Paint from Maaco?

[biodole]

My fellow Maraudericans,

Has anyone done a re-paint using Maaco before? I've had a panel re-done from the dealer at around 75K miles and it came out perfect. However, I'm sitting at around 140K now, and the south FL elements have really taken their toll. No body damage, just some very light rust spots on the roof and one on the driver door jamb as well as normal scratches and dings throughout.

I'm ready to do a full repaint (staying with the factory black).

That being said - the dealer wants more to repaint the car, than the car is worth (sadly enough). I understand that Maaco is relatively inexpensive, but then again, I'm completely unsure of the quality of work they do.

Does anyone here have any guidance on the matter?

Thanks!

[Fastbob]

You will get what you pay for. MAACO does cheap paint jobs. Quality paint jobs cost money. I wouldn't if it were mine.

[88CuttyClassic]

Black shows everything, if its not smooth it will look like poo

[L.Mark]

Waaaaaaaaaay back in th eearly 90's I had my 82 Cougar XR7 painted there and it was near factory quality. Now that being said that WAS several decades ago. I'd say go and look at ther newly painted cars sitting outside to be sure. there have been paint shops that have painted our cars in the past like my Mom's old Granada and they did a great job, So I took my Mark V there and the messed it up and wouldn't fix it. It's hit n miss with those type shops...

[88CuttyClassic]

if your jambs are still nice you can save money by not having them done but modern paint materials arent cheap (thank the EPA). Maaco might still paint single stage but if you want that nice deep shine you are looking at 2 stage paint job which is at least 5K on a car this size. even if maaco does 2 stage the more you move up their price ladder, you can bet they will used the cheap clear which will cause a brownish hue in some sunlight. cheap clear yellows and makes black appear brownish.

Also something to keep in mind. I was told by my buddy, whos been a body man for quite a while, that if the bumpers have any spider cracks in them, no matter what they do, more than likely they will come back after a repaint. the cracks become part of the rubber, not just the previous paint.

the better the prep, the better the painting process, the better the finish. its thats simple. I would talk to what ever shop you use and ask what products they use. PPG and RM are usually good signs of a quality shop.

[vkirkend]

I had the roof on my Black repainted about a year ago and no problems. But I did go for the higher cost paint job with a longer warranty.

[RubberCtyRauder]

Just as a thought..sometimes autobodyshop schools offer discount paint services (materials) so students can learn under the supervision of professional..just an idea, but as stated you get what you pay for..take it to a detailer (plenty of them in FL) and see if for $300ish or so they can give it a good clean and buff..If you are going to keep it, then spend the $5k

[Bigdogjim]

Maaco has the best paint booth due to buying power. The devil is in the prep work. Years ago a friend prepped a pick-up for me a painted it at the local Maaco because he knew the owner and it turned out perfect.

[TooManyFords]

This was painted at MAACO....

http://frieltek.com/pictures/dragweek2013_1320Video.jpg

[MMBLUE]

You can also try a route that I was going to take before I sold mine. Go to Craigslist and find someone there locally. It will take some leg work to find a decent painter with a good facility at their home to paint it. Usually you can get it at a great price as they are generally people out of work or guys looking to make some side $. Good luck.

[88LTDCV351]

I had my 88 Crown Vic painted there about 2 years ago. They didn't mask off some of the interior door jam stickers so they got covered with paint. And there was some overspray on the chrome parts that I didn't take off. But it looks ok for an old car that isn't worth much but you get what you pay for.

[crouse]

Every Maaco shop is different. I had the front clip of my Marauder re-painted at the same place as John's blue Marauder and I was pleased with the quality. However, I had a issue where the paint started breaking off on the front bumper after I must have pulled into a parking spot packed with snow during the winter. I've never seen paint do that before. It's like the new paint did not bond to the front bumper. Maaco would not repair it for free, so I went somewhere else.

[chief455]

Maaco has the best paint booth due to buying power. The devil is in the prep work. Years ago a friend prepped a pick-up for me a painted it at the local Maaco because he knew the owner and it turned out perfect.
Same, but didn't know anyone there.
removed parts, prepped as best we could and gave them a great start.
Paint came out perfect, on a few used car lot cars.
I've dropped some off with zero prep, and the paint is shiney, but did get masking over spray and body dings/waves not corrected.

If the car is straight, and you just want an even shine - it might be worth it.
So cheap, you can enjoy it for a year or two, then pay more for a better quality job.....

[lifespeed]

So cheap, you can enjoy it for a year or two, then pay more for a better quality job.....

Then you'll have to strip it off!

If you have more time than money you can do the prep work yourself. That is what makes a paint job, although the quality of the paint itself does matter.

When does the price of repainting or reupholstering a car ever make economic sense? You do it because you like the car and want to keep it, not to be confused with an investment. :rolleyes:

[71cyclone]

Maaco has the best paint booth due to buying power. The devil is in the prep work. Years ago a friend prepped a pick-up for me a painted it at the local Maaco because he knew the owner and it turned out perfect.
Yes ,also Maaco operations are franchise and out of 600 locations ,20 are the best ,the one that the wholesalers use in 'Texas car wars ' is one of them and the one that shot my Lincoln in Capitol Heights is another one , Their painter was highered away from Porsche ,Audi, and used a Base coat Clear coat, with a urethane primer after first completing a paint strip to bare Metal .PPG paint was used and at least 65 hours was spent in the work ,now they do have cheaper alternatives .The owners have to folllow basic company guide lines ,but beyond that is the Owners options with the customers. My Lincoln was on Display at Carlisle on Lincoln Row at the Nationals. [Forest Green Metalic] It was not Cheap.a five year guarantee came with the package. They make their money on the prep and options.:beer:

[1stMerc]

Maaco, does do some good work, but not for the cheap dollars. As was said it is all in the prep work. Whether they strip it all down or just rough the existing good paint and go over it is the question.

One word of caution, some shops will not accept your doing the prep work, so ask before you do it yourself and save your time and headache.

[cpe6]

The body work is the hard part, like said black shows everything. Depends on which Marco shop you go to, some do better than others.

[RF Overlord]

Maaco and Aamco were started by the same guy. Take that for what it's worth.

[chief455]

Maaco and Aamco were started by the same guy. Take that for what it's worth.
Marco Como. :confused:

[biodole]

Wow - I wasn't expecting so many and such great replies. Thank you my brothers.

I'm planning to keep the MM forever. I have absolutely no reason to sell/trade it, and with the panther dead and gone, I can't bring myself to ever part with it.

That being said, a top notch paint job would really be the better option - however 5K is a lot of coin, especially with a lot of additional work needed over the next 10-15K miles.

Better start working more OT ;)

[ctrlraven]

If you want a cheaper option, fix the rust spots yourself and then get the car wrapped in vinyl. Can go with any color/finish you want and will give you time to save for that proper paint job you want.

[71cyclone]

If you want a cheaper option, fix the rust spots yourself and then get the car wrapped in vinyl. Can go with any color/finish you want and will give you time to save for that proper paint job you want.

Yepp/ Last year Fast Nino had his done by a shop in Baltimore ,took it to Ocean city and clocked a nice Trophy [Sans Air Baggs suspension and wheels and trunk custom sound system.]

[sflrainmaker01]

I went around to different shops when I needed to get mine painted. Maaco's price was half of what the others wanted. They gave me a base/clear paint and did a really nice job. It's not perfect, but it is excellent. From what I have seen and heard from other car owners that have spent the big bucks, their paint job ain't perfect either. The other great thing is their base/clear jobs come with a 5 yr warranty.

Here's a link to the thread when mine was done by Maaco:

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91543&highlight=maaco

[tbone]

I had them paint my custom hood once and it was a mess. They did the bottom of my door at the same time and it was fine. Hard to mess that up.

[tbone]

Due to cost, I may try them one more time for my stock hood. The Maaco here in town closed down. I will try another one.