Maaco paint. what do you think of them?

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i need to get a bumper painted . i checked a few body shops and maaco was the least expensive. almost half of the most expensive. i have not used maaco before, but in the past some of the reviews were not too good.

So what do you think of them ?
 
Maybe they're ok for just regular body work. But they used to run a special where they paint the whole car for a very low price, like $299. Went there years ago when it was $99. Saw a few cars in the lot that had their paint peeling. I guess the prep job wasn't very good. If you're getting the bumper painting, just make sure you get the car washed before you get there and make sure it's clean in case they do a sub par job of prepping the car. It's just a chain, you could probably call some local body shops and get a better price.
 
If they are doing everything? No good.

I had an 88 Dodge Daytona I had them paint it. I did ALL the prep, pulled the trim, did all the masking, trailered it there. They sprayed the paint and clear.
That came out very nice, but they did absolutely no prep.

I would not have them paint a car they are going to prep.
 
How are the reviews for the location you're looking at? Might be ok if you do the prep work and they spray it. They're kind of like the Mcdonalds of paint work. A gentlemen on here had some paint work done by them. Here's the thread:

Maaco Thread
 
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I went to Maaco years ago & had to have them re-paint twice, because of runs on the lower hood and side panel.

They did it, without question or additional cost.

Be careful & check for the finish work. Also, are they using a single stage paint, or 2-stage paint?

GL
 
Their quality varies by location. Many years ago I had a work van repainted by them. I checked the local shops, saw their work and ended up going with a shop a bit further from my house. For the money they did a nice job, and it lasted for several years. I sold the van years after having it painted and the person who bought it commented on how good a job they did. If you plan on using them, check their work.
 
They were $299 in the 80's from what I remember.
I went there one time in Delaware and it was a complete fiasco.
Even then $299 is what you were paying for- a quick flip of sandpaper reflecting in the mirror and then gas it with paint.
Crummy work but with a real paint job costing 5 to 10K you expect dirt in your paint....

Butchers for sure but a small part should be OK if your short on quid
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I used them for a paint job 12-24 months ago, and I was pleased with the work. It was 50% of what a local body shop gave me for the same work.

I was told to look for a "Maaco certified" shop (not all Maaco shops are certified), which is a shop with a higher level of performance. I'd look for one in my area and go to them if I were you.

Along with the paint job, they did a few dents for a very reasonable price($15 or so for each dent). That work they did was excellent.

As far as having a bad reputation for low quality work, I would suspect most of their bad reputation is because they offer a $300 paint job with a 6 or 12 month warranty. That is no clear coat, no prep, so people try to save money and then wonder why it looks bad after a few months. I did a 5 year warranty separate clear and base coat that cost $1500, and 18 months later the car (my civic) still looks very very good. So just be sure to tell them to do any and all prep that is involved in working on your bumper (if you don't specify it, it probably won't be done). I don't know what prep work would need to be done in your case, but as long as you had that approach, you should be fine.
 
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When Earl Sheib (the guy who would paint any car for $99.00) finally closed shop, about maybe 10 years ago or so, Maaco probably became the modern day Earl Sheib, though with somewhat higher prices. Earl Sheib paint jobs looked good for about a month or 2. One gets what ones pays for with paint shops.
 
paulri............
Yeah $1500 is a different kind of job for sure. ( Still way too cheap)
$300 is begging for a fleece job
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Agreed.

If it didn't have 180-190K at the time, I probably would have gone for the 3000 local job (it had a life of the car warranty)...

Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
paulri............
Yeah $1500 is a different kind of job for sure. ( Still way too cheap)
$300 is begging for a fleece job
smile.gif
 
One more thing I forgot to add--my general impression of them is that the job they did was well worth the money that I paid them, but after time I did see a couple of things that they could have done better on it. Again---if you need the money, you can save it with them, but if you can afford the better job, I'd go with the local shop.
 
I have used them quite a bit, so I am qualified to answer...

I have used them for fenders, bumpers- all they way to doing complete cars; 6 cars to be exact.

Their work is fine for the $$$.

The problem is, people expect a $5,000 paint job... for $500.

When I have them paint cars, I have them only paint- no prep work.

For my collector cars, which didn't have very good factory paint jobs to begin with, I get an single stage enamel and then color-sand it, and end up with a high quality finish for a reasonable amount.
I have had people ask who "who does your paint work?" at car shows and are shocked to hear the answer. (with an explanation, of course)

Each store is a franchise, so your results may vary.
 
I had them paint a rear bumper on my Monte Carlo years ago. They got heavy yellow over spray all over my brand new polished T304 stainless mufflers on my cat back exhaust. They had only masked the exhaust tips. The solution they offered to me was to spray the mufflers black.
 
The guys that prep the cars may spend 30min to 1 hr sanding them.The guys that paint the cars may do 4 or more a day.Sand it and prep it yourself, maybe the paint will stick.Pull the trims,mouldings,etc.Generally the painters are very good at what they do.I think its a great deal if you prep first.
 
As others said you get what you pay for. I had them paint a work van, not a cherished possession. I did my homework, and was satisfied with my findings. Was it a custom $10,000 paint job? No way! OTOH I got results better than I expected. Having said that I checked them out, and saw their work, quite a bit of it. To blindly walk into a Maaco paint shop and hand over to them a treasured possession for paint work would be stupid. It would be stupid doing that with any paint shop w/o first doing your homework and checking out their work.
 
They probably spray more cars than anyone else around. I suspect their pant skills are ok.

Paint quality? Dubious unless you pay for better paint. Prep? Nope.

If I was replacing a bumper cover or something and needed just that item to be painted, I'd consider it. Otherwise, nope...
 
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