Paint advice!
 

Need expert opinion. I know you guys have seen alot of paint. What do you think about Maaco's paint jobs? Not the cheap 400.00 jobs. The more expensive 1000-2000 jobs. Paint and two coats of clear. They say they use PPG paint at the shop near me. How bad can it be? Just wondering what you guys have seen as far as quality. I have heard they are poor and the paint lasts 3-4 years. Then i heard it depends on which Macco you go to because they are all independent. Thanks in advance for the responses.

Contact him>> 1998chevycamaroz28 I believe his uncle owns a Maaco in central jersey.

Yea, what you have heard is correct - quality varies greatly from one Maaco to the next. If you have some experience or some friends with experience in autobody, you can do a lot of the prep work yourself and save some money and guarantee a better finish at the same time.

- Justin

they do vary in quality from what ive heard there is one in central jersey might be the one nova is talking about that does good work and the is one in philly i believe where my brother got his racecar painted that did an amazing job and same day service pm me if you want more info
http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=56452 good maaco pics in that thread

A Maaco job will always be a Maaco job....the quality of the work and materials will always be on the lower end of the spectrum. That's just the nature of their business. That being said....there are some things you can probably do to get yourself a better paint job from one of their facilities.

If you have the ability to do a lot of the prep and bodywork yourself you can take the time to do it "right" or atleast more detailed than they will. And secondly I would suggest asking if you can bring your own materials. You can probably get yourself some higher quality PPG or DuPont paint for around $1500 or less and the added durability will go a long way.

HardcoreZ28....The guy down here says he uses PPG unless there are different qualities of PPG.

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated. Not gettin that warm fuzzy feeling with Macco. I guess i'll head up there and look at his work. He invited me up to check out what they've done....This is the Macco in Tinton Falls. He says he uses PPG and finishes with 2 coats of clear. Just wondering if there are different qualities of PPG.

Maaco uses PPG Nason brand which is the "economical" line from PPG

It depends on what you want. If its for a cruiser or beater maaco is a great option. If you want high quality or if its for a show car go elsewhere. All in all my $1000 maaco job has lasted 7 years and the only problem is a bubble on a bumper that should have been replaced before paint..hard to beat that!

Nason is actually made by DuPont, not PPG. And yes PPG has a number of different offerings as far as qualities. If you check out their website they should have a bunch of info on all of them.

Thanks for correcting. You are correct, Nason is Dupont. Maaco will use the refinishers line of paint companies due to cost. For Sherwin Williams its Dimension, Dupont is Nason, not sure what PPG line but probably Value-Pro. Just ask him what line of PPG he uses.
The best thing is to do what you said. Just look with your eyes at the cars in the lot and you can decide if the job meets your expectations for the price.

Also ask the owner if their shop is Maaco certified. Some older shops have not kept up with the latest techniques and training from Maaco and they are not certified. Maaco is individually owned franchises and quality can differ between locations. Check out the work in their lots personally to really get an idea of the quality and if it will meet your expectations.

OK..I visited Macco today. Did not like what i saw or heard. Saw alot of people working there who had their bicycles on the side of the building. LOL...If i got it done "correctly" their cost would probably be a little less than the body shop that i have been going to for twenty-five years quoted me. Granted it was raining. I was not too impressed at the cars they showed me. They also are real intent on fitting you into one of their four packages and they didn't seem receptive to what i was looking for. Are the guys with the bicycles now also auto body specialists as well as landscapers? What in gods world is happening to this country?

If all they need to do is slap filler and lay down a color they don't need to be experienced and talented body men.

I want to thank everyone for their responses. The expert advice is much appreciated.