thoughts on repainting?

[kismetcapitan]

I love my car, I do. But I can't shake this nagging feeling that I'd love it more if it were ebony pearl. Also, my car does have extensive stone chipping all over the front bumper. Things like that usually do not bother me (I'm far more concerned about the engine), but I want my car to....just appear a lot more aggressive. Avus Silver is as stealth as it gets -

- I didn't mention it directly, but I was about to get my car vinyl wrapped in matte black. It worked out extremely well on my Skyline, but I did see pictures of an RS6 that had it done in England, and it's not as striking. Upside is that it preserves the car's original finish. Downside is cost - it's cheaper to repaint.

- so if I went and got the best repaint done, would I be committing a sacrilege on a rare car? I'm an avid guitarist for example, and like my cars, I tend to modify them (electronically and with upgraded hardware)...except for one, which is 1 of 2 made. Originality matters a great deal in the guitar world, and people have told me flat out not to change so much as a screw, that I'm the caretaker of an instrument that will outlive me.

Anyways, I do relish the idea of a beautifully deep black pearl effect paint job, with my car tastefully lowered on 19" wheels, offset just enough so that rolling the arches would be required but no more than that, and some black optics work, except of course the iconic aluminum mirrors and the badging.

[twinsteve]

Please don't switch colors (just get the bumper re-sprayed) and please PLEASE don't do a matte wrap....

[speedtrapped]

I for one think if you want to paint it, its a personal choice..do it. Its not like your going to paint it a non audi color. I love my ebony pearl.

[DHall1]

If you paint it, do it right. It will be a major pain to take the doors, hood, trunk off and remove all the seals to paint the jambs properly.

Not worth it in my mind.

You are better off selling the car and buying a black one if thats what you want.

Back in the day....I almost bought a black RS6. It was immaculate without even a chip. The problem was the silver interior. I could not get over the silver interior. If it were black/black....it would be sitting out in my garage right now.

[skribe]

I wouldn't try a full color change. To do that correctly means pulling your engine, spending a $hit ton of money that would be better spent elsewhere. If you really want ebony, sell it and buy an ebony car.

I didn't originally want an avus car either, but to me it accentuates the curves of the car better than ebony, and over time I've grown to love it. Maybe do a more aggressive wheel first and see what you think then. To me there's something cool about a badass car in a less expected color like avus.

Having said that, I personally have nothing against a really well-done wrap. I saw a 911 GT3 with a flat pearl white wrap recently and it looked amazing. I've never seen a widebody C5 A6 in a matte color, but personally I think it would look very cool.

It's all subjective, do what makes you happy. I wouldn't, but hell it's your car.

[Jimmy]

How about painting just the front clip? (Hood/ bumper/ fenders) Does your whole car need a re-spray?

Dr. Colorchips? I can't comment on their touch-up kit though...the idea sounds like a good option if pulled off correctly. Wrap? you can still see the chips under the wrap....seen it done on an old S4, looks fine 10 ft away but up close the chips are still there.

Yeah, I agree...don't change the color....a proper paint color change can be close to 10 grand done right (if cost matters to you)

[SteveKen]

If my car was 100% finished, I'd offer to trade you.

You'd have to manually shift your gears instead.

Seriously, once I get the current ABS and ECU issues resolved, I will not hesitate to sell or trade it.

I'm assuming that your RS6 is in Nashville and not Korea??

[Elevens]

Wait a minute, you just got the car and now you want to Paint it? You must be kidding, Right? My narrow Body A6 2.7T was Black. Beautiful color. However Black would hide the Sexy lines and Bulging Fenders of the RS6, and as a matter of fact a Black RS6 didn't look to much different from my Narrow body A6. I got the darkest Factory color (Daytona Grey) which maintains the Visible Sexiness and yet still contrasts with the Black Grills and any other Black Trim you may have. Once again this is just my opinion. And every one see's things differently.

[vitalian]

I will echo what others have said -- by the time you spend the $$ to do a paint job correctly, you might as well sell your car and buy a black one. I wouldn't paint it if I were you, but it's not my car.

I agree with Skribe -- try getting some really badass wheels and tires first.

[DHall1]

Yes to the badass wheels and tires.

But the car needs to be lowered if you plan to run 275/30/19s or the wheel gaps look all wrong.

[ben916]

Your desire to look more aggressive is one thing (along with the DRC and the Transmission) that some are unable to get over about the RS6 and eventually sell.

Surprisingly, after a Donovan's dinner last week, a matte black Merc was next to me and the wife said "that flat black color on that car is cool, I really like it".
I wasn't here nor there, but if it was a wrap, it might work.

This isn't a flashy car by any means, but then again, it might be where I live. One ex-owner once said to me "It is everything of nothing" - which I tend to not agree with on many levels.
He was also irritated that when it was valeted, it wouldn't get parked in front as it wasn't recognized enough for what it is - a $90k super sedan.
Besides, you have one of those flashy rides already.

If people know the car, they will come look at it, ask you about it, drool over it and ask for a ride.
It is the pure subtly/sleeper of the RS6 that makes it what it is... I don't think repainting it will change it.

Like some have stated above:
Rims - 19"s, maybe 20"?
Exhaust - milltek seems to be in hot water recently
Tune - roll dice and take your best shot!
Checkshop carbon spoiler :)

[kismetcapitan]

yep, I'm in Nashville. Wish I had my Skyline here; that would take some of the urge to make the RS6 more aggressive out, since you can't get more aggressive than a tuned Skyline. Well, a straight-piped Lamborghini would outdo it :P

The car's at the dealer right now getting the first round of work done - I generally avoid dealers due to them being, well, dealers. But I have a number of little things like light bulbs and the front door switch and I don't have the time right now to search for and order the parts, then install them.

20" rims are too big IMHO, but I am looking for the right set of 19". Just hard to find the right offset; I want to avoid using spacers because good ones are heavy.

I'm going to toss the main cats next week if I have time. There are a few good custom exhaust shops in Nashville.

Everyone definitely has their own tastes - ebony pearl, or daytona grey, matched up with the white interior w/carbon fiber, is my ideal.

SteveKen, after going through so much work to swap to a manual, why would you want to give that up?? If you are serious, I'm willing to talk...

[4everRS]

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab210/crocodile64/howaboutno.jpg

I agree with Dave and others. Sell yours and buy a black one.

[SteveKen]

SteveKen, after going through so much work to swap to a manual, why would you want to give that up?? If you are serious, I'm willing to talk...

It's a project that is near completion and I want to move on to another one. I'll PM you when I have the end game 100% figured out. . . unless you don't like the traction control and ABS.

[RSSIK]

Sell it and buy another or try and do the wheels first and see if thatll do it for you. If not done right car will look like it was respayed because of damage.

[JSRS6]

If I were to guess based on his skyline, I'd say he would rather do without them. I usually turn my ESP off when I get in mine.

[1 bad 03 rs6]

I usually turn my ESP off when I get in mine.

I love my Avus Silver. Black is beautiful and painful to keep clean, polished, etc.

I turn off ESP everytime, and manually shift in tiptronic mode as well. I never leave it in D or S. Gas milage shows it too. :)

[SteveKen]

If I were to guess based on his skyline, I'd say he would rather do without them. I usually turn my ESP off when I get in mine.

I'm guessing that ABS is a must have, though?

I thought I wouldn't notice not having it, but it is noticeable.

[Elevens]

Kissme, is this aggressive enough?.........................


http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz237/vintron/P1010449A.jpg

[skribe]

Yes, once again elevens you win the bad-ass award.

[RSSIK]

^^^ Yes he does!! ^^^

[kismetcapitan]

traction control and ABS are essential...

[covertw12]

Wheels will really help.......

11762

[skribe]

And the cupra lip and stance like on erich's car ^^

I did the cupra lip this summer and as minor as it seems it does wonders for the look of the front end.

[kismetcapitan]

Kissme, is this aggressive enough?.........................


http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz237/vintron/P1010449A.jpg

again, dammit, I want your car!! (or essentially use yours as a template for mine) :P

I think Daytona Grey wins as the most aggressive sporty color. It does bring out the arches better than the black.

[Benman]

PLEASE don't do a matte wrap....

A wrap is better two ways:

WAY cheaper.
WAY easier to "change your mind" once you are bored. ;)

[Benman]

Downside is cost - it's cheaper to repaint.

Heck no it ain't! I can get you some numbers. But a high end lifetime guaranty paint job with a color change will cost you north of $10K. I've never seen a wrap even come close to touching that price. :cheers:

[skribe]

^^ agree nothing wrong at all with wrap... I might matte wrap my car next spring if it is no longer my daily at that point.
Kismet, I think you need to be our guinea pig and wrap your car :)

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af132/lagoroberts1/flat_black_003.jpg

If you think this looks bad, I just disagree.

[Elevens]

It looks like an Unfinished Paint job to me......................

[vitalian]

I dunno...I think the matte black wrap looks pretty badass, personally.

[Sgrgerman]

I say you only live once, here is a little preview of a complete respray we are doing on my car right now. Paint color Mexico/Riveria Blue. Experimenting on painting interior pieces to match exterior. All outside mouldings, trim, roof, and 19x9.5 wheels painted satin black. Always been a fan of this color on Porsche so I am taking the plunge.

[twinsteve]

I dunno...I think the matte black wrap looks pretty badass, personally.

I retract my earlier statement....I agree...it looks very cool

[kismetcapitan]

the thing about matte black is that it often accentuates lines and curves that don't normally come out:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/tobereeno/IMG_1181.jpg

I got a quote of $2800 to do the wrap. I'm mulling it over; it seems a little high for a wrap, I could get it painted for less. But to get it painted at the same quality of the current paint will cost a lot more. I do want to be sure it has maximum impact though if I'm going to spend that kind of money on what amounts to a sheet of vinyl sticker. (cost is in the labor - these jobs are tedious and time-consuming to get perfect)

Another upside of wrapping - it doubles as a protective film. It's basically like a 3M transparent bra, except matte black. And all over the car.

[skribe]

I say you only live once, here is a little preview of a complete respray we are doing on my car right now. Paint color Mexico/Riveria Blue. Experimenting on painting interior pieces to match exterior. All outside mouldings, trim, roof, and 19x9.5 wheels painted satin black. Always been a fan of this color on Porsche so I am taking the plunge.

Ok this is definitely scaring me.

[ntrcptr]

hhmmm.....try ...fuschia...british racing green, desert storm cami....heck! if your gonna do it, go way different:cheers: ---do somethin' not yet done. i support creativity:applause::thumb::pop:

[Benman]

hhmmm.....try ...fuschia...british racing green, desert storm cami....heck! if your gonna do it, go way different:cheers: ---do somethin' not yet done. i support creativity:applause::thumb::pop:
If it is a WRAP, then I'd say be very creative. For paint, use caution: IT'S PERMANENT! Colors that look great on two door sports cars do NOT always translate well onto 4 door sedans. Again, with a wrap, if you get bored or just plain don't like how it comes out, you can TAKE IT OFF! With paint, you're done. You've already added too many "mils" to the paint by adding additional paint on top of the factory, for a further repaint, now you have even more mils (paint thickness) and now increase the chance of multiple colors showing through when the inevitable chips occur if you have to respray yet again.

I'm all for painting (after all, it's what we do for a living), but with "out there" colors, I'd highly recommend a wrap. PLUS like was already previously mentioned, you get a BUILT IN clear bra so it PROTECTS the original factory paint. Painting RUINS it. :cheers:

[Spidercat]

So, still mulling it over?
BTW, I'd def agree w/Ben- wrap all the way if at all unsure for every reason given above. If you like it, then you can always paint it and make it permanent in a few years.

FWIW, I was >< this close to doing a satin black wrap last year, but was advised against it since (supposedly) they don't last very long out here in HI due to the constant uv exposure, even if garaged (according to some that had it done). I had seen that same RS4 that skribe posted and it really got me going. I liked the thought of a non-permanent solution. Anyway, I'd ask the body shop for references from people that they've done a few years ago to see how it's holding up now. You don't want to be driving around in Mr. McPeely RS6 next year.

Also, check with the pros (Ben), but I was also told by a reputable paint guy that with a satin/semi-gloss or matte/flat finish, you only get one shot to do it right on the whole car. Apparently, runs, etc. can't be just buffed out since this affects the overall reflectivity, etc. Maybe he was blowing smoke, though. Seems like you are already quite familiar with satin black paint judging from your Skyline!

As usual, Elevens, the wheel color and the stance of your car are spot-on!

[kismetcapitan]

I do have experience with wrapping - my Skyline indeed has one. There are downsides - if you nick it, it's not easy to patch....but then, another way to see it is that the wrap "took one" for the actual finish underneath.

Had I been quoted a sub-$2000 price, I'd have my car scheduled in. But no one around here with experience will do it for less than $2800. So in the meantime, I'm just trying to get more Avus Silver love going...and see what lowering and spacing out the wheels 10mm does to the overall appearance. As many have said, the stance of the car may matter a whole lot more than the color.

Actually painting a matte finish...a nightmare.

[Benman]

Also, check with the pros (Ben), but I was also told by a reputable paint guy that with a satin/semi-gloss or matte/flat finish, you only get one shot to do it right on the whole car. Apparently, runs, etc. can't be just buffed out since this affects the overall reflectivity, etc. Maybe he was blowing smoke, though. Seems like you are already quite familiar with satin black paint judging from your Skyline!

You are correct when you say matte black is not easy to "touch up". Buffing ruins it since it dose give it a "shine". Not good. Painting it matte also is a challenge as, again, you can't just "buff out" imperfections.

Hmm... $2800 is a little pricey, we have plenty of folks here in So Cal that will do a great job for @ $2300-$2500. Sorry they are not closer to you. As for sub $2K, yep, you can get those deals too... but I've seen the product. Not impressed.

[Amar]

Sprint blue ftw.