Technical What ABOUT Maaco? Chime in with Pros & Cons...

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So, what ABOUT Maaco?
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I've heard things, good and bad about Ye Olde Maaco. I've seen cars turn out great that were brought in with the prep work done, and all they had to do was shoot it. I've seen cars turn out awful whether Maaco or the customer did the prep. And I've seen cars brought to them with no prep done, and then picked up with an amazing paint job.

Is it a crap shoot to go there? Is it a question of just who's working there today? Is it a viable alternative to go there just to have it shot, and then you do all the color sanding at home?

Feel free to sound off, and post pics and what not. Although there's the occasional smattering of comments here about Maaco that have come up here or there over the years, it surprises me that no one has ever started a thread examining whether or not their quality was up to snuff or if they were on the level or not. Especially with how many of you I KNOW have considered this at one point or another, but were afraid to ask about it!

Also, how much should a guy expect to spend for a good/better/best paint job there? And how much cheaper is it, really, versus taking it to a real painter in the first place?

 

This is also the first post I've done in a good long while - since the overhaul, even. Maybe I've been away too long!

~Jason

 

Depends what size brush they use!

Seriously it's all about the prep work.

 

You go and check out their work, they are franchise but they have different technicians from one place to the next.

They are along the same lines as earl schieb used to be if you do your homework and get one ready for paint then run it through a good place you are golden. I know that in the '90s the one in independence was crappy. they could lay down some paint but they were not carful with your stuff. I worked with a guy that had a Fix Body mustsang that was blue and he wanted it white so he took it in for their paint special. The paint was excellent no runs or sags and good gloss, it eve held up, but they failed to mask off any of the trim so he got himself a white mustang, everything was white.

Also you have to watch their advertised rice they can and will drive it up and don't think that it applies to all vehicles they charge almost triple for a pickup.

All that said if I had an old hooptie and had no place to paint I would scope several out and when I was ready for paint I would take my chit to the best one.

 

I know exactly the place. That Maaco is one of the only ones around here.

This is for an old truck. I may be coming into a little bit of a nest egg soon, and can resume a postponed build. As it's a truck, I don't want anything TOO fancy for paint (I tend to USE trucks for what they are), but I don't want it to look like shit, either.

 

I had a car done by them in the nineties. It was a driver that was going to spend time in the company parking lot. I was very happy with the quality and the price. One caution as others have said "all Maaco's are not created equal".

Charlie Stephens

 

The results I have seen are all over the place.

There are some locations that put out decent work, but I've seen dookie come out of the good shops as well.

Doing the prep yourself should go without saying, but still do your homework and check out some completed work from the shops you are considering.

 

I think that there are several in the metro. Just look around.

If I had my place set up at my country place I would say drag it up there one weekend and we could shoot it but I don't have anything set up in the shop yet up there.

 

How much are folks paying for a good/better/best paint job there?

Highball/mid-ball (is that even a thing?)/lowball pricing.

Anybody know how much dough one saves going to Maaco vs taking it to a real painter?

 

Thousands.

I think that their premium paint job is going for about 400 now you would have to talk with the about your project and get something in writing. I have heard of prices looming up on 2 or 3K from local body shops. You may cut a good deal down on the west side, probably better come and get me if your Spanish isn't good.

 

I might take ya up on that!

~Jason

 

I think, like stated above, it depends on the shop....and...what you want for a paint job. I have seen good and bad from them. The local shop does pretty good work, certainly for the price. A couple of guys in my club have had cars painted (Model A's) that look real good. Keep in mind that they are stockers and all 3 colors. A couple of them were taken to a detail shop later for a cut & buff and are real nice. Again, depends on what you want. I am taking my '34 pickup to them after I finish some minor body work. I am looking for a decent paint job, not a show car job. If I should get a stone chip, I don't want to have to be committed.

 

Spray it yourself? There is a place in Eudora that rents both spray and blast booths. Don't know much about them, but have wanted to check them out. Their web site is sprayboothrental.com
-Dave.

 

Uncover Boss this season featured the new CEO of Maaco. He is NOT a car guy and is from South America but apparently one heck of a CEO. He was recruited by Maaco after great success at a pair of fast food chains. His main emphasis is on customer satisfaction and providing outstanding quality and results. You might check out the program. Corporate Headquarters is in Charlotte, NC. As I watched the show, it occurred to me that "car people" of all sorts represent a largely untapped market for Maaco. Looks like you're proving me right in my thinking.

 

Dude! You're back! Are you still working on the F1?

Re: paint: NETWORK! There's people in your area that do side painting in their home garages that are just as good as a body shop and at a fraction of the price. Keep your ear to the ground.

 

Don't you have a friend that knows how to paint? Can't he be bribed with beer and pizza?

The prep and primer/block sanding is the majority of the work. And you know Maaco is going to use the bargain basement materials. So why give them the opportunity to mess up your car with sloppy masking and overspray, when you and your buddy can do it cleaner and cheaper in your own garage or driveway?

 

You get what you pay for.
I had a bad experience. After they painted one of my cars I looked it over and said to myself "Self, you could probably do better than this yourself.". So I tried it and I did do better than them....and I am not a painter by any means, they were just that bad.

 

To be honest, I worked at one out of high school. Like it's been said before, it all depends on which one you go to. The one I worked at wasn't that great at all. It was almost impossible to have a conversation with the painter without him telling you about how great he was. Yet he was in his mid to late forties and was trying to impress teenagers at Maaco. The paint they used there was pre-thinned single stage that was pretty much cheap rattle can paint without the rattle can. I worked there for all of 2 months, and in that time we had two cars come in that had been pre-prepped and the owner supplied the paint. One was a Suburban with PPG and the other was a 40 Ford coupe with Sikkens. Both cars came out like absolute crap and the shop would not work with the customers at all because the shop did not do the prep work and it wasn't the shop's paint. Not only could the painter not figure out how to properly mix the paint, he had no idea how to apply it all the while yelling at everyone about how it was the worst paint made. At that time, mid 90's, it was common knowledge there that the paint had a lifespan of about a year.
That being said, ask a lot of questions and look at a lot of the cars coming out before you pick one. Make sure all of your bases are covered, because as soon as something goes wrong, anything YOU supply or do WON'T be covered by them at all.

 

My dad told me AGES ago that he once stopped into see their operation and saw them roll the windows down, fill the car with blankets, and start spraying... He then took his car to a neighboring body guy that sidelined at home. -rick

 

Its too bad that they are not more like Earl Schiebe.

There used to be an Earl Schiebe here in town that if you brought your own paint they would use it and it was still 19.99 to squirt your car. There was this little lady from mid town that would help you mask it and she was an ace as was the spray booth guy.

There was one like that In Portland Oregon when I was in high school too. I think they had a little more leeway

 

Like others say, it depends on the shop. On my former OT F-150 back in Michigan in 2010, I had them repaint the rear bumper (which I sandblasted the rust spots and spot primed) and a replacement front bumper. The paint looked really good. I sold the truck to a co-worker and the last time I was in town this winter they still looked good. At this particular shop, the owner always had some custom painted truck or van with their logo and all sorts of pictures of muscle cars, etc that they did in the office.

 

I'm right there with you - I'm going to drive it. Driven cars get chips and dings. If I had an $8k paint job and I got a chip, I can tell ya, I's shit enough bricks right them and there that you could build me a shit condo in Miami out of 'em.

~Jason

 

I've seen that guy in the KC Craigslist every so often. It appeals, but I'd only rent it if I was okay spending a little extra on supplies, etc to cover the cost of me failing a few times. I'm too stupid to know when to quit, and would eventually get it right (that's how I learn things). But unless I was watering down Rust-O-Leum with acetone and painting with it (also a possibility - and the subject of much discussion), I don't know if I could justify the extra cost of paint, just to waste in figuring it out.

Now, if it was something I planned on doing a lot of...

~Jason

 

I have used the shop in Belleue WA for repairs to a Lexus LS 400 and my S Type jag and you couldn't find where. I took my truck to them (see avatar) to get it painted the same color but without the runs and light spots that I bought it with. Cost me almost two grand but it won favorite paint at a local show. They are a franchise so you need to do your homework.

 

I think you are absolutely right.

They could definitely tap into the same vibe Papa Murphy's does. For those of you that aren't familiar with the chain, they put you a pizza together, like they build a sandwich for you at Subway. Then you take it home and bake it.

Basically, you do have the job (baking it), and they do half the job (assembling it, and providing ingredients).

Maaco could tap into this market easily. But they have to figure out a way to get word out that "THIS is what we do. THIS is what we don't do. This is what you'll have left to do" to control expectations, and not look like assholes. But I think if folks went in knowing that, they'd get metric craptons of business.

~Jason

 

There is a local guy that did ALL the prep work on his '57 Chevy, removed the glass, chrome, masking etc. and they did a fantastic job. Nobody believes him when he tells them who painted the car. The owner told him that because they didn't have to do all the taping etc. they could really spend the time on the paint. I guess it comes down to the shop, some may be better than others.

 

You're getting the right answers. How much will you do to get it ready? Remove the easy stuff and when you put it back on your paint will look more professional. Plan to buy a can or 6 of semi-flat Krylon after and black out all the overspray like behind the grille and around the headlights before you put those parts back on. The job doesn't end after color by a long shot. Also, ask to speak to the painter and find out his favorite beverage. Make sure it's in the truck when you take it there. You work with any shop, they will usually work with you. My bro-in-law is a 30 year body/paint guy. He had a car all prepped and didn't want the hassle of spraying it. Maaco did a really nice job cheaper than he could have bought the paint. You could roll 7/11 or snake eyes...

 

Took my dragster tins to them to shoot for the advertised price they too one look at it and said 1200 bucks I said your fkn crazy..................
guess they thought that I had money..........
will do it myself and keep the change

 

I AM back.

I never left, but I'll admit I have been a little unnecessarily aloof, for lack of funds, and frustration that all my projects have been forced to the back burner for so long.

Networking is actually a GREAT idea. Sadly, Craigslist is a poor place to do that. I've been trying to trade an old Dodge wagon and a 318 Poly collection off for a few years for misc. paint & body too, with no luck.

Maybe it's a good thing I'm back here - the HAMB is full of assholes, but y'all are MY kinda assholes.

~Jason

 

I have a friend that was an excellent painter and worked for them, Like he said you may take your car in thinking he would be the painter, but that was not always true because he would teach painters for other stores, plus there employee turn over is huge so who is painting one day may not be the painter the next day, and also being a custom painter my self, prep is every thing