One more post for Maaco paint Good or Bad

Okay i have 92 lumina z34 torch red her body is in prime shape exept a little dent in the roof and paint chip on drivers side door and some oxi on hood vents and passenger fender.... ME i'm all about cheap i've heard alot of bad things about Maaco and alot of good things also?... now i dont really beleive in the saying "you get what you pay for!"
i just got an iphone clone off ebay for practicly free and she work like a beauty never once had a problem now this is what i want to do... i just want a black gloss paint for the entire car... is it something maaco should be able to handle?... just something thats easy on the eyes... its not like this car is going to a car show or anything!.. what do you think everyone?

I have a friend who has been a painter for a GM dealer for 15 years or more, plus he does custom work on his own. I guess you could say he's qualified to give an opinion, I'm not.

What he says is that the biggest place they cut corners to save time and raise profit margins is in the prep. He thinks their paint process is good, just that it may not be as durable over time due to halfassed prep. With modern spray booths and curing it's rare to get a bad spray job if they have any idea what they are doing.

His advice is to do as much pre as possible before taking the car to them...make sure it is clean, and areas like the edges of doors and the bottom of rocker panels, edges of hood and trunk lid, etc have been cleaned very well, as this is usually where paint begins to peel first, due to poor adhesion where the spray tails off into gaps and around the bottom of the car, etc.

If you know what you are doing you might even want to scuff it and then wash it again before taking it in, they should scuff the old paint up before spraying, but who knows?

Personally I'd be more inclined to try to find a guy like my friend who is a pro at body work, that would be willing to cut you a deal in return for a little "sweat equity"...help scuffing and cleaning and masking, etc...you'll learn some cool stuff and get a good deal on a really nice job, and have some personal pride in it as well...

bTW if you don't know anyone like that, I'd go to the closest auto paint supply shop in your area and ask them who does side work at their home and knows what they are doing...they'll know...

3M has a product called PrepSol which is good at removing old wax and other contaminates from paint surfaces. This would be a good product to use to clean the areas mentioned in post above. Just use precautions when handling, use in well ventilated areas and wear protective clothing, gloves and WEAR EYE PROTECTION. You wet a lint free rag, wipe it on and wipe it off. Its a clear solvent that it not as dangerous as paint thinner.

I have used this in the past and find it very good product if you use it right. Its made for prefessional use but you should be able to buy it at auto stores who sell paint. Comes in qt, gallon cans.

Here is description of product
Description
Prep-Sol® 3919S ™ is a cleaning solvent specifically designed for initial surface preparation before painting. Prep-Sol® 3919S™
works well on the following difficult to remove elements: wax, grease, silicone, dirt, tar, insect remnants, road film and pin stripe adhesives

Thanks you guy ill look into prepping for this then first! lol see if my girlfriend wants to "help" lol but im sure she'll like the aftermath ill try to post pictures when she is done and looking gorgeous (hopefully).

...see if my girlfriend wants to "help" lol but im sure she'll like the aftermath ill try to post pictures when she is done and looking gorgeous (hopefully).

Are you talking about your girlfriend, or the car?

I meant my car lol but hey i might be able to swing them both in!!! lol you'd like that wouldnt ya:cool:

Beware of Maaco in Jonesboro, Georgia. Avoid at all costs. I went there and was told what was to be done to my car (prepping and painting) and the total cost. I signed on the dotted line. As soon as I signed on the dotted line, the head guy started telling me about all of these other prep things that would have to be done and there would be additional costs. I told them no deal. I was going to tear up the agreement and he said that if I did that he would have to charge me $25. I said no way. He acted like he was going to call the cops. I took a pen out and scratched out my signature and personal information and left. The shop supervisor was trying to scam me. He was hoping I would say, oh ok and pay for the additional stuff after we had agreed on a price. I went to the Better Business Bureau website and that maaco location has had several complaints.