Ok I paid 3 Gs for my car, do I want to spend 2 Gs in a paintjob? I was reading this post that said Maaco is cheap, its not the best of jobs but it should look better than the actual color. What do you guys think? Is it worth it?

My car looks like this but I want it daytona blue
I don't think Maaco would do a good job, what do you guys suggest?

Thanks!

 

this is daytona blue that someone suggested. It rocks! Since the interior of the car is beige, I think it would actually look good

 

Macco did a nice job on my friends camaro...they pulled a dent and painted the whole car and it looked great...but I guess the work could vary from shop to shop

 

All Macco's are only as good as the materials you pay for and their own employee's abilities... You pay for cheap, crappy paints that they have available, you get a crappy job that only lasts a few years. Good paint and a poor job, you get one that looks good for a few years. Pay for good materials and get a crappy job from a newbie, you get a paint job that lasts years, but may look like ***. Pay extra for Macco to use the good paint and get someone that knows what they're doing, and you'll get a great paint job that lasts for several years. It's all a crapshoot anywho.

Go to their shop and see some of their current work. Also, most guys that work at those shops paint their own project cars and daily drivers. Ask to see what they drive and when/who painted it. You could also ask previous customers from that shop as well to see which level of paint they purchased and what kind of job they got.

Macco can be just as good as any other body shop out there.

 

This is my car right after a paint job at maaco....pay the painter a lil extra dough and he'll do good work....make sure you connect with your painter and let him know how much of a car nut you are...he should do a good job

 

Ok guys, Maaco will probably be my choice. Thanks for the help

 

Here's a pic of my car after it's maaco job. The paint lasted great for the two years I had it after the job till it was wrecked.

 

And here's a pic of my buddie's 84TA after his maaco job just a few months ago.

 

i am thinking about getting a job from maaco, only because i am getting too many dents and nicks from being a daily driver and i still have to park around alot of cars which will most likely yield me more dents soon after the new paint but i rather start out new looking because i am getting tired of seeing all these dents, nicks,etc; plus i dont want to keep paying for the expensive jobs.

like said check out your local maaco and see what kinda work they do first hand.

 

I have seen some nice paint jobs from Maaco....

However if you have to drive into the ghetto, and you have people that don't speak english painting your car, then drive away....I went to the Maaco mentioned above and wanted to see it and after seeing a six-pack of beer in the painting booth, i decided to save money and go elsewhere....

I don't like the idea of the painter being drunk...

Just check around first and see cars that have been done there...

 

Yea I had my old tracker painted at the Maaco In saddle Brook Nj and they suck here. They did such a ****ty job. Like they didn't remove any of the emblems and in most cases got paint on things thaty shouldn't of had paint. I would say just save some money and get a serious paint job. I am wating to save about 1500. My friends brother will do it and it will be like showroom finish. His car that he painted one awards as a show car. So uh yea just save ur money

 

Does anyone know what brand of paint maaco uses wih their top paint job?

 

went to maaco today.
Its not in the ghetto but its on the blvd. The guy came out to check the car out and I told him some people say maaco sucks and some say its pretty good and he showed me car they had just painted for a dealer, which was the cheapest paintjob in their list and to be honest with you, when i first got to the place, i thought the car was brand new haha but then i paid attention to the little details and there are some parts that had to be sanded but he said that since it was a used dealer car, it didnt matter too much. I picked the highest quality paintjob and since they are changing the color, they have to paint the jambs and under the hood so that added up, they are also getting me the decals. All for the price of 880 bucks. DOes it sound good?

 

$880 for a color change?

That sounds a little cheap.......

I would do ALOT of prep work on the car before taking it to them....

Also make sure to remove ALL lights, decals, the taillights.....

When doing a color change it is pretty necessary to remove the gas door as well

 

if they charge you only 880 bucks... be wary... a change of color is very expensive and time consuming... as I stated before, and I state again... a car that gets a complete paint job should be about 2000 canadian bucks... add about 500 bucks more for a change of color... so you figure it out yourself... paint IS NOT CHEAP... if you think you can get away with it... you have been warned... the car may look good now but what will it be looking like in 6 months?

 

In reference to how a car will look with getting a maaco job and having the color changed, this is a pic of my 83 TA before it was done at maaco (after shot is above), and below is my friends car before it was painted (after shot is also above). Also a side note, my 83 did still look great after two years, wished I had gotten clear coat on it also, but it still looked great. Not sayin Maaco is awesome, however I was really pleased, and it was only the ambasador job (on both cars).

 

Any my buddie's car before it was painted.

 

I had my car painted for 771 at earl sheibs 3 months ago. The prep work was so ****ty that my spoiler started to chip and crack within the first month. They also missed some areas on my door, and the front bumper. Took the car back to get the spoiler and, door, and front facial to get repainted. When i got the car back there was overspray on my hood, door, quarter panel and alittle on my rims. Now the car is back in the paint shop because my spoiler is chiping again and my hood is also chiping. So i told them to repaint my whole car again. Good thing is that the paint job is under warrenty for 6 years.

 

another pic. by the way it was 771 including change of color and door jams

 

it's not about if the job is well done or not.. at 750 bucks, products included... you have to wonder where they cut... but if you don't really care about the products used... I say go for it, it is your car.. but as a professional in the auto body repairs... I would strongly recommand you save up for a good job, not something like Maaco

 

I really think it all depends on the skill of the guy painting your car. I got my car painted for dirt cheap and it came out looking awesome. I've seen paint jobs that cost 4 times what mine did and they look like crap..... I get compliments on my paint job all the time and it only cost around 700 for a complete color change (includes door jambs, under hood, under hatch, etc). Just tell your painter that your picky and want a good job, and slide him some extra cash like someone else previously mentioned. Here's a photo:

 

Hey Phat89.....What kind of rims are those and how much did u pay. I really like those..they looke sweet azz on ur car. Thanx




Tom

 

what you guys seem not to understand is that, no matter how the painter is good, he gotta use good material.. and at 700 he surely isn't using good material (I sell paint for a living, I know the cost of those things) so sure it can look good, but will it hold against weather and bad lucks? I doubt it.. that's what I mean

 

Pay for the good materials that the shops all have available and Macco locations are just as good as any other body shop can be. Just don't expect it to be under $2500-$3000.

 

It sounds like Maaco is not doing too shabby these days. I had dealt with Earl Scheib a few years back. In addition to making NUMEROUS mistakes on the car (ie painting my stripes unevenly and such as well as other stuff), my car got stolen from the shop. The previous people that worked there before had left, so when I went to have the shop fix what they messed up on, they said they wouldn't fix it because they didn't offer the services such as striping and wet sanding like the previous workers took money for doing. After talking with several rude people in the organization, I decided to let them know they would be hearing from my attorney. THey basically told me to bring it on, so I did. A few months later, I received a very nice amount of money that not only covered the paint screwups and time, but my trouble as well. THANKS, EARL SCHEIB!

 

i had my Formula painted there and my brother had his 86 Firebird painted there also but we did do 99% of the prep.
i would say do as much of the prep as you can yourself.
and both cars looked great (my bro sold his 86 2 years later)
i still have mine but just had it done 3 months ago.
btw the paint jobs cost $329.00

 

nitro my rims are centerlines saharas and paid 1300 bucks. 2100 for rims and tires

My last car was painted at macco and they did a good job on it. I only paid 500 for the paint job but my friend was a painter there so he hooked it up phat. He put in more metallic flakes, pearl and also wetsand and buff. Its better if u know somebody at the shop or slip the painters some extra cash for a good job