As many of you guys know I came down to Mexico to Puerto Penasco to have Antonio do a full body paint on my coach. I got here on Friday and today, Monday I pulled into his Bay where I will be until the job is done.
I will continue to add to this thread and answer any questions that any of you may have about it.
But if anybody does want to come to Mexico to get this kind of work done don't do like I did, bring lots of cash. For some reason I thought that he would take a check or a credit card and that is not true so down here deal in cash.
He will paint on the beach or at playa Bonita RV Park, but for full body he prefers to do it at his shop and I have no problems with that cuz it's going to save me close to $1,000. If he does the work at the RV parks they get a percentage and that will be paid by you. Plus at the RV park where the other Beach you'll have to pay a daily fee to stay there. And if you need anything else done on your coach it's not a bad place to do that too.
Yes I have a question.
Do they pull some of the mounding ( belt rail, caps ) off or ... more likely just paint over it. I'm guessing most paint shops just paint over it ??
I'd rather they they pulled it and painted it separately, then put it back on with fresh caulk.
When I see repaints that paint over those, it seems to crack there .. or am I crazy.
I'm pretty sure he'll do whatever I ask him to do and I'm willing to pay for. the only problem is is with the patterns might be difficult to paint them off the coach.
Yes. There is that added complication.
With our repaint I think I'll retain the upper belt rail pattern and have a "bed liner" type coating somewhere below the belt rail. Maybe even match it to a rattle can color so I can touch it up when/if I ding it up
Still have to match the cap mounding though
Are you staying n the coach in his shop?
Is he doing any fiberglass repair?
Yes. On the bottom of the Bay doors passenger side.
Yeah, not ideal but doable.
Any pics of design? Approx cost? did you bring any supplies?
What part of town is he in? Close to anything by walking or toad?
More interested in the cost and what he is doing for it.. Mine needs cleaned up and some of the lines redone.. Maybe half and some slight repairs .. you know... from things that go bump in the night..
THanks
We are over here at Playa Bonita RV park and Antonio is touching up some scrapes and dents in our coach. He is impressed with the factory paint job on our coach. Chairs are done, but I have an issue with a cover up by Munoz. Will be addressing this with him today. Not happy! Could cost him a huge job I got for him and he will know it!
One thing here is don't get impatient, as you are now on Mexico time. When they say they will be out, don't put money on it. Twig gave me a heads up on that! lol However, it will get done. I think Bob made out well with being in the building and saving some dollars with staying at a park here. The wind does blow off and on and I believe you will get a better job in his shop!
They will take Peso's and you can get them from an ATM around the city. Peso's are 20 to 1 US dollar. I paid the mechanic in Peso's when job done and he was happy. Just remember, cash is king and getting that many peso's is a challenge. I believe the largest denomination I have seen at an ATM is 14,000 peso's, which is $700 US. So, if your paint job is going to cost over say $6k, that is a lot of Peso's! No checks and no credit cards or debit. The only one who took a check here was the RV park, just an FYI.
I don't have any design things to show you but I took the picture of Tommy's coach that Antonio did recently and told him I wanted something similar changing the colors around a little bit white to be more of a cream white and a darker gold with a dark red stripe going down the middle that would be edged in Black haven't decided on a mural on the back yet or if I'm going to do that this year. Truth is is that I never did have one design in mind I know what I don't like but really not good at what I do so I told Antonio what colors I wanted to do and what I kind of liked and he drew something out on a piece of paper that was very minimal but I understood what he was talking about and was okay with it. Almost went with a look like James stalling from xtreme graphics coach looks like with his new paint job but decided against that. also really like juice squeezers coach and thought about something like that too but in the end we went with a little different. It's supposed to be a 3 week job and right now they're just sanding removing the sealant from around the windows taking off things and getting it ready to primer which probably be next week I guess.
40 ft coats requires a lot of sanding!.
David,
I didn't have a toad and Antonio let me use one of his trucks. Super nice guy and very conscientious about his work. Not much within walking distance of his warehouse.
Tommy, I agree, Antonio is very personable for sure. There are several painters here in the park and someone coming down here could have their pick. All seem to do a very good job for the money. Getting our rig washed and rims buffed day before we leave.
Joe,
We had David Munoz upholster our seats quite a few years ago. He did a great job and they look as good today as the day he did them. But, when we met with David, we went over exactly what we wanted done down to the last little detail and also made the agreement that we would be able to come and check on the work every day. We did stop in at least once a day to not only check but put our hands on the fabric and stitching and made sure we talked to David and the older fellow who was actually doing the work.
When you first meet the shop owner, it's important to develop a relationship where you let him and others working in the shop know how much you appreciate their skills and trade. Not just a wealthy gringo taking advantage of low wages in a developing country but someone who shares their feeling of craftsmanship and the magic of their country. Equally important is your feeling from him and his workers that they are listening to you. Only then can the agreement be made and the work begin.
In Mexico, there is a dance that has to be done. Not as lengthy as in some countries where a relatively simple transaction can take hours or even days to accomplish.
Pierce
Pierce I agree completely. Respect is important.
Some updates. coach is pretty much completely ready for primer now everything is off except for the big awning which is pushed back and up over the roof. Everything's pretty much sanded and they tolerated me putting my shocks on in the rear and taking off the rear fenders kind of getting in their way and messing their timing up. I was sure to share some cold beers at night with them and even help with a little bit of the cleanup and sanding. Antonio's crew is a great crew to work with. And they're very conscientious.
Antonio and crew are the best. Have him do a mural, it's a pleasure to watch him work. So much talent.
Say Hi to them from Ric and Leslie, we'll try to make it back next year.
Cheers Ric 8)
Ric, I will make sure Antonio knows for sure! He is suppose to be back here tomorrow to finish up our coach with the little touch ups that we had him do. Hopefully, our seat from the captain chair will be installed tomorrow as well.
Dottie and I made another trip tonight to Jessie's Caterra! Just hard to skip his place and the great food! The margaritas aren't bad either, according to the DW.
+1 Pierce on their workmanship and work ethic!
Was settling for the night around 2030 when there was a knock on the door. Now remember I'm in a locked building. It was Antonio and his crew to start painting primer. He's got a lot on his plate.
Couple questions.
Looks like they are going to paint over the belt rail. Question is, if you have to work on the bay doors or remove the "rail" for any reason how is that done. I guess you just cut the paint and the caulk. Just curious...
The other question is about the lower section. On mine it's a decal. But it must be paint on your coach?? Cause I'm supposing ya can't / shouldn't paint over decal .
Can't wait to see the design. 👍
You can paint over almost anything... There is a reason the say the devil is in the details... Prep is 90% of the work.. Whatever you paint over and not prepped correctly will be seen.. the outline of a decal can be seen but they can blend the edges of a painted stripe..
Cant answer if its painted or not but my assumption is either its painted and blended or its a decal and they are adding the strip back again.
Pretty sure he chose swirls vs stripes
Again I am guessing
Bob, I have full body paint on coach and removed the strip around it a few times then put a minute clear caulk bead along the top joints and it works out fine. They could be removed and painted separately so you do not need to cut thru the paint. I would actually do that if coach was being painted now.
Johnh
Left it on even though I had it off for the shocks. The design wouldn't be right if they were off.
Decals were already off. They preped it well. Not like Xtreme but then I'm not paying that nor will it take 3 months.
They painted 2 primers till 0100. I'm pretty tired.
The work was going slowly due to several other commitments. But now work has started full time. The body's prepped, and she's primed. Might start laying down the base coat tomorrow afternoon. I think he's going to be working on twigs coach in the morning. Antonio is very good at the details. There was a few spots that were dimpled in which he filled with filler he also did a very good job of repairing my doors that I damaged in Oregon pipe national monument. Living in the paint Bay is definitely not fun. But it is what I is and so far we're coping just fine. Being in Puerto Penasco is much better when you have someone like twig to show you around. Without him this would not have been nearly as much fun. Even though I didn't come down with him, and I'm not leaving with him, I'm really glad he was here when I was here and hope to see him again next year. Couple pictures to show progress.
Is the last photo the Pitaya Bar?
P
Si. Great beer on tap with frosted mugs. But crappy margaritas.
Twig is the Best!! ^.^d I love that guy.. Makes you feel like family ^.^d
Progress. Ready for clearcoat on passenger side.
Nice.... now when the RV park asks, you can say it's a 2021 model maybe ?
Looks awesome Bob! Now, Chief won't know what coach to go to???? I know you are extremely happy! We leave for Vegas Monday! Beautiful weather here with mild winds! Keep Twig straight! NOT!
Lol. Yeah Chief will need to use his nose!
Definitely will look like a newer coach. So RV parks shouldn't have a issue with it.
Front done.
Just checking... are the compartment door jams painted first? I like how the lights are removed... finished
Looks awsome!
not sure what you mean by the jams if you're talking about the inside I don't think they painted them. Except for the engine compartment and generator. Not sure they're going to be doing the insides of the bay doors. But I don't know for sure so I guess we'll see in the end. Remember this is not a $30,000 paint job at xtreme.
This is a less than $10,000 paint job at Antonio's in Mexico. Where you'll get 80 to 90% of something for 1/3 the price. Always keep that in mind that if you come to Mexico you're not getting an extreme paint job for less money you're getting a Mexican paint job. Antonio is a stickler for doing things right but he doesn't have the manpower, the infrastructure, or the ability to do what xtreme graphics does in nacogdoches.
If you want the best paint job that's where you go. If you want a great paint job for reasonable price this is where you go.
They were here last night until 1:00 a.m. clear coating the front the back and the passenger side so other than buffing the clear coat out that is all finished as far as painting goes. The front detail he did I wasn't completely happy with the way it looked. I told him so and he fixed it right then and there even before I'd fully made up my mind. I like the way he did it the second time more. It's a subtle thing but it made a difference to me. He didn't try to sell me on the way he did it he heard what I said and corrected it immediately.
There are lots of body shops in Mexico with the facilities and manpower. They can turn out excellent quality paint jobs but I doubt there are many with the talent of Antonio for the graphics. Here are just a few examples: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rv+paint+mexico
For those who may have watched our slideshow of our recent trip to Chapala, the aircraft built and painted at the small airport there had dead perfect paint and would be very competitive in Oshkosh.
Puerto Peñasco has the advantage of being only one hour from the border, a nice environment for hanging out on the ocean eating great food and enjoying nice people while your coach gets refreshed.
Pierce
Antonio found a little boo boo on our job and I told him not to worry about it. You had to look sideways to see the imperfection and as much as I said no, he fixed it, as he wasn't happy when he saw it. Can't say enough about that for customer service! Bob, did you take any photos of the Country Coach when it was finished? I'm sure they were ecstatic with the results! Your coach is awesome!
I did. They were but had some bubbling issue with one color. Remember that was not a full body paint but just fixing the paint job that it came with from the factory. There was one color on it called chameleon that changes color as you walk around it and they could not get that here in Mexico. but they did have some issues that Antonio will fix when they come back down next year. Didn't see a picture of it so I'm not sure at what it involved.
Thanks. It's looking great. Of course post pictures when it's finally done in the Sun where the red pearlescent will shine. Remember I came down here without an idea other than some colors that I wanted. so not only did Antonio paint this but he also came up with the design.
That thing looks amazing! Wow what a Beautiful coach.. ^.^d
David, we all were invited inside and he stole this coach. He said he paid $60k for it and I believe he mentioned it was an '06. Could be wrong on that, but still quite the deal of the century!
Love the front shot of the coach. Looks great!
Pierce
We watched Antonio's crew work hard on this Country Coach removing the Durashield protective coating from the front and the floor wax product someone applied to the sides. They basically scraped the entire coach with one edge razor blades. It looked pretty rough when it came to the beach for a makeover from years of being exposed to the Sun. They also had upholstery work done, couch and valances by Munoz as I recall.
Yes Antonio's crew did an amazing job on this coach. Although I didn't see it when it rolled in like Doug and twig did the front was still rough when I saw it. They had a beautiful paint job from the factory and they basically restored it to factory specs. And also Mr muñoz did the recovering of the inside and they did a good job of it. It's a beautiful coach inside and out although the interior is not as nice in my opinion as a foretravel. I didn't see the bedroom or the bathroom just the living space and driving space. It's got a silver leaf dash with a what looked to me like a fake Walnut burl on the dash. The silver leaf dash was nice but I couldn't help but think how expensive it would be to fix.
There was another country coach here at the same time that didn't have the same type of paint job but it looked great all the same. The skirt was stainless steel with painted above that to the roof.
They were a nice couple and had a good time with them.
Anyway I can always look at other coaches and think oh I want that one or I like that thing about it. But in the end I'm totally satisfied with my coach and I didn't pay anywhere near what some people paid for theirs. Although he did get a really good deal on that one by lowballing and they accepted. Which just goes to show you that in negotiating don't think about what their feelings might be when you offer just go with what you feel is a good starting point and go from there. They did and they were happy for it.
Doug's photo has changed "shade tree" work to "shade cactus." ;D
Pierce
No shade on this beach...
Ask me later when you see me what I paid for mine.. its a mind blower for sure..
Three guys spent the whole day yesterday wet sanding the entire clear coat. It's now not only shiny but smooth. Antonio did do some of the tape job on the driver side with the intention of painting it today.
Well I'm done. Or rather they're done.
actually finished up last night about 9:30 at night and this morning we pulled the coach out of the Bay, putting on all of my towing extensions for the bike rack to tow the car, and then Antonio in his first ever motor coach ride came over with me to concha del Mar on the beach. I'll be here for probably 2 weeks I think. the pictures I'll post our initial when I got here and I will plan to do some more this evening as the Sun is setting for something dramatic. To say I'm ecstatic with the results would be an understatement. No it's not an extreme paint job but it is pretty close I would think and I'm more than happy with it. They really took their time on doing that right. There was a couple things that I wish that they had done a little different or had asked me about. The way they're scheduling their jobs for one thing is very inefficient. But it's the way they do things so it's on them not me. They tend to lay to clear coat on pretty thick and then go back with what sanding to remove the drips. It seems a little labor-intensive to me but that's the way he likes to do it so I'm okay with that too. They did everything I asked him to do and more. And a really good group of guys even though some of them did not speak English very well and my Spanish is poquito.
I may have more to say on it later but for now I think that's all.
Congratulations! Looks awesome.
Nice job! Get some touch-up paint from him before you leave.
Looks great Bob!
He gave me a large amount of each color
Awesome Bob! Really pops!
Thanks joe! Yeah Antonio and his crew did a great job.
Looks awesome Bob!
I would suggest you adjust your mirrors tight to the coach before heading back across border, they give you about 9.5 feet to negotiate through some signs and posts.
Good advice Doug. Yeah when twig and I went up to get the steering box I couldn't believe how tight it was getting through there and that was in my Jeep. I'm here for two more weeks and then I'll make sure to pull them in.
Wow! That looks Awesome!
Lookin' good. Love your headlight cover ups.
Chris
Looks fantastic, bravo
Looks great Bob, nice color scheme.
Thank you all appreciate that. The color scheme came from the sunbrella awning that I made to replace the forest green zip dee awning.
Yeah I'm really happy with it. Remember how white and chalky it was. I liked it all white too but this is like a completely different coach. At least on the outside LOL.
I forgot about the mirror thing and when we got to the border, well, had to get the tool box out and turn the mirrors out toward the windshield. It was tight enough that I was wondering if the verticle awning struts would clear. Not sure why they have those large steel posts that close, but made for an interesting few minutes with 3 officers trying to guide me through! This was the only excitement while crossing the border, well, except for the wheel chair guy trying to get me to stop in the middle of the road coming into Mexico to wash our windshield! I paid them not too! "No Lavar"
Looks great. I'm jealous........
Larry
Ok Bob, gotta ask. When you call for that reservation and they ask the age of your MH. What do you say now?? 🙂🙂
We had to send a pic to GulfWaters RV park in Port Aransas Texas twice ( a little more than a year between visits ). Both times, come on in.
Your coach looks sharp Bob !
Not Bob, but in 9 years of full time living, we have never been asked the age of our coach or have been refused because of the age! This is including Encore parks, who are really picky! Never!
A few years back I spent one night in some snooty falooty trailer park near Leesburg, FL where they had a ten year age limit on coaches. I just told them my Foretravel was nine years old. They looked out the window and saw what a beautiful machine it was and bought it hook line and sinker.
Richard
Bob, the coach looks great! Glad it all worked out for you guys. Now go and enjoy it and safe travels.
John & Carmen
The park where I plan on staying in corpus Christi in a couple weeks has a 10 year age limit. But Rich the previous owner stayed there when we were doing the transfer and deal so I don't think it's a problem with the Foretravel certainly won't be a problem with mine now.
Since the colors were inspired by my big awning twig reminded me I need to take a picture with the awning out so I think I'll do that today or tomorrow.
Personally I don't have an issue with some places having the age restriction since I think what they're really just trying to do is keep out the riff raff. And the schooly converted buses. Things like that. Our coaches are kept up for the most part and pride of ownership shows. Just look at the main page and watch the parade of coaches go by they all look good even the old ones.
Easter weekend here in Mexico. not sure the music stopped last night but I fell asleep and slept through it.
So to finish the story. I asked Antonio to paint my Jeep Grand Cherokee to match his paint job and he did it admirably. So now not only does my coach look good, so does the Jeep. I asked him to do it fast and rushed it a bit cuz I needed to get out of Mexico and up to Texas so there's a little bit of clear coat that still needs to be wet sanded which I'll do once I get up to New England. Oh no though I'm very happy with the paint on both the coach and the Jeep.
It's funny I'm in that Park in corpus Christi now that asked the age of the coach. I walked around this morning with my dog and I couldn't believe how run down some of the coaches here are and travel trailers and fifth wheels. But also the park itself has dead trees from the freeze I guess this year. They're also seem to be permanent residents here with the usual detrous of living around their RV.
When she asked me on the phone with the age of the coach was I told her it's a 1999 Foretravel. And I'll be happy to send you a picture. It looks like a new coach. She just said no you don't need to do that just come on in. So I'm not sure why they even ask. But during the winter when I was in Port Aransas there was one park that let a Schooly in and they were sorry and a couple days later asked him to leave when they found the guy sitting in a car drunk leaning forward and hitting the horn during the night. I slept through that but many others didn't.
When we stayed at Gulf Waters in Port Aransas they did ask for a pic so I told them I would have to remove some duct tape and pull the air conditioner out of the window. They chuckled and said "come on in ".
Our 95 GV was clearly the oldest coach there.
Bob. Beautiful travel package you have put together.
Wow, what a difference! Looks great!
Bob; now that I see you got your car to match the coach, I kind of wish I had done that as well. Looks fantastic and so proud for you! Poor Chief, he must be getting dizzy with all the updates! LOL
Chief is doing great. Thanks for all the support!
Super nice
Wow!
Beautiful coach, looks great, I like the headlight modification. I considered doing something similar with polished diamond plate. Way cheaper than factory upgrade and you get a "bumper". Antonio and crew are the best. Wow nice new paint shop.
Cheers Ric 8)
This is the latest to come from Antonio Geraldo in Puerto Penasco, Mx. Keep in mind this is only 65 miles from the Arizona border and 1/3 the price of Extreme, etc. You live in it on 50 amps while being painted.
Redirecting... (https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=antonio%20geraldo)
Twig,
I can't get the FB page to open.
This is the starting to be the perfect time to have the work done in Puerto Peñasco. Temps are cooling off but the ocean is about as warm as it's going to get. Low infection rate too.
Not only 1/3 the price but no one can do the graphics like Antonio can.
Pierce
Tried again and it opened fine. I like the big Toucan.
Pierce
I think we're next in line. Be there in 2 weeks and Antonio will be starting body work and a full-body paint job October 3rd. We'll be working with David on re-upholstery while there. So excited!
Joe, please post pictures here, many of us don't do facebook. Thanks.
Roger
Antonio will post a video of it in progress. I believe if you now open the link it will work without being on facebook. Hopefully it's fixed.
Easiest place to communicate with Antonio is Facebook messenger.. lots of pictures there of past jobs as well as jobs in progress. I miss seeing that family and I will return.
rvmuralpainting.mx on facebook. The whole thing.
Don't feel bad, was looking at my not yet two year old paint from Xtreme this afternoon and noticed I was missing some, rubbed my hand over it and it and more came off, not happy! They are held up as the gold standard! We spent 18CB with Xtreme and they forgot to bolt on the panels when they did the headlight conversion and now the paint is coming off.
David, call Greg at Xtreme in the morning and see what he says. Bet they step up and fix it. Here's hoping.
Hi Rudy
I will do that, was helping the economy my at MOT the last few days and am off to Waco, Austin and SanAntonio for ten days, a quick break from Ohio weather, I will call Greg at Xtreme tomorrow morning and he could possibly repair it at the end of next week
Thanks
Have an appointment with Antonio Geraldo in Puerto Penasco February 16, 2023 for a full body repaint on our 2003 40' U320. Lots of great references from 2 years ago, anyone been there in 2023?
Thanks,
Claude Cox
#15535
I would be curious to hear from those that had a full paint job done there as to how the paint has held up, and how it looks after a year or so.
Better than new and looks the same after 10+years, but probably matters a lot who does the work, how it is prepared, quality & quantity of clear coat, experience, and care of tech. . .
Odd question as all paint jobs depend on many factors, some in our control.
Barry and Cindy, yours is an Xtreme paint job.
If you follow the posts, Lon and Cheryl are asking how Antonio's paint jobs are holding up. Different question.
My Antonio paint is 3 years old and has held up well.
We've been here since October 1 and have seen Antonio a few times. He's super busy, but sending his crew to do wash, wax and buff before we leave mid December.
We had full body paint and body work done by him 2 years ago. The paint job has held up extremely well in spite of baking in the desert sun much of the year.
Antonio stands behind his work. We had a small minor bubbles on one bay door from heat on a dark spot of the paint. When we got back the following year,, Antonio took care of fixing it, quickly and without question. Super guy, always a pleasure to work with and we recommend him without hesitation.
Yeah I second antonio. He did a good job on my coach but there were some issues with paint bubbling and peeling on the back passenger side from AC condensation. I think just inadequate prep at that area. Last year I went back down and he took care of it using some of the paint that I had from him after he was finished. So far no issues with the repair.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Antonio and his crew.
I'll be heading out Dec 30th from Savannah, stopping in Nac and then continuing on to PP to have Antonio to do a full body paint on the 2001 U320. I'm very excited for the journey and looking forward to picking up the coach in late Feb to see the results!
Had mine done all last month down in PP by Abel (he worked with Antonio and branched off). Overall pleased with the work. There are a few things he needs to correct my next visit.
Chuck,did you do a complete or just graphics..? Any photos of the process ..?
Thx
Hans
Still waiting for a cost of paint. ?
Mike- I don't think they need to tell you the price, it's their prerogative. Some folks don't want to share things like this, nor should they if they so desire. If you want to know cost, why not contact Antonio/Abel directly?
My 40-ft coach from Antonio was $7000 and he said it would take 3 weeks and that's what it took. Then I got the Jeep painted as well and he quoted me three days and $1,000. It actually took four and it should have took more like five but I was getting ready to leave and didn't want to wait. He also gave me about a pint of the different colors that he used which was great cuz when I went back the next year to address a little bubbling in the back from AC condensation he used that and now a year later almost it's still perfect.
Course that was 2 years ago, prices may have gone up. Antonio has a Facebook group and he would be happy to answer your question but I don't think he'll be able to tell you exactly until he sees your coach and what you want done.
To be honest I'm kind of sorry now that I spent the $8,000 on painting when I could have used that for other things but I get compliments all the time on the coach and who wants to buff gel coat? I didn't.
PART 1 (Before)
Sorry for keeping people waiting. Had to transfer pics to the laptop.
What I started with: My coach had been (horribly) painted years before I bought it. All of the graphics had been removed and a poor paint was put on. The painted graphics were already sun bleached and sad when I got the coach. 6 years ago I went down to penasco and got the red swirl, gold, brows and Unihome painted on. It made it look less ugly, and I could live with it. Chuy at Playa Bonita and Antonio did the paint
Twig told me about a painter in Penasco who worked with Antonio and repainted his PT Cruiser. He sent me pictures of his work and looked really good. Booked him for Oct. He doesn't paint like the others and wants the coach in his shop the whole time (most painters do all the prep work at the beach or in your site, then move you to where they do the paint). He found me a house to stay in for the 3 weeks, and it was a good price ($8500 for paint, $500 for the 2-bedroom house). A lot of the communication was through Gustavo (cousin who speaks english)
Part 2 (During):
I got to Penasco, one of Abel's employees got to me and guided me to the shop. Unhooked and pulled it in. Erika met me and we went to the rental. Got all that set up, paid her, and we went back to the shop. Went over the plan for the repaint, pointed out a few things that needed special attention, then moved a bunch of stuff out for the 3 week stay.
I recommend you rent a beach house or stay at a resort. The house was 7 blocks EAST of Sam's Club in Brisas Del Golfo. This was a small local neighborhood, and I would've rather been by the beach (no one to hang out with at the house).
I checked on the shop (2 miles away) every day. Watched progress, then none, then progress. You have to take it on Mexican time. They also repainted 2 cars while I was there.
They stripped all the old paint off (see paint chips all over the ground), fixed a gouge, minor fixes, fine tuned what we were going for, and started paint. You can see the original graphics ghosted into the gel-coat.
There were some minor changes (tweaks) I wanted, and he was more than willing to do it.
Part 3 (After and other things)
So was it all smooth? Never is.
I was able to get into the coach most days to get something I forgot or to check on batteries/refrigerator. I pulled everything out of the freezer and most stuff out of the fridge the first day. I stayed on batteries for the first week, but needed to plug in after that. Electrical was iffy (no ground) and they unplugged me several times. (**This has been fixed with a permanent 30amp receptacle installed after I left JUST for customers). Lighting was iffy (**He just installed new LED lights throughout). Both of these changes were due to my discussions with Abel.
Was it on time? Nope. 3 days late (I had already built in an extra week, just in case). Everything was good (house is owned by relative, so extending was no problem). He worked on the coach up to the night before I left (I pointed out a couple flaws he fixed).
Was it worth it? YES! Is it perfect? No, but so much better than previous work I had seen from all the other painters.
Why THAT design? Well, I wanted the brows and badging to be replaced. I didn't want graphics through the bay doors (easier to clean and repair if something happens). Abel came up with the design on his own, and ran it by me. I chose the colors (except the blue border, he came up with that). He saw that I was Retired Navy, and came up with a wave for the design. He taped it out and showed me before laying paint. I gave him the thumbs up. He shot 3 coats of clear over the paint.
P.S. Sorry for the digitization on the photos. Don't know what happened, but it gives you an idea.
We share cost of almost everything .
Yeah I like that it was it easy question and your answer it never is LOL ... I have to agree with that. I stayed in Antonio's paint booth which was a jellyfish processing plant during that season. One night I took Chief out for a walk, and I locked the door and then I couldn't get back in, took a while before Antonio's dad came and helped me out, another time I tried to get out and I couldn't the lock broke they had to put in another one the next day. I bet it was a 15 amp connection and I was living in it. They told me I could just dump my tanks in the French drain that was around the area but it was so blocked up with debris that there was no way I was going to do that. After I left the next guy that came in with a country coach I think it was went to a hardware store and wired in a 50 amp connection. I asked him if he had permission from the owner and he said no but I'm not staying here without it. Whether the wires would actually support 50 amps I don't know.
The paint booth was kind of what some would call in the middle of the barrio with lots of dogs roaming around. I was worried about the dogs at first and then I realized that those dogs needed to be more worried about my dog.
I really enjoyed working with his crew, his dad, and antonio. Although I thought he spread himself out too thin but there's only a certain amount of season for that kind of stuff and he's got to make his money while he can. Not many people going down there in August. He did all my work in the Bay. From prep to paint to finish work.
Chuck the coach looks great!
Thanks for the updates with prices. I just put a 100$ deposit on an $8000 wrap. My wife will background check the business of course. , but the guy was nice, came out to measure and look at the bus. 3M should last 6-10 yrs. I'm 66 so it could work out. I cant get it painted for less than about 13k.
I've been thinking about a wrap also. Please post pictures once it's done!
Kevin
I can't remember the Forum members name but, He had his coach wrapped and as I remember, he was very happy with the result.
Unfortunately, he lost his coach to a fire not long after the wrap.
A lot of my decision is based upon availability . I can get 3-4 wraps quotes. But only 1-2 paint quotes. Plus the painters make such a mess and are generally a hassle . The wrap should take a week and be less ugly. My wife deserves to not be embarrassed excessively. She has me next to her and thats all that I can do .
Picked it up last night . The shop did a pretty good job. This had a FBP about 2010 and the stripes were painted on. They feathered the edges , including my holes that I had filled for the big awning.
I'm happy with it. I like the bright white and simple colors. I painted green lowers last year.
No idea how much I have in this at this point . But , we've towed race cars all over the east coast and Canada and never been broke down. I had one of the 2 fan belts get tossed one time on the QEW, but had the spares and made it back to my Rochester NY base. Its been very good to us and I hope to run it another 50-60 thou . Bought with 125, now reads about 153 or so.
I like to preventive maintenance it . Fuel filters, air dryer filters., oil, tires.
Paid $8000
12 tires
added front shocks to 4 total fronts , 2 rear.
4 air bags
2 air system check valves, compressor rebuild.
Modern air dryer with spin on cartridge.
Modern fuel filter , deleteting the very effective Racor . (Cracked bowel, plastic stuff, 6 seals .Unh)
almost all LED lights, interior and exterior .
2000 watts solar with 380AH battery pack
Tile flooring
Resi fridg
Electric engine cooling fans , added GM one wire alternator.
Minisplit AC
Steering stabilizer and steering box.
Muffler delete
HWH delete.
GPS speedo
Radio system with amp
Rebuilt toilet
Here is a wrapped GV. Not sure if he is still a forum member anymore. He lives in the Netherlands. As I recall, he said he paid about $5K. I like how it turned out.
Like they say in the movie business," that's a wrap "!
Could someone pass along to me this painters contact information. I don't have Facebook.
Thanks,
Robert
Facebook messenger is the only way I ever had contact with Geraldo. He was good to reply to messages but when he's doing a job and is busy it may be the evening before he replies which is completely reasonable. He Communicates very well. It may pay you to look into Facebook for that reason alone, it's the only reason I got onto Facebook.
If you are on Facebook you find him here...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/93064039001/user/100001674006866/
Also search under Puerto Penasco- fans and community to see some of the mural work.
Where did you get yours wrapped?