2000 Echo paint

Charles of Kankakee

Could be because of humidity it won't dry correctly. And it will look like crap when they are done in any case because the color won't match.

I wouldn't know...

If the body shop is any good, they will have a scanner to scan the existing paint.

If they do not have a scanner, then they (should ) do test shots, adjusting the tint until it matches.

The facility would basically have to be air-conditioned or at least de-humidified in order to do a proper paint job in high humidity conditions. Otherwise, there is the possibility of (a) trapping moisture under the paint which could cause rust or keep the paint from adhering properly and (b) the paint not drying properly, causing a poor finish.

So it's not common that they have a low-moisture facility, considering the fact that Florida is the most humid, sticky state in the US? That seems asinine to me, but the other guy's insurance agent says they've been getting lots of complaints about rain delays. *sigh* I just have a feeling we'll have to leave the Echo here and go to North Carolina, then come back for the damned thing.

Natalie

Uh-huh

But that's my point. I can understand not painting it outside, but shouldn't they have such a bay for this purpose? Seems to be more cost-effective to avoid pissing off your customers, but perhaps there's no safe way to do that.

Natalie

Seven days won't help us -that car has been there since June 10, so if they had that capability, I'd think it would be done by now.

(BTW, can we sell the Hollywood

I'm totally amazed at how quickly you guys (Including my friends here) turn an on-topic post into a political flame thread. I'm only interested in my car's condition!

:-)

Natalie

With a proper spray booth in a climate controlled shop, they should be able to spray year round. They may have to wait for a day with good humidity levels, but there are also reducers and hardeners to compensate for atmospheric conditions.

Either they don't know what they're doing, or, better yet, they DO and want to make sure the finish is as good as factory...or better!

Why does everyone think I'm such a degenerate?

Ideally, a body shop would be 100% air-conditioned but that adds a big chunk to capital and operating costs. I would imagine that it would be worth it in terms of employee productivity and shop productivity but a lot of small business owners don't think things through all the way.

More often, a body shop will have a paint booth with a filtered air system to keep dust off the car. The filters do not remove humidity so if the shop or booth is not air-conditioned, then the problems with humid air still exist. Some fancier booths also have lights to bake paint.

The weird thing is, if they are a paint shop, and they can't paint when it is humid in Florida, how do they make any money??????

Seems like they should have de-humidified room for the spraying, and heat lamp room for the drying.

Merritt

THANK YOU! That's my thought exactly!

Natalie

Geeze, you'd think the fact that their shop is in humid Florida would be enough to invest in proper equipment!

Gee thanks for the optimism there

Natalie

Shot in the dark here, but probably because they've read your posts?

Natalie

You'd think, since they make their living doing work like this in an area kind of known for the humidity...

Well, there are a lot of good painters out there, and then there are exceptions, both ways! Perhaps you got one of the real good ones! Let us know!

Where I was before, the boss hired a kid almost right out of trade school/ Whereas before I could tell where the paint work had been done by how POOR it was, I either COULDN'T tell with this kid, or I could tell because it was BETTER than factory!

And, he's painting in an old garage, no spray booth, and minumum dust removal and a small wall fan to control overspray. The kid is a whiz!

Yup

Oh, you know I will!

And doomed to die a painful death later in life. He needs better safety measures; the cumulative effects of chemical poisoning are devastating.

The real irony in my case is that I was planning to get the Echo painted in North Carolina anyway, so it'll be back to primer soon.

:-P

Natalie

Oh, now, he has the respirators and protective clothing. Kid does really ace work!

I still worry about him

Natalie, in maternal mode

To install proper air conditioning for a paint spray booth is a very expensive proposition, especially considering that they have to run a certain amount of fresh air per minute through the booth to get rid of the paint overspray and solvent fumes - so they cool or heat the air going into the booth just to dump it overboard through the paint filters and up the stack in 2 minutes.

Probably take at least a 5-ton AC and/or a 200KBTU furnace section running flat out, depending on the weather. And if the AC doesn't have a second set of condenser coils in the airflow so it can run as a huge dehumidifier, they have to run BOTH AC and Heat at the same time.

I'm guessing it would run $10K to $20K to install, and $10 to $30 an hour for the energy to run, not including periodic maintenance. And if you aren't getting paid any extra for it on most everyday insurance work, why do it? Let them wait till the weather is right. For everyday fender resprays, they have to weigh the expense of installing and running the system (that they can't recoup) versus the added throughput of putting more work through the booth every day that they'll get paid the regular going rates for. Tough call.

Now for people paying for a custom job for a hot rod or chopper, they'll pay a bit more to get a perfect finish anytime. Or if the owner of the shop is also the main paint shooter and s/he wants it a bit more comfortable in there, and is willing to forego a bit of profit to get it more to their liking.

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(Insert Rimshot Here: ;-)

And that's the truththththth...

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Gee thanks - now I feel old for knowing who Edith Ann is...

BTW, "Edith" has a lover named Jane, and they produce plays

Natalie