lookin to paint my car

[amiller07]

anyone in pa know where i can get my car repainted for a good price and look good?

[iamsam]

anyone in pa know where i can get my car repainted for a good price and look good?

Maaco if you do all your own prep work meticulously first. they don't do crap for prep work, but they spray on a decent coat of paint.

[felonies]

how much does maaco normally charge for a spray?

[iamsam]

like $250, but i would only do it on a car that is not worth much.

[ethirtydavid]

I took my e30 to maaco, told them I would prep the whole car - mask everything and bring it to them. For what it's worth, we are talking about an e30 and they said 850 for the spray (same color, whole car).

Maybe I went to an expensive maaco? I dont know.

All I know is if I could get my car painted for $250 I would change the color every 3 weeks ..

[TexasTerp]

If you want a good paint job, do NOT go to Maaco. I've only heard horror stories from people about paint bubbling, rust, and just absolutely poor quality. If you are truly invested in the car then search out a few different local shops and get them to "bid" for the job. If you don't really care about the appearance then go to Maaco. Only their best package includes a clear coat which is $1500, and even that is a shit paint job. They only spray ONE coat over the car. It is not worth your time. If it is a track car, the sure because looks aren't nearly as important. But trust me from all the cars I've seen done at maaco (i looked at maaco, then did my research) have been poor quality, both here in MD and in TX.

[Kristeun]

^Wouldn't it be all the same though except for the clear if you did all the prep yourself? Hell, you could even provide them with your own paint right?

[thereisnoyun]

^Wouldn't it be all the same though except for the clear if you did all the prep yourself? Hell, you could even provide them with your own paint right?

Not really, there is too many variables. A body guy can chime in on all the specifics.

yea I wouldnt take it to macco. If I prep all teh shit myself... I might as well get a gun and spray it myself. I think the most decent qoute is 2000 from a reputable shop, to repray my, mount the late model valence and fix two fender rust on my car.

[monty]

I paint cars for a living. You can ask any painter what the most important part of a paint job is and they will tell you the prep work. Doing the prep your self will not make the job any better than Maaco. People think "yeah I can sand it down and do the bondo and make it straight," but its easier said than done. You can train a monkey to pull the trigger and lay the paint but what really makes a good paint job is the prep work. To do a quality job it really takes a quality shop or person. Any questions pm me.

[DatUtahGuy]

I paint cars for a living. You can ask any painter what the most important part of a paint job is and they will tell you the prep work. Doing the prep your self will not make the job any better than Maaco. People think "yeah I can sand it down and do the bondo and make it straight," but its easier said than done. You can train a monkey to pull the trigger and lay the paint but what really makes a good paint job is the prep work. To do a quality job it really takes a quality shop or person. Any questions pm me.

this man speaks truth.

98% is prep work. And then there's the clearcoat, also, not as easy as it sounds.

[monty]

this man speaks truth.

98% is prep work. And then there's the clearcoat, also, not as easy as it sounds.

Haha yeah, this made me think of my first clear coating job, it looked like Niagra Falls.

[dgdavidson]

Haha yeah, this made me think of my first clear coating job, it looked like Niagra Falls.

Haha. So does mine! Sigh, oh well.

[iamsam]

Yeah i have never heard anything good about Maaco. My brother got his Honda Accord painted there for around $300 if i remember right, and the paint started chipping off of one of his door handles pretty soon thereafter.

[iamsam]

As a matter of fact, the reason i am lurking in this paint and body section in the first place is that i am planning on painting my car original color myself this summer, and doing it right. Actually a bunch of us are going to. Me and my friend from school (username Finn) are seriously planning it. We are going to set up his garage as a pint booth, he has a giant compressor, and we need to buy the paint gun, paint, gas masks, and other things.

Monty, i noticed you paint cars for a living. As this is my first real paint job, i am doing alot of research to teach myself how to paint, and i have learned that reading books only gets you so far. I have alot of questions that i have formed about painting, and if you are interested in handing out some expertise, PM me.

[DatUtahGuy]

Haha yeah, this made me think of my first clear coating job, it looked like Niagra Falls.

yeah, as a fellow painter, I also remember my first clear coat: the complete opposite. Looked like an orange :D I was too scared of running it.