maaco paint job

[pizza3260]

has any body got a maaco paint job, i went to maaco to get an estimate on a complete strip of all my 5 layers of paint, body work on 3 area's, 2 coats primer,base coat,wet sand,2 layers clear coat. total cost $2,200.00.
i went to a private shop & they wanted $6,000.00. all input needed.
1973 coupe

thanks
tom b

 

[TLeBlanc]

has any body got a maaco paint job, i went to maaco to get an estimate on a complete strip of all my 5 layers of paint, body work on 3 area's, 2 coats primer,base coat,wet sand,2 layers clear coat. total cost $2,200.00.
i went to a private shop & they wanted $6,000.00. all input needed.
1973 coupe

thanks
tom b

Hi Tom,

This was many years ago, but I had a truck painted by Maaco. It looked great till I drove in the rain, and then paint began to peel..... took it back about 4 or 5 times to get touch ups. Never was able to get it like I wanted......I swore I'd never even take my lawnmower in for them to paint

 

[JonM]

You get what you pay for...Maaco's paint it bought in 55 gallon drums and very low quality. They also hire kids just out of trade schools to do the work.

 

[80vette_ca]

Like TLeBlanc said it looks good for a while then you will be going back for touch ups, the price is low but the quality is just not what it should be. Depending on your budget you may want to spend the extra cash and get it done right the first time. I don't think you want your car in the paint shop more then its in your driveway

 

[Tripleblack51]

I've never had any work done by Maaco, but believe in
"You get what you pay for".
Over the years, I've seen their work and what I've seen is that it doesn't last.
Why is there a $3,800.00 difference?
I'd want to know.
How different are the shops' processes?
Do you know anyone that's had paint & body work done by either/both that's more than two years old?
How does the paint look?
If you're going to sell the car soon, I'd go with an inexpensive job.
If you plan on keeping your vette for a long while, get the best that you can afford.

You don't paint your car very often (hopefully), and the paint is the biggest cosmetic aspect of our cars.

You asked. That's my opinion.

I'm outta material..

Pedro

has any body got a maaco paint job, i went to maaco to get an estimate on a complete strip of all my 5 layers of paint, body work on 3 area's, 2 coats primer,base coat,wet sand,2 layers clear coat. total cost $2,200.00.
i went to a private shop & they wanted $6,000.00. all input needed.
1973 coupe

thanks
tom b

 

[MoeJr]

Maaco's paint job quality also depends on who owns the shop. The one here in Manchester NH does good work. I had a 74 Vette Convert painted there last year and you can shave in it and it has been caught in the rain a couple times. Was basecoat/clearcoat and total from Maaco was 1200 bucks and it ahd a deep shine. They do not do wet sand and buff and I had that done elsewhere for 200 bucks. So for about 1500 he got a good paint job that shines and he doesn't have to be anal about the car because he had a 6-8000 dollar paint job done. There were some fish eyes in the paint but most buffed out and what was left you have to have your nose on the car to see them.


:bar

 

[DOCMOW]

painted my work truck it looked good at 10ft stayed on for 2 years did last

of so they did not bake it on my 1978 vette bought at auction where they sain was matco job looked bad at 1foot and washes of with hose pressuer in sheets
o well its just a driver docmow

 

[drags1998]

I dont mean to sound HARSH but, Only YOU can be the judge on what type of job you can or will tolerate. I wouldnt do it because I feel that my car is WAY to NICE for that type of Quality work!!!!!!!!

 

[75DropTop]

Uh Oh - Better NOT Get Maaco

 

[BruceBed]

My buddy was a used car wholesaler, he used to use Maaco on his cars. Fast in and out. He was afraid to leave them out in the rain after being sprayed. I had my car repainted in 1990 and gave the guy 3300. The car still draws a crowd. You get what you pay for...........

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Hey Tom,
I'd say no, don't take it to Maaco. However, I recall reading somewhere here at CAC how a member got a fantastic paint job for his vette at a Maaco, BUT, the painter was about 40 years old and experienced in painting fiberglass.
I really feel the painter's experience made the difference.

Painting fiberglass is tricky. If you touch the fiberglass with your hand, the oils on your skin can make the paint not stick there. Common area is around the door handles. (Mine has bubbles at the door handles.) Prep work is key when painting vettes, and the painter has to have proper knowledge and technique to get a good job.

Reasonable prices are out there. Keep looking for a shop that has them AND an expreienced fiberglass painter. Perhaps you could contact a local car club and see who the members recommend?
Heidi

ps...husband had mine painted about 5 years ago in WA state, just before we moved here. We paid $3500 and were very happy with the results. I don't think the shop owner knew what he was getting himself into...he had just hired an experienced fiberglass painter...they did my 78SA with no decal/stripe kit. Everything was masked and painted. At $3500, I STOLE that paint job from the shop!
h

 

[KANE]

has any body got a maaco paint job, i went to maaco to get an estimate on a complete strip of all my 5 layers of paint, body work on 3 area's, 2 coats primer,base coat,wet sand,2 layers clear coat. total cost $2,200.00.
i went to a private shop & they wanted $6,000.00. all input needed.
1973 coupe

thanks
tom b

Just remember.... its your car. The road to disappointment is paved in promises. I paid $3500 for a Z28 Camaro to be painted. 4/4 base/clear and body work like a fender, rocker panel, and rear quarter panel. It looked great. Wish I hadn't sold it... but it helped pay formy vette!!

 

[hAZcAT]

I had my Bronco painted by them. I would NOT LET THEM TOUCH MY VETTE or even look at it. On my Bronco, they missed spots, did not put enough hardner in the paint it was soft months later, left a two foot long run on the drivers door. over spray all over the place. I fought with them for quite awhile until I gave up although they did fix some things but they wouldn't paint the back bottom corners by the bumpers..

I rather drive a ricer then take my Vette to Macco

 

[C5Richard]

Maaco refuses to use the high quality products required to even be in the realm of insurance grade repair work. They typically use Nason grade paints which are about $25 a gallon compared to the standard of around $400 a sprayable gallon.
You should however be able to find some independent that will give you a better value. I offer a good enough job with the highest quality paint for $2500 on a vette for inside and outside refinish. We pull the doors and hood off and fake the rest including leaving the bumper covers on. $4500 we pull everything off assuming the customer will provide new bumper covers. And we consider that showcar quality. The standard insurance rate on a refinish, outside only, is $1700.

Richard.

BTW. My father inlaw bought a Maaco only to sell it off later as he found 80% of his customers would take him to court. He would win every one of them but it's still just the fact it's so deceptive people really believe they were getting a factory type paint job.

 

[C5Richard]

painted my work truck it looked good at 10ft stayed on for 2 years did last

of so they did not bake it on my 1978 vette bought at auction where they sain was matco job looked bad at 1foot and washes of with hose pressuer in sheets
o well its just a driver docmow

The "baking" thing is quite deceptive also. It's simply heat drying the paint to increase the amount of cars a Maaco can do everyday. The bulk of their business is cheesy car lots that send loads of cars there at $200 each.
Maaco can paint a complete car every 30 to 45 minutes. So they "force dry" the car ahead of the one being painted for the same amount of time. There is actually no such thing as "baking on a finish" for increasing the life of the paint and how well it sticks. Baking actually decreases the life of the paint as does chemical acceleration.

Richard.

 

[photovette]

You might as well spray it yourself than use MACCO.

 

[Bob Chadwick]

The Maaco poll has made it's run around here before. A search brings up several references.

The bottom line last time this was discussed was crappy material, lousy preparation and a lot of overspray. They cut corners in material and prep. On the other hand, there were a lot of good things to say about the quality of some of the people doing the painting mainly because of the sheer volume of paint that they spray.

I think the bottom line was prep yourself, bring good quality paint for them to use and you had a chance to get a good paint job.

 

[MoeJr]

I have some pics coming of a 74 Vette Vert I had painted at our local Maaco.
The car came out sweet with only a few fish eyes that mostly buffed out. I was extremely impressed.

 

[ruby76]

Go to local car shows this spring/summer. It will sound funny, but sure enough you'll find one that "smells" like it has just been painted. Then ask the owner about it, I've found that many of the "professional" painters that work in body shops have their own hobby body/paint booth at home, or have access to one and will paint your ride for much less than the shop quote. Of course if you want them to do ALL of the stripping etc, it will take a lot of time.

Id get a hold of someone to paint and have them instruct you how to stip it yourself, saving some money and labor costs. Plus you'll get the satisfaction of knowing you did some of the hard work on your own. Course Im a glutton for doing these kinds of things on my own. I just hate giving people MY money.