Newbie NW Indiana and repainting question

[hairymonk]

Just bought a 1990 B190. I am a semi-retired professor and filmaker. I am currently using the B190 as a "production van" for making documentary films.

The B190 is in pretty good shape, but has been stored outside and the paint is faded. I got a quote from a local RV dealer of $12,000 to repaint. This quote was to restore the exterior to the original configuration. Any suggestions for repainting options & costs?

[funtwodrv]

$12K is probably what it takes today to paint something this large. However, I would give some thought to having it done by someone like Maaco. If it doesn't need significant body work, companies like this seem to be able to put a decent paint job out for very reasonable costs. And, if you're handy with sanding and prep, you can save even more and end up with a better finish job.
Just my thoughts.
Good Luck,
Gary

[skater]

Maaco and the like may not have a shop large enough (tall enough, really) for the B190. Check that with any shop.

$12K seems rather high. But to sand it all down and re-do all the graphics, I'm not that surprised. It's a lot of labor.

Keep in mind you generally get what you pay for when it comes to paint jobs - those $250 bargain paint jobs Maaco used to advertise are bargains for a reason. It may be fine if you only plan to keep it a couple years, though.

[funtwodrv]

Good point on the overall height. I suspect it may be difficult to find a shop, other than an RV or truck shop, that can accommodate it.
As such, $12k may be the price you have to pay!

Gary

[RCR]

I had a quote recently of around $14k and that was leaving the fiberglass top untouched. It almost sounded like they didn't want to do the job. This place advertised that they did RV's but in reality they probably did just 1 or 2 and now call themselves the experts.

I know that some have taken their rigs near the border to
TX or even Mexico and have been pretty happy with the value they receive. I have no experience with it personally though.

[Planck]

You live near RV manufacturing companies(Elkhart, etc.) Maybe one of them could slip it in their paint booth when they are shooting silver, or whatever color you can live with. As said, if you do the prep work you can save a lot of money.

[RCR]

I just went by a shop in Ventura, CA that was recommended by a few local people....Saticoy Auto Body. The owner is Adolfo. He showed me his booth which is about 15 ft high. He has quite a nice shop.

He said he would do the job for $6500. This includes changing the color from white to silver if I choose (still on the fence on this). Includes the entire rig (top included) and re-striping to match the original. It also includes pulling out a couple of dents and filling a few holes that had existed before I changed out my side mirrors from the huge SS originals. The job will also be using high quality paint and clearcoat.

That is by far the best estimate that I have received and judging by the work that I saw being done it is a quality shop. Of course, the job ain't done yet. I will bring it in May and it will take a couple of weeks. I will report back on the work done.

Just for kicks - after leaving Saticoy, I noticed that A1 Truck Body was right down the corner...this joint I had found online when I was researching "RV paint in ventura, ca" and they came up. They do have a giant shop although I didn't see their booth. But the person that quoted me gave me the same "this is going to be expensive" line. And he said it would be at least $10k and more like $12k. I get the feeling that some people take a look at the rig and think - it's not worth it to fix up an old van like that.....Others, like Saticoy's Get IT.

[RobertL]

Please post pictures of the process for us. I would love to have my top refinished.