Maaco Paint Job

Just got my BMW 635 back from getting painted at Maaco. For a cheap paint job, it looks pretty good.

It does look good. Was this the ~$249 special or ?

I've got a friend with a successful body shop and he gets all his work painted at Maaco. The time and expense (and therefore the quality issues) are always in the prep work, which he does at his place, before taking them down to their place to get shot.

He says those guys shoot cars all day, every day, and most of them get pretty damn good at it.

Looks nice!

moar pics and pricing plees.

I'd like to see some close-ups, and another pic in a year or 2. Some of their work isn't too bad, just depends on the person doing it.

This was the $249 special. I also had them DA sand the car for an extra $99. I removed all of the trim, as well as did the little body work it needed myself. I was going to paint it in my garage, but figured they'd do a better job (being I've never painted an entire car before).

As said before, the money is in the prep. By doing most of the sanding/prep myself. I saved a bunch of $$ and got a decent job.

More picts are at: http://s680.photobucket.com/albums/vv164/cemike/1985%20BMW%20635%20CSi/

In reply to cemike2:

That link didn't work for me, but this one does:

http://s680.photobucket.com/albums/vv164/cemike

Looks nice!

Is that a two stage or just a color coat?

I think the car helps the paint look good. Always had a soft spot for 635s...is that a CSi?

The maaco around here has won awards for their high end work. Again, as stated above.. it's all in the prep

Let's see it in 4 years.

I too have done this where I did all of the body work and prep and paid Maaco just to shoot the car. It also looked great. Within four years it had faded to poop.

Does it fade because they use their brand of paint? Can you provide your own paint? If you do your own prep and provide a very good quality paint, will it last better, or is in their spraying technique?

The fading would be due to the quality of materials and doesn't have anything to do with the spray technique.

When I first started painting my projects I used a cheaper base, but it was hard to spray and required more coats, so now I use a glasurit base.....more expensive, but worth it. As far as the difference in lasting between the two...they stay garaged most of the time, so I don't really have any feedback on that.

I would much rather go the maaco route as opposed to the rustoleum/roller method if I didn't do my own paint work.

As to the OP. Great looking car. I used to have a 633 and a buddy of mine is currently restoring a 635.

This thread only reminds me I NEED to own a 6-series before I die.

Forgive me for the youthful exuberance, but ... that shiz looks BALLER.

I have been thinking about doing the same thing to my miata who's paint is in poor shape. Any tips on prep work?

all I can say for personal experience with Maaco. My mom had her lebaron done years ago (car has been gone for 10 years now) and the paint held up very well for living at the shore.

Granted, her car was white.. so that is one colour that does not really fade. but it still looked good 5 years later when it finally got driven to the dealer to be traded in

A few years ago when CC started with the "Disco Nova" they did all the prep work and took it to a Maaco type place to get it sprayed. They went with a $250 single stage with a $100(?) clear coat. That way it could still be wet sanded. At least in the magazine it looked good.

You can solve fading paint by regular (read monthly) applications of wax...

Javelin wrote: Let's see it in 4 years. I too have done this where I did all of the body work and prep and paid Maaco just to shoot the car. It also looked great. Within four years it had faded to poop.

At $250, who cares if it falls off in 4 years? Would a $2500 paint job that lasts 10 years be a better investment? I'd say no.

Raze wrote: You can solve fading paint by regular (read monthly) applications of wax...

Did that. It didn't work. FYI - my car in question was a 1962 Rambler in Light Gold in Florida. $249, no clear coat. Looked fantastic the first year, then okay for 2 years, then garbage.

Supposedly if you pay for their more premium paint it holds up much better. I did that on the next car (Black 3rd Gen Camaro), but sold it 6 months later.

My MR2 has a single stage paint job (on most of it- except where I had a GREAT shop do some repair work). I assume it's from Maaco or similar. If I buff it and wax it, it looks good for two or three months. Looks good enough for me.

Thanks for posting the pic. I'm considering going this route with Tom Celica. Pull all the lights and trim etc, and do a little prep work. I tend to agree with the guy who said those dudes who shoot paint all day every day will do it better than me, and I wouldn't use any better materials than they do.

That BMW looks fantastic, by the way!

I pulled all the trim from my MR2 and had Earl Scheib spray it. Had I put more into the prep, and put some effort into the paint after the spray, It would have rivaled a much more expensive job. I just wanted it all the same color.

Looks much better than the peeling Bob Costas Magnet Yellow paint on my turbo FC. There's a reason I call it the Flake-o paint job.

Looks good. I stripped and prepped a 67 Shelby. Drug it over to One Day Paint. Their white is very close to Ford Wimbleton White. They sprayed it on pretty well. I took it home, waited a few weeks, then sprayed the Blue leMans stripes on the car in my garage. Sold the car for condo money when it was done. Still joke with my friends that the amount I got for the Shelby has to be a record for a "crap" paint job.

Looks like new. Seriously considering doing to my winter ride, a black Cherokee. How hard was it to get that chrome trim off and back on again?