Exterior Bodywork and Respray

When Mr L (previous previous owner) was rebuilding the car in mid 2008, besides overhauling the engine, gearbox, raidiater etc, one major operation was to custom made a bodykit for the car. He even custom-made carbon fibre headlights at a cost of $1200! He then painted the car in 2 tones - black for the "head" and white for the "body". However, by the time the car was handed over to me, the car body condition was already quite "chui". The paint work was in total disaster! No more shine with a lot of scratches and dents. The CF headlights were not shining as the lacquer had came off. In addition, as Mr T (previous owner) had accidentally crashed the car, the front bumper was replaced from a workshop in JB. Problem was that the new bumper was still very raw (no paint) and did not fit nicely with the fenders and and the bonnet. There were also cracks on the side skirts and rear bumper. The gap between the windscreen and the car frame can be seen (bit rusty) as the seals were gone. I knew I had to send the car for a major body work and paint respray.

With so many car respray workshops in Singapore, where do you go to? I turn to the Internet for help. Going through the different car forums in Singapore, I realised that price variations can be huge with different workshops, and even for expensive workshops, quality can be not so good. Finally, after reading many car owners' experiences, I shortlisted this workshop "Lee and Soon Paint Works" in Kranji, which is near the place I stay.

I first visited the workshop on 30 Apr. The boss, in his 50s came across a very nice man. There was another young man, which I thought was his employee. I told them what I wanted to be done for the car. The price quoted to me was $1XXX for colour change and bodywork. There was another customer that day and he told me that the quality is quite good and price is very good. I told them I will send in the car once the roof was fixed by Sam.

On 26 May, I drove down to the respray workshop. The boss recognised my car (of course when it is so rare!). He asked me to choose my paint colour. I initially shortlisted 2 colours - Mercedes Crystal Antimony Gray (701) or GTR Sparkling Silver (WV2). The young man gave me a stack of colour samples for me to choose. While flipping through the catalogue, a colour caught my eye. it was from Aston Martin car codes called Tungsten Silver. Even with the small sample, you can see a lot of pearl effect in the paint. I decided on the paint and the young man told me it will be very nice, better than the 2 colours I shortlisted. The boss came over and told me he will help me fix the gap between the windscreen and the car frame. Also, I told him to help me mould the front bumper so that it is flushed with the bonnet and fenders. He will also help me
lacquer the CF headlights.

After settling the car, I started chatting with them. I found out that the young man was actually the boss's youngest son! His name was Bernard Toh. Senior Toh told me that his brothers are all in the respray business and his two sons (Bernard and Charlie) are now helping him in the business. He first started his business in Brunei some 30 years ago and move back to Singapore when Bernard was 7 so that the children can attend school in Singapore. I now realised why his price can be so competitive even though they used Dupont paint. It is family business and they can keep costs low! No paying of wages to employees. Mr Toh also told me that Lee (in the Lee & Soon) was her wife's surname. After chatting for half an hour, I bidded them goodnight.

The next day, I drove the car down and told Bernard that I will collect the car in a week's time.

One week past quickly and I went to collect my Del Sol, not knowing how the car will turn out. Upon reaching the workshop, I caught a glimpse of the car and I was so pleased how it turn out! It looked totally new and the paint was sparkling under the sunlight due to the pearl effect. The work done on the fromt bumper was impressive! Mr Toh told me that he added almost 2 cm of fibre so that the bumper is flushed with the bonnet. The gap between the windscreen and car frame had disappeared! In its place lies a strip of new seal. Mr Toh even told me that when Chinese New Year comes next year, he will help me polish and wax the car, for free!

I thanked them profusely for the excellent work done. If you are reading this and thinking of respraying your car, I will strongly recommend this workshop for its excellent price and work quality. You can contact Bernard at 9790 9611 or 6269 5020. They are located at Blk 2, Kranji Loop #01-04 Singapore 739538. Tell them Matthew of CRX recommend you and they will give you a very good quote (btw, I don't earn any commission for recommendation.:) Just to share an outstanding paint workshop). You can always compare their quotes with other workshops. Remember to check the type of paint used for each workshop though.


PHOTOS

Del Sol - Changing white to tungsten silver

Side View - Changing colour from white to tungsten silver.

Back View

Front Bumper - Realised how the bumper becomes flushed with the bonnet after adding fibreglass.

Headlights - Gaps were filled and carbon fibre re-lacquered.

Lee and Soon Painting Works - Mr Toh and his son, Bernard

Tungsten Silver - See the massive use of pearls in the paint under light