87iroc20

Hey guys. I know there's a lot of Maaco threads on here, but I haven't seen one that talks about rust removal. I have a 1987 IROC with some surface rust forming around the wheel wells on either side and some around the t-top bar. I've seen and heard of the poor paint jobs they provide, but I really don't have the money to get it done the right way at a body shop and have them spot paint so that's out of the question for now. My question is has anyone had any experience with their rust removal and spot painting? If so, did they do a good job? Any comments are greatly appreciated.

theNMBR27

I took my firebird in for rust removal and they did a great job of that, but they also had some runs in the paint that they fixed and crashed my car. So if you feel you can trust them just make sure to inspect the paint closely.

87iroc20

Crashed it?? As in they drove it around and crashed it?

I should also include that I know a guy who works at Maaco who's a fairly good friend of mine who said he'd take care of me, yet the fact that it's STILL Maaco worries me. I don't think he'd treat my car like ****, but again, Maaco

1ADan

iTrader: (4)

Maaco's really a hit-or-miss. They do get a lot of flack for having less-than-great staff, but you can strike it good and find someone who takes pride in what they do and have experience. The equipment at these places is supposed to be pretty decent as well. It just comes down to doing research on the shop in question and seeing some of their work.

UNCLE TOM

iTrader: (1)

as 1adan its a hit or miss thing . maaco is a franchise , all shops operate under their name . for the most part use their products . but , the shops are independently owned . so it depends , some are good , some are not . check your local shops past performance . good luck .

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

just had mine done, excellent job besides the paint on the muffler and airdam and tire, but they fixed it all

stealth305

hey they offer a $250 paint job, who does that? Maaco is just a name, I have seen better than show room cars come out of there, and then I have seen some my 4 yr old son could do with a spray bomb. I agree with UNCLE TOM, research that particular shop.

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

listen to the guy above then look at my pictures, its amazing

87iroc20

That's pretty sleek looking man! I checked out the shop and the work seemed pretty nice. I think I'm gonna take it there. Thanks for all the help guys!

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

you wont regret it

valicswarrior

iTrader: (1)

Yeah def look for online review or something because my stepfather sent his expedition in and wanted a body kit installed at the same time are the paint they riveted on the kit and then sprayed it lol leaving the rivet completely visible and the spray right over the price sticker for the side skirt of the body kit was a real crappy job for $1100

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Truthfully IMO those who take real pride in their work probably wouldn't set foot in Maaco, or any franchise.

You do get what you pay for.

I'm of the thought that if you can't afford to have it fixed properly at a real body shop, then you only further put yourself in the hole with a patch job, and two-fold at that--more work to do later, and more money out the window to do it now.

I'd hold off and keep saving money.

zraffz

Really? I always bashed Maaco for the paint job they did on an old friend's Camaro... I could have rattle canned better than they sprayed.

I was down in Pottstown, PA visiting my buddy at UTI and stopped by the local Maaco. I talked to the owner for a few hours, he said he bought into the Maaco franchise because after having his own body shop for something like 15-20 years he figured he could make more money with a well-known name or something like that.

Anyway, when I say this man did all the painting and prep himself; I mean just that. Needless to say I saw a $250 paint job on a third gen Trans Am and it looked almost perfect; the only flaw was on the wing. It could have used a good wetsand. I asked him why he didn't touch it up because it could have been perfect and he just smiled and said something like "The cheaper paint jobs get cheaper paint, I'd have to redo that entire wing".

I would absolutely bring my car to that Maaco and plan on doing so in a few months.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

That guy is the exception and not the rule, but you said--he sent a car out the door with a poorly finished wing, and cheap, low-quality paint applicable to a $250 paint job.

Nobody's getting PPG/DuPont/Sherwin Williams, even if they are doing good prep work at the shop.

IIRC I remember reading someone here say they have just 8-10 basic colors, like RED, GREEN, BLUE, etc., and to match your color they just add white and black, or something to that effect.

Good work only goes so far if the materials are poor.

Maaco=get it in, get it out, pass go and collect $200.

valicswarrior

iTrader: (1)

dude honestly i would wait also i mean the car may look great now but the clear will prolly start popping in like a couple years and thats just not wor0ht it. i spent about $1700 on my paint which is cheap in the paint world but i found a guy that owns his own shop works for himself and that was his price he used ppg paint on my car and i am in love with how it came out

HawkZ28

iTrader: (2)

On topic- I had the local Maaco do some rust and dent repair on my 83 that I used to have. Just the work- no paint. It was 1/2 a$$ed at best- the SOB's charged me for pulling the dent, but just filled the whole thing in. I found out when I sanded it down later on for paint that it was just a big hunk'o'chunk'o body filler. That cost me the same as a Maaco paint job- $250.

On the other hand, my Dad had some rust repaired on his F150. It was on the bed between the passneger rear wheel, and front of the bed. He took it to AutoKraft- a local shop that has had several cars featured in *cough* ford and mustang magazines, and they did a FANTASTIC job. It also cost him $1500 for the replacement and paint of a roughly 6x18" section. But, they showed him how it happened, primered and painted the backside of the panels and welded in a panel to prevent dirt, gravel, and mud from getting in there (hunting truck). Doug, the owner, also told my dad that he didn't like the fact that his truck was completely red, and for $100, he'd shoot the entire bottom side from trim down silver, black, whatever color he wanted for a two tone look because "they just look sharper".

Off topic/on current tangent- a neighbor of mine in college used to manage a paint distributor in town. He told me that the quality of Maaco's paint is actually pretty good (at least the one here in town), and that they utilized an integrated clear coat that eliminated the clear peeling.

Admittedly, I know enough about paint to be dangerous, so I just smiled and nodded.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Fancy words for "single stage".

Opher

iTrader: (1)

You seem to be about the only one who understands this Maaco thing.

You get what you pay for. I own a small restoration shop. I wouldnt even turn the lights on in the shop and paint a car for $250. I think $250 would cover tape,paper, some lacquer thinner and maybe some rubber gloves.

musclecar70sfan

iTrader: (1)

Unless you trust the shop and know the workers personally, I'd avoid Maaco rust repair like the plague. They "repaired" the rust/rot in my 1994 Jimmy and a few months later the bondo started bubbling up and crumbling apart; turns out they just slathered body filler on top of the rusty holes with little/no prep work.