I recently got my car(99 accord) scratched and got the damage estimated today at maaco. The mechanic estimated that I can get just the bumper fixed(sanded and painted) for 125 or I could get the entire car for 400. I was hoping to do this eventually and if it means my car will look brand new(or close to it) I'll definately pay 400. But if it's something I'd regret I'd hate to waste me money. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments or experience with maaco? Thanks..

 

$400 paintjob when it costs $125 for just the bumper?

You won't get a good result at all, there is a Maaco Paint Job thread.

I believe they use a clear coat mixed in and obvioulsy they don't use bad *** paint It'll probably get scuffed up and what not even more than it is now. I would suggest just getting the bumper UNLESS you do all the prep work yourself on the car.

 

there are the other level of paint you can get but they all still suck you might as well go to a good body shop and get the bumper painted the right way...cuz with macco its going to start chippin quick

 

seriousally I've heard horror stories about maaco. $400 is pretty cheap, but then again you might get off well. I would deff go with, you get what you pay for.

 

At the body shop i work at, we laugh at maaco jobs. About 4 people have came to us with maaco jobs and had us re-shoot their cars. The main reason maaco dont do good paint jobs is because they dont spend enough time prepping the cars. You will be very happy with the job done by normal body shop, unlike that economical-franchise bullshit Macco would ever
do..

-Eric

 

i've heard maaco is ok if you do the prep work yourself and do it right.

 

I've also heard about Maaco's ****. My friend got his car done there once. It was horrible...they didn't use any plastic, mask anything off, etc. Didn't do a great prep job AT ALL. They sanded it down a little bit then painted over the ENTIRE CAR...windows and all. Then went back and took a razor over the windows and lights.

 

I have to disagree with the comments about maaco.
If the prep is done right, which should be, that would be the only way they could honor the warranty given for the paint job.
Painting the bumper alone, wouldn't be a cheap paint.... there would have to be a "base coat clear coat" job, which means it would match the factory color and such.
For 400 bucks, the entire car gets sanded and painted, but the quality of the paint is lower, not as shiny as the factory paint. So if you are a picky guy, you must go with a base coat clear coat type of paint..... and then just to be on the safe side, have the shop charge you for a wet sand and buff or find someone that could do that for you so you can't see imperfections at the end.

 

Well, i was thinking of going there too when im done with my civic. Im planning on doing all the prep work myself, and maybe even mask it off myself, and just have them spray it.

 

MAACO paint job sucks thats why it's cheap they offer no warrenty

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rleonekc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">MAACO paint job sucks thats why it's cheap they offer no warrenty</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats not 100 % true. It also depends on the worker, if its some asshat kid who doesn't give an f, yeah, the spray will look like ****. But if its someone who does care, it won't be bad, granted the prep work was done right.

 

I actually got my bumper painted at maaco about a year ago. Its held up well for daily driving and track duty. I haven't had any chipping or flaking so far.

I'm guessing the paint job quality will depend on the people working at the shop. But of course its not going to beat a $1500-$2000 show car quality paint job.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by HrZnAccRd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> But of course its not going to beat a $1500-$2000 show car quality paint job. </TD></TR></TABLE>

First off, you aren't going to get a "show car quality paint job" for $2k. We just did a crappy Sunfire over-all here at our shop for $2,500, and we didn't even paint the jambs. We did a nice job, but by far not "show quality."

Secondly this qoute: "It also depends on the worker, if its some asshat kid who doesn't give an f, yeah, the spray will look like ****. But if its someone who does care, it won't be bad, granted the prep work was done right." Why take a chance? Take it to someone who's gonna do it right. Our shop offers a lifetime warranty on all paint/body work also. I would rather take it to someone who will mix the paint correctly, prep the car correctly, and make sure it comes out right, than take it to Maaco. There's a reason they only charge $400 for an over-all.

 

had my sol done at maaco about 3 months ago.pop for the deluxe prep($149) and supreme paint job and it should be o.k.,not show quality but a decent paint job.keep in mind they are franchises and some are better than others.lakeland,fla maaco does good work