Re-painting? Options

[Daftboy]

OK well within the next few months I would really like to paint my car over.....think i should trust macco to do it ?

This post has been edited by Daftboy: Jun 1, 2007 - 2:32 PM

[recycle]

its ur car! u choose what u like!

[bccentaur3]

I think you should. My friend always goes to maaco because it cheap. They on't do that bad of a job, they just forget to mask some part out. Make sure you do your own body work.

[jason]

ive seen some of their work, they say to tell them "lite sand" to cut the cost, but it looks like a joke when done, get the 3rd or 4th tear that they offer (the more expensive ones) the cheaper 2 suck imo if you can wait, im testing out ferrari red on an 89 acclaim - car was litterally rust maybe 3 square feet of primer then possibly a square foot of dark blue, thats my lil body work guinney pig

but x2 for the taping... tell them to take their time and do it right, all that matters is that your happy an 800 paint job can do that if done right AND make you happy about not droppin 1500+ on paint

[presure2]

ive seen some of their work, they say to tell them "lite sand" to cut the cost, but it looks like a joke when done, get the 3rd or 4th tear that they offer (the more expensive ones) the cheaper 2 suck imo if you can wait, im testing out ferrari red on an 89 acclaim - car was litterally rust maybe 3 square feet of primer then possibly a square foot of dark blue, thats my lil body work guinney pig

but x2 for the taping... tell them to take their time and do it right, all that matters is that your happy an 800 paint job can do that if done right AND make you happy about not droppin 1500+ on paint

lol..
unless youve WORKED @ maaco, you really dont know.

eric, ill give you the rundown next week @ DWG, i work @ a maaco.

[NaderG]

ive seen some of their work, they say to tell them "lite sand" to cut the cost, but it looks like a joke when done, get the 3rd or 4th tear that they offer (the more expensive ones) the cheaper 2 suck imo if you can wait, im testing out ferrari red on an 89 acclaim - car was litterally rust maybe 3 square feet of primer then possibly a square foot of dark blue, thats my lil body work guinney pig

but x2 for the taping... tell them to take their time and do it right, all that matters is that your happy an 800 paint job can do that if done right AND make you happy about not droppin 1500+ on paint

lol..
unless youve WORKED @ maaco, you really dont know.

eric, ill give you the rundown next week @ DWG, i work @ a maaco.

well pressure , not all maaco's are alike , but i too heard bad things about their work .. i hope i am wrong beacuse thas the only shop i can afford lol

[DSToyo]

presure, can you please explain a little more about maaco paint jobs and what they do and don't do, because i have only heard bad things, and you obviously know a lot about painting cars.

[presure2]

presure, can you please explain a little more about maaco paint jobs and what they do and don't do, because i have only heard bad things, and you obviously know a lot about painting cars.

well, i wouldnt say i know "alot", im still learning tons everyday.
i've been working for maaco since sept of last year, and basicly had no prior bodywork experience.(although i AM a fast learner, and am now theyre main painter.)
maaco can do a pretty good job on a car, given you prep the car prior to bringing it over there.
that dont really mean that you have to sand the car down and all, what i mean by prep the car, is , make sure its VERY clean, take off ANYTHING that you can, ect.

maaco shops are independently owned, so i cant speak for all, but the general idea, is this, like anything in life:
you pretty much get what you pay for.
you cant go to maaco, and expect to get a show quality paint job, for 400$
it just aint gonna happen.
but, you CAN get a decent job, that will last a few years, given proper steps are taken.
the main thing is to specify exactly what you want done.
if the car is badly chipped, or has ALOT of dents and dings, go around the car with your rep, specifying each thing you want done.
at my shop, for example, for your basic paintjob, we sand the whole car down with 320 grit sandpaper, sanding out some of the big rock chips ect...and if you pay for the extra bodywork, we can and will fix just about anything else you want done.
the car gets cleaned, blown off, prep washed, taped, blown off again, then brought into the booth.
i then take it, blow it off again, prep wash it a final time, tack rag, then a coat of sealer, and 2-3 coats of singe stage paint. depending on if the customer wants we can add an intergrating clearcoat, that adds shine, and life to the paint.
one of my typical 400$ paintjobs will last 2-3 years, with intergrated clear.
if you remove all the small stuff that you can, like the front bumper, headlights, turns, sidemarkers, mirrors, ect, (in MA its actually legal to drive without a front bumper and headlights, during the day of course!, the sidemarkers and taillights can come out when you drop the car off, just bring a 10mm wrench with you, and have the hatch plastics ready) it makes the sanders, and maskers job that much easier, which leaves more time to concentrate on the things that DO need to be done right.
maaco is all about time management, so anything you can do to save time for the guys doing the work, the better the end result will be.
i had some friends from work help me with the body work and sanding of my car, ( i finishsanded with 600grit paper) and my car was done with our places best material.
(basicly maacos highest $$ job) IIRC its 1299$
diffrent places use diffrent brands of material, but at our shop, we use sherman williams paint, which is not bad.
theyre "ultra" and above lines are actually quite good IMO.

bottom line, if your short on cash, and want the car painted NOW, yes, your local maaco can do a decent job, @ most places.
of course, there are always exceptions, so shop around, and look at the product theyre putting out, thats your best bet.
ask to look around at the shop, or @ cars they have just finished and are preping for delivery.
look for overspray, dry spots, runs, sags, ect..
look for "blotching"(where it looks like all the metallics kind of gather together in a blotchy pattern) of metallics and "stripeing"(literally stripes in the paint), especially with light metallic colors, like silvers, and golds.
that will and should always be your final guide at ANY place you take your car to be painted.
basicly it breaks down like this:
you dont go to macdonalds when you want a nice sit-down meal with the wife ( or girl or boy or whatever..) right?
exactly.
same with paintjobs.
you want a 5k paintjob, go to a shop that DOES 5k paintjobs for a living.
can only afford a 600$ paintjob? macco is right up your ally, and can do a pretty damn good job, provided you do your homework, and invest a little time preping the car prior to bringing it in.

[DSToyo]

thank you for typing that up, it explained alot for me.

your car has a stage 2 paint job right. what do you suggest (stage 1 or 2) and is there that much difference besides cost.

im not really sure what im talking about but im in the market for a paint job.

EDIT: also with your cheaper jobs, im assuming they aren't doing any door jams and such, right.

This post has been edited by DSToyo: Jun 2, 2007 - 3:24 PM

[presure2]

thank you for typing that up, it explained alot for me.

your car has a stage 2 paint job right. what do you suggest (stage 1 or 2) and is there that much difference besides cost.

im not really sure what im talking about but im in the market for a paint job.

EDIT: also with your cheaper jobs, im assuming they aren't doing any door jams and such, right.

doorjams are usually ~150 ea extra.
mine is a 2 stage paint, basecoat, then clearcoat.
the biggest diffrence is that the base/clear will last longer.
its also easier to wetsand and buff, wetsanding a metaillic single stage is VERY iffy at best.
its all about what you can afford.
applied correctly, a single stage paint can look just about as good as a base/clear job.

[DSToyo]

so the 2 stage paint job will typically last longer.

[presure2]

so the 2 stage paint job will typically last longer.

yes.

[punkuup5150]

ive been learnign to paint from my uncle for the past few months and the one thing i have noticed is that if u have the time and matts its actually quite easy to do it your self once we finish all of the jobs we have set up with family friends and friend of friends were gogint o paint my celi but im taking it tp bair metel and repriming and pulling all dents and such so its all fun for me i enjoy the work and it gives me somethgin to do at ngiht im just not goign to like not having my celi while im painting it but its a skill i would miss if i didnt have it

[Batman722]

ive been learnign to paint from my uncle for the past few months and the one thing i have noticed is that if u have the time and matts its actually quite easy to do it your self once we finish all of the jobs we have set up with family friends and friend of friends were gogint o paint my celi but im taking it tp bair metel and repriming and pulling all dents and such so its all fun for me i enjoy the work and it gives me somethgin to do at ngiht im just not goign to like not having my celi while im painting it but its a skill i would miss if i didnt have it

dude use a "." sometime, I don't understand anything you just said.

[DSToyo]

presure, is it nessesary to have them put down a primer for iirc $150 extra?

[undasighted]

What about fixing rust patches? It looks like along the very bottom of each door there's a rust line on mine.

[RbrtNdrws]

What about fixing rust patches? It looks like along the very bottom of each door there's a rust line on mine.

Sand it down to bare metal with some 60 grit or something. Then work up sand with 220, and then 320 to get the area smoothed out. Then prime it to keep it from rusting.... Make sure you sand the rust spots well.

[undasighted]

I need to check after work but I think it may have eaten through a little bit at the bottom... what would they need to do to fix that aside from new door panels?


I SUCK with body stuff.

[DSToyo]

how good is maaco with bodywork? i got a bunch of little shopping cart dents i need repaired.

[presure2]

how good is maaco with bodywork? i got a bunch of little shopping cart dents i need repaired.

that depends 100% on the guy doing the work.