Cost of a single-color paint job?
- Thread starter Captainkirk
- Start date
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rotest:
1972DusterPaul
Well-Known Member
Two Stage Maaco...and a semi flat black hood (scoop painted also)...with door ding bodywork, painting jams and underside of deck lid... $1100 out the door.
They turned a 20 footer into a 5 footer. The mistake I made was doing nothing myself, Maaco missed a bunch of stuff from knee level down.
I would use them again...but with some effort on my part next time.
Paul
They turned a 20 footer into a 5 footer. The mistake I made was doing nothing myself, Maaco missed a bunch of stuff from knee level down.
I would use them again...but with some effort on my part next time.
Paul
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
I'll have to get back to you in a few years on the Dart. Even though I sold the car recently, the new owner lives nearby so I see it regularly. IIRC the one-step clearcoat finish I have and the two-step finishes are both polyurethane. So far, the one-step is holding up well especially considering that reds have a reputation for going flat quickly. I waxed the car 2x/yr and washed as needed. The car has seen a little rain and no snow. The finish is not cracking or peeling at all. There isn't any road rash showing even after about 25k miles.
bamamopar
Well-Known Member
This why I got pit of painting. Nobody wants to pay. It's not cheap bit you pay for what you get!
AdamR
Big Member
I dont know how they can do paint so cheep when a gallon of color can cost close to $1000. Heck I'm doing a detail right now for $800 and thats not even the most expensive one I've done.
My prep, MAACO single stage $800 nuff sid!
AdamR
Big Member
Im not saying they arent capable of doing nice work. Im just saying I dont know were they get paint cheap enough
when I worked there we boult by our mixing colors in 55gl.drums. that was depont.. in 85 i'm sure they still do if I was him I would wait till they put on a special on and sand and outline tape it take any or all embalms off and the body work.and then get a price and he will get a good job because they're all done the same no matter the price when they come down the line the guys prepping could care less on what it is costing you.they do them all the same.clear coat and all.....when I was there the maaco supreme was 99.00 bucks!!!!!!!!!!! wow....hell earl scheib wasn't doing them that cccccccc eeeap................save that money!!!!!!!!!!!!put it in your car!!!!!!!!!!!...Artie
72Dodge
Well-Known Member
I would consider having Maaco do my car after I do all the prep, but I wonder if they do color matches, since I want it to match factory color, and it's not an easy color to match (GA4 Light Gunmetal Metallic). I'll have to stop by my local one and see some of their work.
1972DusterPaul
Well-Known Member
Sweet...in college I had a car Earl Scheib-ed...
"I'll paint any car any color for only $"39.99"
I prepped it and it weren't half bad, it served it's purpose.
Paul
"I'll paint any car any color for only $"39.99"
I prepped it and it weren't half bad, it served it's purpose.
Paul
they have a paint book with all the paint codes and chips i'm sure you will see your color and they also had a good choice in custom colors that was from the house of color.............
I don't know how Maaco does their half price as it cost less than I could buy the just the paint. My guess is that they were doing it at cost.
1972DusterPaul
Well-Known Member
Maaco does regular collision/insurance work. You can get any color matched to OEM specs. I have gotten quotes from them in the past, and they are a little bit cheaper than other collision shops but they are not rock bottom prices either.
When I had my Duster in there, a local Ford dealer's truck pulled up to the building, dropped off and picked up parts that they had Maaco paint. They also had a Mercedes in the paint booth.
For those "special prices"... you are getting the paint out of the the 55 gallon drum.
The red on my Duster is not correct, it's brighter, that's why I had the jams and underside of deck lid done.
Would I like the original color on my car? Sure I would!
But being unemployed/self-employed it's not in the cards for me right now.
Paul
When I had my Duster in there, a local Ford dealer's truck pulled up to the building, dropped off and picked up parts that they had Maaco paint. They also had a Mercedes in the paint booth.
For those "special prices"... you are getting the paint out of the the 55 gallon drum.
The red on my Duster is not correct, it's brighter, that's why I had the jams and underside of deck lid done.
Would I like the original color on my car? Sure I would!
But being unemployed/self-employed it's not in the cards for me right now.
Paul
ESP47
Well-Known Member
Yeah their "top of the line" 2 stage job usually runs $1000-1200 or so for the basics. I got a similar job done at a similar paint shop and while it's not perfect, it's not bad either. There are a few specks of dirt here and there with a small defect or two every other panel, but there's no way in hell I'd pay another $5k+ to make those defects disappear. I'm about 3 or 4 years into daily driving it and the clear is holding up just fine with seasonal waxing. The original single stage job I got on it 10+ years ago was faded badly by this time.
I've always heard that Maaco's most expensive paint job is actually pretty decent as long as you do all the body work yourself but I've never seen one up close.
alloymotors
Member
If you are not too far from Oakland CA - bring it down and we'll give you a world class job. If you did the bodywork and primer with compatible materials -we would do a final rub and seal, then basecoat (PPG) clear (House of Kolor) on it for you. We could charge time and materials - or just do flat rate. My guess is either way would be $1200 - $1800 materials, and $2k in labor for us to prep and spray, color sand, and polish. You'd have to re-assemble. We have a professional booth and do show quality work.
I'll send you a few pics if interested - just PM me.
-Geoff
I'll send you a few pics if interested - just PM me.
-Geoff
805moparkid
Slant and AFX Guy
I should have added that this is for a 90pt paint job. its about as nice as you would want for the street... and with paint its all about the color for cost...
locobreth
Member
I've never used maaco but I can explain why. Many years ago my wife worked for DuPont. At that time they had a dept dedicated just for Maaco. No one at DuPont wanted to work in that department and it was considered a demotion or punishment to be transferred there. DuPont at that time didn't make it obvious the paint was from DuPont because of the very poor quality. She said one of the running jokes was all you had to be able to do to work there was know how to turn the water hose on to dilute the real paint.
OK folks here's the deal. I live in CA, only water based paints are allowed. Can't be that many suppliers of paint here. Sometimes exotic is not what it's cracked up to be. We used to call it hand rubbed lacquer when machines did a much better job. Go to your painter and check the work. If it's OK, save yourself some cash and go for it.
AdamR
Big Member
My firends shop (the one that just painted my Duster) uses a lot of water base. He hates it, especially on rainy days. My cars was done with good old solvent paint. The computer didnt have the mix for F8 green in water anyway.
I know I have about $2000 in to just my materials, Masking paper, sand paper, tape, filler, 2K primer, activator, epoxy primer, activator, scuff pads, panel prep. It adds up quick. That doesnt include the bill Im about to get for Paint, reducer, clear ect.
I know I have about $2000 in to just my materials, Masking paper, sand paper, tape, filler, 2K primer, activator, epoxy primer, activator, scuff pads, panel prep. It adds up quick. That doesnt include the bill Im about to get for Paint, reducer, clear ect.
CudaChris67
Well-Known Member
As a hobbyist in California, one can acquire solvent based paints. PM if you need help.
I used solvent-based paint as well, mostly because I know how it acts. Also when shooting in a a garage scenario a wet floor to reduce dust is nice, but not an option with water-based paints
roccodart440
Well-Known Member
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There is a guy near me who does really cheap work and for most people that want a driver quality vehicle it would be ok. how he does it? Skimps on everything, prep work, taping and how much base/clear is sprayed on the vehicle. He cuts into panels with a "soft tape line and bufs it out. He doesn't use a paint booth. etc..
Again, i've had him do work for me on my daily driver work truck that was passable. On my dart... no way.
Woods74
Broke Senior
TCP global perhaps, you don't have to spend $1000 a gallon for it to look good.
AdamR
Big Member
Ive bought from them before. It still adds up and they kill you on shipping.
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
Earl Scheib. I had forgotten about these guys. LMAO. Sorriest paint jobs I've ever seen. Many looked like they had hooked up a paint bucket to a ROBO wash.
A buddy back in HS had a 50 Ford shot by them. He was expecting dark green metallic and got a car that looked like a pickle on wheels. They masked the bumpers, door handles, lights, grille, and glass. There was overspray on the tires and tail pipes. All of the rest of the car was sprayed pickle green. I don't think they even used primer. IIRC, the finish on the car looked like it had been roughed up with a sander for surface prep. It was the sixth car the painter had shot that day.
True to their word Earl Scheib charged $49.99 and the car was done in 24 hrs. If you needed a fast, cheap paint job, they were the only ones to go to. The question is how bad did you want it?
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Earl_Scheib?o=2800&qsrc=999
The rest of the story is that my buddy worked like a fiend all summer to save up for a real paint job. His mom would ply us with chips and lemonade while we stripped the chrome trim off to remove the paint on it. It kept us occupied for several nights getting the pickle green off of it. Thankfully the paint stuck to the chrome about as well as it stuck to the car. The Scheib paint was really thin. It scratched and flecked off of the car easily.
I really think that stories like this got splashed over to MAACO since they competed with Scheib back in the day.
To the OP, the trend should be clear. As you crawl up the price ladder, you should expect better materials, better preparation, and better labor. If you require a concours paint job, expect to pay dearly for it. If all you want is a "5 footer" (and there's no shame in that) it will cost a bit less. IMO since paint and labor at a given level of service are sort of constants, the real thing that will drive the cost of your paint job is going to be preparation cost. The more of this you can do before you go into the paint shop, the less it will end up costing you. And as we all know, our labor on our own cars is worthless/priceless. LOL
Divenut
Well-Known Member
LOL...That's a blast from the past Paul. It was $99 when I had them paint an old Firebird. Like you said, "served it's purpose". I was 16, broke and car had like 4 different colors of primer.
Pat
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