Spoiler repaint options: DIY vs professional

Finish on the spoiler of our 2004 HB was trashed due to sun exposure; clear coat was gone and the base was starting to give way to the primer or substrate. It was bad enough to be the first thing that caught your eye when looking at the car.

A discount body shop we've used with good results for bumper covers and other touch up paint work gave an unnegotiated price of $125 USD to repaint it, so imagine it could be done professionally for $100 to $130 in most places. However, I decided to go with a DIY bundle from Automotivetouchup.com. Their prep solvent, sandable primer, Aveo color base, gloss clear coat with sandpaper and spray handle ran about $58 delivered. The spray handle did not add much for this type of job, so would save the ~$4 if doing it again. They have a decent video tutorial on spoiler touch-up.

The results were actually pretty nice. Slightly darker than the original, but not really noticeable unless looking for it. The main question is how well their clear coat will hold up. I laid down 3 to 6 coats at each level, so there's a lot of material to burn through. Apologies for the poor quality on the before and after shots - "after" is the second one if there is any question:
http://www.aveoforum.com/forum/attac...ler_before-jpghttp://www.aveoforum.com/forum/attac...iler_after-jpg

what kind of clear is it? what kind of base/coat? since it is a non catalyst clear it will not last as long as a "pro" job with a catalyst clear. But depending on the type of paint it is the length of time it lasts will be different.

the original paint on the spoiler looks like it was lacquer which mean it would probably have buffed back to an acceptable appearance, and then be waxed..

the darkness of the color could be the number of coats of clear applied, the thickness of the clear adds depth to the paint. But color match is never 100% only blend-able is what is guaranteed.

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Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

what kind of clear is it? what kind of base/coat? since it is a non catalyst clear it will not last as long as a "pro" job with a catalyst clear. But depending on the type of paint it is the length of time it lasts will be different.

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The new clearcoat was acrylic lacquer and the base acrylic urethane. Knew it would be less robust than the catalyst finish the shop could have provided, but figured it should be good for another 4 to 6 years as the car is going into covered parking in a cooler climate.

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Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

the original paint on the spoiler looks like it was lacquer which mean it would probably have buffed back to an acceptable appearance, and then be waxed.

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You may be right about the original being lacquer as the spoiler finish fared much worse than the rest of the bodywork, so certainly something different about the paint. The photo doesn't reveal how badly it had pinholed down to primer or substrate; it was beyond buffing as too much paint was missing. The spoiler is original to the car, so don't understand why Chevy would have used a different paint system unless it was put on as a dealer added option. Any ideas on this?

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Originally Posted by rodo

The spoiler is original to the car, so don't understand why Chevy would have used a different paint system unless it was put on as a dealer added option. Any ideas on this?

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It sounds like that would be the most likely possibility.

well even the factory doesnt paint the plastics with the car, but it should still have been oem quality.

It could have been added, touched up or anything at some point.

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Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

well even the factory doesnt paint the plastics with the car, but it should still have been oem quality.

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My expectation, exactly, so am almost certain it was a dealer addition. I've dealt with the dealer group that originally sold the Aveo and know that maximizing dealer adds and going cheap on the paint would be right in line with their business practices.