Need some input on painting a car (MAACO)

Anyone here have direct experience with MAACO in Lansing, MI?

We had Mike at Eaton Auto Body give us an estimate on the Country Sedan. $5500. Oye. I cannot spend twice the amount I bought the car for, for paint and minor body work. Even getting the car stripped for paint, I am pretty sure we are near $3500 just for body work and paint. Now Mike does really nice work and has been excellent to work with, but I just cannot justify this for a non-show car.

I just want a good 10ft car, a driver.

And I don't want the car out of commission next spring/summer for weeks/months at a time.

I cannot paint it myself. I suck at that.

Discuss.

Macco paint jobs suck no matter which way you try and swing it. The painters are just qualified enough to paint a tractor or a barn door. There purpose is to spit out as many cars as possible. And lets not talk about the materials they use. Crappy clears that is impossible to look anything better than the 30+ year old paint it's replacing.

I was happier with my 30 year old novas paint more than I was with my 1 year old Macco paint.

Call my painter. His name is Scott, he is in Davison, Michigan 810-569-0417 Tell him Mike with the 96 mustang told you to call.

It wouldn't be fair to him to give you an exact price for my paint job but it was very fair.

their is also the painter in dansville that did brads vert, as long as you dont want 3 colors and scallops he can have it done in 2 weekends and will do it for a very reasonable price.....he is painterdude here on the forums....hit him up

Thanks for the input guys. I do need to get more estimates I know.

But with all the local guys here, nobody has had any direct or indirect dealings with Maaco of Lansing?

just make sure you take off your license plate cause chances are they'll just mask it off and spray, lol. I've seen it happen.

Sxynerd wrote:just make sure you take off your license plate cause chances are they'll just mask it off and spray, lol. I've seen it happen.

Well at least they masked it off! LOL

I've even seen them paint old school GM chrome GM door handles when they were supposed to at minimum mask them or take them off.

Can you imagine a 72 Monte Carlo that was supposed to be dark blue with a purple pearl that turned out just a shade draker than Barney purple and door handles that didn't work because the paint hardened around the button, lol.

My buddy was furious, they had to call the police on him.

Which Maaco was that?

Victorville, Cali-fo-ni-a

HEY I KNOW THOSE GUYS!!!! I delivered parts to them all the time when I worked for my buddys wrecking yard.

GreyGhost wrote:HEY I KNOW THOSE GUYS!!!! I delivered parts to them all the time when I worked for my buddys wrecking yard.

AND??????!!!!!!

Any comments on any work you have seen???????

SORRY, I was talking about the shop in Victorville Ca. I didn't look too much at thier work. I know paint and body is YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Haha, Victorvile, lol. I bought my car from the crap dealership right down the road.

If you want to do all the prep work and trailer it to them it will be ok, but as Mike said you will get what you pay for and will need paint again in 2 years. Thats planing that you will keep it as nice as you cobra.

I used maaco 1x a few years ago and I WILL NEVER make that mistake again, the paint started chipping off bad . so NO dont go to them

No positive feedback. Sigh. Doesn't look good for MAACO. Damn.

I have personally never had anything painted by Maaco. I applied there for a job about 12 years ago. The lansing location. I wanted to get my foot in the door as an autobody painter. The job was for a prep person. The person who does all of the dirty work masking stuff off filling dents priming and prepping for paint. I went in for an interview and discovered very fast that I was over qualified for the job.
I'm not bringing this up to brag about myself I am just saying that from what I had a chance to see and hear about them I would not want to work there. They are about getting it in and out fast. Quantity not quality. That is why your first estimate from a real bodyshop was so much. Real shops care about doing a quality job. A quality job takes lots of hours to do and Quality paint products. When you start getting into lots of hours the price goes up.
I can understand not wanting to tie your car up for months at a time but most guys working out of a garage at home have full time jobs and the weekends are the only time to really get into doing body and paint work. Again it all comes down to time. If you could find the best of both worlds and run across somebody working at home full time you may be able to get a complete job done for less and sooner than a month.
I have not seen your car but any complete paint job would not cost less than 2000.00 in my opinion. Your looking at 800.00 in supplies at least and 1200.00 for labor at least. Again just my opinion. If you had the bodywork done and were willing to help do the masking and prep work the actual spraying of the car might not be so bad to pay for. Time Time Time= money money money. Anywhere you can cut costs by doing it your self will help save you some money down the road. Hope this helps and doesn't sound too preachy, not my intent. HAVE A GOOD DAY.

I appreciate the input painter dude. Not sure what I am going to do yet.

I have decided to sell my Honda Pacific Coast this spring to free up some cash, for whatever I do.