Hello everyone, Im looking to get my 1986 f150 4x4 painted in the near future and was wondering how good of a job Maaco did. Ive heard alot of good about them and there prices seem very reasonable. I guess im just wanting to know your opinions on them.
Thanks in advance,
Blake

 

It depends on what you are looking for. A guy at work got his truck done for like a couple hundred bucks.... it looked like a couple hundred dollar paint job. The paint had a shine to it but the thing that got me was all of the places that they didn't tape (and there were alot ) all of the over spray. So again it's all in what you want,and how much you want to pay. Personally I would only use them if I was selling the truck for a cheap paint job....if I was keeping the truck I wouldn't have them touch it.

 

maaco paint jobs are flat out crap.they tend to last 3-4 years before its time for another and they paint all over stuff that should have paint on it,like the windshield.if i were you i would save up money and get a good paint job so u don't complain or regret ever spending ur money.

 

Thanks alot for the replys, I was wondering if it was one of those get what you pay for paint jobs, thats why I thought I'd talk to some people that know a little more about paint than I do. It looks like Ill have to save up some money and get it done right then.
Thanks alot,
Blake

 

It also depends on your truck.

Im thinking about having them paint my mud truck.
2 reasons. Its ugly to begin with and the body is not worth knocking all the dents out for a good paintjob.

 

prep has more to do with it than anything. If you are willing to do most of the body work (if needed) yourself and hand over the truck with most of the trim already removed/taped off, you can spend a little more on better paint.

 

Ok, flat out gods honest brutal truth here. If you aren't looking for spectacular but something that looks decent from 15 feet away you can go with Maaco. It will probably last a few years and then it will be time for another job.

Here's the main thing, you get what you pay for and I won't lie to you, paintjobs are expensive, I've been doing paint and bodywork on and off for about 20 years or so and I've watched the prices continue to go up. The materials alone can run you anywhere from $700 - $1700 and then you add on shop labor for any bodywork and prep work to get it ready to be painted.

It all comes down to you, I can mainly speak from the standpoint of doing higher end paint jobs anymore and I can't put my hands on a car for less than about $5,000.

 

So, is it possible (dare I say easy) to find a decent body shop that will do a car for a price between the MAAC)/Earl Scheib price (under a thousand) and the high end stuff($5000) plus? I have a truck that will never be a beauty queen (I want to use it as a truck) and I want a paint job that looks decent and will hold up for a reasonable amount of time. I know price depends heavily on bodywork. I am doing a lot of it, but I know the body shop will have to do some and I want a good painter to shoot my truck with good paint for a reasonable price ($1000-$3500). I don't expect perfection though. (A little orange peel will not kill me.)

 

What ever you do dont go to maaco.Maaco has 4 paint jobs from cheap to the best one with clear coat.But the thing is they never do a good job.I had a truck paint there and I had to bring the truck back 2 times to get the truck painted the right way and it took over 2 months of this.I wished i didnt go there like people told me but I didnt listen.Trust me save your money and wait and go to a better body shop.You will be happy in the long run that you did.No body shop will match maacos price but theres a reason you get what you pay for.you pay more you get better service a better prep and paint job.If you go to maaco like I did you will be sorry you went there like me.Go to a few body shops(not maaco)and get some prices.good luck!

 

Many people who have never went and bought automotive paint, or done the work are unaware how extensive the costs and labor can be.
I've watched it too, and only expect it to get worse. The major paint companies were accused of price fixing years ago. Now with even more added regulations to come, and the price of oil, can only see them continuing to sky rocket. Paint and paint solvents are made from petroleum products, so like so many other things, its affected by the oil prices as well. And with waterbase basecoats coming soon, and the equiptment that may be needed for curing, may mean many small shops already struggling possibly may not be able or choose to keep up. Its already very expensive to keep the doors to a shop open everyday, with overhead, insurance, taxes, regulations, hazardous waste disposal, ect. And what will happen to prices if it ever gets to the point where you only have a few large bodyshop chains that are still operating, with little other competition. Also hopefully it will eventually get to the point where shops need to pay thier workers good wages and benefits to get any. Its kind of a joke what most shops around here offer a skilled bodyman and painter, when you consider the work and knowledge involved, the fact you buy and use a lot of your own tools, and then compare that to wages of many other skilled trades, I'd probably be out now if i had made the choice to learn something new while I was a bit younger.
As far as maaco, do you really expect them to be that good when you see there prices and compare to what other shops charge? We can't even buy quality automotive materials for what they advertise to do some of there jobs. Check references and then go to who you feel most comfortable with. Also when compairing estimates and costs, know what you should be getting for it in each case.
Also it may be possible to find someone who does some work on the side. Of course check them out and there work too. But many still do it as a hobby and a little extra cash, and don't have the amount of overhead as a shop doing it full time as a business. Some pretty nice jobs can come out of a garage. One other option to save some cash may be a tech school that may take some work from the public, and only charge materials cost. But there may be less courses running in the auto body trade now, and it could be difficult to get a car in there, unless they happen to be looking for that particular kind of job. They should have an instructor watching over them, but really depends on the students you get. When I went, most took it seriously and were pretty skilled and did there best, but there were also a few that you wouldn't want going anywhere near your vehicle. Or you could even see if you can find an affordable part time course to take, and that way you would have access to the schools larger items needed to do the job, and learn to do the work yourself. Then if something isn't done right, you could only blame yourself. It may be hard to even find a shop who wants to do a complete paint job and paint over someone elses work on an older ford truck, collision work is where they make the money.

 

I went to MAACO a year ago to get my 1998 Accord painted. The clearcoat of the factory paint was coming off and the car looked pretty bad. I did go to a few shops. I even knew the owners of two of them. They couldn't do the car for under $3000.00. This is a commuter car that I did not wish to put the money into. I just wanted to make it presentable.

The owner of MAACO admitted that the new paint would have some nips in it which were very small (pinhead sized) raised spots. They did over spray some but not too much. The fixed about 9 dings but not perfectly. They fixed a two or three inch crack in the bumper cover that I expected them to just paint over. The owner was honest with me. I paid about $700. It was worth it. Your truck is over 20 years old. It will look better. The paint may not last forever but mine still looks good with the exception of some bird poop spots that etched the paint in a few spots. I didn't spend the extra money for the clear coat which I believe was $149. The car looks way better and the owner worked with me on price. I feel it was worth it. Would I take my 2006 Expedition there. No. I feel they were fair, honest and did a good enough job that was fairly priced.

Fran M

 

I agree with Kenseth in that good shops usually don't want to paint over someone elses prep work - it usually makes everyone unhappy. Some guys who want their prepped vehicles painted - even if they know what they are doing - are a shops worst nightmare. Often, (not talking about you!) they don't want to pay to have the work fixed for paint and then complain when it doesn't come out right. If you're trying to save money and don't care for a good job, let MAACO do it. If you want a good job on a newer vehicle and are keeping it for 5 yrs plus, save up and pay the big dollars. BUT, if you want a great job over top of your prep work on an old truck....well, go to the "Fantasy Shop of Your Wildest Dreams"!