Cheap Maaco Paint Job $$?

[MyCord]

Has anyone had their cb painted at Maaco with the cheapest paint? I'm just wondering how much it would cost me.. I'm looking for a cheap paint job.

[TypeG]

http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthre...aaco+paint+job
later.

[LinX]

pics are nice in that thread but they're not that up close. Its hard to tell if the details were done right such as painting around the moldings and if they actually took everything off the car before paint. The only way to know for sure is to ask what is included with your paint job and go check it out while its being worked on.

[topcop182]

I've herad and seen really bad things about maaco. My cousing had his mustang painted there and he came back with run marks in his rear quarter panel! so be cautious!!!!!!!!!

[CustomLowz]

You get what you pay for. Then end.

[deevergote]

Kudos to the uneducated haters!

Maaco will not give you a show-quality paint job, true... at least not the cheap jobs. The thing is, if you're going to actually drive your car, you're better off not paying thousands for a paintjob that will make your sphincter wink every time you drive behind a dump truck.

However, all Maacos are independantly owned, so they vary in quality. The one I go to has the reputation for having the best sprayer in South Jersey, and I've never had a complaint... I've had my car painted twice (only because of rust repair... the first job was still looking good when I went back).

The cheapest job is decent. The Presidential job is better... that's what I have. I've NEVER paid $500 for that job though. Both times I paid $250 for the paint.

Don't expect to take your 14 year old car into Maaco and just pay the $250 for the paint though. They will need to prep the car, most likely sanding the roof, trunk, hood, and anywhere else that is missing the original clear. You'll want to repair any rust that you have as well, or you're going to have a hole in your new paint.

With some crafty bargaining, you should be able to get a repair/prep/paint for about $750... maybe less. I paid $620 the first time, $650 the second time (because the rust repair they did previously wasn't quality... they did a better job this time).


Research your local Maaco shops. Some may be good, some may suck ass. Some shops may have better painters than others. Some painters within the shops might be better. Go for the best shop, and get their top guy. Unless you want it to be PERFECT (no, they don't take off mouldings, lights, etc... they just tape things up... they painted my mouldings, but I like that look) you can't go wrong with the price.

[HondaB18]

You get what you pay for. Then end.

i think i should stop buying my uber rare jdm parts from ebay cuz the prices are cheap so they must be crap. i think i should also get rid of integra cuz i got it so cheap. i think i should stop drinking my soda cuz i got it for so cheap at costco. i dunno, after reading the maaco thread just maybe its franchised and that the work varies from place to place as well as painter to painter?

just go to the maaco shop and look at the cars that have been painted, if you see one that you like ask for that painter to paint your car

[CustomLowz]

i think i should stop buying my uber rare jdm parts from ebay cuz the prices are cheap so they must be crap. i think i should also get rid of integra cuz i got it so cheap. i think i should stop drinking my soda cuz i got it for so cheap at costco. i dunno, after reading the maaco thread just maybe its franchised and that the work varies from place to place as well as painter to painter?

just go to the maaco shop and look at the cars that have been painted, if you see one that you like ask for that painter to paint your car

I have never seen a quality maaco paint job. The quality of the paint job, is all in direct relation to the prep. DONT tape around lights and mouldings, take it off. dont just scuff and paint, but prep the area correctly. It's bad when people think they have a great show room paint job, and you can see the tape lines near the gaskets on doors, and tail lights, and what not. I have learned alot abot painting vehicles from my brothers shop, and I will never go cheap. with items like painting cars... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

[MadSpleen85]

I had my CB Painted at Maaco about a year and a half ago. The more I look at it the more I find wrong with it. The prep sucks... I have paint on the side moulding on the drivers door, they also painted right over the stock pin stripping. And some how they got BLUE paint in the interior next to the door handle. Got most of that off though. But it are all the minor imperfections that add up. Some of them you really have to look for and then there are others that stick out in the right lighting, like in daylight lol. Will take some pics of what I am talking about here in a lil bit. Later

[Mike]

ive seen like 3 maco paint jobs up close (i know its not that many) but they were horrible. very cloudy, various run marks and weird imperfections.

i understand the whole franchise idea that it could be good or bad depending on where you go....but even in most of the pix ive seen you can see how cloudy the paint is in general

[AccordWarrior]

Some people want paint better than the flaking/peeling/multicolored 13-16 year old paint they have and don't have 1000+ to fully paint the car?

I had the roof/trunk/quarters/rear doors painted on my car when I got the rust work done. I asked him how much the rest of the car was, and he quoted me $650+

That's just too much for daily driven car IMO. For a show car, absolutely, but be realistic.

[deevergote]

My job is acceptable. For the price, it's fantastic.

CustomLowz, your car's appearance definitely shows your preference for a perfect job. Honetly, I would never want a paintjob as nice as yours! I drive my car way too hard. I want it to look nice, but using my limited budget, I'd rather pay as little as possible for appearance... and spend the rest on maintenance and performance.

There ARE horrible Maaco jobs out there. There are Maaco franchise owners who would rather hire idiots straight out of tech school for minimal pay, instead of hiring actual experienced bodywork guys. The dude the painted my car is in his late 30s, I would think... looks like he'd be right at home on an obnoxious Harley. He's been in the business for quite some time, and he has a good reputation.

People who go to Maaco go there to save money. They charge by the hour. If you WANT them to remove your lights, mouldings, etc... they will do it. But you're going to pay the $40 an hour or whatever they charge to do so. If you have them do all that, you're going to be paying considerably more. Your alternatives? Remove them yourself, or accept the tape-job.

A quality painter knows how to handle the spraygun. A poor painter will give you runs, overspray, and orange peel.
The prep, as CustomLowz said, is the most important part. That's something that definitely comes into play when researching your shop. If they prep properly, you'll be alright (my shop DOES prep properly... I even went to see the car right before it was sprayed to make sure...)


The single stage paint availible in Maaco's cheaper packages is nothing special. It's no good for colormatching (so paint the whole car even if you only need a part painted...) and it's not super high quality. However, because of the high volume of business, Maaco gets their paint VERY cheap from DuPont... meaning you pay less for paint than you would anywhere else.



If you have limited funds and want to freshen the car up, Maaco is an excelent choice. If you want a show quality car, then you're going to need to go to a "real" shop.

When checking out a Maaco, use the following checklist:

1) Look at the previous work, and find out who did what.
2) Request the best painter they have (based on the work he's done... be willing to wait for an opening in his schedule)
3) Ask them detailed questions about prep work. Know what should be done beforehand, and get them to explain why (or why not) something has to be done.
4) Give specific details about what you want protected or removed. Remove parts yourself to save time and money.
5) Play with the price, but don't compromise with the prep. They can and will come down in price, but don't do it TOO much!
6) If you can, check on the progress each day to ensure it's being done properly. Most places don't want to let you in the back, but with a little prodding, they will. I know... I actually spent 3 days in Maaco's shop trying to get my car running again!

[LinX]

Posted info above is very good. In my research to get the car painted, quality definately mattered. Researching Maaco was one of my options but they didn't supply me with enough confidence so I went the professional route. Not hating on the Maaco company but the posted pics are not up close and to me details are what matter.

[kamaccord]

My car was painted with the $249 paint job always advertised on television. The paint job came out great. It is my understanding that all maaco shops don't have good painters. The one I went to happen to do very good work and there were quite a few show cars painted there also.

[CustomLowz]

My car was painted with the $249 paint job always advertised on television. The paint job came out great. It is my understanding that all maaco shops don't have good painters. The one I went to happen to do very good work and there were quite a few show cars painted there also.

Just side topic, did the maaco tape around the mouldings, chrome, ect... or did they remove them?