Macco paintjobs

INFORMATION Product Reviews
21

KBB any G2 Integra, motor swap, fancy JDM rims and all, it won’t be over $5000 value. That’s the value I’m talking about, the resale value, not the value it holds to you. Obviously to all of us, our Integras are priceless, but when we’re talking about what’s ‘worth’ spending on our cars, Maaco is the only thing that fits the budget when it comes to resale value in the real world for people that don’t know how to do body work or paint.

How many of those $2000 paintjobs were for a G2 Integra, or any Honda that falls between being produced in 1990-1995? I bet none, they were all either S2000s or other newer models that still have a decent resale value.

You’re telling me if I brought my G2 Integra to a professional body shop and asked them for the best paint job I wouldn’t get laughed at? It’s a 1991 car, in my case, and I’m asking for a paint job that’s at best half the car’s value? If I was the owner of that body shop I’d gladly take your money and laugh doing it.

I understand you get what you pay for, but my point is that it’s an older car. Do I love my car less because it’s old, or I took it to Maaco? No, but I’m not gonna be a fool and waste money because I love my car so much that Maaco is above me.

22

Two of those 2k paintjobs were S2000s, one was an EG Civic, one was an EK Civic… How much is the blue book on an EK Civic? $3,000? $3,500? An EG? <$2,000?

We both understand that blue book is low for our cars, because they’re old… As you said. And doing a motor swap or adding wheels does NOT add to what the car is ‘worth’ in the eyes of KBB or NADA… We agree on that.

But my point still stands… We will still dump 5k into the motor to make sure it is built correctly with good/reliable parts, and not really think twice about it. Because it is ‘worth’ it to us, right? Our car is worth more than KBB value, personally, to us… Why do you think twice about putting that same love/care/effort/whatever into your paint? I dunno about you, but I realistically hope that I never have to part with my G2. So I’ll be glad when, in 15 years, my car is still pristine and lookin good, rather than peeling off and looking orange-peely. Like I said, I speak from experience… My DA was painted by Maaco, one of their cheaper packages. Within one year of owning it my passenger door and driver mirror were already PEELING off. If spending $200-300 on a paintjob is what you’re aiming to do, then by all means go for it… You just wont see the quality or longevity out of the finish than you would with a higher priced, more quality job.

Granted I’m nearly positive the reason why their paint was peeling is due to their shoddy prep work… So you can get around many problems by prepping yourself… But the orange-peel look will be there 95% of the time. I mean even when we paint cars, they have orange peel… The difference is part of that $2,000 price includes a wetsand and buff. The cars we painted for that much are verymuch near show-quality. For the people that only wanted to pay $600’ish, it still looks good, but not nearly as good as someone who paid the money for us to take our time and make things look as close to perfect as possible. For someone who cares about their car, imo, a paintjob is the last place that should be skimped on.

Im glad that we have a good debate going here, I like to hear peoples’ opinions on the subject. Even though disagreeing with me automatically makes you wrong :rant: :cool:

23

This is obviously going to be a never-ending debate, so this is pretty much my last post on the matter. You’re representing people that know how to paint and prep, so you can never see it from someone’s point of view who does not have those skills or knows people who will do it for them.

I agree if you get the shittiest Maaco job you won’t be happy, but their shittiest package isn’t something you should base your entire review of Maaco on. I would recommend the 3rd best job (they only offer 4 packages) or the 2nd if you’re low on cash. Hell, it’s even what the Maaco manager suggested to me as well. Price wise, Maaco’s paintjobs are $299, $499, $699 and $999 for most Maacos, just to give people an idea. They also offer extra services such as extra clear coats, more prep work, etc.

You ask why we do motor swaps or dump money into building engines. Well the most obvious answer, is because this is our hobby. The second answer would be speed. Painting a car for over $2000 just so it looks ‘fresh’ isn’t worth it to me. You can get a fresh paintjob from Maaco for half that at the very least. It’s not like the paint makes you go faster, and a Maaco job will surely make any old Honda look 10x better.

Even you said you got the cheapest package Maaco job on your car and now it’s peeling. Well yes, because that comes with NO PREP work whatsoever. So while you say Maaco doesn’t do good prep jobs, it’s also based on what package you get and with the $299 special you get no prep work.

If you want to compare apples to apples, then compare Maaco’s Supreme paint job package or the higher one above it, which offers something similar to what a body shop would give you. Then you can see that their work isn’t nearly as bad as you’re making it seem. I speak first hand of this, because I get asked all the time where my car was painted and when I say Maaco they’re shocked. In fact the reason I chose to go to Maaco even after reading reviews such as yours where all that was said was ‘Maaco sucks, don’t go!’ is because a buddy of mine got his bubble painted at Maaco and it came out damn good.

If you don’t have the skills to do your own prep job or know how to paint, you drive your DA day to day, race it at the track, or have it as a weekend warrior, I would suggest to go to Maaco for a paintjob. If you know how to do body work and paint, have money to spend, or own a show car DA, then by all means do your own prep and paint or have a body shop do it. Decide which category you fall in and go from there. I’m not saying Maaco is the end all answer, but it sure makes a lot of sense both financially and realistically to get your old Honda painted there.

In closing, the only time I’ll support painting a low KBB value car at a body shop is if that car is for show purposes only. Who is going to grill your car so hard that the small imperfections you may get with Maaco will show? Or a better question would be who is going to be so impressed that you blew $2000 on paintjob for a EK, EG, DA? If anything, people will want to see your motor more than care about the orange peel on your side skirts or any other barely noticeable angle or body panel of the car.

24

I actually don’t know what Maaco package my vehicle was painted… the previous owner had it done. I simply said I knew it was one of the cheaper deals due to the imperfections it had. Nowhere have I said that everyone needs an expensive, show-quality paintjob. Nor have I said that Maaco does bad paintjobs… I have been trying to get the point across that you get what you pay for, so if you go cheap the outcome will be evident.

Not all prep word is sanding and scuffing… prettymuch anyone on this site can remove door and fender moldings, rain gutter plastics, and work a roll of tape.

As I said there is no arguement here… I never said not to go to Maaco, I simply stated that if you want something that will not only look good, but last, don’t think a quality paintjob will run you $300.

I know its a re-post from the first page, but I’ll show it again…

If you think that is an ‘un-noticeable’ amount of orange peel at an ‘un-noticeable’ angle (aka any angle within 8ft of the car), then I can see why you verymuch advocate getting a cheap paintjob on your old,low-value KBB Honda.

Though, as my ‘in closing’ statement to answer the questions raised in your closing statement… if you’re in this hobby to impress people, you have bigger problems than the motor in your bay and finish of your paint. But I’m no psychologist so I’ll leave that part alone. The person you should be impressing is yourself. if you’re happy with a cheaper job, than more power to you… but if you want some that looks a bit better and won’t peel off your ‘unprepped’ cheapie job in two years, then spend the extra dough on a higher package/service.

Bottom Line: Maaco does a good job that you will be happy with, as long as you don’t take the cheapest route possible.

25

Thank you, that’s all I was waiting for you to acknowledge.

I’m not in this hobby to impress anyone, I’m here to have fun and enjoy myself, and part of me having fun is showing my ride off, be it looks or speed. I never once took a personal shot at you, so if that’s the only way for you to prove a point about how Maaco is the devil, then I rest my case.

26

Case rested :slight_smile:

edit

I wasn’t taking a personal shot at you… you yourself called our cars old and low-valued. As such, I was putting it in context with the quality of the paintjob that it sounded like you were describing.

27

macco paint jobs are full of orange peel and they bake the paint in the booth at too high of a temp so the paint comes out like crap. honestly its not worth it if you are looking for a clean paint job. i personaly painted my car myself using nh-538 in a down draft paint booth with my gravity hvlp spray gun that i bought from harbor freight and the paint layed down perfect. hardly any orange peel. i dont have to worry about cutting or buffing anything

28

I might be wrong but i don’t think they bake the car after painting. And like was said over and over again,some people ether don’t know how to do it them self’s nor do they have the cash to dish out.

29

you sir got lucky then, i’ve seen some of the best booths,guns, etc etc used and still seen slight orange peel etc,

shit even brand new ferrari’s that are hand sprayed have orange peel and imperfections and i’m sure they don’t skimp on tools or knowledge.

anyway i’m no pro so i won’t post here anymore as well

30

Maaco is a franchise. Each one is run differently and thus the quality is different. I sell paint to body shops and the maacos that I sell to are all completely different. One is completely shitty, another is average, and the last one does classic car restorations that require huge amounts of attention to detail.