Maaco?

[kennycm]

My car is currently dark brown and I wanted to get it sprayed white. Has anyone had a color change done at Maaco? I know that they are franchises and the prices will vary, but I'm looking for a price range. I'll be having mine done in SC. Thanks.

[doug]

here on the east coast of central florida they wanted 750 to do a same color presidential (if I remember right), that's the two year warranty job. locals say they do good paint jobs, but the body work and prep is lousy, but that is gonna vary by shop. I went to a small mom & pop (really) shop and paid 800, as with any of these low ball shops, you get what you pay for, overall I got a decent job, with some items that need to be fixed. good luck on that color change, that's gonna be a b*tch.

[markmdz89hatch]

This might or might not appeal to you.

First of all this is a HUGE color change! ...but a good one... ...mine's white too.

doug is 100% correct about the body work and prep that maaco does. they suck. HOWEVER, the paint they use is very very high grade believe it or not. I was talking to a local detailing shop, and they confirmed that Maaco does use a superior grade of paint. Now, to get past that shitty prep work.

Just do what I did. Do it yourself. Go down to good 'ol Home Depot and pick up a sh*t load of 400 grit WET sanding paper, a small bucket for the water, and a rubber sanding block. Now for the fun stuff. Get to work. Pick a day (a whole day) that you will do nothing but work on this. Make sure to schedule a date with Maaco first, and make sure the day you choose to work on the car is within a few days of the paint appointment. First thing to do to your car is remove everything removable. Eyelids, door and side moldings, taillights, front grille, antenna mount, etc, etc, etc, you get the point. **note on the side moldings, do not just pry them off, you will break the retaining clips, and have to replace the whole molding which will be mucho $$, you'll have to push them off from the inside. Yes this does mean that you'll have to take off the door panels, but hey, if you want it to do it, DO IT RIGHT. Also take out your headlights, and if you really want to get crazy, (although not suggested), you can take out the whole headlight assy. from each side.

now then.. ...break out that sandpaper, and cut it into strips the size needed for the rubber block and toss 'em into that bucket of water, splat one of those babies on the block, hose down your car (if you want), and get to work. Make sure to get the whole car, and consentrate on the ugly spots. Any rust that you have, you have to get it removed (that means cut-out, not just bondo'd over) ...as i said, do it right. If you just cover over rust, it'll eat its' way back through, and you'll be back at square one but with a new color. BTW, you'll want to get that done b4 you do your sanding. Just make sure that if you do it, or if you have a body shop do it, that they just prime it over, and that they use sandable primer.

You're almost there now. Now, keep on sanding, open the doors... ...sand, open the hood... ...sand, open the trunk/hatch... ...sand. Basically anything that you want white... ...you guessed it, SAND. Now don't get so gung-ho, that you sand right down to the bare metal, after all Maaco does not primer the car, they just paint. This does not mean try to bring the car down to primer, it won't hurt a thing to see the brown paint, in fact, it'll provide an extra layer of protection from the elements once the new paint it on. It's cheaper that way, plus why prime an already primed car. Make sure that you use a tiny bit of body filler to cover over the door pings, or rock chips, and other blems, and... ...yup, sand that too. DO NOT rely on the new paint to fill over any of the blems on the surface of the existing paint, it won't work.

Now, here's the scary part, b/c if you do this wrong, you risk messing up everything you've already done. Break out the steel wool. Here goes. Take that steel wool, drown it in water, keep the surface of the car wet, and VERY LIGHTLY, scar the surface of the paint. You don't even need to apply pressure on the pad, just be careful. You should not be able to feel or see any indications that you used this. All it does is privide a little better of a surface for the new paint to adhere to. Once you're done with this, hose the car off, and scrub the sh*t out of it with a good (NEW) sponge to get off all of the paint residue that the sanding left behind.

Your part is done! If you have a garage, park the car in there until it's time for the new paint. If not, make sure that the car stays dry. If it rains, as soon as it stops, get out there and dry it off. DO NOT park the car under any trees, b/c although you can't see it, no matter what kind of tree it is, it will drop residue on the surface, and it will F*ck up the new paint. The reason for making sure the car stays dry is b/c altough you have not brought the car down to bare metal, and at the most you see some spots of primer, the surface is porous now, and will absorb moisture.

When it comes time, you can have the car towed to Maaco, or you can just put the neccessary lights back on with just a few of the screws, and just take them off when you get there. After all, the idea behind this is to save money, and unless you own a tow truck, you're gonna pay out the nose for that.

Now any trim pieces that you did not remove (although you should have), YOU tape it off, that way it's done to your standards. To further prep it for the spray, take a plastic bag, and tape it over the light plugs, and (for the front) stuff them away down into the bumper area, away from any surface to be painted. Do the same for the taillight, and headlight plugs. find a way to block off the other areas where you don't want the paint overspray to get to.

PICKING YOUR PAINT PACKAGE and PRICING:
The paint package you pick is really up to you. Take a look at what they offer, and which one appeals to you. Remember, you've already done all the prep work, all they have to do is tape off anything you haven't already, and spray it down, so make sure you're not buying a higher package then you need. ASK QUESTIONS, they are getting your money, and want your business, so don't be afraid to ask.

As far as prices go, doug is right, it really varries from shop to shop, but generally, for a complete color change (like what you want), they charge $50 per opening. Meaning 50 per door, 50 for the trunk/hatch, and 50 for the underhood. However, see if you can bargain with them, I mean afterall, you've already done all the prep work for this. Again, there's no reason to have to pay for the work you already did. See if you could get them down to 30 per opening, or something like that, hell, go lower if you think you can.

Sorry about the book, but I hope this helps.
Feel free to ask me anything, you can e-mail me if you like, just click the radio button below.

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!!!!
-Mark D.

[kennycm]

Thanks Mark, I'll try that cause it sounds like you're saving me a bundle.

[markmdz89hatch]

if you really want to get nutty, you can remove all your windows, door panels, upholstery/seats/carpet, dash, and headliner, and have the place spray the entire car, that way it'll be a complete color change. that's a ton of work though.

:werd: