r/AutoPaint • u/Ok-Natural-312 • 3d ago
Buying OEM paint online vs retail?
My son is wanting to paint our 04 Honda Accord and I just priced out a complete kit (primer, base, clear) at Sherwin Williams to be close to $2,000! I wasn't planning on spending that much for a DIY job.
There are cheaper options online for 1 gallon of B96P but it has me questioning what's the best way to go with this. A local. Body shop quoted me close to $5000 to do it.
Where do you guys get your OEM color paint for DIY jobs? Thanks!
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u/ReelyHooked 3d ago
If your gonna do the prep work you might as well do the spraying. That’s the fun part
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u/Ok-Natural-312 3d ago
I just don't want to mess it up. Plus my garage probably isn't the most ideal spot for it. It should be big enough but I don't have a dehumidifier and dust filter. I might even need a heater since the weather is getting colder.
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u/Old_Lengthiness3898 2d ago
This biggest problem with a garage is the fumes and your water heater igniting them. To mitigate dust you just need to put up plastic sheeting.
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u/Ok-Natural-312 2d ago
Thank you for that. I was planning on sheeting off a huge section and then setting up some fans to blow it out the bottom of my cracked garage door. Would that be sufficient? Obviously masked and suited as well.
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u/tony475130 3d ago
Came to this dilemma trying to price out the paint for my 02’ f-150. Never painted an entire car before (just spot repairs), and tried to get the oem paint but I ended up going down a rabbit hole of auto painting and found out how I can make my own colors using base coat binder. I was already going to repaint the entire car anyways so I had some fun with it and gave it a real nice candy blue metallic finish. I even painted it outside my driveway, just waited for the right climate to do so. Total for me was a bit under $1k in materials using speedkote brand primers and basecoat binder while using limeline for their candy concentrates and eye candy pigments for the metallic flake. Finished it off with finish1 2k clear.
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u/turbospinDSL 2d ago
I did the exact same with my Corvette. Black sealer, basecoat binder with pearl powder, then FC720 clear.
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u/Agreeable_Cover5726 3d ago
Professional shops use local paint jobbers to get their paint and supplies. Google your and pay them a visit. Most paint lines have "value" lines. Plus you'll get quality advice that you won't get online, nevermind the questionable paint that no one has heard of.
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u/Ok-Natural-312 3d ago
Thank you. I'm wondering if we can do the prep work and have them paint it for us to save some money. Maybe a smaller shop would do that. We don't need a showroom finish.
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u/Remote_Gazelle8211 3d ago
NAPA has a full line of automotive paint and supplies under their own label. You just have to find a location that actually carries it. Prices are very reasonable and decent quality. Very similar quality to Finish 1 products. Try looking up NAPA auto paint store near you. I’ve used their products on and off for the past 15 years.
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u/Grouchy_Technician39 2d ago
I am on my 2nd DIY paint job. For the first, the paint was from TCPglobal.com. It was supposed to be color-matched to the original OEM paint but it was much darker than expected and didn't match at all.
For the second job, I went to a local automotive paint supplier and had them custom-match the paint. The match was perfect and the cost similar with the online supplier.
I highly recommend going to a local paint supplier so you can ensure the color matches what you want.
For primer, clear coat, and related materials, you can order those from the cheapest supplier (typically online) since color matching isn't critical.
My paint setup is the following:
- Harbor Freight portable garage (about $200)
- Paint gun, air compressor, industrial shop fan, DA sander, and related equipment bought used on FB MarketPlace
- Shop supplies: sanding discs, tack rags, 3M full face mask with organic vapor filters, etc. bought on Amazon.
Once you make the initial investment, you start looking for other projects!
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u/Ok-Natural-312 1d ago
Wow, thank you for this info! The weather is starting to turn on us so we're going to have to push this project until next year, otherwise I might have a heart attack. That'll give us time to acquire some of these other pieces.
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u/Proper_Goose3473 2d ago
Just like buying anything else, you have to price shop. Some suppliers have insane markups. SW is one that I see crazy prices posted on here all the time. Their flagship clear often gets mentioned at double for a kit compared to what I pay from my supplier. There are also direct routes that can save you a lot of money. As many people are mentioning, pay attention to what paint line you are trying to use, every manufacturer has high and low end products and the price differences are staggering.
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u/Ok-Natural-312 1d ago
Thank you.
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u/Proper_Goose3473 1d ago
Don’t mention it. If there is a particular product or line that you are trying to get and want to know if it’s a good price, or want product recommendations for a specific budget, just ask. One of the things I don’t like about these subs is how expensive everyone makes out the materials to paint a car. It can definitely be done on the cheap using reputable products. I assure you there are a ton of options in between Rustoleum or Duplicolor and $2k Sherwin-Williams. Depending on how extensive the paint job is, you can conceivably get material costs down to $100-500 without much effort. Prices are going up like crazy, but for $2k, I could paint a commercial truck with some high end show car quality materials. Purchasing unknown products from internet retailers can come with its own risks as well. I would recommend walking into a paint/ body supply shop and pricing their house line. They usually just private label the economy/ entry line of a major manufacturer, so you typically get a decent product for less than buying it by its actual brand name.
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u/Ok-Natural-312 1d ago
$2k almost makes it a deal breaker. It's an 04nhonda accord with 193k mile son it. I've put the last 150k miles on and have kept up with maintenance and some repairs. It's a reliable car and worth keeping. I do want to keep it it's original color, which is B96P. I'm guessing I could find an alternative regular color for much cheaper, even from Sherwin Williams. The weather is turning on us so it looks like I'm going to be spared this torturous process for another 6 months until it warms up.
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u/Whateverusaymanup 2d ago
I sell auto paint and priced it out our price would be a fraction. Gallon of paint & reducer with
2K primer gallon kit and Euro clear Kit came in at $850 before tax. SW charging you walk in price they usually have 3-4 pricing tiers. Walk-in, body shop and fleet pricing. The mark up is crazy ridiculous.
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u/Ok-Natural-312 1d ago
Thank you for this. I was honestly blown away when he said $2k. And this is for their economy price line.
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u/OutinDaBarn 3d ago
If you have a small body shop around go talk to the owner with a dozen donuts in your hand. He will likely help you get a good paint at close to his cost. About every time you visit, remember those guys live on shitty food. lol
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u/Greedy_Lobster 2d ago
this sounds like a fantasy . just like a mechanic will work all day on your car for a case of beer!
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u/Jeezus89 3d ago
Which Sherwin line did you get priced on ?
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u/Ok-Natural-312 3d ago
I'm not sure what you mean by that. It was Sherwin automotive, B96P. 1 gallon base, clear and primer. With tax was about $2k.
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u/Jeezus89 3d ago
They have ultra 9k which is water. Bc8 solvent based, and a low tier dimension line which is solvent. I’ve sprayed all of them and if you’re truly looking for a DIY. Dimensions is the way to go. 2k is pretty cheap. I paid 1700 a few years ago on a complete re spray on my dad’s mustang. Dimension series Gallon of base un reduced and a clear kit cc200. All Sherwin products.
Depending on where you are located you should look for a local jobber. They will work with you most of the time.
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u/Ok-Natural-312 3d ago
OK thank you. By local jobber, do you mean an auto body shop? A Facebook marketplace painter? Something else?
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u/Jeezus89 3d ago
Type into any search engine “automotive paint supply near me” look for any that use or promote PPG, RM, Glasurit, Sherwin, Axalta. All those paint lines have lower priced lines. Nothing wrong with them at all. They come in handy for diy or you’re in the car flipping game.
As long as you follow the technical data sheets you’ll be fine 👍.
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u/PlatypusSpecialist79 3d ago
What lines at sherwin did you get pricing for? Fastline clear and primer are dirt cheap and decent, sunfire pro base is pretty reasonably priced.
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u/ricktara 3d ago
I am a diy guy. I bought paint from the spraysource and it worked out perfectly for me. Also note that they have an ai chat that I asked many questions to and got very detailed instructions from
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u/paintchipz1 3d ago
$5k?!! I start at $15.but mind you it show work..most of our Harley jobs are $10k-ish..hence I do far more bikes these days
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u/sixtninecoug 3d ago
Look up Axaltas “value” lines.
Challenger, Duxone, and Metalux are all the same product. Solvent based product, relatively cheap, and they spray well.