I once bought a �78 Westfalia from one of those used car dealers in Southern
California that operate out of an industrial unit and advertise in Auto
Trader. It had a brand new Earl paint job complete with a stripe kit. It had
some orange peel but looked OK for a $ 1500 bus. Four years later it had as
much surface rust as paint visible. And I lived in Southern California! I
don�t think I would take any vehicle, that I cared about it�s long term
welfare, to a cheap auto painter. I loved that van though.

I have painted a few cars, motorcycle�s, jet skis, bicycles and industrial
design models in my time. After the last car I painted, and changed the
color on, I vowed never to do it again. In my experience it is a lot of work
and very time consuming. A few bits if wisdom: Preparation and cleanliness
are key to success. Use only the best materials. Painting is a skill that is
difficult to master, so practice before you paint your beloved Vehicle. You
must have a clean, well lit and ventilated place to spray in. Don�t do it in
your driveway. Rust removal is difficult to do properly, in my opinion,
better left to the experts if you can afford it.

I have an �86 Synchro Westfalia. When it receives its new coat of paint next
year it will be at a reputable (probably expensive) body shop. It�s true in
auto body work that  �you get what you pay for�.

Regards,

Jon

> Joe, 
> I'm not body-shop expert.  I don't even pretend to play one on TV.  But good
> Lord, man, if you're going to sink as much time and effort into prepping your
> Westy for Maaco or Earl, why not go the extra few feet and complete the job
> yourself?  You're going to need about three-quarters of the tools anyway...
> 
> In order to give your repaint the best chance for reasonably long-term
> survival, you're going to have to do a lot more prep than just washing the
> bus.  Attaching the rust means grinding the area down to bare metal, treating
> it with some kind of rust inhibitor, priming, and sanding it.  If your bus has
> more than just a spot or two of seam rust, this whole process can become a
> major undertaking.
> 
> Never having had any dealing with either of these two businesses, I really
> can't comment on what they do and how they do it.  There are, however,
> reputations and second hand information floating about the list that leads one
> to fairly scream, 'don't whatever you do, go to these places!'  To get a
> decent paint job, the your bus is going to have to stripped of all attachments
> - mirrors, molding, bumpers, windows - prepped - meaning taken down to bare
> metal - primed, sanded, base coated, and finally top coated with a quality
> paint.  And this quality job is not available from a franchise without paying
> a hefty price for it.  The paint job you're looking for is not available at
> the price you're paying.  You're going to get a van that's been shot with a
> top-coat and that's about it.  You'll be lucky if they mask everything
> properly. 
> 
> As an alternate, consider doing the job yourself by enrolling in a BOCES- or
> continuing education-type course at the local VoTech school.  Or perhaps
> contact the local VoTech to see if they would like to have a class project -
> painting your bus.
> 
> Sorry this is a little long winded.  I've gone thru this before.  Lowest price
> I received for a quality paint job was $4200.  Macco, on the other hand,
> quoted $700.  Haven't gone either way, but I am saving some $$$ for another
> vehicle (hopefully a MB 240D or 300D) so I can take my bus off the road and
> finally get the rust under control.  And it looks like I'm going the VoTech
> route... 
> 
> Alan Bosch 
> & Phred ('88 Wolfsburg)
> 

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