so whats the deal with this maaco car painting shop any good if you go with the top 1 coat base/ clear coat deal?

 

I knew a couple people that had Maaco paint jobs done to their f-bodies. Bascially they just wanted to put on a cheap coat of paint before selling the cars. Granted the work looked good, I don't know how well it has held up over the years. Its like the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

 

I think I bought one of those, cuz my paint is falling apart!

 

I know two people that have paid pretty high prices for Maaco's "good" paint services and they were just as cheap as if they bought the $255 paint job. My friend got his Camaro painted there and spent 1300 bucks for it. He was backing up and trapped his buddy between a car and truck. Well the kids leg broke his paint job. His friend was unharmed. Really says something for that paint. On top of that, they didn't remove the rear spoiler to paint over it, missed a spot of primer on the front bumper in the foglight area and had more runs than a marathon.

The other guy I know paid $2000 for his paint job and also got ripped. They didn't do ANY body work, there were runs and sags all over the place, and there wasn't really much gloss to the paint. He had the bed lined with line-x several weeks later...the blue painters tape pulled Maaco's paint right off the truck.

Make your decisions wisely.

 

They definitely cut corners, one friend had his old Plymouth painted there and they painted all over the door stickers. The other guys I mentioned with the f-bodies, the weatherstripping, tail lights, ect. ,were not removed, just taped over. How do I know this, because they had the cars painted different colors and when they popped out a taillight, the paint was different. Like I said, you pay for what you get. If you want a quick, budget paint job, then it may be right for you. Otherwise, I would spend a little more and get more.

 

do the prep and everything yourself, and it wont be TERRIBLE.
i would still rather save up a bit more and get it done somewhere where i wont be worrying about the paint running off in the rain, lol.

 

Like others have said, if you're looking for something that isn't great but looks better than what you got (maybe to sell the car) Maaco is great. If the paint is bad enough that you're considering Maaco, you'll get the the few hundred dollars back in the sell price. If you're looking for something to take to the car show... Well, you get the point.

 

my opinion on their paint jobs is the same as all the others i have a gallon of color i want on my car but refuse to go their i would rather wait until i get the $2500 for paint that will last

 

I got my car painted at maaco back in november for around $550.It looks great and i like it..no flaking,overspray,drips nothing i like it.

 

Where's your nose emblem?

 

Didnt want one!

 

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that is nice paint,i guess it depends on weather you can find one around that does do good paint-seems like you lucked out

 

Maaco is a hit and miss paint place. Because they sacrifice time in prep for volume and numbers at the end of the month. The single stage paint doesnt work as well or last as long as a good base/clear type of paint.

Anybody who uses Maaco should do some of the prep themselves. Because instead of removing body components to paint they will mask it off and paint around it. You gotta remove the spoiler, headlights, sidemarker and taillights, mirrors, emblems, etc... So it doesnt look so blotchy.

Use the factory paint as a base unless it's rusty or cracking. base/clear it with a few good coats and then wetsand and buff it. Will come out better.

Not to mention, the quality of the paint means alot too. If you use crap, it wont come out as nice than it would have if they used PPG or dupont.

And if a bumper cover broke the paint by hitting somebody's leg, they probably forgot to use a flex additive in the paint...warranty it!

The paint job is only as good as the prepwork, not so much the quality of the materials. I'm not suprised they painted over the decals... mine was like that when I bought my '86 almost 8 years ago...

 

I'm looking to get mine painted at Maaco. It looks pretty bad right now. The hood has the clearcoat or whatnot peeling off it. Should I sand that down or something before I take it into Maaco to get painted or what?

 

you might be able to wetsand the hood with some 3000-2000 grit and buff it out. Sometimes you can wetsand then powerbuff the scratches out so you wont need a paintjob for a little while longer. Wetsand (careful on edges or if the runoff changes from white (clearcoat) to the color of the paint, then buff with some swirl remover then wax it. I'm sure someone who details will chime in and give you more detailed info but it worked for me on my thirdgen