To Paint Or Not To Paint- Opinions Please

[bBunny]

I'm down to deciding if it makes sense to take out all the typical road rash chips on the front bumper cover and up the front hood on my 996 MY00 coupe RWD, 6 MT Blk / Blk. Previous owner had been diligent with touch up blobs, but it obviously would be esthetically better to have the front clip redone with the exact water base L741 paint. Rest of the car is perfect. Black is easier to match than light colored cars, so I'm tempted.

OPINIONS PLEASE : The car is original paint. Since values of our 996 ain't going up again for sometime, does a " re- spray " hurt potential future sale:

Thanks all.

[DK570]

It sounds like you want to do the respray, so I'd say go ahead and do it. I wouldn't worry about the value, it will be a very very long time (I would guess 30+ years) before these cars are sought after in all original condition. I did a respray on my front bumper, previous owner did rear bumper, it all looks good.

[creekman]

If you're concerned that a repainted front bumper might hurt your re-sale value, take some pictures for a record. I had a clear bra installed on my car which I thought was better than the re-paint. My front was in pretty good shape so the bra for me made sense. However the clear bra installed was probably more money than the cost of a re-spray of the front bumper.

I think DK has it right, none of us is going to see any appreciation in our cars for a very long time, so do whatever makes sense to you.

Edited January 10, 2014 by creekman

[Uwon]

+1 and enjoy the car.

Cheers,

Johan

[Ronnie38]

This spring I had to make a decision, got my settlement from an accident replace my car Z3M, went to the auction in Kissimmee then Houston wanted to buy one of my old cars, AH3000, XKE, P car 356. Mean while test drove cars here in Houston found out my left hip would not shift correctly with or without pain, so I needed a Auto found a 996 C4 cab pure enjoyment. Do you want a garage queen or drive the hell out of it.

[JasonStern]

If the paint has already been touched up, and done so poorly enough that the touch-ups are evident, then you are much better off short-term getting it resprayed. As DK570 mentioned, if you plan on keeping the car 30+ years, and I will add with the intention of reselling it and not enjoying it, then leave it alone and hope that there are better technologies available to restore older paint jobs.

[kbrandsma]

Bumpers are fairly easy to re-spray or even replace. I added a 911 bumper to my Boxster and repainted both it and my hood about 45K miles ago for about $1,000 (new bumper and paint job). Getting ready to do it again in the spring. This time will definitely add a 3m bra.

Edited January 15, 2014 by kbrandsma

[Targa02]

The hood and front bumper on my 2002 Targa was painted by the previous owner. Perfect color match but surfaces could have been prepped better. Some people wouldn't notice the imperfections but they stick out to me. Definitely won't harm resale value. Because if it's done right they shouldn't be able to tell it was done. If I ever do mine I'll consider trying that new 3M spray on.

[Dish911]

Not sure how bad the chips are but on mine I did a clay bar on the front of mine to remove as much contaminants as I could, touched the chips up with correct spec paint with blobs, used LANGKA Blob Eliminator and Sealer to finish, and then had a full frontal clear bra placed over the front of the car. It did cost a few pennies ($1500) but thats the car protected with a clear vinyl and I also clear coated the headlights, door edges and mirrors.

My buddy did the respray, but got so nervous about spending all that money on new paint he went on to add a clear bra on the front fender and wings and then did a Matt Black vinyl on the hood and roof of his black 996... again not cheap but thats what stopped me respraying as his anxiety got the better of him and he added the clear bra after the fact.... the installer told me that they could have fixed the chips like I did and with the clear bra or vinyl you would hardly notice any pitting or imperfections....my 99 C2 is a daily driver and my concern was more corrosion and not aesthetics, but it turned out great and looks like new....each to their own but if you respray I am sure you will want to clear bra it to protect the paint so maybe take it to a Vinyl Installer and get their feedback....they may be able to save you a few bucks and as its black you could try some color or matt finishes... Just my $0.02

[jaekormtb]

Paint it. If you are planning to sell in the next few years, the value will be higher. If you are trying to keep an all original time capsule, you are probably out of the market. I can guarantee that there are dozens of others doing the same thing with cars that have under 5000 miles and are currently kept in heated storage facilities.