I'm hoping on a paint job in a couple months at Maaco! ok i know how many people hate a Maaco and and i dont need any stories about them but i don't make that much money and i'm planning on doing prep as much as possible by myself for them (never done this ever). so, my passenger fender has several dents in it, typical rust areas and plenty of sanding needing to be done. what should i do first?????????? complete newbie to bodywork
Macco varies on location. I had a job done with them in the late 80's and was a very good job! I stripped all the chrome an moldings off sanded and prepped all the areas I could do myself, they did a couple of areas an charge accordingly. The better prep the better paint finish! Do all you can an mark all areas you want them too and make sure they write down want extras they are to do. They will give you a price on all the extra and you will decide what all gets done. I would repair the rust areas or find a replacement for fender, then sand body down. You may want to talk to them an ask what kind of primer would be best to keep metal covered till you get your car in for paint. Good Luck
This car was painted a year and a half ago at Maaco. Is it 100% flawless? Absolutely not. But it looks great.. If you go in there looking for a cheap skate paint job, that's what you're going to get. But if you do some of the work yourself before hand, take it there and make it clear what you want and are willing to pay a little extra for it, they can do a nice job. Nobody ever believes it when I tell them it's a Maaco paint job.
well i would pull all dents first ,then i would "skim" putty all the low spots in the panels.you should never fill putty more than `1/8 " thick or it will crack over time.after that you sand and fill more low spots work each panel untell it lookes strait.after each sanding tack rag the car.then lay doun a thin mist of black primer over spots of filler ,its easyer to see the low spots! after that an epoxy primer rattle can job will do! but make sure its a high build primer, after that a 2000 grit sanding and tac raging of the intier car let macco have it.just remember spraying the paint is the easy part its whats underneth and carfull prep work that makes it count!and remember to keep the car as clean of dust as posible! because if its in the air it will stick to your car! i hope this helps ya
Wow! That was quite a car wash. Here's a direct link to Frank's post: http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=3821&highlight=maaco&page=4#32 The only thing I've heard about Maaco is the poor finish (trash in the paint, runs, drips, etc). Also, from what I've seen, they don't do good masking. I've seen all kinds of weatherstrip, door handles, even windshield wipers covered in paint.
from what i heard....every step is on a timmer. washing car...when timmer goes off...done. wet sanding...done taping...done priming...done painting...done i was told once...go eat breakfast... when you get back it will be ready... that's a little too fast for me... $79.95 ...Frank...
http://www.earlscheib.com/ Have a look at their paint jobs, one step thats included the "Silver" package and not in the "Bronze" is "Air-blown Dust Removal"
I guess the Maaco here must be the exception then... Heck, a buddy of mine wrecked his Grand AM last year. He took it to Maaco, they straightened the core support, replaced the hood and fenders, and painted the car. The car looks great..
Matt?? how nice do you want it to look when done.If you just want uniform and shiny,do the whole thing your self.If you have never painted a car before,cheap paint and a cheap gun along with a borrowed compressor and garage will net you one hell of a learning experience and a fair paint job if you do a little reading and practicing on an old garbage can.You say the car has dents/dings and some rust... If you do it right you will have more in the car before paint than the cheap paint job alone.Like everone else said."preperation" is the most important factor.Do it your self... if the paint comes out ugly but the prep is 100% you can drive it while you save up to do the paint right.Ugly paint can be sanded down and re-done(as long as you dont use urethane)easily enough,and when you shoot it the second time you will do better than the first time.It will take money to get the car straight as well as LOTS of elbow grease.Soo the money factor is still there.Its a vicious circle.Have you ever done body work before??? have you done it on the scale of a whole car??Have a plan before you start,go one panel at a time.As for the dented fender...if you have no metal bumping experience,get a good fender.Straightening dents isnt hard but it isnt a simple matter of just knocking them out with a hemmer.Again do some reading and some practicing on an old metal garbage can(old metal garbage cans are great for this sort of stuff)Matt I am not trying to deterr you from the course of action you are leaning toward or burst your bubble.It can be a vluable and sometimes frustrating learning experience but worth it none the less.Ultimately doing it on the cheap garners the best results if you do the "on the cheap" your self.Not to mention the satisfaction.I interviewed at a Maaco many years ago.Got hired,then got the "this is how we do it" indoctrination.I never lifted a tool the whole 2 hrs of my first day,but I did quit after 2 hrs.I refused to put my name to work of their sub standard nature.Sorry for the rediculously long post Matt but"Ya gets what ya pays for".Good luck whichever way you decide to go.
maccos are franchise owned places right. you pretty much have to take it on a case by case perspective. it all depends on who owns and operates that specific location. the local macco here can do the $200 job but they also offer show quality finishes if you got the cash. but other locations give you the crap job no matter what.
i have never seen a..."show car"...paint job from any...Discount Paint Shop...most of their paint jobs are on...for sale...cars and trucks... ...JMO...:Handshake
the guy here is basically just operating a paint shop under the macco name. he offers the usuall macco stuff but you can also go in and pay for the better quality finishes as well
well as for now i'd like to get the body in pretty good shape as far as stopping rust and replacing fenders. thanks for the info,it should be a good start for me.
