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I finally saw what 10 years of sun does to a paint job
I took in a 2012 silver Toyota Camry last week that looked totally normal from 10 feet away. But once I started sanding down the hood and roof, the clear coat was basically dust. The owner said he never parked in a garage and barely waxed it. Had to strip it down to bare metal on those panels to get a smooth base for the new paint. Now I'm wondering how much time I should be quoting for UV damage that isn't visible yet. Anyone factor that into their estimates or just deal with it when it shows up?
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wadeowens22d ago
Beth has a point but she's not thinking about how this eats into your profit margin when you have to spend an extra half day stripping paint you weren't expecting to touch. I always add a buffer of two to three hours on any car older than eight years unless I can see the paint is clearly mint. The silver cars are the sneakiest ones because the clear coat can be completely cooked and you won't notice until you start sanding. Better to overestimate a little and come in under budget than to eat the labor when the clear coat just turns to powder.
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