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The guys at Sheib and One Day told me that for the $200 paint that they don't even wash the car. They just tack it down and shoot it. Typical lifespan of that job is months to a year. He said the people who get that job are the guys selling used cars.

...I got NO discounts for me doing the prep work and a lot of masking either... The old tale of do your own prep and get a cheaper job is a myth from my experience.
-Nathan
Albuquerque New Mexico



Thanks for the feedback Nathan! Brrrrr. That's a horror story if I ever heard one!

Hey dudes, I went down to the local 7-11 and picked up the July copy of Hot Rod Magazine. It's a great article! It starts out just the way I thought it would. "The $98 Paint Job. When (the author) pitched a story on painting his Falcon with a roller, we about fired him on the spot. But d*mn, it turned out good." Also, "For the past couple of years a rumor has been circulating around the Internet that there is a way to paint your car using common enamel paint and- get this- a roller...After a good full-body cringe, our curiosity took over and we began ...to find out more about the 'legend of the roller paint job.'"
(DUDES! We're freakin' Urban Legends!) The author illustrates the method pretty much outlined by Exit in his excellent web site. There were a few interesting points and variations. Although they use 100% mineral spirits, they also found no difference in using the odorless kind. They used an air gun to blow out the bubbles. For polish they used a $25 bottle of Norton's Liquid Ice- a polish for synthetic enamel. I liked how they prepped a first timer on what to expect. "That first roll is by far the worst part, and the finish that greets you immediately afterward will likely make you want to reconsider the whole affair, but keep the faith!" The author's final assessment was also realistic. "The finished car has plenty of flaws compared to a well-sprayed job...We'd rank (it) several notches above the typical quickie one-day budget deals. Honestly, for less than $25 in paint it's hard to fault it too much." The author finally tells us not to go overboard in our expectations. "If you're a real perfectionist, trying to get it flawless will drive you crazy."

Wow! This article brought to mind two words. The first is VALIDATION. To have a prestigious magazine like HRM put out an article like this is like flipping off all the "professionals" who have thumb their noses at this technique. I especially remember the moderator snobs on Samba.com (a VW version of Moparts.com) who thought Charger's roller idea was so vulgar, they SHUT DOWN their roller thread. I was so disgusted that I defected to this site.

The second word that comes to mind is GRATITUDE. I can't stop thanking the moderators and the other members of this board for being so open minded and welcoming to this fantastic technique. Hey, you guys thought you generated worldwide traffic to Moparts.com before, wait 'till the HRM article REALLY catches fire! Get those ads ready! You're marketing department might as well make use of this opportunity! Cheers!