[2007xterra43]

Hey everybody,

Almost a year ago I bought an 07 Xterra with 120k miles in Cloud White as my first car. Obviously I was unaware of the notoriously crappy paint, and ended up purchasing it because it ran well. I repainted over the rain gutters, A pillars, and the spots around the windows that had chipped paint. Several months later, my crappy diy duplicolor paint job started to flake off in some spots.

Now, I'm considering repainting the entire X in white raptor liner and solving the paint issue once and for all. The other option would be a cheap Maaco paint job, but that seems too risky and expensive.

Is this project too ambitious and should I just leave it alone? Please share any thoughts or comments.

 

[Smart Oblood]

Should I Raptor Line the X???

yes, in my opinion.

If you do the same white color you can skip the jams and that should make it way easier.

 

[Tlrtucker]

Raptor lining a vehicle is something you have to have experience doing. You can spot a DIY line job a mile away, where a pro job will look amazing.

 

[ccg1018]

Hey everybody,

Almost a year ago I bought an 07 Xterra with 120k miles in Cloud White as my first car. Obviously I was unaware of the notoriously crappy paint, and ended up purchasing it because it ran well. I repainted over the rain gutters, A pillars, and the spots around the windows that had chipped paint. Several months later, my crappy diy duplicolor paint job started to flake off in some spots.

Now, I'm considering repainting the entire X in white raptor liner and solving the paint issue once and for all. The other option would be a cheap Maaco paint job, but that seems too risky and expensive.

Is this project too ambitious and should I just leave it alone? Please share any thoughts or comments.

I can't find the thread now, but I did see another member here recently had his vehicle professionally bed-lined with raptor liner. It was pro job, done "right" and cost him around $3,200 and the shop then told him if they did the same vehicle again it would be around $3,800 if not more. For that much, you could potentially also have a good quality paint job and maybe even have some money leftover. The questions you have to ask are 1) Am I okay to do it myself? 2) If not and the X won't be mine for the next X number of years, then will I get any return on my investment or will someone come in and kick your tires and get a steal on an awesome truck with a new paint job?

I feel you here, I like my things to look like they were intended to as well, but sometimes, it might make more sense to save some money and get something a little newer. Just food for thought.

 

[2007xterra43]

I can't find the thread now, but I did see another member here recently had his vehicle professionally bed-lined with raptor liner. It was pro job, done "right" and cost him around $3,200 and the shop then told him if they did the same vehicle again it would be around $3,800 if not more. For that much, you could potentially also have a good quality paint job and maybe even have some money leftover. The questions you have to ask are 1) Am I okay to do it myself? 2) If not and the X won't be mine for the next X number of years, then will I get any return on my investment or will someone come in and kick your tires and get a steal on an awesome truck with a new paint job?

I feel you here, I like my things to look like they were intended to as well, but sometimes, it might make more sense to save some money and get something a little newer. Just food for thought.

I definitely don't have the funds to have it professionally painted, but that is the most ideal situation. Are you suggesting I leave it as is? or sell it?

 

[ccg1018]

I definitely don't have the funds to have it professionally painted, but that is the most ideal situation. Are you suggesting I leave it as is? or sell it?

Ultimately it will be your decision and neither choice is wrong. I'll tell you my honest opinion with some assumptions in terms of where you are in life. I'm thinking between 17 and 20 years of age and likely still in school with a low income in comparison to the national average due to other obligations such as school as well as just getting started in life. Please don't take offense.

It sounds like you paid cash for your first car which is awesome.
Right now you're thinking you'll keep it forever and any defect it has had it its 14 years of life you will reverse.
However, as time moves on you'll see that life is expensive and dropping thousands into the truck you've learned to love many not be very feasible or intelligent.
I spent a lot of money on junk cars and trucks that I ultimately ended up selling. Most vehicles get to a point where they depreciate and you can sell in a year or two and not really lose too much money, that is unless you start nickel and diming yourself on restoring it. I'm almost 30 now (many here will call me a child with reason) and really regret having over spent on cosmetic aspects of vehicles I've ultimately sold.
If you were my close friend I would recommend you live with it, spend that money on maintenance to make sure you can get from point a to b consistently and enjoy it as is. It will be reliable, paid off and relatively cheap to insure all while being off road worthy, able to tow friends and a pair jet skis, dirt bikes, mountains bikes, etc. It just won't be as shiny as you friend's $400 a month Corolla or their $800 a month Wrangler.
If you stash away some money in two to three years you can likely upgrade to a newer Xterra or maybe a different vehicle entirely. I used to hate letting go of vehicles, but I've learned that the vehicles are not that special in themselves, sure you pride yourself in it, but ultimately the people you have memories with in and around said vehicles.
In 10-15 years you might yourself wanting the nostalgic feeling and purchase another Xterra to really fix up when you can reasonably afford to do so. I feel we just have to take time to be our age and not try to live above our means, that was a mistake I made throughout my 20's and it ended in nearly crippling debts that were not worth it. Just my .02 sir. Didn't mean to get so deep, but I hope you enjoy your Xterra regardless.

 

[2007xterra43]

Ultimately it will be your decision and neither choice is wrong. I'll tell you my honest opinion with some assumptions in terms of where you are in life. I'm thinking between 17 and 20 years of age and likely still in school with a low income in comparison to the national average due to other obligations such as school as well as just getting started in life. Please don't take offense.

It sounds like you paid cash for your first car which is awesome.
Right now you're thinking you'll keep it forever and any defect it has had it its 14 years of life you will reverse.
However, as time moves on you'll see that life is expensive and dropping thousands into the truck you've learned to love many not be very feasible or intelligent.
I spent a lot of money on junk cars and trucks that I ultimately ended up selling. Most vehicles get to a point where they depreciate and you can sell in a year or two and not really lose too much money, that is unless you start nickel and diming yourself on restoring it. I'm almost 30 now (many here will call me a child with reason) and really regret having over spent on cosmetic aspects of vehicles I've ultimately sold.
If you were my close friend I would recommend you live with it, spend that money on maintenance to make sure you can get from point a to b consistently and enjoy it as is. It will be reliable, paid off and relatively cheap to insure all while being off road worthy, able to tow friends and a pair jet skis, dirt bikes, mountains bikes, etc. It just won't be as shiny as you friend's $400 a month Corolla or their $800 a month Wrangler.
If you stash away some money in two to three years you can likely upgrade to a newer Xterra or maybe a different vehicle entirely. I used to hate letting go of vehicles, but I've learned that the vehicles are not that special in themselves, sure you pride yourself in it, but ultimately the people you have memories with in and around said vehicles.
In 10-15 years you might yourself wanting the nostalgic feeling and purchase another Xterra to really fix up when you can reasonably afford to do so. I feel we just have to take time to be our age and not try to live above our means, that was a mistake I made throughout my 20's and it ended in nearly crippling debts that were not worth it. Just my .02 sir. Didn't mean to get so deep, but I hope you enjoy your Xterra regardless.

No offense taken, and that was well said.

 

[Smart Oblood]

$3000+ liner seems like total overkill for a 2007.

DIY fella:
scuff and prep 3 hours tops
tape 2 hours tops
paint 2 or 3 coats, 40 mins
No wetsand or polish; its liner

double or triple all these values if you never painted a bumper

you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on your project like all of the other shows out there tell you you have to; who cares what other people think. The important thing is you got it on the road and you're enjoying it

 

[RoadKiller2006]

Look into monstaliner. Made for DIY rolled up or sprayed. Lots of Jeeps do it and it comes out very good if prepped right. It's also UV stable, and comes in many colors. When I repaint my X, that's what I'll use.

 

[Tlrtucker]

$3000+ liner seems like total overkill for a 2007.

DIY fella:
scuff and prep 3 hours tops
tape 2 hours tops
paint 2 or 3 coats, 40 mins
No wetsand or polish; its liner

double or triple all these values if you never painted a bumper

That's dangerous advice. If you're only spending 3 hours on prep, you're not gonna end up with a pro looking job. 40 minutes to paint? Follow that if you want it to look bad.


And VGG isn't exactly a DIY mechanic, he's a pro who's been doing it for decades. Even his $119 paint job was not that great, by his own admission.

 

[Gingie]

Don't be afraid of DIY! I never painted anything before this one. Was probably about $800 all in, including compressor rental. There's some runs and tiger striping, but I was not looking for a concourse winner.

 

[JM303]

I'm all about a DIY project. I would say go for it. The only way to learn new things is giving it a shot...after doing as much research on it as possible. I'm planning on doing this myself in a few months! But yeah, unless you care about looks more than the functionality of a raptor coating, I would say go for it and let us know how it goes!

 

[Just a Hunter]

I enjoyed the $100 paint job video, but I can guarantee he makes it look easier than it really is.

 

[saint urho]

this was really well stated
If you were my close friend I would recommend you live with it, spend that money on maintenance to make sure you can get from point a to b consistently and enjoy it as is.
I liked it when my truck was shiny and new, but now it has a patina of chips and brush stripes that it's earned.

 

[Gingie]

Buy a random cheap body panel, like a hood, from the upull and practice spraying vertically and horizontally

 

[mtnbound]

If( when) I ever decide i can no longer tolerate the flaking paint( white as well) I will do some sort of bedliner. the costs for regular paint jobs are too high. plus i think that there are actually a few benefits to the bedliner option over regular paint anyways.

I say do it!

then report back on how you did it and how it turned out!!

 

[Tlrtucker]

What ever you do, DO NOT roll it on. I've seen that done and it looks absolutely terrible.

 

[JM303]

^yup agreed. There are hundreds of videos on YouTube on how to spray raptor liner. Definitely don’t do a roll on. At least I wouldn’t do it. Do the research on what spray gun/tip you need. Like someone else mentioned already, get a cheap body part or some metal surface to practice on and dial compressor and spray gun settings for the texture and finish you want and get some practice passes. You can never spend too much time prepping either. Prep as much as possible. Then tell us what worked and what didn’t 😀

 

[2007xterra43]

I'll have to think about it. Seems like the general consensus is to go for it and learn something new. Once the weather gets warmer I'll make the decision. Thanks to everyone for their feedback.

 

[mikidymac]

I have only painted a few jetskis in the backyard but it is more intimidating than actually difficult. It is also expensive once you factor in the paint, masking supplies, paint gut and PPE. All in I don't think you could diy for less than $1,000 using quality materials especially if going basecoat clear coat. I really like Southern Polyurethanes products as they are very high quality and actually are formulated for DIY in less than perfect painting environments and the clear flows out really well. I would suggest their epoxy primer, basecoat and Universal Clear. Stick with solid colors with no metallics for your first few pint jobs. Here is the ski I just finished and was painted in my backyard under an EzUp and I only know enough to be dangerous.