The cost of a Maaco paint job depends on factors such as the local Maaco shop, the quality of management and painters, and the amount of prep work required. Maaco offers affordable paint jobs due to their streamlined process, which includes using specialized equipment and techniques to minimize waste. A Maaco paint job can range from $300 to $1,000 or more, depending on the type of service package.
The basic package includes one coat of enamel paint buffed to a high finish. Maaco is a popular choice for car paint services due to its affordability. However, it is important to note that not all paint jobs are top-notch quality, as they may also involve cleaning the interior, sanding, repairing rust, dents, or stains, which directly affect the print quality of your car.
Maaco’s franchise ownership means that some jobs may be rough and only perform cheap paint jobs, while others are full-on. When getting an estimate, it is crucial to prepare your car thoroughly, including removing badges, lights, weatherstripping, and other items. Vehicle paint jobs usually take 3-5 days, but additional services, prep work, and current workload at the location can impact the timeline.
Maaco offers professional, affordable, and quality cosmetic auto repairs to rocker panels, door panels, and quarter panels. Preparation work is essential, especially if you have dings or want to remove the trim. If you do the prep work yourself, you can expect a better outcome.
📹 We Got a CHEAP Maaco Paint Job…You Won’t Believe the Results!
What are the different levels of Maaco paint jobs?
Maaco offers three paint packages: Basic, Preferred, and Premium, each focusing on the paint’s longevity and appearance. The packages include warranties and durability, as well as gloss, color match, and metallic appearance. Clear coats are applied for a smooth repair. Proper car care is crucial for the paint’s durability and appearance, as it helps maintain color, shine, and protect the car from the elements. Overall, Maaco’s paint packages cater to specific needs and budget concerns.
What is Maaco known for?
Maaco is the most highly regarded automotive repair facility in North America, providing cost-effective and dependable auto paint and collision repair services for a vast number of vehicles. These services have enabled the transformation of numerous automobiles back into their original condition and functionality.
Is it expensive to remove scratches from car?
Deep scratches in your car can be repaired by sanding, priming, and repainting, costing between $1, 500 and $2, 500. If you don’t want to spend a significant amount on restoring your old car, consider donating it to Veteran Car Donations. This not only helps you dispose of the vehicle at no cost but also serves as a champion for the disadvantaged and neglected veterans in your community, providing them with new opportunities to lead healthier and more productive lives.
What color is cheapest to paint a car?
The cost of a paint job depends on several factors, including the size of the car, the paint color, the type of paint, the paint finish, and the quality of the body shop. Large SUVs may cost more than smaller coupes, while basic colors like white or black are cheaper. For an average-sized sedan, synthetic enamel paint costs $300 to $700, while high-quality paint may cost several thousand dollars. The paint finish can be matte, gloss, or semi-gloss, and may include a coat of wax or seal.
The quality of the work often goes hand-in-hand, and the cheapest paint job might not be the best option. Additional repairs, such as fixing dents or rust spots, can significantly increase the cost of a paint job. If the car requires extensive prep work, the cost may be higher.
Does Maaco strip paint before painting?
Maaco paint jobs do not restore a car’s original appearance. While a new paint job can enhance the overall appearance, it cannot restore it to its original state. It is not necessary to wash your car before painting, as a cleaner vehicle is easier to prepare for paint. Body repair is a laborious process requiring specialized skills and tools. Skilled technicians are employed to revert damage to vehicle bodies. To determine the cost, you can visit the shop and receive free estimates during business hours, with or without an appointment.
Does a Maaco paint job include sanding?
The estimate for a paint package is higher than the advertised price due to the deteriorating finishes on vehicles. The packages include standard prep to remove nicks and scratches, hand sanding for a mechanical bond, but do not cover repairing cracks, peeling paint, and delaminating clear coat. MAACO is a franchise company, meaning prices and participation vary by center. The advertised prices are generally for sedans, but trucks and SUVs are usually more expensive due to the extra labor needed to paint larger vehicles. Therefore, it is essential to address these issues before refinishing.
Does Maaco fix car scratches?
Maaco provides vehicle repair services for minor damage, including dents, dings, and scratches. The company offers a Best Price Guarantee, which ensures that customers receive quality work at a competitive price. To reduce expenditure and resume your journey with minimal delay, we recommend that you arrange for a repair to be carried out at the earliest opportunity.
Does Maaco fix rust?
The local Maaco establishment provides a comprehensive range of repair and maintenance services, including rust repair. To forestall the proliferation of corrosion, it is imperative to conduct periodic inspections of your vehicle for the emergence of new abrasions and indentations, as these regions are prone to the formation of additional damage.
How soon should I wash my car after painting?
Car owners should wait two weeks before washing their newly painted cars, using quality valeting products and avoiding car washes or jet washing. Avoid skipping on washing liquid, as some dishwashing brands may be too harsh on the paint. Choose milder soap products made specifically for vehicles, using water from a bucket instead of a hose pipe, and ensuring the soap product is diluted. Avoid vigorous scrubbing and use soft cleaning cloths instead of brushes or harsher materials to avoid damaging the modified car’s appearance. Avoid skipping on washing liquid and opt for milder soap products made specifically for vehicles.
Is it cheaper to paint or wrap a car?
Car wrap vs paint cost is a significant factor in choosing between the two. Paint jobs can range from $500 to $5, 000, while a professional wrap costs between $2, 500 to $5, 000. The labor cost to remove the wrap can also be between $500-$600. Accurate Signs offers partial or complete wraps with costs ranging from $500 to $4, 000, with design services included at no additional cost. Painting a car is a longer process, while wrapping has a quick turnaround time. A paint job can take up to two weeks, while wrapping can be completed in a few days.
What is the cheapest paint job for a car?
A basic paint job, typically priced between $500 and $1, 000, includes a single-stage synthetic enamel paint and minimal preparatory work. This option is designed to be affordable, though it may have a shorter lifespan and lower durability than other, more expensive options.
📹 Why Everyone HATES Cheap Maaco Paint Jobs… BUT Shouldn’t!
It’s time for paint on the cheap Jaguar S-Type R! Maaco can sometimes get a bad rap for their cheap paint job; but it’s really an …
All the macco’s, 3 of them in my area, my step dad and I have used to repaint some of our cars we flipped in the past all did pretty good (they did 14 cars total) we always did the bodywork on the car, and removed the light fixtures and other attachable accessories and basically sent them a little more than a rolling shell. They would paint the cars for about $100 to $300 depending on what level of paint job we chose, what type/size of vehicle, and color the car was to be painted. We haven’t done this in 12 or so years but the experience was fine we were usually able to significantly increase the sale price of the vehicles which offset the cost of the paint. I can also say that I had them paint one personal car of mine, a 1982 Indianapolis 500 pace car replica Camaro, it was a silver and blue 2 tone paint job. I paid somewhere in the $280’s for it to be painted. They did okay on it, some imperfections here and there but I had no problems with peeling, bubbling, or clearcoat fade/chipping. I had this car for 6 years and the paint held up till my mom and stepdad split and he bought the car off of me. I haven’t had contact with him or the car in 9 years, but last time I checked all was still good. The last quote I got from them was 1.5 years ago to paint my daily, a 2011 Mazda 3, they quoted me in the high 500.00’s but this also included sanding, and minor body work. I’m not sure if they remove light fixtures?? I did not see it on the breakdown of their list. Which honestly is one of the only reason’s I didn’t go through with it, the other is I got a non-paper quote of between $250.
I had a 1972 Dodge Charger painted at MAACO. It was their highest quality paint job, but was still under $1,500. It looked fantastic when it was done, and it has held up very well over the years. It may vary from shop to shop, depending upon the experience of the workers. But I have nothing but good things to say about my experience with MAACO.
When I was a little kid, my dad had our 1966 Ford Galaxie painted at Earl Sheib in NYC. These items were included at no additional cost. 1) in those days cars had wheels that were painted the same color as the car, so painting wheels was included in the price. The car had a spare tire in the trunk. They painted it. The spare tire wheel has no bolts on it obviously. So there are holes where the bolts go when the tire is mounted on the car. So they spray painted the tire and when you removed the tire there were five circles of paint on the trunk floor where the paint went through the holes in the wheel. 2) There was a strip of chrome molding beneath the doors on each side of the car. On one side they left it chrome. On the other side they painted it. 3) They did not wash the car before they painted it. There was a bird shit on the hood. The first time dad washed the car after the paint job the bird shit naturally washed off and he was left with a round circle on the hood that was a totally different shade of blue than the rest of the car. 🤷♂️
Got my Miata painted by Maaco 3 years ago. Paint job still looks good. I paid around $1700 with work on 2 body panels. Other body shops wanted 5k. I keep the car garaged. Not show quality but definitely good for the average person. I was a little skeptical about Maaco but the shop I used had high ratings so I decided to give it a go.
Can you explain please on how maaco works on their prices ? I’m frustrated because I looked online and seen prices starting at 400 to 600 800 1000 on up I was planning on getting spending 600$ but when I called the maacos in Albuquerque he said theirs no such thing as us having a paint job less then 1000$ even though the website said different at the time I called. I said why does it say different online then and theirs loads of YouTube articles showing even the 400$ job. He was a asshole and said you won’t get shit for anything less then 1000$ and was implying in a subliminal way to me that they where gonna do a bad job for 1000$
If you do the lion’s share of the prep yourself, and remove all the trim, headlights, tail lights etc, and just let Maaco do the paint, and then you do the reassembly, you can actually come out with a half decent paint job. A friend and I did just that (prepped his old Volvo for a Maaco paint job) and it came out looking really good. There was only one flaw (one run on the bottom of a fender IIRC). He was very satisfied for the price he paid.
When people go to maaco they hope the job comes out good for the cheap price but I’ll tell you the job is gona be exactly what your hoping for but it’s so cheap because the materials and paint they use are garbage and 10 times thinner then a factory paint job so down the line when little rocks and stuff hits the car it’s going to do way more damage because there is way less protection and if your in an area where the summers get really hot and your car is outside most of the time it’s going to destroy that maaco paint but if your just trying to make it look better in their case it’s worth it but if your looking to get a paint job because you just want a new paint job and you want it to look nice and last a long time it’s better to spend more money and get the better materials you can go to maaco because their workers are 9 times out of 10 Gona be just as good as anyone else but ask them if you can pay more so they can use the good materials and see what your estimate is then might still even be better then the expensive guys and you’ll have a paint job that lasts. Also to put it in perspective the guys doing the job are getting most of that money because painters are expensive so if there getting most of the money it just shows you how little they are paying attention to the quality of the materials they spent $800 on the whole paint job when a good place spends $800 just on the protective additive for the paint
Dude, I bought my car brand new in 2017 with green pearl flake and the paint has zero swirl marks. The one thing I never do is run it through a car wash. Make even a cheap job last and use a pump foamer and a wash mit just keep the wash mit flushed and rinsed. I know…it’s a cheap paint job I get it but make it last avoid car washes. Brushes are just slapping the other guys dirt on your paint
The only confirmed Maaco paint job I’ve seen up close, in person, was about 20 years back on an Integra. Back then, they had a $200 special. How I remember it working was you sand, bondo, mask the car and they just do the paint. Curious if they still do this. For $800, not too bad. Kinda wish some of these facebook marketplace sellers would go that route when selling a “mint” “Rare” 6th gen Civic Si. With 3 different colors on the car body, creases on the rear quarter panel or a paint job that even a tweaker would criticize.
It’s hard to believe that price since it sounds like they are in texas and am in san antonio. The maaco here in 2021/2022 quoted me 6k to paint a grand marquis its original color. This year mircle paint the 2nd known place here quoted me 6k to start, no body work needed either. Finally after searching for a long time i found two shops that would do it for 3,700.00/3,800.00.
I Clay Barred ..buff and polish and waxed all my cars with all Meguiars pro stuff since i knew how to drive… never had one car peel on me..all stayed wet looking shiny…. but few people know how to do that kind of work or even want to … i can go thru an occasional car wash knowing my paint is highly protected. but still NEW PAINT JOB THEN RIGHT TO A CAR WASH OMG NO
Hate Maaco. I spent 5 grand for a custom paint job got the wroks. It started chipping away and come to find out they painted right over my old paint. After paying extra so that it be bare and hold better. When i went back to them they augured and fixed it by not even matching it that well. You could see from 10 feet away the spots they fixed. All they did was put a small paint brush on the spots. After asking what is that. They said ” touch up” Shortly after i noticed that the paint was cracking in the front bumper cause it was to THICK. So i had them repaint it. They again mess up on the match saying “Its plastic it makes it harder to match” For a cheap paint job to flip a car sure they might be alright. But do NOT take your favorite car to them.
Macco should have dusted off the car before calling yall to come pick it up! They prob did tell you not to wash it for a few weeks but you was not listening bc you was to busy thinking about recording lol But it does look way better and if i was renting that car on turo, i’d reject it bc of the paint before it was painted at macco..
I had Maaco paint one of my vans twice over a period of about eight years. It was not repainted because they did a bad job, but because the Texas heat does a number on any paint. I’m a bit nitpicky, so I removed anything from the body that I knew I could reinstall, and taped most of it myself before it went in. I wanted them to be able to focus on the paint job. Both times it came out looking great! They get my vote!
Thanks for the info. Repaint jobs do NOT usually last that long. Maybe you will get 4 to 6 yrs. on it, so it’s a good investment, BUT plan on redoing it once again 4 year. Probably, if you spedn a few thousand on the repaint (mostly for prep work) it could last 6 years I’d guess. I repainted a 2001 Suburban and it looked good for several years and still looks better than it did – I’m expecting to do it all over again probably in Mexico. Prices for painting in Phx. have skyrocketed, so not sure about the pricing. They are a bit greedy and always reach for more, so I am going where labor costs are less – in Mexico!!!!
$29.95 Appearing on late-night television programs, Scheib soon became a national icon and celebrity, and his oft-heard sales pitch, “I’m Earl Scheib, and I’ll paint any car, any color for $29.95. No ups, no extras,” became an instantly recognizable phrase, with $29.95 the nationally-advertised price even into the late 1960s.
2024 here. Macco paints my classic cars all the time. Hint.. I remove all the chrome, bumpers and trim, grill, headlight bezels… Ill remove the tail lights after arriving at the shop… I usually spend closer to $3,000 to $3500. and get the two stage paint, color sanded and buffed… Id never tell the buyers of my cars its a Macco paint job though. I painted one car with spray paint… It came out nice too… Probably under $200 total.
Just went to Maaco in California. Wife has a white 2005 Honda Pilot with 123,000 miles. Needed a decent paint job, their white color, with no door jams. Asked if door handles could be painted white, grille and rear plastic bumper repainted flat black and fix small dent right rear door. Guy took photos. 10 minutes later, a female returned and just by looking at photos said my factory paint was defective and the whole car would need to be sanded down. She quoted me $4300.00! I said “What?. Car is not worth $4300.00. ” I told her, isn’t that part of the process of light sanding the car before paint is applied? She tallied up the cost with no complete sanding at $1700.00 with no warranty. I felt a little uneasy about the price so I’ll get other estimates. Does 4300.00 seem a little too high?
The other day i watched a newscast where people were driving cars with the paint just peeling off while they were driving and some you could just peel the paint off by hand like a plastic wrap. Most of the cars were just only a few years old, but past the 3-year warranty so the manufacturer was not offering any free or reduced-price remedy. One lady went to get a quote for a repaint for her sedan that had the paint falling off and one business quoted her $6K and another place quoted her $8K. Then I watched this pricing here. For my 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid I would not even care if there was some overspray for a $1,500 to $2,000 paint job.
I just brought my 2004 Toyota Camry LE, bought new, in to have the front hood painted at a local body shop! They wanted $1,200. just to repaint that area,so $800. for the whole car, seems like a bargain! p.s. In 1970, I had a car painted a totally different color,, by “EARL SCHIEB”, who did it for $39.99! Remember his saying of. “Any Car, Any Color”! Ah, the good old days!
The real test is see what it looks like in a few years (like 2-3 years) perhaps being outside in the sun, or through various seasons. (By the way, I think on new paint work/jobs you’re suppoosed to NOT wash the car for some 30-60 days, at least that’s what I’ve been told every time I had paint work done on one of my cars).
Ive been doing paint and body for 30 years and have had countless customers come to us and want a paint job cause maco painted it and looked like crap a orange had less orange peel then the paint on those cars. Hell just one gallon of global 50/50 clear is 1200.00. Lol 1 quart of jet black in deflect is 389.00. Maco is a very cheap paint job and very cheap paint.
I had an 01 Dodge pickup painted back in 2010 at Macco and I did get the midlevel deal, but it’snow 2024 and the truck still looks great. I think it helps that it’s always garaged, but still I was and am impressed. I have a 2007 Dodge Wagon, I will have them replace and paint the front and rear bumper covers…It’s great to sometimes get more than you expected.
Maaco does a good job had a truck and 2 cars painted by them even cheaper. I did the prep work.They did not have purple so settled for burgundy on one car. I go back to Earl Shieb days and had a car painted for 99 dollars. The catch was only certain colors were 99 bux. The worst colors. I settles for a light brown/tan color.
Why do ppl think just because you get a new engine that its a new car…sorry its so much more in repairs that can go wrong and become expensive…lets name a few transmission, electrical wiring, alternate, power steering, AC system, front and rear suspension parts….the engine is an important part of a car yes put not the only thing that car become expensive!!
Man. I paint cars… I’ll tell you straight up, it’s not what it looks like at the end.. it’s what’s underneath that paint that shows what you really paid for. Anyone can do this shit with enough practice. Only the passionate provide quality work and are paid their worth.. to each their own.. most people are trying to catch a deal.. that’s what maaco and paint as you shop guys are for..💯🤣
PLEASE STOP saying it is an $800 paint job. It is not. You got a super discounted rate because, as you said, you are a “commercial business”. Also, I suspect they gave your basically a freebie best-effort job considering they were probably aware you were going to feature Maaco in an 8+ minute infomercial that you created. So… yeah. Please be realistic. The average joe walking into their shop would not have gotten that price. Also, no mention of how long it took. Weeks? In the article, that is all cut out and its a finger snap from drop off to pick up. In reality, many shops make their customers wait weeks for restore+paint jobs. Meanwhile, you have to rent a car to get to work for a two or three weeks, jacking up the overall cost of a standard paint job.
I deeply appreciate the knowledge you’re sharing with us. perusal both of your websites is truly invaluable. By the way, it’s quite impressive how your Sonata has already completed over 155 trips.🤫🤫😊 By the way, could you help me in understanding how and why your Mazda2 is outperforming your Mazda3 by such a significant margin? And it’s green. Mind blowing.
if you have a garage you can successfully spray your own Vehicle with a Turbine HVLP Spray unit and get a decent job better than Maicco and less money buying quality Base Coat and Clear job i bought my Paint/ Clear from Dupont. which is expensive. did my own body work prep and Spray and came out with a finish that had no Orange Peel, Drips or imperfections and i was happy with the outcome on that Vehicle for 10 years untill i sold the Car Maicco does a poor job prepping and masking their jobs and that’s. a way they can do them as cheap as they do. some folks don’t mind that and like the Budget Freindly Cost and understand that they are getting what they paid for I know a guy that sprayed and Clearedhis Car with Rustoleum brand Paint he bought at Tractor Supply. and used a better Clear Coat and. that car. is at Car Shows every weekend he used Farm Green on a older British Sportscar and the Car looks like it’s British Racing Green ! don’t use the Rustoleum Clear Coat it doesn’t hold up or go on thick enough these days you can get decent Clear Coats on Ebay reasonably priced i used Dupont as my Company had a Account that gave employees the Wholesale prices if we walked in and paid Cash ! most of the Employees there had Hot Rods and. did our own Painting on them ! I am not a Professional Painter and I took my Time on my Car and Sprayedit in a 2 Car Garage
I can totally believe this … I bought a 1976 model Mercedes 300 diesel for about $3200 back in about 1990… I got it cheap because it had an absolutely terrible brown paint job, but mechanically the car was sound, it had that classic “123” bodystyle, all the chrome was flawless,and there wasn’t a single dent in it. Because the old brown paint was so bad, I had them take it all the way down to bare metal, prime it, and then put an otherwise “standard” (at the time) $500 blacker-than-black paint job and the glossiest clear coat on it, and even the guys at Maaco we’re standing outside looking at it when we went to pick it up. I’m telling you, it looked like a different car altogether. The manager even told me that he had never had another one come out quite so good, (in terms of what it looked like when it was brought in, compared to what it looked like when it left.) and while that sounds like something you say to everybody, I think he really meant it that time.
I want to touch on the part at 0:54 about comments. Now when I take my vehicle to different shops to get things fixed or even installing music people turn my truck down says they don’t work on vehicles like mine I’m like ok but I know most of them turn my truck down because of the paint job and that is a known fact. And I thinks it’s hilarious people act a certain way if something don’t look good to them😂
I have to say I have a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 I have a little small dense that can be pushed back in place easily. The main thing is the clearcoat fading away on the truck. Somebody told me to take my truck to maaco to get a cheap paint job. It will look amazing. By seeing you guys showing the work that they do, I will be taking my truck to Maaco real soon.
Let me tell you something about Maaco… My old man was an operations manager for Maaco from 78 til 82 at corporate headquarters in King Of Prussia Pa. And opened most of the Maaco shops in the NE USA. We owned shop in Philly for years after that and one thing he always taught franchise owners and even our own crew is that no matter how much a customer spends on the paint service (Ambassador, Congressional, Presidential, and Supreme), ALWAYS GIVE THE CAR A SUPREME. Because, we were painting 30-35 cars a week and standardizing the paint line process saved time, even though we were doing more to the car, we could do it much faster… Plus no matter what, customers liked to tell others about where they got it done… No one ever knew we did that and every customer went away with the best we could do… #OldYorkRdAndTiogaMaaco
If you buy their top of the line paint and do ALL your own prep it can come out great. If you use middle of the road paint and do ALL your own paint it comes out decent. If you just drive up and pay them the interior will be painted along with the exterior. I have had MAACO paint on my car for over 10 years (prepped myself, mid-quality paint) and I get compliments on it every time I drive that car. It was a great value.
I have done exactly this when I was young and had no money. Do all the prep work and taping yourself. Spend the time! That is what costs money to have the pros do it. Then have someone with the right equipt just spray it. I gave them my car with all the sanding done, trim removed, lights taken out, plates removed, then after painting, put it all back together and it looked great.
Just a few things about Maaco and apparently other cheap paint shops. Im speaking with 20 years of painting experience and i did work at Maaco for quite a few years. The “clear coat in the paint” they are selling you is bs. You either have single stage paint or or base coat clear coat paint ( with the exception of tri stage paints wich are also base clear. If you added clear to the paint it would make it so transparent you would need 50 coats to cover anything. They also try to sell you other things that you can pay for and never really get, like uv protection. Macco on average paints 8 to 10 cars a day, and that is the reason they can offer the cheap paint jobs. They make money off the volume of jobs instead of the individual job. Also most paint jobs being good or bad does come down to the preparation. If you leave imperfections you will still see them after its painted, only they will be shiny imperfections. Removing simple things such as headlights, tail lights, marker lights, window trims and mirrors will result in a better paint job. Its usually the over or under masking that people are unhappy with and not having those items to mask off will eliminate that issue. Would i take my car to Maaco? No but i have my own shop and can do it better for the same cost. If i did have a cheap car that may only last a few years and i wanted it to look better Maaco is a good choice for that, just dont buy the snake oil.
Go with the same color. Color changes on the cheap don’t work out well. Nobody wants to see different colored door jambs or under hood/trunk color differences. My local Maaco is awesome. Their spot painting service using base/clear usually matches very well. Even without a cut/buff many people would not realize the parts were repainted on the cheap. Full paint service, they do a decent job for what you pay. Had a Chevy Tahoe done 6 months ago. It was a Nasty old City of Chicago police car, had uneven edges on the paint. Dents, dings. and one of the rockers was quite rusty. For $900 they prepped it, filled all the dings, did some body work, sealed, and painted it using Urathane paint and “integrated” clearcoat. I got compliments consistently on how good it looked. The guy I sold it to didn’t even know it had a respray. Any other shop would have been $5000+
My friend crashed into my Civic hatch with his mustang a few years ago, didn’t go thru insurance or anything so replaced some panels and took it to Maaco. $400 cash out the door for me a full respray of the same color white. And I was very happy with it for the first few days…until I popped my hood, and noticed the entire engine bay/engine/turbo kit/ everything under the hood was painted white. My entire custom turbo kit was now even more custom becuase the turbo/bov,piping,valve cover, everything was custom white.
I had a car that the previous owner had taken to Earl scheib to be painted. About 10′ away it looked good. You get close and you could see 80 grit scratches through the silver basecoat😂 on the drivers side rear quarter panel Ans passenger door. It was silver which shows everything. Also one day I went to wash my car as it was dirty and there was a spot on the front bumper that no matter how I scrubbed the dirt didn’t disappear, I looked closer and realised that the dirt was under the clearcoat😂😂😂
The black focus looks good. Painter did a great job. (I worked at a production shop n that’s what a maaco is) bumper are plastic n fenders/quarters are metal. Both materials take color differently. Also- please know, even tho u did ur own body work, a shop will not always guarantee the paint job. My shops don’t. If you prep it n want us to paint it – I won’t give a guarantee. There’s nothing wrong w macco. They are hit n miss. We send work to one by the shop all the time cuz the guy is excellent. Urethane paints and enamel paints are GREAT for solid NON METALLIC colors. They tend to be stripping or zebra. The base clear is best for metallics n pearls. There’s an econo by the shop here too. I don’t use them. For those that don’t know u can’t color sand or wet sand an embedded clear coat. U can only color sand the base clear. Axalta used to be DuPont paint for the ones not in the car industry and it is excellent paint. What those cheaper places use like maaco n econo do not use is water based paints. Automotive factories and dealerships use water based. The best thing about the water base is no overspray. If you have it – take a damp rag n off it comes.
I worked at a maaco for 1 week. Thats all i could take. They painted on average 20 cars a day at this franchise. I was almost comatose by the end of the week. The majority of the cars coming thru had really bad paint jobs and body work on them already. I suspect its these owners that badmouth maaco. They bring in a terd and maaco just polishes the turd. This is a nasty dirty work with low pay so don’t expect top quality. I’ve had 2 of my own cars painted at 2 different maaco’s and the paint held up really well. I chose catalyzed acrylic enamel which was 1 step up from their lowest quality they had at the time.
Just try to do it yourself!!! Just need to have a nice compressor to handle the continuous flow. You evenly spray without back & forth actions, but uniform movements all the way across. You’re a very good dyi’er if you ask me. You have the room, and even the shade to do it too. Keep it in the shade for at least a week after you do it for better results. You can give it maybe 3 passes/same with the clear. With intervals of up to 30 mins in between. This works best for me. The paint supplies would be around 100 bucks for the good paint/clear coat. You should experiment on smaller panels or even wood panels as practice. I usually primer the hood a bit more(there’s primers for that too) to have heat resistance on the paint 😉 I think you can do well Sam. Even remove the trim before paint for a much better inside out look. I’ve seen what you can do, and do believe you have it in you to tackle this! Cheers
I don’t know if it’s still available, but Chrysler used to have a color called Formal Black. I had the tank and side covers of my bike done with it and it is gorgeous. It’s a deep black with kind of bronze and silver metal flake. I would have body shop guys come out and admire it when I parked. It’s probably too late for this car, but keep it in mind for next time.
****UPDATE**** The D car is being made into a cube with kind donations from Papa John’s, Round Table, Mountain Mike’s, at Little Caesars. Donations are being taken for Pizza to put in car while said car is set Ablaze then made into a cube then boxed with one of their logos on the side love the Box. Personally we do not think it will be delivered to their office within 30 minutes. 🤣😂🤣😂
Any body who would ever consider taking an M3 BMW in to Maaco for a color change nee’d to be beaten into dust ..Yes Maaco has the paint Booth and yes Maaco has the ability to turn up the heat so your car is not icy cold when the paint is applied,,But still Maaco is NOT where you take a BMW M3 for a complete color change But for a quote “Exotic car guy” to bring a car to a Maaco paint shop then cry about the less than perfect job he got tell’s me that man is a fraud ! Why because real Car guy’s I mean real motorheads already know everybody & everywhere to go to get the best paint jobs and they just would never go to a Maaco shop .. So this fraud is clearly a poser who has no clue ..WRONG WRONG WRONG.. I don’t know how long you been in the auto paint Body repair business but after 40 yrs of experience I can tell you hands down you can blend anything anywhere and yes even you won’t be able to tell..and don’t forget all these New cars have massive bumper cover’s or front fascia made of a material that requires a Flex agent or the paint will crack the minute it’s bumped …
The reason Maaco survives is because of the extreme high costs of getting a paint job in a “regular” body shop! I got quoted almost 4000.00 to paint a small Toyota the same color it was. It needed no body work! Just prep and paint! The car was probably worth 2500.00 at the time. Who would spend that kind of money? I opted not to have it painted At all! Would they have done a better job than Maaco? No doubt! In the 70’s there wasn’t nearly the difference in costs between a conventional Body Shop and Earl Schieb. Today, the difference is staggering!
You don’t have to go to bare metal. In fact, some cars (Old VW Bugs, for example), it can cause issues. You do have to get to a smooth finish. The cheap ‘chemical wash’ they do to make the existing paint … sticky, for lack of a better word, doesn’t work well for an untouched paint job. I’ve had work done at a professional body shop (not a retail operation), and as long as the paint is sanded, you’ll get a good solid stick for the new paint. The clear coat over the new paint is critical as well.
I’ve had really good paint jobs from Maaco. The cheap single stage paint (no clearcoat) is pretty good and can even be buffed out pretty nice. Of course the $1500 base/clear is much nicer if you can afford that. The equivalent base/clear at a private body shop would be maybe $3000. Body work is always extra as it should be.
lol…ok 1 wait a couple years after the sun bakes the clear right off.2 rubber parts need to have a flex agent added to the paint or it will start cracking all over..maaco dont do flex on the rubber parts.. the base is always enamel at maaco. the clear coat if you pay the extra for the clear is the only urethane part …..we are a 4 generation auto body family.. if you want to clean up a junk car to sell it to an easy mark(not nice but ok) maaco is a way to go quick cheap easy….in even a few months you will start to see what is called pull back or shrinking and every sanding scratch will start to show the paint will not hold up to the sun so in a year or 2 you will start to see what is called checking and blistering in 3 or 4 years the clear if you got it will be peeling back off…if you do not get the clear the sun will kill that paint dull as heck in 2 years this will not really buff or rub back off when you do buff it the paint will soak up the rubbing compound and turn milky white a few weeks later and it just gets worse and worse as time passes on….sorry but that is the truth… god help you if you let them do any body work at all… good prep work will help a bit but only so much.
I had my first car painted by macco in 94″ its my 64 rambler american 2dr hardtop and i did all the prep with some friends we were 16&17 at the time did all the bodywork and hung wet sheets in garage and primered the car i learned from a hot rod magazine writeup cheap do it yourself paint and prep when hotrod still had stuff for the budget minded car guys. I drove it to the shop with all the windows papered up other than windsheild and door glass. We precut those pcs and taped them on when i got there. It was 149.99. I took it in on saturday morning it was a manger and 1 painter working we got bullshitting and i jokingly said I’ll give ya 50$ each if ya take a little extra time with it they looked at each other said pull it in door around the back the painter said extra 25$ he would 2 tone it and jamb it all in. Went and picked it up tuesday afternoon after school he had 2 toned it gunmetal grey and a midnight blue color the manger went over the bill for 149.99 i paid 33$ extra for prep they did .We walked into shop and the car looked amazing i gave them each 75$ bucks they were happy. the car had that paint job till last fall when i started stripping it cause im redoing car for 3rd time. Had the same painter paint 3-4 more cars and trucks for me before he died frank taught me how to do body work and paint now i do it all myself. He died a few years ago. My paint jobs are nowhere near the best but its a skill that saves a shit load of money. Its all in the prep and using quality paint i get better each time.
As a body tech, this article made my eye twitch. First off, trying to educate people is great, but you should first know what you are talking about. Not even trying to bash, but at least do some real research on what you are doing, not just what some people have told you. First off, you sanded the car with 80. That immediately means you have to prime the car or deal with issues. If you paint over that with urethane it will certainly pull the scratches and you will see everything. It will look horrible. If you paint it with single stage enamel you can actually get away with sanding the car with 220 and painting it. Urethane has to be sanded down to 400, or AT LEAST 320 if you are an experienced painter. Also, Maaco lies to everyone lol. Urethane doesn’t last longer than enamel. If you are using single stage it’s almost as high of a gloss, and actually sets up harder and is more chip resistant. Urethane just has better gloss, and BC/CC is significantly better in that respect. Maaco actually has some decent painters, but they don’t do anything else. They mask everything as fast as possible and don’t care about the outcome, hence that guy’s interior being painted. We used to say if you go to Maaco you can leave your windows down and they will paint your mother in law for free. All in all, I would suggest trying to get in touch with an actual body tech and maybe picking their brain. The steps of the process that we do mean everything, and you wouldn’t know without being told.
I highly suggest using a white paint. Not only does it help with keeping a vehicle cool in the hot summer months but it also does a very good job of hiding any imperfections you might have missed as well as the everyday dirt and dust you would get with a family drive vehicle. If you would like proof of this fact try going up to your local FedEx delivery truck next time and take a closer look at his truck and you will find more dust dirt and debris than you could imagine… and yes I’m speaking from experience.
I live in Maryland, and the King of cheap paint jobs ( $99.00 ) is none other than Baltimore’s Earl Scheib. I probably spelled his last name incorrectly, but it doesn’t matter. If you can say it,you can find him. He has billboards that are the entire sides of buildings. Those guys paint over dirt, bugs, your windows and chrome too. But a lot of people still go to him. They been in business for like 50 years. That’s a lot of bad paint jobs.
Hey bro a helpful hint … grab a 5 Gal bucket of warm water with a drop of dawn and some 320 grit paper go buy yourself some hard foam sanding blocks from any auto parts story they come in a variety of shapes & sizes wrap your piece of 320 in that block soak it in the bucket and start sanding . DO NOT finger fuck the car body with the sand paper another words use the flat of your Hand and NEVER dig in using a single finger or you will create a website or hole, sand flat & feather your damaged ares out as far as it takes to make them disappear .. I used to personally paint between 6 and 8 Lexus a week that were shipped to the US with acid rain damage . these were all the Black Lexus SC400 ES300 LS400 cars ordered in Black paint as the black was not a clear coat color during those years ..I know what I’m talking about because before we were paid by Lexus our cars were inspected and had to meet Factory standards …so after personally taking apart and hand sanding & painting a year & a half worth of Factory brand new Lexus delivering as many as 20 cars a month I truly do know what I’m talking about …
I did body work for decades and have won many a trophy for paint and body work. Maaco has top notch equipment and uses quality products. They use a beautiful booth and oven..I sprayed at Maaco for a few months and was very impressed with the bang for your buck the one I worked at offered. When I worked there…If you did perfect prep work you would leave with a perfect oven baked paint job for less than you could buy the materials to spray it yourself… If you did shitty prep work you would end up with a great paint job showing off your shitty prep work..
I can’t even paint a car myself for 400 dollars including the supplies, etc. I have painted about 10 cars in enamel the last 25 years and shops were trying to sell me the two stage urethanes. My enamel jobs always turned out acceptable, but needed polishing. Last year I went for the two stage urethane and the paint is much easier to spray and the clear turns out awesome.
MAACO paint jobs are fine if you’re selling the car and want to make it look good long enough to get rid of it. All those people care about is spraying the car over and rolling it back out the door as fast as possible, and in my experience even the “ambassador” paint job won’t look good for longer than a year. They also tend to be a bit sloppy and overspray some areas, causing bubbling and drips.
people get mad wen their expectations arent met on a cheap maco paint job. the problem isnt that the maco paint job isnt good enough the problem is that people dont educate themselves about what they are buying. its like buying dollar store stuff . u know its not gunna last but thats ok cuz u didnt pay alot for it. people think they are gunna get a show car quality paint job for a few hundred bucks. it dont work that way. you can improve the quality of your paint job by sanding and doing the bodywork yourself before you bring it to them. also if you dont want them to just tape something up you must remove it ahead of time . but at the end of the day your still gettimg a budget paint job dont expect a show car.
80 Grit? that’s great for taking bark off of wood…I had Maaco paint my 79 pickup just to get rid of the dullness. At the same time, a friend had a local shop do his Camaro with their pro paint job. My truck was painted in Cincinnati at the Maaco shop, my friend’s car was done in our Indiana hometown by a local body shop. Bottom line? when he saw my truck, saw the bill and showed what he paid, he was pissed and my truck had the superior results for only $300, their lowest price service. No, I haven’t seen all of the jobs Maaco does but from my personal experience, I would both recommend them and will be taking my next project to them. I agree that doing your own prep work is essential but if you use 80 grit paper, I question everything your trying to prove and not really sure what your point is.
I’ve had a number of cars painted by Maaco over the years with good results. But that said, I bring them a car that is in the closest condition I can make it to how it was painted at the factory: totally stripped. anything I wouldn’t want oversprayed is removed prior to arrival at the paint booth. Any truthful Maaco manager can tell you that they have to paint 8 cars a day to make a profit, so what you’re really looking for is the skill and experience of the guy with the spray gun. If you didn’t pay for body prep, you don’t get it. If you don’t pay for two-stage paint, you don’t get it.
Hey Sam, back about two years ago, Ford came out with the most beautiful blue you’d ever want to see, they used it on the Taurus and the 500, it was deep midnight blue but metallic, when it hit the sunlight, it was the bomb. I think it would look great on your Jag, check it out and if you’re ever on the space coast, come check us out in Titusville.
You had your car shot over 80 grit scratches….. im not saying sanding with 80 grit is bad, but you should have done your steps properly. You should have went over the car again with 180 grit. Then once again with a 220 grit. PRIMER ( even with a raddle can since you are on a budget…) then wet sand the dirt and imperfections with a block sander by hand starting with a 400 grit sandpaper. (Any metal or fillers or sanding scratches that show can be shot over again with a rattle can and wet sanded again if needed.) Then go over the car again, wet sanding with 600 grit on a block. Wash the car with soap and water, wipe down with a good cleaning enamel and a tack rag. Then take it to Maaco. Maaco with then mask your car and clean it with enamel again and shoot it. I did it to my 89 camaro about 10 years ago. It had taken me a couple of weekends to get it just right. But with all the materials i had bought and used, plus the cost of Maaco shooting my car, i have had a clean flawless paintjob hold up fine.
Really doesn’t matter where you get your car painted, the quality of the work depends on the professionalism and the pride of the person doing the painting. If he doesn’t care to send crappy work out for everyone to see, then that’s what you’re going to get. Let someone paint the car who really gives a crap about what their work looks like. You’ll get a good job.
To get a nice paint job, at a place like Econo, you do need to do the prep work your self. The prep work is the most expensive part of the job and the thing that makes or breaks the job. The hardest thing for a DIY person is the spraying, because you aren’t doing it everyday; Econo is. I would take everything off my car, do all the body work, wet sand, and even tape the necessary areas. The outcome was excellent, so good in fact that they would always take my cars and put them out front, for advertising, until I came and got them.
I used to be just like you…scared to paint my own cars.I would prep them.remove trim.lights rubber seals.etc and then bring my cars to 1day paint and body or macco..man what a fool i was..look dude theres no magic to it.its very uncomplicated.go to a paint supply and buy the base coat…reducer..clear and hardner …get a compressor…a spray gun…and a inline air dryer..and start putting down your own 2 stage paint jobs WAAAY better than anything youll get at macco..for the same or less money its easier than you think.if you can do all the prep.you can shoot it too.i have no doubt you can do it
BEST to SHOP AROUND… even when using Maaco… The Maaco in Costa Mesa CA quoted me $8,000 in body work ONLY… Before they would even quote the paint. My car was straight, a few dings, but someone sprayed primer all over it… $8,000 to sand and PREP..? I went to a second Maaco and got a quote for $1500 body and prep, and $1200 paint. The car looks GREAT…
My friend’s mom got a Macco color change on her truck. I pulled up to their house and from the other side of the street I could tell it was crap. When I walked past it, about 15-20 away, I prepared myself for seeing a pissed off Ma when I walked in. But no, she thought it was beautiful so I just kept my mouth shut and let her enjoy it. I bought a car that had a fairly recent “top of the line” Macco job. It was an ok 20 footer, but nowhere near as good as factory.
About auto paint jobs in America today… Maaco and Earl Scheib ((Earl Scheib is still in California, Whittier and others)) use the same mexicans that the high end paint shops do. Best thing to do is visit the shop a few times, visit while your car is in process, and tip the guys that are actually working on your car. Nothing will ever be as good as a factory paint job.
If you’re going to bother prepping yourself might as well buy the paint and equipment to paint yourself. If you’re flipping cars a lot it’s a big savings. Most painters at these discount places are terrible, don’t care because the pay sucks, or inexperienced because they don’t work for a good paint shop (yet).
Maaco is junk, period. I had my car done three times by them and gave up dealing with the aftermath. My door handles stopped working, they sanded the glass on front and rear windshield, they tore my window seal, they oversprayed everywhere and that’s just the small shit. They had repaired a dent and painted the car forgetting to sand the Bondo. Whole car needed to be redone. They also lied about sanding the factory paint (I paid for the premium package which included sanding). The only time they sanded was the second and third paint job and that was to sand into the Bondo that was left unsmoothed and painted over. After 3 paint jobs I moved out of the area. I’m still under the warranty but I don’t even want to bother. Three years later the paint on the hood is chipped, the front bumper is missing large flakes of paint, the roof behind the window is almost completely peeled away leaving the factory color exposed (the factory paint is still brand new and shiney). The paint does not scratch, it just falls off in chunks. The color is amazing though but every shop can paint the same color and make it actually stick 😂
Labor intensive = paint job. Painting a car,actually shooting it/ spraying it is the 10%, part of a respray. Materials cost money like Quality non clogging sand paper in many different grits. Masking paper to keep the interior from getting painted per your friend. Masking tape of at least 3m or scotch brand to allow the tape to be removed easily. All of which are non reusable and usually need remasking and retaping thru priming and sanding stages. Then stripped off and retaped and remasked for final painting. ( There is a good amount of labor in this step alone. You sanded your car in prep. What grit sand paper did you use. Did you buy cheap or high quality sand paper. There is a big price difference…but also usability difference. 2 component ( 2k urethane ) is industry standard in superior shine,longevity,and far more durable. Factory clears break down because they are sprayed by a computer robots. To save the manufacture money and to give your car a shine on the Dealership lot. 2k urethane like other paints have a chemistry that needs to be mixed properly to last and shine. That is Color combined with a reducer,a clear coat combined with harder and reducer. ( Can you feel the cost rising) Now labor to perform all the sanding more than one time,the materials,the masking taping and actual painting. Are we fooling ourselves we can get “Quality Work” Where will the corners be cut in labor. Where will the materials be cut. Where and how can a shop make money ( a profit ) On a cheap paint job?
FYI, as you recommend them to us, I went to Econo Paint shop in Tampa Florida to paint my Audi S4 dolphin gray color and they ruined it. I’m taking it back for them for the fourth time. They painted my aluminum mirrors, the rear diffuser (which is a different color from the car), license plate lights are covered in paint and underneath the license plate( plastic piece) they didn’t remove it. Just painted over it. They messed up my grill they broke my S4 emblem. The paint is running by antenna, side fenders, trunk, and bumpers. Razor blade marks and cuts everywhere. A lot of dust under paint. No enough clear coat. All that and they didn’t paint the right color and still trying to convince me it’s off gray! It’s totally light brown! 3 times and can’t mix the colors right! And they have a guy they ( no offense to Indians) he’s kinda Indian and Rude and arrogant and argues a lot and treat you like you know shit! And I’ve paid over $500!
There sure are a bunch of know it alls on here giving 1,000 contradictory opinions presented as “facts”. Slamming on single stage like it’s junk and saying “there’s no such thing as…” a product I have on the shelf and use every day. Single stage is where it’s at for non metallic colors and it’s making a huge comeback in the restoration market. Chip Foose’s personal F100 is painted with single stage and it’s one of the slickest, richest blacks you’ll ever see. Basecoat/clearcoat black looks milky compared to a good single stage job. Basecoat isn’t popular because it’s the “best” paint, it’s popular because it’s the closest thing to idiot proof in the automotive paint world. The industry has been plagued by delamination problems for the better part of 2 decades. For my own personal restorations I use single stage on solid colors, base on metallics/pearl colors.
It’s easy explain how the interior of the bmw got sprayed white – they have the doors open while spraying the door jambs – If you want a better job, do all the prep yourself, remove ALL trims and mask as much as you can…..make, or should I say ‘Maaco,’ it as easy for them to do a good job, as possible – however remember, they are in the habit of working fast and no being too picky, so don’t expect too much – there’s a reason body shops charge so much. If you wanta great job, pay for one
Cheers for this, I have been researching “do it yourself auto body repair and painting” for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about – Banayce Wordless Blueprint – (should be on google have a look ) ? It is a great one of a kind product for discovering how to master car body work and spraying techniques minus the headache. Ive heard some interesting things about it and my cousin got excellent success with it.
Had my corvette done at a maaco about 20 years ago…. Paint itself was gorgeous, deep gloss black like a dark pool. Where they fucked up was around the windows on the b/c pillars. Paint flaked away a few months later, most likely bad prep. It was $600. Fact is you can get a bad paint job for $5k too. This article is kinda weird you didnt actually get it painted at maaco.
Macos not the only one, a local auto body guy who has been around for ever painted my friends Toyota pick up white for a cable tv job. Truck had been red before. Paint job lasted less than 2 years with white comming off in sheets. Truck eventually returned to red which coencided with his departure from CTV sub contracting Lol! Perfect!
All you did was sand the clearcoat on the Jag. It’s never a good idea to leave any clearcoat on the car if you’re going to repaint it. As far as the price, under $500 which includes the paint is ridiculously cheap. What is the hourly labor rate in your area for an electrician, a plumber or even an auto repair shop? It must be $100 per hour one way or the other. That means, not counting paint, the paint shop can only spend 4-5 hours total on your car. That’s prepping, masking, painting and touch-ups. How good of a job do you expect for that little money? It isn’t their problem you have a cheap car and don’t want to spend a lot of money on the paint job. No shop can do a decent paint job in such a short amount of time. You get what you pay for!!
It is NOT an isolated incident. They consistently have shitty attention to detail and do not prep or mask the car off properly. They are taught to get the car in and out as quick as possible with the least amount of work. Your friends leather interior got over spray on it because when they masked off to paint the door jams they did a shitty job! If you ever sell a car that you have had painted through them, you had better disclose that fact to the buyer. I have owned three cars with MACO paint jobs and they are all CRAP and didn’t last for shit! It’s NEVER worth cutting corners just to save a buck!
No. Don’t encourage this. I took in a car, prepped for paint, all my trim pieces taken off and everything out in the trunk and backseat that I did not want painted. They told me they could out my trim back on after they painted the car. I did pay $1800 as well. Upon arrival they put some of the trim pieces back on but when taking a closer look I saw tape marks how they put the trim back on and then taped around. Oh and my paint started flaking in a few spots leaving me to believe they did not do a base+clear 2 stage paint as I paid for.
Well i work for MAACO in wichita ks and can say yes we dont warranty our paint if you do the body work but just for the simple reason that we dont know anything about what was used. As for over spray on wheels all MAACO locations should have a detail line to clean the vehicles after paint. We do have a few that slip by but for the best bang on a low budget our jobs look pretty good. And it will vary from location to location as to quality but I try to q.c all jobs leaving my store and if i wouldnt be happy with it on my car then i fix it
It’s all about the prep work so if you don’t like your paint job, maybe you should be more angry about who prepped the car. Anyone can spray a car but if your prep work is crap, it doesn’t matter how good the sprayer is. My father is a 40 plus year veteran and I grew up in body shops and I can say with no doubt, it’s all about the prep work.
I’m a professional painter, prep work is the most important part. i appriciate your effort and what may look good to most, doesnt look good to anyone who actually knows what theyre looking at. Like the focus, cant tell anything on camera, although, i could see the crazy swirl marks from the poor buffing. maaco is trash, stop supporting that crap. Youre better off spraying it yourself in your garage with harbor frieght guns.
Bro they are awful..like fucking awful. Buy spray gun and pain do it your self will only coast you a few hundre bucks and that includes the gun. Did it on 5 cars between my self and a buddy..the more u spend on paint the better and the more time you put into sanding and wet sanding the better. But I will say this we did a 12 hour paint job from stripping to paint…it came out alot better than you would think..those ass holes over spray they don’t tape shit they will fuck your car up good.
…you still don’t understand paint enamel came out in the late 70’s and was used on all the trucks up into the 90s and look at anytruck from that era the paints peeling because enamel dosent hold up. Base coat// clear coat system aka urethane base is the way to go. So don’t say someone’s wrong, 8 somethings cheap as crap for paint and then clear coat like it’s twice everything (spraying time) and going to hold up twice as long and have a way better finish then enamel
The guy running the second shop has a brain, rather than simply being an idiot franchise holder. If he can get a knowledgeable vehicle owner to do a substantial amount of the prep work to the point that his crew only needs to spend a couple hours checking/correcting/finishing the work, it bumps his profit up substantially.