Jammin'Trey

Anyone who says Maaco sucks, has been messed with, I recently did ALL the prep work to my 1986 Iroc-z28. Printed off a coupon online for the 249.99 Ambassador (base level) paint job. I tool off the outer door window sweeps, sanded the car down with 220, 320, 400 grit sandpaper. Cleaned all the glass, fixed all the rust with tiger hair, bondo and bondo spot filler putty. I masked off the door handles and the mirrors. Car came out looking awesome. I can not complain at all. I am very impressed with my 249.99 + 7% sales tax = 267.49$ total out the door.

Here are some pics as it left the booth. Check it out. I am only going to own the car over the summer, In august I will post up some more pics on how the paint is lasting.

Jammin'Trey

Heres a few more...

Slash

tbh hell you did all the work no wonder you got a good job lol. all they had to do was put the paint into the spray gun and fire basically.
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it's the prep work and masking that people always give them low grades on and the exstensivity of the life for the paint, will probly last a year depending on how well coated and so on

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And Just flat out some Maaco's are good it depends on the shop. Some are good some are bad and most are horrible haha

Spikeophant

Any car I've ever seen come out of a Maco looks alright for a year, then the paint starts peeling. Let us know in a year how it looks...

jj74sd455

prep is 90% of the outcome,bad prep,bad paint,as for the price -you get what you pay for.you couldve spray canned the car and it wouldve looked good if the prep was right.couple of questions though-how many coats of primer?did they etch the rust and bondo?how many coats of paint?how many coats of clear?this will determine how long your car lasts.if i get a chance ill post my car.previous owner thought maaco was great too,cars paint started coming off when i got it a year after,good luck.

joee5

iTrader: (4)

well, white is the cheapest way to go. by doing all that work yourself, you probubly saved them money. J/K. best of luck with it. as long as your happy, then i'm happy for you.

GeeJenn91RSV8

Do they offer any kind of warranty? I had a car painted at earl schieb once and they offered a 6 year warranty for fading, cracking and peeling.

Jammin'Trey

They have a one year flake and gloss warrenty, I beleive I signed a waiver for it because I did all the prep and body work myself voiding the warrenty, The local "Professional" body shop wanted 4k to paint and do the prep.. SO, if my maaco job lasts a year (I will only own the car for 2 more months probably...) Im out 280$.... For 4k I can have fresh paint by maaco for 15 years! Getting repainted for 480 every year... LOL, I am not sure if the professional paint would last 15 years.

I think my choice with maaco was appropriate. I will get some pictures up After I get it home and get all the Iroc badges, decals, and lights on.

jj74sd455

if youre just trying to sell it in two months then you did choose well,but i say maaco sucks from experience and im not lying,i used to see disappointed people bringing their cars in to get them fixed when i worked for a local toyota dealership as a painter,i felt bad for them but you get what you pay for every time

sethteef

I agree that maaco kinda sucks when comes to a long lasting paint job. The longest I have heard lasting was five years. Also to get a proper urthane/clear paint job is over 1000 dollars and then 100-250 for prep work. So for a "proper" paint it'll run 1500 ish. The presidential package runs a slightly tougher enamel (1 stage=no clear) than the standard package. I have heard nothing good or lasting from them. Paint runs, unequal paint, and just crappy jobs done and since most people do the prep they are stuck with the crap. Now it might be cheaper than the local shop which for me was quoted at around 3000 with a lil bit of body work, and getting the door jams, etc (changing color). I shopped around when I needed a mustang painted but figured the only smart choice was learning and doing it myself. Once again I am back to the same road. It ll be cheaper this time since I only have to buy a gun once and it will be better than maaco but not quite as good the shop since I am gonna go back and get the jams later. There is reason its only 250.00 lower quality paint and that paint doesnt finish as nice anyways. You get what you paid for ... so its not much.

joe2844

the guy i bought my car from had maaco paint it. paint is less than a year old, faded to almost pink(supposed to be red) they painted over the factory pinstripes along the bottom and it is peeling everywhere. i am a painter at a real bodyshop and i know what goes on in those places. any one who buys there paint in a 55 gallon drum is goin for quantity not quality.

juanillox8

iTrader: (7)

all i gotta say is a ppg clear cost $230.00 1 gal of a white deltron paint(ppg) cost $400.00 so i'll leave the rest to you........

haps

iTrader: (4)

Having worked at a Maaco for 7 years while going to college ,I can say that if you expect a paint job to last 10 years while spending $250, you're crazy. However, if you do like the OP did and do all the prep work yourself, sanding all of the cracks and crevices, you'll get a decent job for the price. I always tell everybody to opt for the clear coat which will allow you to sand/buff it.

Jammin'Trey

Here is a pic after I got it home. I still need to do the trim striping, Iroc decals, and z28 emblems. maybe some factory small pinstripes on the upper doors and fenders (gold and black of course..)

Enjoy

Also I asked what they paint with when I picked the car up, the location I went to uses Du-Pont

devilish1

I had a $250 maaco job a couple of yrs ago as well. I wasn't looking to spend a ton on my year round DD. Not a show paint for sure but a nice cheap DD paint job. I'm happy with it.

gscz28

iTrader: (2)

I also got a maaco job 5 years...and still looks good, no peeling or chipping

they did all the work...
i just had it stripped of lights and stuff like that.
would do again.

even won 2 trophies with it 2 years ago


maaco in
lansing MI

UNCLE TOM

iTrader: (1)

maamco is a franchise . aamco transmissions is a franchise . as are many other national service outlets . it all depends on the local shop to you . would i deal with them in a large city , heck NO . smaller towns , maybe after i saw previous work . anyway good luck .

engineer1matt

How much did they charge to prep the car. Was there any repairs that had to be made or just a respray?

IMissMy86TA

i had a 57 chevy and did all the prep work with a buddy of mine. the paint lasted 6 yrs.. and kept going (sold it). My friend did his 70 monte carlo in 86 and it looks fine still. It isnt out in the weather but the paint looks as good as it did in 86....

i agree with the poster 100%

gscz28

iTrader: (2)

had no body work...total for the job with color sand and buff was 1500.00

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Keep in mind that 'MAACO' is (basically) just a name, that independent people pay a corporation to use.

Training & skills are up to each store individually. 1% might be great & turn out show quality cars, the other 99% (which is the norm for MAACO, suck.

The one I used was decent at painting (except the runs all the way around at the ground fx) but really sucked at doing body work & prep. I've seen cars come out of that same shop looking real good & the paint lasted, but on those cars (very, very few) the owner did all the body work, prepped the car & trailered the car in.

Camrs89

I work at Maaco and I think we do pretty good work for the price. Ive never seen the painter put any runs in the paint. Orange peel isnt bad at all. We are a new shop so all our stuff is new and our boss wants even the cheap paint jobs looking good. I am going to be painting my car there in the next few weeks white as well. My boss says I can paint my car for free on my free time so I will take my time and make sure it looks nice.

vengetta82

mine was painted at maaco and the job sucks. they didnt paint it the right color, didnt paint behind the mirrors, door jambs, or under the hood. plus, the paint job is supposedly 4 years old, and is oxidized so bad that there is no shine to it whatsoever. plus they masked off my berlinetta stripes, and masked the off wrong so there isnt clear on the valance or rocker panels. so now that 269 paint job will cost me a good 800 for me to do the work and have a friend paint it the original color.

haps

iTrader: (4)

Don't forget that Maaco will paint your car even if you choose not to pay for the correct prep work. For example, if your existing paint needs to be stripped because it's dry, cracked and faded, and you choose not to pay for the extra cost of proper prep work and get it painted anyway, the end result will look terrible. Maaco's fault? Not really. There is also an extra cost for painting jambs, hood, and deck lid. Perhaps the previous owner opted not to pay the additional costs.

danziger

Had my wife's daily-driver painted at Maaco and the paint lasted exactly one year. After that, it flaked off and faded out. Worth $250? If you aren't going to keep the car, I'd say "sure!"

williarp

I am a DuPont paint rep that handles Maaco. Some Maacos are good, some are bad. I feel that the larger shops that have the better equipment (downdraft booth, frame machine, etc) and uses DuPont is your best bet. I know I work for DuPont, but our Nason is the best product out there. Some of the other companies don't really have a workable product, especially single stage. So if they used DuPont on your Z, and you did the prep RIGHT, that finish should last 5-8 years, easy.

Coolwheels84

iTrader: (5)

Well this is an old thread, but I will throw my .02 worth in. Most of you know that Maaco did my car and I paid for their best BC/CC paint. They did all the body work which mostly centered on straightening out the wavy doors. I Paid $2500 which included the two tone paint and it comes with a 5 year warranty. I removed all the lights, mirrors, interior, gfx, spoilers, weatherstriping, bumpers, etc.... I also reassembled the car myself. It's been about 7 months and still looks new.
Before:


During:


After.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Maaco did my paint as well. Though I also did all of my own prep and body work. 3 years later its fine.

I had a single stage urethane paint. It looks okay, shines up well enough, never been polished and its about time for that. The reflections are getting a little dull.

The biggest issue was the durability of the paint, it isn't anywhere near as hard as a BC/CC so rock chips tend to dig deep and paint comes off in rather large chunks.

Its straight up white, so with some time and touch up paint is pretty much possible to lay it in there and match it very closely.

I've got a few spots I need to hit as some rock chips have some rust bubbling under it.

But I knew the paint wouldn't last as long as a BC/CC job would. I also didn't pay that much either.

Before:


Middle:


After:

Richboll

I've had about 4 cars painted at Maaco. I was happy with all of them except the most expensive one with clearcoat. The clear started flaking after about a year and a half. I will go back to Maaco when I need new paint. You can paint it every year if needed, for many years, for less than what a quality bodyshop paint job costs and that's great if you use your 3rd Gen as a daily driver. If you keep yours a a garage queen/showcar, I'd definitely go with the quality paint job.

As this is an old thread, I'd be interested in hearing from the OP on how his Maaco paint job held up.

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

I thought all the Maaco were using sherwin williams "dimensions" line?

-- Joe

82tarecaro

iTrader: (4)

Not sure if that is the case - but I just shot some Sherwin Williams Dimension single stage under the hood of my car. I needed to repair some surface rust and flaking paint. It shot fairly well, and I am a noob at painting. I can't speak of its longevity, but I figured for under the hood on frame rails it should be fine.

Boosted_Ecotec

I'd be interested to know how well his paint has held up too. I think it's hit or miss with these guys. I had a Suburban sprayed by a shop in San Diego years ago and it sucked at 2 years (was a darker color similar to a Navy blue).

NotsosleepyZ

prep is 75% of the outcome, my father has ran a body shop for several years and owned em, one of the problems is they use fake enamal paint its not real and its not quality, if you did the prep work it will last you awhile and if your happy with it awesome but im willing to bet with in 8 months to a year it will start loosing shine and peeling shortly there after, we just painted my dads 70 camaro and at 60%off supplies and a free gallon of clear coat it still (just buying the materials) cost him 2900 dollars..

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

$2900 in materials ?

I don't know where you came up with this "fake enamel". Maaco buys paint from national distributors, such as Dupont and Sherwin Williams. They use actual product lines that you or I or anyone could buy as well. As I said, I know some of the Maaco's on northeast use the "Dimensions" line. 4th dimensions base is around $200 / gallon, which is enough to shoot a whole second gen.

I've been thinking of using PPG Deltron on my current build, which is about $100 gallon and mixes 1:1.

For the single stage enamel stuff again, they use national brand stuff and buy it in mega bulk.

-- Joe

NotsosleepyZ

he sprays sikkens or akzo-nobel, as for the fake enamal ive heard from several paint reps and previous maaco painters, and the paint was also the new synergy green on the new camaros so a brand new formula not as inexpensive as a more common color

NotsosleepyZ

the paint alone was 600 for a gallon, the 2900 is bondo, sand paper paint, polly, pr15 for interior, primer, and free clear coat normally 300 a gallon and a quart of rally black for the hood

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

WA708S (synergy green) in Sikkens is #CHE-10 GHS, which is $400ish / gallon.

(Sikkens and akzo-nobel = same brand)

Their is no question it's good paint, but, a bit off base when comparing to Maaco don't you think? If your dad painted his car with Omni that might be a better comparison.

-- Joe

NotsosleepyZ

fair enough, and i am probably wrong bout fake enamal they may use the cheap hardner or something thats just the way it was explained to me, and we bought over a gallon cause the color is tanslucent so we wanted to make sure there was enough for small redo if something went wrong, i should have said 600 dollars for the paint not a gallon

86_irocz-28

hey trey are you out of omaha ne if so im pretty sure im the one who bought this car from you!
9 months after i bought it

Yenipenny

I'm respectfully calling you on the $2900. figure. In my professional career, I have bought thousands of gallons of various types of paint, most of it basecoat, and thousands of gallons of clearcoats, mostly top end types as well as all the materials necessary for running a mega collision repair shop. I'm reasonably acquainted with materials prices.

I have personally built several of my own cars over the years and even at today's prices, There is no way anyone could spend $2900. for materials on a restoration paint job. I don't get a 60% discount and the last car I did to near "show" condition only cost $1700. for all materials. FWIW, a 60% discount would be far, far below jobber cost.

I'm currently doing a nice refinish on my Camaro and when I finish, I'll only be in the $900. range. That's using one of DuPont's top end clears and using enough clear to bury the Heritage stripes front and rear.

Ron U.S.M.C.

My mom payed $700.00 for her maaco paint job 3 years ago and it still looks good.

Sorry this is off topic .= $3,000.00 dollar B/C with the best PPG has to offer.
Here's a link if you want a look at some of the process and results.= https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...nt-photos.html
Does that look/sound about right Yenipenny ?

Yenipenny

Nice paint job. Yep, the prices are about right.

NotsosleepyZ

Ron U.S.M.C.

Looks like a really nice car.
Do you have any larger photos.

NotsosleepyZ

im at work at the moment ill get some larger ones and upload em for ya soon its dusty now or i would take some new ones with the mirroros on plus this was when it was still at the shop, looks 100 times better in the sunlight

NotsosleepyZ

Mark McClendon

2007 Hyundai accent

RKeats

2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Duck. Light post. I'm Ron Burgundy?

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

4 score and SEVEN YEARS AGO....was the last post!

vinny R

Maaco sucked backed then and nothing has changed!