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How much does it cost to paint a VW T3 van?

VW T3 van with grey primer in a professional paint booth

Published January 13, 2023 Updated July 18, 2026 By Gonzalo Solaz

Learn about the author’s experience and limitations. About the author

As you may recall, the van underwent bodywork repairs and was left primed. It is now ready for the next stage: a return to the bodywork and paint shop in Valencia to complete the work that has already begun. All that remains now is to paint the VW T3 van.

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Back at the bodywork and paint shop

It’s been a long time since I finished the bodywork. During that time, I’ve been working on the van and saving up. Now I think I’m in a position to finish this part of the restoration. So I’ve phoned the workshop to see when they can take it on again. All that’s left is to call a tow truck and off it goes again.

VW T3 van body with grey primer ready for painting

Widening the wheel arches

But before having the van painted, I’ve asked them to carry out one final touch-up on the bodywork. The thing is, I realised that with the wheels and tyres I’d chosen, there was a chance that when the suspension compressed, the tyre might rub against the wheel arch. So, just to be on the safe side, it was the ideal time to sort out that potential problem.

Van wheel with little clearance between the tyre and the wheel arch
Bodywork repair on the wheel arch of a Volkswagen T3 van
Bodywork and wheel arch repair on a VW T3 Syncro van
VW T3 wing sanded with filler before painting the body

Choosing the colour and painting

With the bodywork sorted and finished, it was time to tell the workshop what colour to paint it. Easy, eh? Well, one of the hardest things about a restoration is choosing the colour to paint the van. If you’ve ever done a restoration, you’ll know what I mean. It’s a decision you can only make once, and once it’s painted, there’s no going back.

The thing is, I was considering several colours for the van: white, green, sand and a shade of grey. Four colour options, and I’d been saving photos of them that I’d found online.

Converted Volkswagen T3 Syncro camper van with grey paint and off-road accessories
Sand-coloured Volkswagen T3 Syncro pick-up with perfectly restored exterior paint
Beige Volkswagen T3 Syncro van parked in a desert landscape
Side of a matt grey VW T3 Syncro van parked in the street
Grey VW T3 Syncro van parked with off-road tyres and black wheels
Metallic grey Volkswagen T3 Syncro van parked with a roof rack
Converted Volkswagen T3 Syncro camper van in matt grey paint
Military green Volkswagen T3 Syncro van with a pop-up roof in a mountain area

In the end, after going through loads and loads of photos, I decided to paint it grey.

But of course, there are loads of shades of grey. Which one would suit it best? A satin, gloss or matt finish? A pastel grey? A shade from the original VW T3 colour chart, or from another brand? What I knew was that I wanted a dark grey, but as you can see, there were still plenty of questions to sort out.

In the end, the choice was clear: I wanted to paint the van in Land Rover’s Corris Grey.

Grey Land Rover Defender with a roof rack and LED lights parked in front of an old building
Grey Land Rover Defender parked in front of a brick wall
Grey off-road vehicle with a rooftop tent and a motorcycle in the desert
Rear view of a dark grey Range Rover parked in front of a brick wall

Final look after painting

My mind was made up; it was time to give them the paint code and let them get to work. This is the final result after it went through the paint booth.

VW T3 van with grey primer in a professional paint booth
VW T3 van painted grey inside a professional paint booth
VW T3 van painted glossy grey in a professional paint booth
Volkswagen T3 Syncro van body freshly painted dark grey

The finishing touches

As well as painting the van grey, I wanted to finish it off with two things: firstly, I wanted the lower part of the van to be painted black using a more durable paint. I suppose you’ll be familiar with Raptor or Line-X paint. Apart from the fact that I like the look of that black section, this type of paint prevents small dents or scratches on the bodywork caused, for example, by stone chips or contact with branches.

Secondly, I wanted the underside of the van to be treated with underbody protection to safeguard that whole area.

Black-painted Volkswagen T3 van chassis raised on a lift
Underside of a VW T3 van protected with paper for the painting process

Cost of painting the VW T3 van

How much did it cost to paint the VW T3 van? Well, definitely more than I expected, but you also have to bear in mind how things are. As I explained in another post on this blog, not many garages are willing to take on this sort of work. Most prefer to deal with jobs resulting from road traffic accidents. A typical dent in a wing: you take it to the garage, they repair or replace the part, it’s repainted, the insurance pays up, and that’s that. Mind you, I’m not saying that’s right or wrong; I simply understand that it’s more profitable. That’s the problem: nobody wants to take on these projects, which are much more labour-intensive and therefore more expensive.

That said, I have to point out that the hourly rate isn’t any higher than at other garages. It’s just that here, more hours will be clocked up and the bill will be higher.

Right, down to business: in the end, the total cost for bodywork and paintwork came to 7,000 euros, which could be broken down into 4,500 euros for bodywork and 2,500 euros for sanding and painting. And what do you think – is that expensive, cheap or just about right?