Why do I hear that Maaco paint jobs peel after a few years. Bad paint or bad prep?

Question

If it is bad prep, I could strip it myself. not talking about the basic maaco, but the real one. signature.

Answer 1

I worked for maaco many years ago. You get what you pay for. I was a lowly sand man and I started sanding a car down, my boss reamed me, saying he payed for just a $500 paint job!! No sanding or nothing! I was surprised, they just painted over everything, emblems, rust and all. You have to specify with the, bodywork, sanding, primer sealer..... yes maaco is a chaep paint outfit, if you pay the max and for everything your paint job will be ok, but you could have got it done by someone else.

Answer 2

It is most likely the prep work. Whether you go to a Maaco shop or a top of the line restoration shop- they should look at your car and make suggestions on the prep necessary for your car. The basic Maaco price does not include additional prep work. Every car's needs are different- so it is impossible to put together a single price package. You have to start with a base price.

No matter what shop you choose you should have a written estimate that explains what is going to be done to your car- if you choose to decline the prep- expect flaws to show and the warranty to be void. Also if you prep the car yourself expect the warranty to be altered. That doesn't mean that the paint will peel or that the car won't shine- it just is another testimate to the importance of the prep to the car. If it is not prepped properly not only can the paint peel- but flaws may show under the service. Don't expect paint to cover up scratches, deteriorating paint or bad body....

All Maaco's are independently owned- go in and look at the cars they have painted. Ask for a written estimate that is explained to you afterwards. Ask questions before hand. A good shop will explain what they intend to do. Expect the service to take 3-7 days- it can't be done properly over night. Ask the difference between a custom shop and a productions shop. Ask what brand of products are used- you should find that most Maaco shops use the same products as the custom shops. Ask the difference between a single stage and two stage paint service. They should help you get into the best paint service for your price range.

With that said- remember that a large number of Maaco customers have older cars that have not been taken care of. They then expect to pay $250 (not a penny more) and leave with a car that looks like it drove off the factory floor. They aren't going to tell you that they were too cheap to pay for the additional prep work to make the paint look right or adhere properly. They also won't tell you they were warned about what they would get.

Bottom line- as inportant as the price of the service is the prep. No matter where you have your car painted be sure you know what you are getting for your money. You can get an excellent paint service at an economical price from a Maaco. Unlike a lot of small independently owned shops- you get a warranty from Maaco.

Answer 3

More than likely,the paint peeling off is due to bad prep. If your car is prepped for painting the right way,than the paint job should last you a long time.When you go to MAACO ask him what is included in the price of the signature paint job.Because what they don't tell you on TV is that any bodywork,including rust removal,
panel patching,etc,is gonna cost you extra.So ask questions when you go and let him tell you what is involved.This way there are no surprises.Whether the MAACO you go to uses DuPont,or
Sherwin-Williams,Nason, or whatever,no paint job will last unless the car is prepped properly.

Answer 4

Its bad prep. The cheap paint services also use cheap paint too. My car got a maaco job before I bought it and it looks BAD. At least 30% is peeling off. The prep work is the hard part of a paint job. I think you have to etch the metal after stripping the paint off. Do pleanty of research on painting before anything... It might look good for a while, good luck.

Answer 5

There is a reason that a real paint job costs a lot of money, a lot of prep and good paint as well as a professional job. You go to Maaco and they charge a few hundred dollars, there is little to no prep, and like McDonalds, they hire anyone off the street.

As stated before, you get what you pay for.

Answer 6

Any Maaco paint jobs that I have seen over the years have looked like your little brother painted it with a roller. I'm not surprised to hear it peeled. You get what you pay for........ Maaco is a hurry-up rush job that never looks right. But if your standards are low enough.........

Answer 7

its usually the prep work that makes it peel off,,that and they use a real cheap paint,,but even cheap paint will stay on,if the prep work is done right,,but its good to do if your going to sell one,,i have seen some of them last longer,and seen one that the paint blew off of it,3 days after it was painted,,i guess it would be mostly in the prep work,,good luck hope this help,s.

Answer 8

Maaco is the Mcdonalds of paint jobs.They don't do quality work.Paint peeling is common with them.

Answer 9

Yes and Yes. Maaco sucks if you want quality.

Answer 10

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