has anyone had a good experience with maaco? i went in there for a quote and left soon after when the guy told me all of his paints were shit except the $999 package... who does that??? and then hes gonna tell me not to change the color of my car because its not a good idea.... its the only paint place i know of that does paint jobs so can someone give me some experience info on these people??
thanks

I had my IROC-Z Painted there. It was the $250 paint job. It looks pretty good. And the paint doesn't chip or fade. Its just the type of paint they use thats really cheap. Its a clear coat and base coat combined in one. As long as the body is in excellent shape I think the $250 paint job would be just as good as the $999 one.
-They probaly use the same paint.:wary

i used maaco for my car...it was like a 550 total....its actually not bad at all...no chipping or fading....go for it....BRIAN

you get what you pay for.

if you want a nice paint job, expect to pay $1000+ for it. the $250 one sucks, i have it all over my car and it will look like dick after a year or so. no matter how much i wax, claybar, or deoxydize my car, it never really shines anymore.

I have heard nothing except bad things about them... if you do something as important as paint... don't go to the cheapest place. NO MAACO!

I payed more for my paint!!!! (and I did it myself)

Maaco are indepentently owned. Some places use good quality paint, some shit. Go find out the work that they have done, and the quality of paint they use. You can't just say all maaco's suck ass... Not to many are exactly alike.

Well the Maaco here sucks!!!

I payed 300 dollars to paint my front bumper and sideskirts.....needless to say my front bumper has about 100+ stone chips in it (not exaggerating either)....waste of money....too bad I didn't know that at the time!

Try and find someone local who has used them though, since they are independant and your Maaco may do better jobs then say mine does.

A friend of mine took his older mercedes there for the $250 paint job. Looked OK except when we walked around to the other side of the car and they "forgot" to paint an entire door. How the hell do you go through the process of painting the car and then washing and cleaning it all up and tell the customer to come pick it up and you miss a whole door? It was very obvious, this was like a 1985 mercedes with original paint that was fadded all to shit.

now now 95 esi....we all know that you think your paintjob is GOD! doestn look that great to me IMO....stop badmouthing until you experience....

Maaco sucks ass.

95 ESI, I have respect for you painting the car yourself.

Considering that it was 95 ESI's first paint job.. it looks damn good. And it can only get better as his skills improve. Props to you for having the patience to paint your own car.

But like others have said, you do get what you pay for. Seems like MAACO has mixed reviews, and yes they are independently owned. Some shops will do a good job, but some will not. Just go in and talk to the owner, ask about any special projects they've done, what kind of paint they use, how many layers of clearcoat, warrantee/guarantee on paint, especially for rock chips, and any other questions you have. Sounds like the shop you went to is no good, seeing as how they badmouth their own packages.

Also depends on how you want your car to look. Show quality, most likely you will not get at a cheap place like MAACO or Earl Scheib. If you just want your car to be one uniform color, then go for it. But if you really want to be proud of your paint, and to me its worth it, save yourself some trouble and go to a reputable shop that can do an excellent job. Sure it might be a little more, but it'll be worth it in the end because the paint will last. While you're saving, you're also delaying the painting of your car, so especially in this winter season, your paint job will last longer.

i have had 2 cars painted at maaco, with a couple of very minor imperfections, they did a great job and I would go back to them again. all maacos are differnt, check it out to see what the palce actually looks like on the inside.

i wouldn't let maaco paint my toe nails!



(if i were into that sort of thing)

Originally posted by Niclipse
i wouldn't let maaco paint my toe nails! (if i were into that sort of thing)

LOL. Yeah you'll need to pay 2000+ for a good paint job. The paint alone costs 500-600. Then the prep work "should" take over 40 hours. Maaco barely preps your car, so they do your whole car in less than a day usually. You always get what you pay for. It all depends on if you want oem quality (or better) paint, or the cheaper acrylic single-stage paint they use.

Had my 2nd car painted there...It peeled in 6 months!
Where I work it is $3000 before any body work for an all-over...No Shit!
It's PPG basecoat, then clearcoat, but the car is totally prepped and sanded, and ALL trim is removed. (Lifetime warranty on the finish also) Maaco tapes it up. If you're gonna do Maaco, remove all trim first. Then go...better results...still not the best in the world, but who cares unless you're gonna trailer the car to shows.( Well, some care more than others) There is so much involved in getting a $3000 paint job compared to a $250 one. To each is own. Not tryin' to put anyone down.