Morning gents. I was considering getting my car repainted and was wondering if anyone has ever dealt with Maaco. Any thoughts experiances good/bad. I was planning on doing their top paint jobs.
Maaco (hope it's spelled right) paint jobs
- Thread starter SpyvSpy
- Start date
My experience was from a couple of decades ago. Do you care how the vehicle looks, or are you looking for a cheap band-aid? If the former stay away if the latter you might be OK, but I would still consider a smaller independent shop or consider doing the prep work yourself.
My paint job should have been relatively simple. No body work, no rough paint save for a small (less than a half dollar) patch on a roof pillar. I wanted a color change. Not a complete different color just a shade (or two) darker. The outcome was hideous. Overspray in numerous places. That's just sloppy and being lazy. It doesn't take a highly skilled laborer to do a tape job. Plus there were obvious sanding swirl marks on the hood. I made a complaint immediately with the shop manager about the hood, but got nowhere. Yes, this was their "imperial" or whatever the name of their alleged top paint job.
My paint job should have been relatively simple. No body work, no rough paint save for a small (less than a half dollar) patch on a roof pillar. I wanted a color change. Not a complete different color just a shade (or two) darker. The outcome was hideous. Overspray in numerous places. That's just sloppy and being lazy. It doesn't take a highly skilled laborer to do a tape job. Plus there were obvious sanding swirl marks on the hood. I made a complaint immediately with the shop manager about the hood, but got nowhere. Yes, this was their "imperial" or whatever the name of their alleged top paint job.
My one experience was very similar. Poor paint match, poor prep, poor job.
- Chris
- Chris
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks for the replies. I don't think I'd trust them now making a black car white.
I have gotten 2 cars painted there, my father has had two trucks done.
My local shop does exceptional work. However, I know there are bad ones out there too. It really comes down to how much your local manager and staff actually care about doing a good job vs. getting it done quickly.
My local shop owner drives his '68 Cougar to work that he had painted there before he was a manager, and it's beautiful despite being purple.
I had a car done once with racing stripes painted on, they did a great job. I spent $1800 on that paint job...got their top of the line finish, they also replaced the hood and fixed a fender dent, so the paint was actually $1100-1200 including the striping.
I had another car repaired after someone t-boned my wife's car. They replaced a door, repaired the quarter panel and painted the side to match perfectly.
So my advice is to check out your local shop and their work, even if it's just the cars in the parking lot or ask to see some they just finished.
If they seem to do good work, make sure they prep and tape things off well and before you leave their lot with it after the job is done, inspect it meticulously and demand they fix any flaws before leaving.
Also, never get the $199 special. They just repaint over the existing paint. No prep, no primer, color changes won't work well and it probably won't last. If you step up to their medium-high range finishes priced about $500-900, they will come out great if you have good painters in your local shop.
These Maaco stores are hit-or-miss, but I've had great experiences.
My local shop does exceptional work. However, I know there are bad ones out there too. It really comes down to how much your local manager and staff actually care about doing a good job vs. getting it done quickly.
My local shop owner drives his '68 Cougar to work that he had painted there before he was a manager, and it's beautiful despite being purple.
I had a car done once with racing stripes painted on, they did a great job. I spent $1800 on that paint job...got their top of the line finish, they also replaced the hood and fixed a fender dent, so the paint was actually $1100-1200 including the striping.
I had another car repaired after someone t-boned my wife's car. They replaced a door, repaired the quarter panel and painted the side to match perfectly.
So my advice is to check out your local shop and their work, even if it's just the cars in the parking lot or ask to see some they just finished.
If they seem to do good work, make sure they prep and tape things off well and before you leave their lot with it after the job is done, inspect it meticulously and demand they fix any flaws before leaving.
Also, never get the $199 special. They just repaint over the existing paint. No prep, no primer, color changes won't work well and it probably won't last. If you step up to their medium-high range finishes priced about $500-900, they will come out great if you have good painters in your local shop.
These Maaco stores are hit-or-miss, but I've had great experiences.
Hang him by his toes!
I had a '69 Cougar, red with black (flat) Eliminator style hood stripes (factory)years ago. My hideaway headlights worked btw.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thanks for the good advice buster I think that's what I'll do (scope out their work first) and then plan on their top notch paint job if it looks good.
Macco shops very greatly in quality as all shops do. You safest bet is to ask to see some of thier finsihed work. Then it will be obvious what you are dealing with. If you find a shop that has a good spray guy, do your own prep and masking. I had a friend do this with very nice results.
Dave
Dave
Do your own prep, primer and body work, and don't expect the paint they put on to last more than about three or four years. One of my many many jobs back in high school was Maaco "technician". IIRC we were allotted 45 minutes to do an entire car, and it was broken down into stages- 5 minutes on sanding, 5 minutes for masking, 10 minutes first spray, etc. I couldn't keep up with that kind of pace. I would have half a car masked and the other guys would start spraying away, right over headlights, tailights, bumpers, tires, hubcaps, etc. Their single stage paint is notorious for fading and cracking after a couple of years, too.
Most of our business was used car lots, taxi cabs, hoopties, and other people that just wanted the cheapest possible paint job they could find and didn't really care what it looked like or how long it lasted.
Most of our business was used car lots, taxi cabs, hoopties, and other people that just wanted the cheapest possible paint job they could find and didn't really care what it looked like or how long it lasted.
Aren't they just a franchise? If so, as others have suggested, it all depends on your local shop's reputation, and generalizations will be tough.
My late Father in law got a good paint job from Macco in West Fort Worth Texas. But as others have said I have seen some that looked like crap.
Good advice on the prep and primer, but I have to disagree with the lifespan of the paint. Maybe if you get the cheapest TV special, that will be the case, but if you step it up to a higher one and your local shop is good, it will last much longer.
EXACTLY!
