sharkwing1

hey guys, my 89 944 needs new paint (black, same color). I have a few rust spots but 50% of the car just has faded paint and I need it painted. I know that everyone says macco is awful but they offer paint jobs from $200-800. Will i be dissapointed? thanks

Brian McCoy

You'll be dissapointed if you expect a full-service paint job (which includes a LOT of prep-work) from a budget paint-only place/price. If you do all the prep-work, then you can get a reasonable finish. You'll have to fix some minor runs, orange peel and other imprefections, and even then you're not going to have a factory quality paint job.

You do get what you pay for in 99% of all cases...

sharkwing1

I was quoted about $7000 from a local shop, but they remove every piece from the car, im not sure that is necessary. I would be happy with masking if it was done carefully and its going to be same color. Will maco sand it down to the primer and repaint? Will it have the shine I am looking for? thanks

awilson40

It really comes down to which painter actually does the work.
No, they wont sand it to the primer, They will do a quick scuff of the surface, a quick mask
and then paint.
What you need to do is talk to several customers who have had their cars painted by the
shop you are looking at and look at their cars. It would be great to see a couple of cars a few years after Maaco painted them.
I have had the top shop in our area do really crappy work, and I have seen small shops or 'chains' do great work. It always comes down to the guy with the gun.

sharkwing1

Macco said they would allow me to watch the masking process, is the scuffing sufficient? A friend of mine got the cheap job recently done it does look pretty good, but I dont think it has the shine it should.

father2nate

$7000 for a paint job???? Sounds like they want to take you for a ride or you have a LOT of body work to be done. I used to work a lot with body shops... depending on your location in the country, a good paint job should cost you no more than $1200-$1600. That includes removing all small dents, smothing it out, sanding, priming and getting a couple of good coats of paint along with clear coat. Don't let anyone take your hood, doors and rear hatch off. Those things are hard to get lined back up.

My suggestion, find a shop that will let you see some finished products and tour the shop. Look for overspray and plain sloppiness. Good luck! Let me know where you're at, maybe I can suggest a couple of places if I have worked in your area.

sharkwing1

1200-1600 is what I was thinking I live in Raleigh NC, so what does a shop do for $1600 that macco doesnt do for there $800 job? thanks

Jfrahm

The problem I've had with Maaco is that the paint chips off very easily, it's like the candy coating on an M&M. Every little bump or stone chip pops out a chunk, and then starts to chip away from there. It seems like it does not stick well and is not flexible enough.

-Joel.

father2nate

Macco does not sand your car down all the way, plus the masking job is usually sucky. For $1200-1600 you get a complete sanding down, then removal of dents & small repair, then a primer, then a few coats of good paint and protection. Some cheaper shops cut corners by not tacking the car down after sanding. They only use an air hose to blow the car off. Tacking uses a "sticky" cloth to remove most of the dust. Other ways to cut corners is to use one coat of thinned out paint. That may be why your friend's car does not have the shine. The paint is just not "deep" enough.

Personally, I will take the time and save more money for a better paint job, that I will be happy with then paying for one that I will not be happy with. Trust me, you'll look at a crappy job and think, "I should have waited."

Remember, more expensive is not always better. Check out the shop and some of thier work as it rolls out of the booth. Don't let them show you pictures. You need to get up close to the car.

And, finally, check out their warranty!

I don't know of any shops in Raleigh, sorry.

BoostGuy951

There is a guy on here with a Yellow Maaco Paint job. He did all the prep work himself, IIRC he masked it himself and just let them spray it. It looks very nice.

Porsche-O-Phile

$7K is not that unrealistic for a high-quality preparation job. I was quoted $6K to get mine done by the guy that did my neighbor's show car (El Camino, it's been in several "Baywatch" episodes). That includes a LOT of prep. work, pulling all the panels off, etc. Obviously I'm going to be saving QUITE a while (probably a couple of years) if I want to go that route!

awilson40

$1200 -$1600. That a good price for a quality job.
Carolina Collision ( a good shop here) quoted me about $3000 for a full respray.
They charged me $1000 just to pull out a dent and respray the fender, door and hood
to get a good blend. The dent was about the size of a softball. (my son backed into me
in the driveway)

sharkwing1

thanks for all your input im going to go do some research and i will get back to you

ahofam123

Go to a local car show and ask those guys who painted their cars. Depending on the quality of the paint job that you are looking for, they may be able to recommend a local shop or even a reputable shade-tree painter.

dave1200

Ive used maaco before with great results. Although i did most of the prep work, like removing the rubber, the lights etc.. The car wont look right unless you replace the seals and all anyhow.