This morning we went to Maaco and scheduled the paint job. The guy wanted to know why I was repainting a car whose current paint was in such good shape. So I explained to him that I was going to decorate it and showed him the carpet sample. He took it pretty well -- he was clearly appalled but not hostile or nasty. He suggested that I should be arrested for defacing such a nice car, but he said it in a nice way!
I have found that "car guys" sometimes get offended, take it personally for some reason, when they find out that I'm gluing stuff to my car. Sometimes they seem to feel like I'm making them help me do it, by asking their advice in a store. I have at times encountered hostility that made the Maaco guy seem wildly enthusiastic by comparison.
Anyway, I chose New Beetle blue -- techno blue I think it's called -- as the new color. Last fall I was hoping to buy a Beetle, but my common sense (i.e. stinginess) got the best of me. At least this way I can have a little tiny bit of Beetle.
I thought I could get away with the cheapest paint job, but he told me that it's hand sanded, and if I used a lot of tape, the paint might peel off. I told him I was going to use glue, not tape. He gave me a pained look and suggested I spring for machine sanding. They charge $75 each to paint inside the doors, so I said skip it.
All told, it will end up costing about $350 to repaint the car. Not bad, all things considered.
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