Metallic car paintwork is priced after inspection, according to the paint chosen and the work your car needs. At Coventry Body Shop, single panel painting starts from £180 including VAT (£150 plus VAT), while a full body respray starts from £1,794 including VAT (£1,495 plus VAT). These are starting prices for finished bodywork, not for paint in a tin. The cost of your metallic paintwork depends on the condition of the surface and how much needs repainting, including any adjoining areas needed for colour blending.
Metallic paint does not always cost more to repair than a solid colour. Where it does, the extra comes from matching the colour, blending it into the panels around the repair and the paint chosen.
Starting prices for paint repairs
Our paint services start from these prices:
- Paint touch-up: from £58.80 including VAT (£49 plus VAT)
- SMART repair for small scratches and scuffs: from £90 including VAT (£75 plus VAT)
- Scratch removal and machine polish: from £144 including VAT (£120 plus VAT) per panel
- Single panel paint: from £180 including VAT (£150 plus VAT)
- Bumper respray: from £252 including VAT (£210 plus VAT)
- Full body respray: from £1,794 including VAT (£1,495 plus VAT)
The final price is set after inspection. A straight panel with damaged paint needs different preparation from a dented panel, even when both will receive the same colour.
The metallic finish also needs to be identified. A colour name such as silver or blue does not describe the exact paint formulation. Different formulations can have different material costs, and the amount needed depends on the area being painted.
Keep the price of paint supplied in a tin separate from the price of completed bodywork when researching costs. A paint supplier's material price does not include preparing the car or applying the finish. A workshop estimate needs to account for that labour as well as the materials used.
Ask for the finish you want to be named in the estimate for your car.
Does the damage actually need new paint?
Before deciding how much metallic paint will cost, establish whether the colour layer needs repairing. Many metallic finishes have a clear lacquer over the colour. A superficial mark in that clear layer may be suitable for polishing, depending on its depth and the condition of the surrounding finish.
Polishing removes a small amount of the existing surface. It cannot replace missing colour or fill a chip that has exposed the material beneath the paint. Repeated polishing of a deep scratch can remove more lacquer without resolving the damage.
A small chip may be suitable for a touch-up if you accept that the repaired spot can remain visible. Metallic particles applied in a small dab may reflect light differently from the surrounding sprayed finish. Discuss the appearance you want before comparing that approach with repainting.
Damage covering a wider area, peeling lacquer or a scratch through the colour may need paintwork. At Coventry Body Shop, we can check paint thickness with a paint depth gauge. That measurement helps assess the existing coating; the surface condition still needs inspection.
Why the painted area can exceed the damaged area
A scratch may occupy only a small part of a door, yet the preparation and painting can cover considerably more space. The repair needs a smooth surface around the damaged patch. The new colour also needs to sit convincingly beside the existing finish.
Metallic paint contains fine reflective particles. Their distribution and orientation affect how light returns from the surface, so a repair can look different when viewed from another angle.
Blending gradually spreads the new colour into surrounding paintwork to make a colour transition less noticeable. Depending on the location of the damage and the match, that work may stay within the damaged panel or extend onto an adjoining panel. Lacquer is a separate decision. It often covers the whole panel, even where the colour is blended over only part of it, so the area prepared and lacquered can be larger than the area of new colour.
For example, damage close to the edge of a door puts the repair beside the neighbouring panel. Ask whether that panel needs blending and whether the estimate includes its preparation. Adjoining panels do not automatically need painting on every metallic repair.
How the existing metallic colour is matched
The manufacturer's paint code identifies the original colour, and some colours have more than one variant under the same code. The code is a starting point for matching an existing car, whose paint may have weathered or been repaired before. A panel with previous paintwork can also differ from another panel on the same vehicle.
Coventry Body Shop uses the manufacturer's paint code and specialist colour mixing, with a spectrophotometer to help match the existing finish. This instrument measures colour information from the painted surface. Its reading guides the mix, while application affects how the metallic particles look once sprayed.
All paintwork is sprayed in the workshop's spray booth. The company director, a former Aston Martin technician and painter, is the only person who paints the cars.
A photograph can show where damage is and how much of the car it affects. It cannot reliably establish an exact colour match: lighting and the camera's processing can alter the appearance. Describe any known previous repainting when requesting an estimate, especially if you can already see a difference between adjacent panels.
Surface preparation affects the bill
Metallic paint follows the shape of the surface beneath it. Painting over a dent leaves the dent visible, and an unstable old coating can cause problems with the new finish. The work needed before spraying can therefore account for a substantial part of a repair.
On panel repaints, Coventry Body Shop uses filler where needed, primer and lacquer, with blending where appropriate. Bent panels can be straightened.
Existing paint defects need attention too. Peeling edges or a poorly finished previous repair can require more preparation than an otherwise sound panel with a fresh scratch. Ask whether the estimate includes dealing with those areas, particularly if damage has been covered with touch-up paint before.
Rust needs assessment before a repaint is agreed. Covering corrosion with fresh colour does not resolve the underlying problem. Coventry Body Shop does not cut or weld metal panels. If your car needs that work, we will tell you and recommend a garage we have trusted with welding work before.
A full metallic respray needs a defined scope
Repainting a whole car in its existing metallic colour and changing it to another colour can involve different work. With an existing-colour respray, concealed areas may already match. A colour change can leave the original shade visible when doors or the boot are opened unless those areas are included.
Before comparing full respray estimates, establish which surfaces each one covers. Ask about door shuts and other visible inner edges if you want a colour change. Do not assume they are included in a service starting price.
Access also affects the work. Trim may need removing to reach painted edges, so ask what removal and refitting the estimate allows for.
A colour change is priced after inspection, according to the paint selected and the work required. The full body respray starting price does not establish a separate colour-change price or the cost of a particular metallic finish.
Compare estimates for the same work
Two totals are useful to compare only when you understand what each includes. One estimate may cover a damaged panel alone, while another allows for blending into an adjoining area. Preparation for an old paint defect can also explain a difference.
Before agreeing to the work, ask for these points to be clear:
- Which panels will be repaired, painted or blended?
- Does the price include the metallic finish you have requested?
- What existing damage or coating defects are included in the preparation?
- What is the total including VAT?
- How will any additional work found during preparation be discussed with you?
If an estimate is based on photographs, ask what still needs checking on the car. Photos may not show a shallow dent or the condition of an older repair clearly enough to settle the scope.
Coventry Body Shop provides a six-month workmanship guarantee from collection. Ask what the guarantee covers alongside the estimate, so the agreed work and the cover are clear before booking.
Arrange a metallic paint estimate in Coventry
Coventry Body Shop has one workshop in Wyken, Coventry. A small inspection is free. If a deep inspection is needed, it costs from £240 including VAT (£200 plus VAT), and that charge is deducted from the repair bill if you go ahead. If you do not proceed, you pay for the deep inspection and any work done.
For an initial enquiry, give the vehicle details and explain whether you want existing damage repaired or a change of colour. Photos should show the whole affected panel as well as a closer view of the damage. Include the adjoining panel if the damage is close to an edge.
Photographs go through the Send enquiry button, at the bottom right on desktop or in the bottom bar on mobile; the contact and booking forms do not take pictures. Call +44 7903 105777 or use the contact form.
Customers drop off and collect their cars at the workshop. Collection and delivery are not offered, so include those journeys when planning the booking.
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