Thoughts on cheapo MAACO job or plastidip

So the still yet unnamed 99 my friend and I picked up is in overall pretty good condition for a 177k car. But there's some slight discoloration on the hood and some areas on the bumpers that got some pretty bad love taps. It's not terrible but it's not enough to be patina and just enough to look bad. The car was only $2k but I love it and I'm not opposed to putting some more money into it.

Wondering if anyone has had experience with getting a partial MAACO job. This would be just bumpers and then blending. My biggest concern is them doing a poor job and it looking worse than it does now. To entertain the idea I'd have to come in under 1k. Anyone have thoughts?

The other option which I know people have strong opinions about would be doing plastidip myself. I already have the kit and enough flat hunter green for an SUV (decided not to do my XJ after the trim getting torn up on the trail). I'm not sure a flat matte finish would look good on such a curvy car though. So if I did it I might a color with some pearl in it. The big upshot here would be being able to just peel it off within a short period of time if I didn't like it.

There are a ton of great cheap paint videos on YouTube.

Hoovie's Garage has been getting good results from MAACO. He had them repaint the bumper on his Lamborghini Murcielago roadster. The quality of MAACO locations varies, however.

$1000 seems like it would be more than enough to get a good job done at MAACO. I wouldn't do plastidip, unless I was doing the whole car.

Yeah, I'd do the whole car with plastidip.

I had MAACO quote me $1,800 to do my whole XJ. That's why I'm thinking a grand is probably sufficient. But I feel like Hoovie being a youtube star might get him preferential treatment. And they did have to take two cracks at the Lambo.

$1800 for bumpers or the whole car?

MAACO could have gotten the Lambo right the first time if Hoovie had taken the whole car.

years ago i inherited a nice low miles chevy wagon that had a bent front end.
after putting on a nose clip i detailed all of the dings and imperfections and applied
excellent 2-part BASF primer in my garage. the trim, bumpers and door handles were removed.

Maaco was having one of their regular half-price sales. (Their least expensive paint with no clear coat)
The chev came back from Maaco looking good.
It was never waxed.

Two years later the Maaco paint was badly deteriorated.

Lmck3 wrote:

years ago i inherited a nice low miles chevy wagon that had a bent front end.
after putting on a nose clip i detailed all of  the dings and imperfections and applied
excellent 2-part BASF primer in my garage.  the trim, bumpers and door handles were removed.

Maaco was having one of their regular half-price sales.  (Their least expensive paint with no clear coat)
The chev came back from Maaco looking good.
It was never waxed.

Two years later the Maaco paint was badly deteriorated.

I've not done it *but* could you do the body in primer then vinyl wrap it?

Lmck3 wrote:

Two years later the Maaco paint was badly deteriorated.

That's a concern of mine too. Right now the paint is pretty okay. It's just the bumpers and slight discoloration on the hood. That's why I'm hesitant to have someone do the whole car.

crunk04gtp wrote:

Lmck3 wrote:

Two years later the Maaco paint was badly deteriorated.

That's a concern of mine too. Right now the paint is pretty okay. It's just the bumpers and slight discoloration on the hood. That's why I'm hesitant to have someone do the whole car.

Have a detailer buff the car out and see how bad the paint really is - it may be there is no need to paint most of the car.

Wherever you go, don't expect a miracle if you pick the cheapest possible option.

My '97 sat under a tree for years and was a mess - lots of prep work. I did the second best Maaco job which is a base coat, clear coat and overall I am pleased. The appearance is very nice - limited orange peel and I paid for an extra coat of clear for future color sanding and buffing. I had them do a lot of extras like removing the windshield and rear window for re-sealing and all was done well. I can honestly say, no overspray which was a concern.

They did "miss" a couple dings that are visible if you know where to look. If you need any prep work, my suggestion would be to give them plenty of time. Also, Maacos are franchises so not all are created equal. You may want to talk to more than one to try to get a feel for how much the owner/manager cares.

My knock against the paint is that it seems to chip easily. I already have a number of small chips in the front bumper and hood after only about 7,000 miles. My 2016 Regal, which I drive every day and put a lot more miles on has almost none so my suspicion is Maaco is not using high quality paint, even in their higher end jobs. Their best paint might be closer to factory durability but I cannot say for sure. If you're having panels other than hood and bumper done, you're probably fine.

If you have any specific questions I can answer, I am glad to do so.

KenBluder wrote:

Their best paint might be closer to factory durability but I cannot say for sure.

I think a lot of the factory durability comes from running the unassembled panels and frame through an oven and baking the paint on. Maybe you can get some of the same effect if you do a full rotisserie restoration and use infrared lights to cure the paint. I don't know if anyone uses infrared lights like that though, it's just an idea.

I've only tried plastidipping the rims on my car.

OP, can you post some picks? My buddy just paid $2,300 to paint his 88 Wrangler, their premium service. This Maaco franchise is a full collision shop and under the same ownership for 30 plus years. It looks nice but I think you will be disappointed with a Maaco paint job or a wrap. Either way it will look inexpensively done. Maybe your body shop guy or a good car wash can polish it with a wheel? It may not be perfect but it will not look re-done.

crunk04gtp wrote:

Yeah, I'd do the whole car with plastidip.

I had MAACO quote me $1,800 to do my whole XJ. That's why I'm thinking a grand is probably sufficient. But I feel like Hoovie being a youtube star might get him preferential treatment. And they did have to take two cracks at the Lambo.

Won't the paint peel off over time?