experiences w/ Maaco autobody

[toyota_dood2]

Anybody ever used Maaco before. I want to to get my spoiler done but I hear mixed things.

[arabianobsession]

All I can say is, you get what you pay for. Have had work done there before, they used the wrong paint so it didn't match. They painted a fender black when the color of the car was a bronze black, it had bronze flakes in the paint, like a tri-coat. Not happy. Had to bring it back 4 more times before they got it right. And then they charged me to strip the old paint off and primer it.....after my now-husband already did it......and he used to work at a body shop.....

[toyota_dood2]

Yeah. I am just trying so tave 50 bucks. I will probably end up going through the dealer @ $150.

[arabianobsession]

^I would HIGHLYYYYYY recommend doing that. Saving $50 is not worth the hassle you will end up going through

[Frodo65]

Originally Posted by toyota_dood2

Anybody ever used Maaco before. I want to to get my spoiler done but I hear mixed things.

Maaco is a franchise outfit. The franchisees range from excellent to horrid -you need to evaluate the individual shop to see if the techs know a spray gun from a hole in the ground.

Same thing applies to dealers - many no longer have an in-house body shop, but 'combine' the body work for several makes. Some of the outfits are quite good - and some have painters whose fume masks slip a bit.

[kw/00]

Had a friend that worked for one back in the day. I would not take my car there...When I did a factory repaint on my MR2 that I used to own, I took it and had it done at a shop with detailed work. You get what you pay for....as others said and it stands true.

[toyota_dood2]

Originally Posted by Frodo65

Maaco is a franchise outfit. The franchisees range from excellent to horrid -you need to evaluate the individual shop to see if the techs know a spray gun from a hole in the ground.

Same thing applies to dealers - many no longer have an in-house body shop, but 'combine' the body work for several makes. Some of the outfits are quite good - and some have painters whose fume masks slip a bit.

LOL. I suppose that's why the reveiws are mixed.

[DftMachine]

Used to work at a body shop. Half the cars that came in were to repaint after going to maaco. Orange peel, runs, dents, no prep work. Like many have said, you get what you paid for.
I remember someone telling me they got fired from Maaco because they spent too much time prepping for paint

[gdanaher]

You live in a good sized city and there are going to be several GOOD shops scattered around. You know they are good because their customers use them repeatedly and when asked, they will tell you who is good. You must have friends or coworkers who have needed a body shop. Ask around. Ask total strangers if you can. Find the best shop and hire their services. If it costs $500 instead of $250, it's a DEAL if it is done well. As said before, you get what you pay for. Sometimes though, you don't get what you pay for. Buy quality and you will never regret it.

[RickF]

Maaco was the worst I ever used. But, to be honest, it was about 20 years ago so may be different now. I had an 1980 Corolla painted same color as original paint. It faded in about 2 months time. The color was ok, but I think the clear coat was either wrong or not enough.

[Dave-o]

I had a friend that worked at maaco for a long time, he says its very busy all the time and he gets rushed to do all the prep work then onto the next car to prep it

I suppose hearing that people get "rushed" by their bosses to work fast isn't a good sign

as someone above said though, it IS a franchise and there will be excellent to not so good

for a door repair 4 years ago I went to maaco (on morrissey blvd in dorchester ma)...they did an excellent job fixing the damage and paint matching

[lenjack]

I wouldn't let them paint a bicycle.

[hans747]

You're too generous Lenjack. I wouldn't let them fingerpaint kindergarten art project. They use crap materials and worse technicians.