Maaco.... how does the paint hold up? Is it worth it?

[Trick87Accord]

just a fast question, does anyone know about maaco paintjobs there cheap i just got a price quote of 500 bucks for a whole job, and i was wondering if the clear coat would come off over the winter or something, let me in on some info. If you would like to suggest a color that would be tight too. :cool:
-Trick-

[NXRacer]

maaco is the way to go if you cant afford a good paint job. I've heard too many stories about how they're paint fades and the quality diffinately leaves something to be desired.

I'd say stay away from them, but if you really need a paint job and are short on the cash, its probably your only choice. Good paint jobs can cost a pretty penny.

[YK86]

Here's a good write up.

http://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=1383&highlight=paint

I had my car painted at Maaco in 98. It looked great and I was very happy with what I got. Nice and shiny, very metallic. It stayed that way for roughly 3 years. If I took care of it better and had the knowledge of how to take care of it (I was using dish soap to wash it back then and wasn't waxing it all the time which isn't very good for the paint), I'm sure it would have looked nice even after 5 years. I have no regrets taking it there and will go there again (but I'll do my own prep work next time).

[od2681]

my freind got his car painted at maaco....paint started chippin in a month..and the clear coat was uneven on the roof..so pretty crappy paint job

[NXRacer]

a guy posted up pictures on NWStreetracing of his freshly painted integra and the paint looked really good. I think it depends on the shop you go to.

[YK86]

Yeah, for sure. I went to 3 Maacos in the area and got a good look at the cars coming out. Each one is independantly owned so it's up to the owners and managers how the cars come out. The one I ended up going to were extremely nice, good service, took care of any complaints I had, and didn't stop until I was completely satisifed. That same branch is trying to get good rep for nice paint jobs at low cost (they switch to Dupont base/clear paint instead of the enamel based paints) while the other ones seem more concerned about pumping out as many cars in a day as possible and are still sticking to Sherwin-Williams enamel paints for the cheap jobs.

[smufguy]

Macoo and Earl Schwib (or something similar) does the same kinda job. Despite the store, the place and the employees are the crucial factor. For me, i did not use Maaco, i used Earl, the paint was shitty, over spray everywhere and i guess i expected too much for $370 bux, which for me was expensive. Three months later, paint started to chip, i have chips and i can see where they did not prime my car at all cause i can see my burgundy color on my door and also blue on my hood and trunk. one of the things im saving for, is around $2000 for a new paint job that i am gonna get it from a Collision place rather than a paint shop. I probably might drive up to NY state to get the best guy. But seriously, 'you get what you paid for' holds very truly for any paint shop i suppose.

[Chicane]

AVOID MAACO. They're crap. They use awful paint, they don't prep it very well, and instead of removing things they just mask stuff so there's a line of paint on everything. The problem is that once you GO to maaco, your car will never be the same. it'll take a LOT more work even IF you ever get the $ for a nice paintjob to makeit look nice, because now there's paint on everything. Just keep the factory paint until you can afford a NICE 2-3 thousand dollar paintjob.

Of course... the best thing to do is to start hanging out near a local bodyshop... make some friends... buy beer.... ;)

[Legend_master]

I have had many friend use maaco and the only ones that turned out ok were the guys that sanded and primered the cars themselfs. The problem that most people have is that they jsut take it to maaco and have them paint over the stock paint.

[Hash_man_Se_i]

^^ ya ive heard that too, that maaco prep work sucks, but the painting is mediocore... if you prep yourself and get them to paint it might turn out alright.

[danronian]

I did all of the prep and body work on my malibu and it came out just as well if a normal body shop would have sprayed the thing. They suck at prep work and masking and they admitted it to me. They said if you want the sanding and the masking done right do it yourself and let us do the stuff you know we can't mess up. They actually painted it wrong in spots the first time but resprayed it with little arguement. It all depends on the shop manager and owner. Luckily the manager was a real nice guy to me and I got when I payed for on the paint job. The job has lasted about 3 years now and no fade or problems with the finish. In fact I would say it's amazing for the first prep work i have ever done on a car. The only thing I would do next time is block sand more and take everything off, and have them do the jambs b/c they are a pain to do yourself. This summer I am doing all of the prep work/ dent removal/trim shaving/rust repair on my accord and am going to get a $220 ambassador job on the accord. They paint only fades if you don't use the wax that you should and if you use the wrong soap. Don't be scared of Maaco if you do the prep work yourself. Otherwise it will only look good for about a month. I'll update on my 2nd maaco experience in a few months when the accord gets shot black.