insomniac

iTrader: (3)

Curious to hear some reviews of anyone that had work done at a MAACO. How much did you save over other estimates and were you satisfied? Also how has it held up over time... etc

Ron U.S.M.C.

Each Maaco is going to be different as far as quality.
The one my mom used was very careful about the prep and the taping off was done in a much better fashion than expected. For $ 700.00 it came out great. 4 years latter and it still looks great.
The cars paint was extremely faded and the clear was coming off everywhere.

insomniac

iTrader: (3)

does look good.... do you know if it was a 1 stage or a base coat/ clear coat?

Ron U.S.M.C.

Its a single stage. Base/clear was not necessary.

marki

some of the stories I heard were that if you don't want it painted you better take it off or mask it up yourself...windows, lights, etc.

Also, heard they don't do much prep work. just a little scuffing of the old paint and shoot the new paint right on.

Mirror Image

iTrader: (2)

Yeah I dont see how you could do a paint job for $700 bucks if I paint a car with cheap materials I still have more then that in a paint job with labor

jrhaus76

This is a $700 Maaco job in 2006.

I did all the prep. Complete stripped the Jeep down so hardly anything needed masked. I did not scuff vehicle. I assume they did. Single stage. Held up very well. I sold it in 2010.

Ron U.S.M.C.

It’s ALL in the shop you take it to.
I know what it takes to prep and paint a car correctly without cutting corners because Ive had it done.
Maaco is a huge chain/privately run using the Maaco name and products bought in huge volume .Some take pride in what they do offer and each shop will be different.
The thing that sold me on the Maaco she went to is the attention to detail. Not a run or overspray anywhere. I meticulously went over the car following each piece of trim, around the back side of the mirrors/etc. Even the paint around the Nissan Altima name plate looked like it was removed and the paint was perfect. I popped the trunk and looked for the back side of the plate. I could not get to it. I was amazed and called them and told them so.
I would not use them on my Camaro because my friend is a professional painter with his own shop and I wanted more. And you're absolutely right about the fact he would not touch it at the $ 700.00 Maaco charged.
Also trying to just find a shop that will do a full prep and paint base/clear is next to impossible unless you are paying big bucks and even then try to get it out of the shop sooner than a couple months. Some people just can’t do it.
If you don’t want to take the chance with a Macco and can find and pay a pro to do it then that’s the way to go. This is what I had done with mine and is what you should expect with a pro for the money.= https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...nt-photos.html

ChrisV

Had a paint job done at Maaco once. The paint itself was fantastic. Only had the front end done but you couldn't tell the difference between new paint and old even if you were looking for it, blended very well. The problem was it didn't look like they taped off anything. My once black mudflaps were half silver, and my gas tank had overspray all over it.

Also, when I picked the car up the interior was full of paint dust and the smell of paint was so strong it gave you a headache. They hadn't even bothered to clean it.

I personally wouldn't go to Maaco again, but like said before me i'm sure it depends on the shop.

Ron U.S.M.C.

Seems my experience with them is a rare one. My mom actually set it up and did all the talking. I just listened to the conversation. Shes pretty straight forward and drilled him (the boss) as to what she could expect for $700.00 mainly with the taping off. He did glance out at my car a few times with a smile on his face.They had a few nice newly painted cars and trucks in the lot . A Chevelle,Monte Carlo and an old step side truck. Very nice rides.
I don't have any affiliation to nor am I shoving Maaco down anyone's throat but just wanted to share this apparently very very rare paint job.
Attention to detail with all of the trim/parts you would expect to be taped off were.

ZsTransAm

When I was looking for a job a few years back I saw a help wanted ad for MAACO, no joke, it said

"Think you can prep and tape 5 jobs in an hour? We want to talk to you"

Do you want someone like that working on your car? If you absolutely insist on getting a MAACO paint job anyways, do yourself a favor and scuff the car yourself, then tape off as much as you can because they will barely spend any time doing either.

paulo57509

Stop by your local Maaco and look at the finished cars they have parked outside. Then decide for yourself.

Keep in mind that they probably have different price "tiers" for the kind of work and materials you want.

visitor

If you're on an ultra low budget, they'll paint it (and anything in the vicinity of it), but they're certainly not the best. Only real issue Ive noticed is the single stage paint they use didn't have much depth to it (to be fair, I don't know if this is all single stage paint or only maaco)

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

As with any shop I would look at the specific person/s doing the work, not any company in general. You can have two painters working side by side and not put out the same level of work.

Mirror Image

iTrader: (2)

Thats not always true I keep I keep my eyes on the shop all the time just to make sure it's done right but I see what you are saying most shops only see green

ATSAaron

1. Not all MAACO's are the same. If there are a few in your area check them all.
2. avoid the bottom end stuff...go at least mid-grade. But their prices are negotiable too.
3. remove all your trim/wipers/lights/molding yourself. If you don't want paint on it then you need to either remove it or mask it. I did the final removal of my taillights and such in the parking lot. The biggest tell-tale of maaco jobs is their lack of masking. Don't forget to mask you exhaust/muffler too.
4. once the guys are actually sanding/prepping your car bring the painter/workers snacks/drinks. Maaco is run by a manager who never does actual body work. If you get the painters to actually care about you or your car you will get a better quality job. Be careful, there is a fine line between being appreciative and being annoying. Don't overstay your welcome. If in doubt LEAVE.

Aaron

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

Yep, that can affect the outcome too.

Ron U.S.M.C.

Well, all in all most of us have four choices when it comes to paint.
1) Don't do it.
2) Do it yourself
3) Have Maaco or some other production shop do it.
4) Save for as long as it takes to have a real pro. do it at a reputable shop.

Those that do not have the equipment or skill and can’t paint most likely don't want to save for years to get a quality paint job and will fall back on Maaco.

A pretty sad outcome for most unless you can find a good one. They are out there.
Then at least pay for one of their middle of the line jobs.

MR.GTA

Try Yelping it, depending on where you live they ought to have anywhere from 2-5 Maacos rated within 50 miles.

insomniac

iTrader: (3)

MAACO Keyport NJ did a hell of a job for me. Very Happy

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

That looks good. What did that job run you? Did you prep or did they?

insomniac

iTrader: (3)

they did all the prep... i have a few things done on the body and the windshield replaced but im pretty sure the pain base coat/ clear coat with 5 year warranty was $999

MadCelt

All I know is the one in Longwood FL does excellent work. Their top paint guy has been there over 20 years and knows his sh*t and takes pride in his work.... and the manager has stated if it were up to him, a lot of MAACO's would would their franchise licence. LOL.

visitor

My wife's del sol has a maaco paint job, the paint itself looks fine, and has held up for going on 5 years.. but there was overspray, they painted over the old decal emblems, etc. She likes it, though.

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

I've seen some as bad as fully painted over emblems and then I've seen some 'supposedly' from MAACO that looked damn near show quality... so I have no idea. Though definitely crossed my mind due to my chipped up bumper though...

insomniac

iTrader: (3)

the thing is you gotta research the reviews. even though they all operate under teh same name they are individually owned and operated...

visitor

There is one here in Oklahoma city that actually does pretty stellar work, and is reasonable. The other 2 are garbage, and the one in Tulsa that painted my wife's del sol seems chintzy, but then again, I doubt the used car dealership that had it painted spent much on prep.


This. I also think it has a lot to do with the amount of prep you do, or pay them to do. For their 199 or whatever special, of course you get ****.

al1270

Had my Corsica done about 10 years ago at one in Baltimore. Orange peal. Paint pealed from bumper all within a few months. Went back to complain they were gone. Went to another one and they were fixing a lot of stuff from the other shop that corporate closed because of problems. So, check around.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

I and 9d1burd did all the prep on my car, before we sent it off to MAACO to spray. We didn't do any taping off, but MAACO still screwed up some spots.

When they hit the car with a DA they got debris into the "PONTIAC" embossing on the bumper and sprayed over it. I had spent about 20 minutes with a rolled up sheet of sandpaper carefully sanding ALL of the lettering so the paint would stick correctly.

There was a run on the passenger side near the wing.

There was s a small bit of Fisheye on the drivers side door near the handle.

Other than that, the car looked great, and still looks great.

Is it a show car finish? No, but its still pretty glossy and easily comes clean. Its been about 4 years now, the car is in need of a light polish.

But here is the gallery I put together of the paint job.

You can see why I went with a MAACO paint job. The paint job itself was about $750. Single stage urethane with a 50/50 clear coat mix on the last application.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/855402...7631545655268/

Before:


After:

Ghettobird52

Just noticed this thread, i had my firebird 'sprayed' by maaco about 3 years ago



All body work was done by another shop/worker. For $650, it doesnt look 'bad', but its far from nice!! Bad pic but only one i have right now!

Termn8r

A friend of mine use to own a Maaco (for 5 years). He sold it because Maaco demands you give out these "$299" specials, but he hated them because they are "shady". It only covered paint. When the customer gets there he would tell them and people would get all ticked, but Maaco demanded it be sold.

It does depend on the people doing the work, but Maaco is NOT a great paint place, it is a "get r done" shop. If you want a 20 ft car (looks good from 20 ft away) go to Maaco.

In general, they ignore detail, they remove nothing, you will see masking marks and you will have orange peel. A real paint job takes weeks, not days.

I can paint a car, I can get the body to about 90%. It's that extra 10% that is important and I would put Maaco, in general again, about 80% at best.

You seen those cars that just look awesome and you aren't sure why it looks better than others? It's usually the paint.

zenish

what would take weeks to paint a car that doesn't need rust repair?

Ron U.S.M.C.

Some shops slow drag a full body prep and paint because they only work on it in between the smaller insurance jobs. That can drag it out a lot.

My friend was helping out his friend working at his body shop because his primary painter had some medical problems.

Great for the shop and great for me.

He has his own shop up north of here and was only down here for three weeks.

I just happened to have the money and he just happened to be here.

A miracle in itself.

He/we worked on my car after his day was done for about 3 to 4 so it took around 40 hours.
If he worked on it for 8hrs a day that's 5 days.

At least that's what I can remember.

Not including materials, when it was done I handed him $ 1,500.00 in cash.
That's 75 $20.00 bills or 15 $100.00's for approximately 40 hours of work.
That's cheap for what was done.

KCG

iTrader: (1)

Wheres the new one you went too?
Did you see anything they turned out?