[AjitSen6333]

Love it!! Looks absolutely stunning and the front bumper looks aggressive and suits the car really well. I would have probably upgrade the alloys in either gun metal or matte black color :P

[Atharva4545]

Originally Posted by irdevanand

I wish this was done in Brotomotiv style with a Youtube video. Would be easily one of the best makeover videos with millions of views. I would have watched dozen times myself. Loved it to that extent.

Here you go

https://youtu.be/oV1vlxeUV1c

[myavu]

Originally Posted by bigbearddriver

It has been a long time since I was planning to get something substantially changed on my Audi A6 2013 2.0 TDI.

The best midlife makeover I had ever seen. Clean and simple, yet with added WOW factor. Wishing you another 1000s of miles ahead.

Cheers!

[nisshith]

Any good painters in Noida (or in NCR region) ? My car has been scratched all over and paint have also faded substantially.

[The Rainmaker]

Originally Posted by nisshith

Any good painters in Noida (or in NCR region) ? My car has been scratched all over and paint have also faded substantially.

I would seriously suggest getting the job done at your dealership. No bodyshop in India has the infrastructure to paint the vehicle as it should be done. Plus, it also depends on you being present there to ensure that everything is done right as per the SOP.

[mikepapa]

Originally Posted by The Rainmaker

I would seriously suggest getting the job done at your dealership. No bodyshop in India has the infrastructure to paint the vehicle as it should be done. Plus, it also depends on you being present there to ensure that everything is done right as per the SOP.

I'm torn between going for a similar upgrade on my trusted Type 1 Fortuner vs plain vanilla paint job from Toyota dealership. Heart leans towards modifying the looks to Type 3 and changing colour from white to black, which warrants a strip down to bones for getting a proper work done. Now that I read this post, I have got even more skeptical to get this done from outside. Ofocurse, I wouldn't want to do anything which compromises the reliability and rattle free nature of the vehicle.

Does this mean that the dealership has all the right infra to pull off a job like a factory finish? Does the manufacturer have any SOP for dealership body shops to control the quality? Net net, will a dealership job assure the much needed peace if mind?

Side note: Since I was researching on Autorounders very closely, I wonder why they slap on so high doses of putty on the car body regardless of dents/nicks/scratches. Also haven't been lucky to get a long term usage review on the stability of paint material used.

PS - The A6 looks fantastic!

[The Rainmaker]

Originally Posted by mikepapa

I'm torn between going for a similar upgrade on my trusted Type 1 Fortuner vs plain vanilla paint job from Toyota dealership. Heart leans towards modifying the looks to Type 3 and changing colour from white to black, which warrants a strip down to bones for getting a proper work done. Now that I read this post, I have got even more skeptical to get this done from outside. Ofocurse, I wouldn't want to do anything which compromises the reliability and rattle free nature of the vehicle.

Does this mean that the dealership has all the right infra to pull off a job like a factory finish? Does the manufacturer have any SOP for dealership body shops to control the quality? Net net, will a dealership job assure the much needed peace if mind?

Side note: Since I was researching on Autorounders very closely, I wonder why they slap on so high doses of putty on the car body regardless of dents/nicks/scratches. Also haven't been lucky to get a long term usage review on the stability of paint material used.

PS - The A6 looks fantastic!

I'm glad you asked. Well let me break it down for you point wise:

1. TBH for me personally, I no longer care about the exterior/looks of the car. What matters is the actual performance, handling, engagement and overall feedback that my vehicle gives me. Yes, I can't stand Silver and Beige colors on cars, but that's subjective.

2. Dealership will be way better than those automotive workshops they have opened outside with fancy names and marketing gimmicks (YouTube Channels, etc.). No matter what they tell you, they can never have the kind of infrastructure or training of a German/Japanese Giant. Be very clear on that, irrespective of what they tell you - Yes, even if he says he got trained in Germany, take it with a grain of salt.

3. If your vehicle paint is in a good condition, I'd seriously advise to stay away from getting it repainted. It will not only hurt the resale value badly but also no workshop in the World can achieve the factory finish. Those paint booths and robotic arms laying the paint at the factory cost tens of crores of rupees and if you take a measurement of your factory paint, it will be even all around at 130-180 microns. The moment you get it repainted, you're looking at an uneven paint layer all over at an excess of 250 microns at least. You don't want to go there unless you don't have a choice. It might look good and dandy with a new paint but the perfection of factory paint can never be there. I'm OCD about these things, so I've never ever seen a perfect paint job outside factory in India, not even by a Porsche dealership (My friend got his bumper painted, this was the best paint job so far I've seen but nothing like Factory). So, that should tell you something.

4. SOP - Yes, all dealerships have SOPs but I've only seen them being followed closely at German and Japanese Dealerships. Indian and Korean dealerships often cut corners and rarely stick to the policies laid out in order to speed up the process unless you're standing right there to ensure they do and still once in a while they will use this typical line - "Hamara roz ka hai" before they end up ruining your factory paint job .

5. Panel rattle and noise issues will come up once your car is disassembled for a paint job. If you've ever disassembled panels on your car, you'd have seen there are various plastic covers, tesa tapes, foam roundels etc. to muffle the rattle. Ideally, the dealerships or anyone taking it all apart should take note of these small items but they often get lost with the stuff and rarely get installed back again. Obviously, now if two plastics/metals are rubbing together, they will rattle unless someone took note when these were getting disassembled, but since you're in India and no one cares about these things, you will be at a loss unless you're there to ensure that everything that came off, goes back on. In short, you just can't trust anyone here to do your work like it is done at the factory, that's the sorry state of the work culture in this country. And if you're getting your work done outside, be rest assured that you'll earn your fair share of rattle that you'll curse yourself for, for the rest of the time you own that vehicle. At least the dealer will replace the missing buffer part for you as per their FSM, but the outside guys don't even have the FSM for a majority of the cars.

6. Aftermarket Body Shops / Autorounders - Well not just them, any outside body shop working on your vehicle has a bad habit of slapping on layers of low quality putty that will start developing cracks after a couple of years leaving you with a bad paint job. Here's what the German brands do - They have a very strict policy against using putty. If it's a very small scratch/dent/ding they might use a small amount here or there to make it even with the rest of the panel. Anything more than that, they will replace the whole panel unless you insist otherwise. Not just that, the putty they use is a flexible putty that can flex with the panel or paint in case of any impact thus preventing paint cracking. Therefore, that is still the next best thing to a factory paint which will never ever be used at aftermarket body shops. I saw that small 300 g can of putty at Audi was for Rs. 8000. So, you know what you're getting. At Japanese dealerships also they will rub the plastic or metal down with an orbital sander to make it even as much as possible just like the Germans before using putty but yes their putty or panel replacement policy is not as strict. Despite that, they will not use layers of putty like you mentioned above. It will be within reason, of course.

7. Paint Material - Toyota uses Cromax paints, German brands use Glasurit paints. Both are European made Water Based paints and you can't go wrong with either. As long as you're getting the job done at the dealership, paint material and putty quality should be the least of your worries.

Conclusion - Try to save your factory paint as much as possible. If you really have to get it repainted for some unfortunate reason, do know that your repainted panel will never be quite like how it came painted from the factory. It might be close but not perfect. This is at the dealership. Now, if you're getting it done from outside - trust me, you're just wasting your money and ruining your vehicle. I wouldn't even compare the two for obvious reasons.

[iskandariya]

Awesome, just for clarification this is the same 2014 to 2020 run model design right.

That kit has done wonders and agree with the rest wheels need some TLC to matt black

[OffRoadFun]

Bumping up this year old thread.

Hello @bigbearddriver,

Would it be possible to comment on:

1. Did you see more rattling sound or deficiency in fit quality of components in last one year?

2. Any unexpected degradation in paint quality over the period?

3. Color change showing up in RC book?

Anything else relevant you would like to share?


Cheers,
OffroadFun.