So I've got a '73 Maverick that's in desperate need of a new paintjob. Being 16 I can't exactly afford a top end job, but have been looking into Maaco. One concern i have is that I've heard that they don't sand the car, they just paint over the existing paint. I've got friends who're willing to help me sand and prime it. this being the case, has anyone had experience with Maaco? Are their paintjobs worth looking into? I would hopefully like to spend less than $1000.00 for now. Would i be able to get any of the newer colors with a cheaper job? Thanks folks.
When I was in high school I had little money also. My dad and I stripped all we could off the car, sanded it as best we could and paid miracle about $200 to paint it. Not how quality but looked decent for a long time...
Painting is not a big deal, it's the prep-work that's important, and for $200-$400, there's not gonna be much prep-work and there will be no body work...
You're in Spokane right? you can prep the car yourself then take it to maaco, sign their waiver that states any work you did is going to void their warranty that their paint is gonna stick. Also met one of the guys who works there and he claims you'll get better results from the Valley shop than any other in the area. get it done quick while they're having their special $279 for the "normal" $400+ paint job. If none of this works for you let me know (PM) and I'll put you in touch with a friend who does body and paint at home for alot less than you'll pay elsewhere but good work. also lets folks help for less money if you want to do it that way. His work reflects his price, if you're willing to pay you can get very good results, pay less and he'll have to cut corners to give you the best work he can for whatever you're able to pay. good luck.
The only problem is I won't start working until Mid-April so I don't have any cash for it right now. As of now I'm just looking at what options I have.
Speaking as an ex- MAACO employee, do the prep work yourself. I worked at one of those places long enough to know that even if there are 1000 MAACO's in the USA, they all operate the same way. It's called 'hurry up and get the cars painted so we count them for the weekly totals'. In other words ' take whatever short cuts you can, just get paint on them'. Once your car gets in the " Paint line", it's basicly on an assembily line. The workers who sand your car will have ONE hour to get the car sanded. That's all, just one hour. Short cuts are taken and some areas will get missed. If you really want to have MACCO paint your car, I'd strongly suggest you sand the car yourself and if possible, do some of the masking too. The maskers are also allowed only one hour to tape the car. The more prep work you can do yourself, the better the job will will turn out.
here's what you do, find a guy with a compressor, get yourself a cheap paint gun, prep the car, mask it off, and lay some rustoleum on there. You can paint your car for under $20.00, and it will look half decent. Then when you get some real $$, have good paint laid on Shaun
I am not a big fan of Macco. When I was 17 I had my car painted there. 2 days later the paint was pealing from my mirrors and wiper arms. There was paint all over my black molding. they were also dumb enough to paint my lisence plate. There were drip marks all over the car. I had to take it back to get them to fix it. Talk about a mess. Then after that some one hit it with a cart at the store I take it to them to touch up and they did not even match the color right. The poor car was painted at least 3 times till they got it correct. So if you can tell Macco will never get my cars again. It also helps that my girl friends father owns a body shop.
If that's the shop in Middlesex you're talking about, I've heard that thier reputation was almost as bad as the one I worked for. I could tell you about the MAACO horror stories I've personally seen and heard about, but it would take up as much room as a copy of " War and Peace". That is one company I will never be proud to admit I ever worked for.
I would not recommend Maaco, or any of those other "chain" type shops. Like has already been stated, the prep work is what counts. If you do the prep properly, you can honestly do just as good a job with a half dozen rattle-cans as you'd get if you went to Maaco. I'm not saying I'd recommend that either, I'm just trying to make a point about their quality. Buy a compressor and a paint gun and do it yourself. Consider it an investment in shop tools and education. Besides, you can always use the compressor for other things. Sam
take it from a painter......do you have any friends that are in the military near yuo......check with them for anyone that paints aircraft or maintenance equiopment....have that person work with you and they will do it usually for about 100-200 plus materials....and you can get the materials for around $150-$300 and up of course....... if you were in tucson i would help you out...i can rent a paint shop on the base near me for $35 a day.... 2 days max.... its not the best.....but its better than outside on a warm windy day with dust in the air you are certainly better doing it yourself.....if you want to do it yourself....here is a basic list of materials go to home depot or lowes and get an electric orbital sander pick up sandpaper for the sander you bought......you will need 120 grit....220 grit and 400 grit masking tape masking paper or newspaper... tack rags /tack clothes......wipe down the car after sanding a few cans of sandable spray primer... for the bare metal spots to get started....start with a door....trunk lid....hood...something small.....take the sander with the 120 grit and start sanding...try and work out the little knicks and scraps in the paint....until they are smooth...this is called feathering....run your hands over the paint chip...you shoulnt feel any "edge" after sanding. once you have the item sanded....take a hose and wash the area off and use the other hand to wipe the area to remove as much dust as possible.....allow to dry or dry with towel....continue until you are satisfied...once it is dry...use the spray primer...keep the can 8-12 inches away (preferable no windy days) and primer the bare metal spots with light coats....try not to run the primer...if you run it you will need to sand the runs off... takes some practice once you prime it you have 2 weeks to get it painted....take it where ever you want and have it painted...
I didn't have the money to have my car done professionally. So I took it over to my buddy's garage, bought some base coat/clear coat, and all the other stuff, gave it a quick sanding and sprayed it. Like you I didn't want to wait around till I had the money for a quality job. Biggest mistake I made was POOR PREP WORK ......remember that. All the imperfections which I couldn't see (didn't help that we had a few beers ) all of a sudden became visible after the clear coat dried!!! Now, it's a half ass job. Will cost me more now to be sanded down and repainted again in the future. So.......do what ya want, but use your head, and learn from others' mistakes. Good luck kid. D. Ray
I heard about the one in Middlesex... But this was the one in Northfield. A little west of Atlantic City. I still shutter when I drive past one.
