What a respray costs, and why two shops quote different prices

«How much to paint the door?» is the most common question we get, and the honest answer starts with another question: what happened to that door? The price of paintwork is almost never decided by the paint.

What you are really paying for

In a paint job the material is the small part. What you pay for is hours: stripping, panel repair, sanding, masking, spraying, curing and refitting. A door with a long scratch but a straight panel can be done in a day. The same door with a deep dent needs metalwork first, and that is several hours more.

Why colour changes the price

Colours do not cost the same. A solid white is straightforward. A metallic grey needs base and clear, and the metallic effect has to match so the edge between panels does not show. Three-stage colours — the pearl reds and pearl whites on many recent cars — take three separate passes and are the hardest to match.

Then there is age. The paint on an eight-year-old car under the Alicante sun is no longer exactly the factory colour. Even with the correct paint code, the new paint has to be blended into the neighbouring panels. If a shop paints just the door and nothing else, you will probably see the difference in daylight.

What makes a higher quote a fair one

- Repairing the panel instead of burying the dent in thick filler. - Blending into adjacent panels so the colour arrives without a visible edge. - A temperature-controlled paint booth, not spraying in the yard. - Removing handles, trims and seals instead of masking over them.

All of that is hours, and yes, money. It is also the difference between work that still looks right in two years and work that looks right on collection day.

Rough numbers

So you have an idea before asking for a quote: a small painted panel usually sits around €150; a full door with prior repair goes noticeably higher; a whole car is a multi-day job well above a thousand euros. These are references, not a price list: the real number comes when we see the car.

How to compare two quotes properly

Do not compare the totals, compare what is included. Ask three things: is the colour blended into the neighbouring panels, is the dent repaired or filled, and does the price include removing and refitting parts. Two very different numbers almost always mean two different jobs.

We prefer to say it upfront: the estimate is fixed in writing and we do not start until you accept it. If something hidden shows up once the panel is off — rust underneath, a broken bracket — we call and you decide. Nobody meets the surprise on the invoice.