Maaco?

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RustyDusty

RustyDusty

Rabid Cross-eyed Opossum!
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Hey guys, the time to get my duster painted is growing closer and closer. I can not spend some $5,000 on a paint job. I was wondering if any of you had a car painted at Maaco and what you thought? I've always heard that masking the car was their weak spot, but they did a good job of shooting. Masking won't be an issue as it will be brought to them essentially stripped down to just the body and suspension.

Photos of a Maaco painted car would be awesome too.

Thanks,
Drake
 
RustyDusty said:
Hey guys, the time to get my duster painted is growing closer and closer. I can not spend some $5,000 on a paint job. I was wondering if any of you had a car painted at Maaco and what you thought? I've always heard that masking the car was their weak spot, but they did a good job of shooting. Masking won't be an issue as it will be brought to them essentially stripped down to just the body and suspension.

Photos of a Maaco painted car would be awesome too.

Thanks,
Drake
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Sanding and prep work is horrible at Maaco. They get paid by the car so they just run throgh them as fast as possible, We have sent many later model cars there and had decent jobs but they were ready to paint. Out of the three Maaco's available to us there is only one that is any good. The other two are poor. Go look at their finished jobs in their lot because that will tell you what to expect out of that shop. If you want a really good job ask to speak to the painter before you have your car shot. Slip him a 50 dollar bill and you will have a much better job since they are paid by the car.
 
Yup, slip the painter and crew some extra cash. Can't hurt, usually helps a lot. Not the first time I've heard that about maaco.

And I wouldn't expect the paint to last a long time either...
 
It's really the work that went on under the paint that makes a good looking paint job.
 
a paint job is only as good as the prep work that goes into it.
 
Not a mopar but a maaco paint job,the story on this truck my friend bought this from a guy whom was gonna build a mudder out of it the engine 302 roller motor was done along with the chassie ect. The body was pretty bad he sent it to a body shop that was reccomended by a friend 3 months later the shop folded he moved it to a second shop 5 months later it too folded finally it went to maaco and this is how it turned out.
 

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lou3500 said:
Not a mopar but a maaco paint job,the story on this truck my friend bought this from a guy whom was gonna build a mudder out of it the engine 302 roller motor was done along with the chassie ect. The body was pretty bad he sent it to a body shop that was reccomended by a friend 3 months later the shop folded he moved it to a second shop 5 months later it too folded finally it went to maaco and this is how it turned out.
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That is a nice looking Bronco.
 
lou3500 said:
Not a mopar but a maaco paint job,the story on this truck my friend bought this from a guy whom was gonna build a mudder out of it the engine 302 roller motor was done along with the chassie ect. The body was pretty bad he sent it to a body shop that was reccomended by a friend 3 months later the shop folded he moved it to a second shop 5 months later it too folded finally it went to maaco and this is how it turned out.
Click to expand...


Looks great! That eases some nerves.
 
Down here we have several maacos in my area the one that did his is now closed there is one in a town north of us whom did good work [was gonna take my impala there years ago] that we may take the charger to when the time comes.
 
I heard that the CEO of Maaco was trying to turn the company around and give it a better name for itself.

A guy I know brought this little car to our shop, but we were to busy to get it done in time for him. So he decided to bring it to Maaco. It took them 2 weeks, painted all the jambs, and even under the hood. Buffed it out for him and even applied the stripes. All for only $1200.00!

I was impressed! Now, there was no rust on it, but it was pretty beat up. It wasn't by any means a show quality paint job, but it was pretty good for the money. It had some waves and such in it still, but it wasn't bad. If the paint sticks, I'll consider it a success!

Sorry about the crappy cell phone pic's.
 

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I believe Maacos are independently owned and operated, so experiences vary. I had an 89 Suburban painted at the MAACO in Fort worth a couple years ago. I was pleased with the paint job I got and it held up well for the two years I kept the truck. I would go down to your local MAACO and check out their recent work. I plan on taking my dart back to MAACO when it's ready for paint.
 
Remember any new paint job will look good in pictures from 15ft away. There's no way of knowing if it's a good paint job or not unless you go to the Maaco and check out the cars on the lot. Even then, you have to realize that their paint is going to fade quicker than if you went to a reputable shop.

If you're going to get a Maaco job, first you have to find the best Maaco shop in your area. Usually there are a couple of crappy ones and then one good one where you'll always see old cars sitting out front. Make sure your car is already prepped and then get their 2 stage paint job. After that it's best to invest in a dual action waxer and keep wax on that thing at all times.
 
I recommend checking some references from the Maaco you want. I too have had 2 body shops I delt with in the past and neither are answering phones or emails and its been 4 months! I have friend who got screwed by a body shop and had to sue to get his $10,000 down money for his 69 Firebird!! I too started to ponder the Maaco possibility of paint work so called two different Maaco's one said they could do my Duster but the manager recommended me to another Maaco that did more restorations. So I checked that one out. The Manager told me to stop by and have a look and he has been there for 7 years "not a new manager every other month" and he had a book full of photo's and actual cars in the shop being worked on "68 Camaro SS, 64 Galaxy and a 34 Ford street rod" He took the time and gave me the story of each vehicle sitting in the shop at what it took to fix properly. The manager was great and is truly interested in making old cars look new again. I too had friends with good and bad Maaco jobs but you gotta get the right one.
 
Do your homework. Had a 92 shadow with electric blue paint repainted in 99 since the factory paint job looked like someone ran razor blades over it and it was peeling already. Paid around 1500 back then and it lasted a little over a year. Would not go back there again. But have been told the one in taylor mi can do an great job and the painter there has all types of awards. So probley depends on the local shop.
 
Maaco used to go good work back in the 80s and then kinda fell away. When I say good, I mean GOOD for a big box econo style paint chain. That's where we all used to get our stuff shot.....unless we did it ourselves.
 
I had Maaco paint my 71' Cuda years back and paid $100.00 extra for additional coats of clear then had a friend professionally buff the paint. When I went to shows and I told people who painted some would walk away pissed cause they thought I was messin' with them. You cant buy paint and clear for what they charge plus access to a booth, the shop I used had a oven so the paint flowed out real nice. So you can spend more $$$$ and do it yourself or use them. I had a great experience but all the body work was done before I took it there, all they had to do was light prep and spray.
 

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Late 80's, bought a wrecked 400 ci T/A for $178. got junkyard new front clip, did the bodywork, primed it with Nasson (it was just a dailey for my son).

Took it to Maaco, said this is the primer, you seal it and paint. Paint peeling 6 months later. After arguements with franchise, took it to corporate; different shop painted it correctly. And the way the manager was talking to me; that's the closest I have ever come to grabbing somebody buy the throat, pulling them over the counter, and beating the snot out of them.
 
My parents took their 1987 Plymouth Caravelle to Maaco and this was in 1990. The factory paint had peeled off totally in some spots. In 1989 from what my dad told me the paint applied by maaco was flatter than primer by 1993. As a kid I remember the paint on that car peeling off in sheets...
 
There is a local body shop here and the guy does not like to do complete paint jobs on SUV'S and big trucks so he preps them and sublets them to Maaco...
Like the other members said the paint job is in the prep...
Get some else to do all the body work and prep...be sure to pull everything else off bumpers ,trim...And slip them some extra cash and for what you pay you should get a good budget paint job,I also like the suggestion to see their finished work and asked who painted it some shop have more than one painter.
Good Luck.
 
green1 said:
Late 80's, bought a wrecked 400 ci T/A for $178. got junkyard new front clip, did the bodywork, primed it with Nasson (it was just a dailey for my son).

Took it to Maaco, said this is the primer, you seal it and paint. Paint peeling 6 months later. After arguements with franchise, took it to corporate; different shop painted it correctly. And the way the manager was talking to me; that's the closest I have ever come to grabbing somebody buy the throat, pulling them over the counter, and beating the snot out of them.
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That is why you check out the shop you are thinking about using. Each shop is different so do your home work. Some shops are always horrible and some are great. Don't think the $249 paint job will hold up because you will garbage. Do your own prep work and remove all the trim you can.
 
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