Maaco Paint Job [Merged 2-7]

[Johnny Spyder]

It's all about the prep work prior to spraying...and each location does it their own way. Which is why some people will have excellent experiences with places such as Maaco and others will say they suck. Ask a few questions at the places you're interested in before anything...such as how many coats they apply, and what they do to prep your car.

 

[nathanstl]

Ok guys I just had mine done. It looks pretty good. Way better than I was expecting. I'll take some pics today and post them tonight.

 

[nathanstl]

Here's a pic

 

[JoeZ]

....teaser...

 

[TBSpyder]

I just got my front bumper painted at "Econo Auto Painting" (similar to Maaco) and they did a pretty good job...other than the fact that they didn't take the time to lift my car to get the underneath of the bumper real good.

 

[nathanstl]

I tried to attach a picture but it didnt work. Hopefully it works this time. Here is a link also:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4288998281

 

[92BaSeBoMBeR]

How much did u pay, and where exactly did you get that done?

 

[nathanstl]

I paid $430 for everything including taxes and that included a decal removal fee of $50 so I guess just $380 for the paint job. I got it done at MAACO here in St. Louis.

 

[phastalon]

that looks pretty good, can't argue with $430. what color is it? it looks almost like a navy blue from the pics.

 

[nathanstl]

Yes its a very dark blue metallic. It looks black in the shade and navy blue in the sun. I like it and yes it's great for $430, but I have to wait and see how it holds.

Nathan

 

[ntjoe]

I had a $200 Earl Schieb paint job on an older car I had. I did the body work myself and it looked pretty good actually. It wouldnt have won any awards but it looked good. I kept the car for a year before I sold it and it was looking good when I got rid of it.

 

[L2RTSiAWD]

I may be doing that with my car since it needs paint but I sure as hell aren't spending 1k or more.

 

[phastalon]

Originally posted by ntjoe
I had a $200 Earl Schieb paint job on an older car I had. I did the body work myself and it looked pretty good actually. It wouldnt have won any awards but it looked good. I kept the car for a year before I sold it and it was looking good when I got rid of it.

Did you do all of the primering too, or was that something the shop took care of for you?

 

[Balleriffic1]

what you gotta ask the people before they work on anything is ask them what type of paint they use? if its base+clear coat, ur on the right track (the more coats, the better). The minute they say enamel, DROP THEM! i am warning you, i probably have the most pathetic paintjob on dsmtuners AND dsmtalk unfortunately.
My car was SUPPOSED to be jet black, but no kidding, when my friends first saw my car at night, they went to me "dude did u paint it gray"
When birds crap on my car it is immediately etched into my paint and even if i wash it off u can still see where the crap was

 

[ntjoe]

Originally posted by phastalon


Did you do all of the primering too, or was that something the shop took care of for you?

Yeah I did. They don't primer anything, they just rough up the old paint so the new paint can grab it. I sanded my car down, used aircraft stripper, then primed it using a friends air compressor. I also removed all the trim and emblems that I could, and then drove it to the shop.

But like I said it turned out good (not show quality) but real good.

Joe

 

[dsmturboawd]

those places are actually great. they get a bad rap because of 150 dollar jobs. a 900 dollar paint job from those places look great.

 

[dewman0012]

i went with maaco, i thought it looked great, go to http://www.cardomain.com/id/dewman0012 to check out my pics

 

[Frontwheeler]

I've been painting at a bodyshop for a while now, and I've also painted my 1990 TSi. I'll warn you guys, if you don't get all the door dings and deep scratches taken out, you'll regret it. Once you get a couple coats of glossy clear on your car, any inperfections will stick out horriblly.

And prep work before paint is key. Cut rait paint jobs usually have good painters, but juts dont spend time preping. And if you don't get Basecoat/Clearcoat, it's cheaper, but will fade if not garaged.

 

[Frontwheeler]

Oh, and any of you 1G guys that have the flat black spoiler that wraps all the way around. Have it and your side mirrors clear coated. You don't even have to lay any base color down if your spoiler is in good shape.
You love the results. Makes your whole car look new

 

[Mason]

I work in a bodyshop and we got in a car with a Maaco paint job. First thing we did was powerwash the mud off the car and guess what, the
paint came off with it. The prep work was so bad that I actually buffed
the car back.

 

[greyforestgst]

if you prep it yourself, and make sure REAL paint is used (not the fake shit maaco sprays that lasts for 2 years) its kinda hard to #### up.

the only bad part is that nice paint is pretty expensive; most of the time, costing more than a maaco job with labor, so be prepared to dish out 4x or so the cash for real primer, base, color, clear, etc etc.

 

[nathanstl]

I have a 2 year warranty guarding against fading or peeling. It was a maaco job and I even get compliments on it. I never keep a car for more than 2 years anyway and their isnt anyway I was going to spend $1500-$2500 just for paint on a $1500 car. I probably wouldn't use it on a vehicle that I was financing. Bottom line is, it looks great and it was $400!

 

[splattj]

If you aren't as picky about your color as you are cheap you can go to the local auto paint distributer (Finishmaster ect.) and see if they have any paint that got mixed to the wrong color or that a customer had special made and then never paid for/picked up. They are usually willing to sell that stuff to you CHEAP if not for free. After all paint is hazardous waste that they have to pay to dispose of properly....

 

[iisbernhard]

heres a 5 month old maaco paint job that cost 450 bucks...you tell me if it looks good or not

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[phastalon]

Originally posted by iisbernhard
heres a 5 month old maaco paint job that cost 450 bucks...you tell me if it looks good or not

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well.....it is a saturn

just kiddin bro, looks very good for $450