contemplating Maaco..
 

my car has a couple of rust spots which are getting worse each month.. the paint is tired, chipped and swirled..

i can't justify spending $3000 on a "real" paintjob, and the virtues of the $600 Maaco service were recently extolled to me by a fellow Subaru owner..

I don't really mind the "orange peel" look as long as the color is relatively consistend and chip-free.. I'm sure that a lot of you will tell me not to do it.. can anyone share some horror/success stories?

-adam

ps. what color should i do?? i've been thinking silver with a black top..

Re: contemplating Maaco..
 

If you like the orange peel look why don't you trade it in on a new GM:D .

I'd keep it the same color as for $600 they don't paint the doorjams, under the hood etc. Personally that would eat on my mind as I'm a perfectionist.

I'd spend the money though taking it to a professional restoration shop that knows how to deal with rust first. If you take it to Macco my guess is the rust spots will again be visable look before the paint starts to peel next year.

Re: contemplating Maaco..
 

if your that worried about it peeling then prep it yourself. THAt is wherepaint peel/chipping most frequantly occurs becuase they dont spend the time or care in sanding and preppiing the car down. They spray cars all day long, i would assume they get pretty good at it. Besideds if you go in there and tell them all the prepping is finished, but you would still pay the 600 to get it painted im sure they will take greater time in the in booth. After all, they work at a paint shop, they have to be car people....

Unless you plan to not have the car in three or four years, don't do it.

Once it is painted by Maaco, it will start to fail within two years and be completely flat in three or four. No amount of polishing or waxing will bring it back or prevent it from failing. It is just the quality of the paint and its inability to withstand UV rays without breaking down.

Anyone who was at Reading saw my second SVX with its Maaco job from two owners ago or about five years ago. The entire front end looks someone sanded it and left it. It doesn't even shine when it is wet!!

Add to that the rust spots will be back within 18 months, I guarantee it. Epoxy primer (which is required to seal rust repair) costs more than they are charging you for the paint job.

Doug

Re: Re: contemplating Maaco..
 

I'll take that bet :)

Doug

Here is some more info:
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...ighlight=maaco

what about earl scheib. I was thinking about that place. Then i realized that my car will be sitting in a garage for 6 months out of the next 9 months, and then I'll graduate 3 months after that, so I'll have $$ for a real paint job hopefully. Anyway, back to the topic...what about earl scheib? The description of the paint job looks pretty good, and i'm sure for a few hundred extra, you could get some custom prepping etc done. In fact, they list extra prepping as an option for their paint jobs.

Same quality of paint. Same failures.

Sorry, there is no low cost answer when it comes to automotive paint.

Doug

(ok bear with me this is my first time replyin')
everyone replying here is right. maco is terrible
waste of money. I am a fine artist and i dable in custom auto
painting and airbrushing.

do it yourself is the only way to save money.
1st. let your fingers do the walking find a pro
auto paint supplier.(these guys r usually great
with info and will help .)
2nd.to quote Neil Young"rust never sleeps"fix it!sand
it off- clean it off with laquer thinner and spray it
with self etching primmer. It will be ugly but you
will stop the rust. it comes in a spray can. spray
light coats.you can't spray to little just to much.
after you have done that get intouch with me. It's
easier than it sounds but.. you can touch it up your
self with a cheap touch up gun and a compressor. or
then get a cheap paint job that will look horrible but
won't rust.
Doing it yourself adds to you r toolbox and costs about the same as a bad paint job.


:)

1. To the guy above me, FYI: There is a shift button, and learn to spell. It makes your responses easier to read. :)

2. Maaco sucks, ESPECIALLY IN METALLIC PAINTS. They'll get runs under the bumper, and you cannot BUFF THEM OUT, because they're metallics! It'll look like ass.

I'd rather have a chipped up SVX than a Maaco SVX anyday of the week.

- Rob

Another option
 

Are there any high schools with polytech programs or any automotive training school near you? If you donate your car to them for a week or so to be a training car, they will paint your car for the price of paint. It will definately be better than Maaco, and won't even cost the $600. You'll have to wait till school is back in session, but it might be worth it.

Here's my $0.02

I once had a 1969 Mustang (Not Mach 1) that I sent to Maaco for a $500.00 special. It took two weeks to complete because I kept reviewing the car and saying "It's still not right...."

When I finally did take delivery, I was impressed. The car DID have that Orange peel look but it was not too bad. Two years later I had the car professionally sanded down and painted right.

Moral to the story, if you want a quick fix go Maaco. If you plan on keeping the car you WILL need another paint job down the road.

Re: Re: Re: contemplating Maaco..
 

My boyfriend's old car looks horrible from a Maaco paint job. It's peeling and just plain old looks like crap. It looks like they used clear nailpolish as a top coat. Even if you don't want to spend a huge chunk of money, I think you can go somewhere else, spend a bit more and get a better job.

chicane, if he wanted a spelling lesson, he would have asked for it. At least he doesn't capitalize half of the words he types. it was plenty easy to read, and i'm sure even you could figure out exactly what he meant, not to mention it was the first time hes posted...

My car was painted by Maaco by the previous owner... frankly, it sucks... horribly. Over spray on my taillights, exhaust tips, and muffler, both bumpers have paint just falling off of them, and my hood has so many chips in it, every highschool auto student in california could get one. what i was thinking though, is if you prep it yourself, have them spray it, and then take it to a real autobody shop, have them wet sand it and but one coat of paint, and like 2 coats of clear coat on it, you'd probably have a really decent paint job for cheaper than $1500. not sure how appreciative the autobody shop would be though.

I think drivemusicnow has the best idea. Really prep it well. Take care of the rust like I said, and you should be ok. You'll save money doing it the proper way in the first place. Find a good paint supplier around you and they will tell you where the pro's work(Cheapest). I do motor cycle helmets and tanks :stuff like that. Urethane seems to be the way to go. You'll need to consider the paint you're going to use before you prep it.Some paints do better with some primers...Then again you need to find out what paint subaru used on you car. I'll check it out ,because I am just now becoming a svx owner and plan on doing as much custom work as i can afford on it. The one I am getting needs some minor touching up: deep scratch on door. Picking it up tommorrow hopefully if the check I deposited on Fri. finally CLEARS!!!!!sorry for getting off track:D
OH! one more thing. Prepping the car is the main cost=manhours.
and by the way Good paint jobs now only have like 1-2 coats of base and 1-2 coats clear. Back in the day you could. More coats were better. They used laquer. Now only used or even sold by hotrods and harleys for that authentic look.
I can talk paint all day so I'll shut up now until some questions show up.:D