Helloall,here is/are tips when going to a painter.I just had my 85 westy
repainted $3000 w/body work and all.Lots of dents ,aand the dreaded seam
rust through ya know.Number 1. PULL the frig if you have a westy and check
for rust. Typically,the rust is 5 times as bad on the inside as what shows
on the outside.When you recover from an unfortunate discovery,take head
that you are on the right track  in gettin new paint.Number 2. Have the
person who does the body work also do the paint.The body man can say the
final product looks bad because of the paint work.The paint man can say
the final product looks bad because the body work is poor.If the final
product looks bad when the paint and body work are done by the same
person,you should have read tip 3 before committing. Number 3. Take a
sharp pencil with you to the body shop when you go for the estimate."Tour"
the body with the owner of the body shop and circle EACH asnd EVERY ding
dent and ripple that you expect to be repaired. Come to an agreement on
these,then ask for the estimate on this work that you have outlined.No
suprises! If your vanagon islike most,your pencil will be dull when you
are finished.Just no other way to communicate with the artists at the body
shop.Number 4. remove all windows yourself.I had channel rust through in 3
windows that looked good with the windows still installed.Number 5. Expect
to spend anadditional 5 or 6 hundred when you finally get the van home
from the paint shop.Somehow that old gingerbread just wont measure up to
all the new paint (hello Bus Depot),(hello go westy,yes,the check is in
the mail).Never fear,even your wife will understand this point.Number 6.My
local Maaco had a sign that was promanatly displayed that said "we do
production work and defects will show"Good luck ,Roger Sisler