Irish Mini Owners Club

please discuss, the 2000 mini mayfair I'm helping my father "pimp" could do with some sprucing up its tahiti blue i think but bit bland and dull. fancied getting a few bits and pieces of rust seen to (there isn't much and not significant) getting it resprayed in a pearl finished tahiti blue to give it some life and standout finish. only prob is he just got the quote and it came in at €3500! this is a crazy price and no way will the car be resprayed at that cost its not worth doing. if it had been a grand or 1500 then fine but not worth spending that kind of money on it, the car isn't even worth that!

so anyone have any idea of reasonale costs and possible people to do it in Cork?

alternatively he could get a vinyl wrap done, pretty cheap to do and lots of choice colour wise etc. I'm sure there are downsides to wrapping too like it not lasting, potemtial rusting underneath etc.

any advice appreciated

thanks

A few bits of rust on a 2000 mini often means replacing panels ( wings and scuttle) , what exactly is your quote for? If it includes panels are they heritage or cheeper panels? Will the car be striped down or just masked up? How good is your sprayer, any resprayed car will look better than it did but the question is how will it look in 2 years, will the rust be back?
If you trust the sprayer you get what you pay for, you can get it done right or you can get it done cheep or somewhere in the middle. If its done right the car will be worth a lot more than €3,500.

i got front, wings, doors, scuttle and 3/4 panels done, with a little rust chasing done for €500 - wasn't the best ever paint job, (missed the rusty bit on the 3/4 window, a bit of lacquer run on the scuttle) but the car looks pretty good now - the paint match with the bonnet & rear panels is excellent. (BRG) t-cut the roof and wax and it fairly sparkles.

i prepped the car by pulling out all the seats & carpets, wood-trims and cards, handles & winders, headlights & spots, bumpers & grille off, , indicators & repeaters off, removed the opening 3/4 windows, front licence plate - then drove it down to the paint-shop.

i should have removed the windscreen and replaced the rubber for the narrow-lip type but i missed that.

personally i wouldn't wrap a classic car - think it looks fine on modern ones, like this E46 M3

Vinyl wrap isn't that cheap to be honest.
its a messy job with all the lips and bumps on a mini.
Unless your quite competent and able to remove the mouldings over the seems its tricky.
ask around for quotes but your potentially looking at about 750-1000 before body work is touched.

thanks for the feedback guys appreciate the info. i bought this car for my dad who's 75 as a minor hobby project not really something he or I want to pump major money into just tidy it up a bit enjoy it for a little while and thats it. as it stands its not really in need of much/any work depending on how fussy you are so we'll see how it goes. prices on a wrap have been anywhere from 1100 to 2500! he's thinking coloured wrap btw not matte black which is the most common wrap and I agree that only looks good on modern sports cars. i've seen things as silly as Rav4s done and just don't see the point. cheers

if you are going ahead with it, maybe a funky hippie theme?

Another alternative is Plasti-Dip.
Worth a look and again don't quote me on this but I vaguely remember getting quoted at about 500/600 quid.
The lads on Car Wrap Direct Ireland were more then happy to have a chat over Facebook and were really helpful. The fact they provide the product had nothing to do with it I'm sure hahaha.
You may have to get the original paint sanded and cleaned yourself before it to save on cost but a orbital sander or light wire wheel and a bit of patience will get it done at minimal cost. Or paint stripper.
I seem to recall getting a quote of 450 from a gent in Dolphins barn for a full respray and removing a few very minor dents.
Hope im aloud post info on this site if not my apologies in advance.
Harry O'Neill crash repairs
Keeper Road, Drimnagh
086 366 9557 (may have a new no.)
His name kept popping up when I was looking for work done and ended up getting a front dent removed and wing resprayed. He did it once and there was a slight colour difference when I went to pick it up he pointed it out before I even noticed and said as long as it suited me he was happy to respray it to a higher standard. He did it all for 80 quid and mentioned a few other parts he would touch up if I was interested and honestly I dont know how his prices even covered his own costs.
Lovely fella would recommend highly if your looking for a relatively cheap but more then competent repair guy.

If your looking for vinyl wrap in Cork Tony in API Tint and graphics is your man. He does an excellent job at reasonable rates.