My understanding is that primer covers the old paint therefore you nedd not strip it to the metal...correct me if I'm wrong!

 

Thats what I thought

 

that depends really, if you want to do a complete color change and make it look original and have less potential paint issues, you strip it all the way down, then you use epoxy primer, wich adheres to bare metal, then surfacer primer(sand able primer aka liquid bondo), then sealer primer, sometime you can just wetsand the surfacer right away and color and clear over it. thats how its done. just scuffing the original paint is ideal if you want to keep the car the original color.
if you just scuff the old paint, the old paint (like some auto manufacturers have issues with) will peel off, and cause damage to the new paint from the inside out

basically im stripping it down to bare metal because 1) its more of the "right way" and 2)its going to be there for a while, might as well do it and make it look good.
3) if the old paint decideds to peel on my in the future, i dont want it to **** up my "bayside blue"

so yes you are correct, i could just scuff the paint and prime and paint over it, but it holds more potential issues in the furture and is more recomended for same color(AT SOMETIMES YOU DONT EVEN HAVE TO PRIME)but different colors require more steps, and require the old paint stripped for a true color change and is not recomended what so ever to just prime and paint over the old paint unless you are repainting it the same color

 

chowderhead, this is AUDIforums :P

 

ill slap on a set of rings just for you ok? :P

 

^ My opinion. If there's no issues with the old paint"as far as peeling or cancer under the base coat" , there shouldn't be any issues with the new paint. It's all in the prep work! I wouldn't bother taking it to that level unless I wanted a show car! Anyways...... It's an Altima.

 

i know, but i got plenty of time, its my senior project, so the next 7 months are free to do what ever. might as well take it all the way to kill time, is going to be bare metal within a month, and painting it will take not even a month, maybe 2

 

^Wow....what color you going to paint it?

 

that color

 

^ sick