend the money saved on more track days and see if you can pick up a whole toolset[]

Not worth a full respray in my opinion Simon....but it's your car.

 

[clubsport]

With respect to a respray protecting the value of a car.....as far as i am concerned that can be the case as long as it is a recent respray and can be shown to have been done for legitimate reasons.

If you respray the whole car, keep it outside and use it on road and track, should you come to sell it a prospective buyer is unlikely to be over impressed if the car is going to need paint to tidy up stone chips and use ....value of a re-spray is only there when it is fresh........ Do a couple of trackdays in an immaculate car and it is unlikely to be concours after. If it needs paint to make perfect again where is the value in that?
The best value option is most likely to respray the panel, well..
Not neccesarily what you may prefer, you are the guy who is going to drive and live with the car after all.

 

[Hacki]

As we see it here in Germany a full respray doesn´t make sense in this case. Except these very, very few garage queens most of the RSs and Cups are used on tracks, they all have their histories and incidents.
If you have a fully documented, professional body repair and only the panel resprayed (I wouldn´t be afraid of the result of the paint job) the car won´t loose value in comparison to all the other RSs on the market.

Again, the difference is the quality of the repair.

So, IMO have the car fixed that way and enjoy that wonderful thing like before without the feeling of having lost value!

Keep on racin´!

 

[RSGulp]

In my opinion, I would get a really good repair done where it needs it, document it, keep receipts, take lots of pics, etc, etc. The 'pliers incident' is so unusual it just adds another element of interest to the cars history.

Incidentally, I think the idea of the 'Nelson Trophy' for Judgement Days in the future is a good'un.

Spend the next few years driving the car like you did at JD2, then if the repair eventually becomes noticeable (due to change in colour compared to original paint) consider getting the entire car resprayed at that time.

Rich

 

[bones]

Just get the panel painted Simon for all the reasons mentioned above. My guards red SC has had every panel repainted at some point, when it's polished especially after a mop has been on it you are hard pushed to see the colour difference under the glare from the shine! Good luck I feel your pain.

 

[SimonExtreme]

Just realised that the rear pu is also damaged! It needs painting as well[]

 

[lee fulford]

Just get the relevant panels repaired and painted Simon.....don't care how well your man says he can paint it will alaways show it's had a repaint and the next buyer is gonna wonder why........IApart from the obviouse glass out it'll need doors and bonnet etc off to get into shuts and then when they're bolted back on the nuts will give it away.

 

[SimonExtreme]

Lee

While I hear what you are saying and I had made up my mind to just get the wing repaired, I want to see how much the rear pu is going to cost. It was already going to be removed as you cannot properly spray the wing with it in place. I guess it will add about £800 to the bill. If the insurance pay up, this means a full respray by somebody who has the repuation of being the best will cost ITRO £3000.

So the real question is, if offered a one off chance to have your car resprayed to the highest standard for £3000, would you take it? I have to admit it is tempting but..............

 

[clubsport]

£800 Simon???? I have had a front PU on a 996 sprayed, and front and rear 993 Pu's sprayed......with all prep work and tinted primer I have never paid more than £300 for one.

I am sure you have the correct RS rear end, so you would not neccesarily need to have all of the parts sprayed anyhow.

Good to see you have seen the logic of only getting the panel done []

 

[Yoda]

Hi Simon

Very sorry about your incident, I hadn't realised the damage was quite that bad until I had a second look. The only circumstances in which I would consider a full respray is if you were going to sell the car soon. If keeping it, fix the bits that need fixing well and do the rest of the car as and when it needs it.

fyi - I understand the sale of non-waterbased paints was stopped some time ago but the use of existing paint is still allowed until spring next year. After that, it is water based paints only which are not as resistant to stone chips etc. In case you were thinking of getting the whole car done ..... and remember the 964 RS never came from the factory with laquer so it is paint only!

Best of luck with the repairs.

 

[SimonExtreme]

ORIGINAL: clubsport
I am sure you have the correct RS rear end, so you would not neccesarily need to have all of the parts sprayed anyhow.

Yes, but.......... pu's seem to suffer from fading far more than other parts of the car (or at least on my car!!) and if we painted only one peice, it would stick out like a sore thumb. That is why I added £800, to allow for the removal of the other 2 parts and for their painting.

I will be speaking to Mark at Ninemeister next week so that we can develop a plan. I think it is a difficult choice. When you begin to examine a car closely, you find more wrong than you like to admit (or is it self justification!!!) and in the back of my mind, I do wonder how I would react if Mark had approached me and offered a complete paint job for £3000!!!

I am not sure about the arguement around getting it repaired now and if it fades, get the whole car done at some other point. Would you prefer to spend £3000 now or £5000 in 3 years time. It's a difficult one!

Worst still, £3000 is nearly the cost of Motec and "I feel the need for Speed"