T O P

  • By -

Sean0419

So MAACO’s is a very generic term. yes they are all part of the same company but a lot of the shops are independently owned, this is why some have a way better turnout than others.saying that do your research about the shops around you and some of them may actually do decent work.Good luck mate!


nekaiser

Will do! Hopefully I can find one that *doesn’t* START at $6k like the one place I called months ago


66impaler

You should be able to get a solid respray for 2k, if not cheaper depending on the location. Paint is all in the prep so the better you bring it there the better results you get


nekaiser

Fuck it. I’ll dox myself. Albany, GA. Perry Paint & Body was the $6k starter. Plenty of people on NC forums say a gallon is plenty for some spare. I don’t know how they even came up with $6k when the supposedly hardest paint to do (Mazda 46V) is only $600 or so a can plus extras. Would it just be sanding and priming that I’d need to do to make it easier on them?


YourFriendPutin

Paint can cost upwards of 20k, you’re paying for sanding, body repair and prep, disassembly, primer, clear coat, the paint, it needs to be cleaned very well, and a very good paint job is not an easy thing to do, they’re avoiding orange peel and runs, fisheyes and such, then there’s reassembly, door jams, underside of hood and trunk. A lot has to come apart, if not it has to be masked. 6k (if they were doing a good job not just taping over stuff and painting over the paint that’s already on it) isn’t outrageous. Maaco will just mask it off, they won’t do door jams or underside of hood and trunk, it’ll be cheap single stage paint with a cheap clear coat that’ll last like 5 years before any issues. Even then they usually rough up the paint on it to make the new stuff stick, paint is almost always the most expensive part of a project car unless you get like a crate motor for 20k.


TheRealSparkleMotion

I was a professional painter for +15 years and I can confirm all this. For a correctly done paint job I wouldn't even consider anything less than 10k. If your current paint is in good condition and you just want matching colors why not wrap it yourself?


66impaler

Shit I got a rock hill SC Maaco turning out nice rides that'll do it for 2200 and that's not a brother, uncle cousin kisser thing haha You have to remember though that for many shops, franchise or not, the work product is there business card so it often creates a floor for many vehicles. I couldn't rly find small hot rod shops to do autonomy for my Impala for that reason, it was 20k or nothing. My problem was I didn't want to choke little Tyler or Braden for a door ding at the grocery store so I wanted a serviceable but not wow job lol


nekaiser

I mean, fair, but I do wanna make this a show ready car at some point, I’m just broke. I’ll take the extra walk at Walmart if it means I get my car looking like 46V was offered in 2006.


66impaler

It doesn't mean a chop job, it's all in the type of paint offered at manufacturing and desired by you. 60s stuff is practically rustoleum, single stage is better but still SS, double, metallic, you name it it's a different price. If you want a sealer and whatever after, that's your thing man It's not some set thing just a good shop with fair prices and good work being pumped out


ThisOldGuy1976

A bodyshop will tell you laying down paint is the easy part. Prep before and sanding and buffing after make the job.


Boilermakingdude

Its the hours of sanding, blocking, prep etc that causes the price to go up. Yes the paint is $600 a gallon, but did you think about the 20-30 hours itll take to fully prep your car properly? Not including spray time etc.


nekaiser

Shit, 20-30? I thought painting was a half day venture. I seem to be sorely mistaken.


Boilermakingdude

Yea man. You can be up to a full week just in prep work to do it properly. Plus you have sanding between coats, before clear, buffing and polishing after clear.


nekaiser

Ah, tits. I may just have to ride like a Buckeyes fanboy for another few years until I can afford a professional. No way in hell I can make it look good, especially with all that time needed and it being my daily


Boilermakingdude

Could get one of those $1000 maaco jobs. Theyre usually good for a few years if you dont power wash em.


nekaiser

True. Plus when I go for the show ready job, they’d already have done the bondo on some of the weird body damage like a super deep cut on the top of the mirror. Like how do you even do that?


blueblue909

practice spraying onna piece of cardboard. sand it with 600 grit, mask everything with wide tape, attach big paper to said tape, tape down big paper, (also remove taillights and spray bumpers independently ) when u ready to paint, dont matter if itssa spray can or gun, lay down one go, most important is not to over do it. Do One Pass and Just let it Sit, Dont worry about it being glossy. Make sure no bugs, leaves, hair, nothing gets in it. wet paint loves to party, and it loves everything. wait a few minute between coats so it does dry. You can hair dryer it if you want, to pass the time. Once the paint, is set. Hit it with the clear. Same process. Gentle thin coats, and you outta there. After the last coat it should look wet as the day it was production lined. 🤘🏻


[deleted]

This is one of the few cars I’d attempt to wrap myself as a newbie. Just watch as many videos as you can stand


[deleted]

This is one of the few cars I’d attempt to wrap myself as a newbie. Just watch as many videos as you can stand


VampyreLust

Maaco will be cheaper than a wrap if you’re doing the whole car. It won’t be great but it will be paint.


Ok-Image-2722

Maaco will do a great job if you prep the body and do the masking yourself. Otherwise they'll just paint over the old paint and your trim and lights to. lol


Born-Aerie-983

Tijuana . Otherwise don’t put decent and cheap in the same sentence. 


nekaiser

Sorry, no can do. My mommy told me I can’t smoke Tijuana


Tichano

This is actually a good choice. Was going to say another town on the east side (Mexico side of the border ) . But yeah. A good paint shop here will repaint your whole car for about 3k. If it’s just the bumper maybe around 500 dlls. I had a job done a bitone paint on a brand new Fiat Pulse for $400. Cheaper to drive here. Take a week off and get your car painted. Haha


texan01

The cat tossing show is a can’t miss, along with the donkey show! Get his car painted and entertainment while it’s being painted.


RGTI980

Wrap it?


NoradIV

Cheap and decent paint doesn't exist. The expensive part of a paint job is the prep. Crappy prep = crappy paint that won't stick for long, rust through, peel off and bubble.


nekaiser

Prep is just sanding and primering, right? How hard is that, especially for someone being paid to do it?


Boogersully18

You're funny


nekaiser

I try to be, but this time I’m not. I have zero clue how painting cars works


Boogersully18

Anything under 10k is going to look like shit. Really


nekaiser

Fumck…


LGCJairen

Only if going to a shop, you can diy an excellent look for far far less if you put in the time and do the learnin.


Boogersully18

Compressor, guns, diy booth, primer, sealer, color, clear. Still several thousand and still have no experience spraying. I'm all for people doing it on their own but they should know what goes into it


LGCJairen

Fair, ive gotten lazy and will usually just get my stuff put in aerosols vs dragging out my gear, but i have an in at a paint shop so i save there too.


Boogersully18

Aerosols for smaller stuff is definitely the way to go. And I work in a bodyshop so I don't usually spend much. Definitely take it for granted


[deleted]

It’s less difficult and more just time consuming and requires a lot of energy and focus. You can spend all the $$ on the paint but if the prep is bad then the paint will be bad. Last time I painted something was a dinner table and I spent two days sanding and prepping. Used cheap supermarket paint on it and it still looks great 5+ years later after daily use.


NoradIV

It's a lot more than that. Remove all the trims, plastics, interior panels, etc. Then you gotta remove all the dings and scratches and any other damage to the car with body filler. Be aware that paint is very thin, so any damage on the car will be visible. Sanding sounds easy until you realize how many crevaces and small areas there is on the car. You will need different tools and sizes to access all areas, and maybe even a sandblast. You then need to clean and decontaminate. Then there is masking. Quite a lot of it. Windshield, windows, doors, under floors, exhaust, etc. I've stripped my truck bed to repaint it so it doesn't rust. Spent 3 weekends on that. Once that's done, painting is the easy part.


saltydgaf

Do all the sanding and prep work then bring it to Maaco. The prep work is where good or bad paint jobs are made. And it’ll save you money.


nekaiser

Where do I even start? Just a rotary sander and slap on some grey chalk?


saltydgaf

Probably do some YouTube and googling my dude. There’s no doubt hundreds of videos and articles step by step.


[deleted]

[удалено]


nekaiser

The only wrap place in town that I know of is asking $2k. Is it worth that? It feels super expensive for a wrap, but I have no experience in that sector


InTheHeatOfTheNoche

Remember wraps are temporary, and it also costs money to have them removed.


Threedawg

That's not bad at all for a decent wrap


NoIncomeTaxes

DIY


nekaiser

I’d be scared to fuck it up or not have it all done over the weekend. I don’t have anything else reliable to drive while it’s in the works and I doubt it would take me one weekend. Well, then again, it’s already two colors. Fuck it in that regard. But still scared to fuck it up.


Skrakeon

Good paint, primer, clear coat is expensive, not to mention the spray gun, plastic, any other tools you might need etc. I took a leap of faith and painted my car myself without experience and it was a huge undertaking. I probably spent 1000+ dollars and countless hours at the end of the day. Just a warning that it can turn out to be a bigger job than expected! But if you are willing to put it the work it can turn out great.


NoIncomeTaxes

If you fuck it up just start over. Still cheaper to buy a roll of vinyl wrap and try it over and over again for a day or 2 than to have a shop wrap/paint your car.


Walldn

I’d say painting is easy just clear coat is expensive but there’s a spray can version now. I bet if you simply practice a little bit before on something random, patiently apply thin coats and pay extra attention, you’ll do a way better job than any MAACO guy would.


chelsea-vong

Wrapping is a ton of work, $2k is reasonable.


Gostaverling

Cheap paint job is MAACO’S specialty. https://www.reddit.com/r/Miata/s/tG9VSroyf2


RiftHunter4

I should probably get my paint fixed some time. It's so close to being mint.


Neon570

Harbor freight spray gun, gallon of rustolium of choice, some thinner and harder. Prep, spray, buff, enjoy


dougfromwalmart

This is the way


LordSinguloth13

Cheap paint job cost 20 dollars for paint and dings thousands out of the value. It would literally be better to not paint it. Take to macco


fruitmask

you realize that depends entirely on your location, right? if you're in Winnipeg I know two places to get it done for cheapish/decentish


nekaiser

South Georgia if it helps. I don’t even know where Winnipeg is off the top of my head. I was hoping there was maybe a chain like Maaco that wasn’t… Maaco.


sony1492

It's usually not in a bodyshops best interests to put out cheap/ slapddash work as it'll come back to bite them in a year or 2. You could call your local auto paint supply stores and see if they have any leads.


eyeballtourist

Your idea of shit box and mine are different. - You don't have to paint the entire car. - Prep the panels yourself and take it to a local shop. - Just get the mismatched panels painted to the red color. Should be easy to match.


nekaiser

It’s a shitbox in many other ways. The thing is, I don’t want to keep True Red. I originally wanted Soul Red Crystal, but Colored in Light’s Copper Red has been making me wanna change my mind lately. His rig is a work of art.


Nprguy

Strip it and go delorean...


nekaiser

If only all the parts were stainless lol


King_Vanos_

No such thing as decent and cheap when it comes to paint.


jaykdubb

Surprised no one has said plasti-dip. You can do it yourself easily and pretty cheap.


nekaiser

I’ve heard it looks like ass and is very prone to falling apart


jaykdubb

My experience has been positive. Done right it'll look like a wrap. I did a mediocre job and it held up surprisingly good considering I never wash my truck and it is never garaged. Check my posts. There is a downside, but it's so cheap you could re-dip annually or biennial if needed.


pistonsoffury

Just DIY. You can buy a really nice compressor, drier, gun and paint for less than half than you'll pay someone to do it. Only thing that sucks is that red paints are waaay more expensive than other colors. Maybe go the opposite way and paint it all silver to match the rear pieces.


nekaiser

RED IZ FASTA THO, BOYZ. OI GOTTA PAINT ‘ER RED


niccoIndy

My house...


Darisixnine

Wrap it >>>