To paint or not to paint?

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efalex said:
My buddy had his car done by them. They dont paint door jams and shit, there work isnt bad. They do a great job for 300
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The quality of Maaco's paint jobs really varies from shop to shop. Some of them are great. Some of them are complete shit. I would ask for examples of their work, or references...
 
95b16coupe said:
so you are telling that when i paid to have my car prepped, they didn't really do it? come on now. And if it chipped in 3 months, he could take it back and they will warranty the work.

Like I said, if you give it a thorough inspection, you will get a decent paint job that will last 2-3 years.
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If you payed the extra cash to have Maaco prep it they may have. But if you didnt pony up and didnt stand there and watch them do it chances are they didnt. Ask them, theyll tell you they dont do much more than clean the car first.
 
Assuming that I were to try to do the prep work myself, are there any references/tips you guys could give me? Also would it even be a good idea for me to do it being as I've never done anything like that? (IE could I mess up the car badly if I do something wrong?)
 
kriz said:
Assuming that I were to try to do the prep work myself, are there any references/tips you guys could give me? Also would it even be a good idea for me to do it being as I've never done anything like that? (IE could I mess up the car badly if I do something wrong?)
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By references I mean ask them for the names of some satisfied customers (private or businesses) that they've done work for. Check with those people and see how satisfied they are...
 
kriz said:
Assuming that I were to try to do the prep work myself, are there any references/tips you guys could give me? Also would it even be a good idea for me to do it being as I've never done anything like that? (IE could I mess up the car badly if I do something wrong?)
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how much is your time and effort worth? to do it right will cost you time and a lot, LOT of arm work. unless you rent or borrow equipment. you would be better off just paying $200 to prep it.

the only time maaco doesn't prep is when you pay the $299 ambassador service or whatver they call it. and you just have that done when you want to flip a car for a quick profit.
 
here's an idea. take your car into maaco and get a free estimate. get a feel for the people who work there. if you don't like it, try a different place. it's not that hard and it's worth your time.
 
If you're already asking to find the most bang for your buck paint job then putting in the time to prep it yourself is well worth the time and effort. Not to mention the "give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish" aspect. Knowing how to prep for paint could come in handy especially if your goal out of the paintjob is to have it only last two to three years... your not taking the car down to bare metal. Just basically scuffing the paint up enough to allow the new paint to adhere to something. you can skim coat the deep scratches with filler after you scuffing the paint.here's a general overview. http://www.ehow.com/how_2296204_prep-car-new-paint-job.htmlhere's a three part video. kinda old but knowledgeable. http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-prepare-your-vehicle-for-a-paint-job
 
Well I'm not looking to have the paintjob last only two to three years as I'll probably be a broke ass college student by then, it just seems to be the best I can afford for the time being. In all honesty I think my friend just recently finished prepping his jeep and it took him about 16 hours all together. I don't really have that kind of time I'd be much better off working instead and just paying for someone else to do it as much as I would like to work on the car myself (I am extremely paranoid about people working on my car)
 
the two to three years was just a ninja star at a previous comment. no decent paint job, especially one paid for should only last two to three years. A mildly neglected paintjob should even last that long.
 
OK, that makes me feel a lot better about this whole thing lol... sucks wanting to pretty up your car when you're 17 and making shit money... Whole month of summer has gone by and I still don't have a penny to my name *sigh*
 
kriz said:
OK, that makes me feel a lot better about this whole thing lol... sucks wanting to pretty up your car when you're 17 and making shit money... Whole month of summer has gone by and I still don't have a penny to my name *sigh*
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Beilieve me when I say I've been there. I wanted to paint the Camaro at 15 with even less of an income. Small paper route FTL. But it did buy the car to begin with.
 
Alright so I went to Maaco today to have my car checked out for an estimate. Full price with tax will be just under $1k for the removal of the dents + prep (only $100, much better than 16+ hrs of work on my own) + their Signature paint service which is supposedly as good or better than the manufacturer's paint and has a 5 year warranty. Does that seem like a good deal?
 
Not bad. Ask what they door for taping around the windows. Maybe look into pulling old rubber off and replacing after the new paint? It would look a lot cleaner that way. Taping off that rubber can work but just a thought
 
^ Good thought, might check into that since I have to stop by the dealer to get some other stuff...

Another quick question, after getting the car painted my next step will likely be to look into getting tinted windows since my car sits outside (live in an apartment) in the sun with a black leather interior in a black exterior. Needless to say its like an oven when I get inside.

Only concern I have is that my windshield has a tiny crack in the lower middle area, seems to have been caused by a stone impact and it hasn't spread out - at least not yet. Seems getting a windshield replacement would run in the neighborhood of $300, which I would like to save if it were at all possible. I mean this crack is small enough that it doesn't affect me in any way, but it is noticeable and I'm worried it might expand over time with change in temperature and what not. Should I be looking at replacing it before I even think about getting tints?
 
Are you planning on getting your windshield tinted or something? Thats a new one. If you live anywhere near the city I hear they're dicks about tinting laws. And in Illinois you cant have ANY tint on your front two windows. You could ride around with the windows down if you see a cop but I've seen parked cars get tickets for it downtown too.
 
Yeah I don't know why that's strange... IDK about the cops thing, I don't think its as big a problem in the suburbs (I live in Zion, bout 2hrs north of Chicago)

lol guess its not "normal" to get your windshield tinted, didn't know since everyone I know with tinted windows has a tinted windshield... Oh well, guess that answers my question, the windshield can stay as is. I can always tint it later if I feel the need for more shade...
 
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CAFROG said:
Not bad. Ask what they door for taping around the windows. Maybe look into pulling old rubber off and replacing after the new paint? It would look a lot cleaner that way. Taping off that rubber can work but just a thought
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That's a good idea... Well.. if the replacements are fairly cheap anyways.
 
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