My car is a '97 with very low mileage so I'm not getting rid of it anytime soon. But I think it is in need of a paint job. I'm getting some major peeling on the hood and roof. I've never had a car painted and am curious about the process. How good does it look when done? Can they duplicate the original paint job or will it look like, er, a paint job? I know of Maaco...any other places? Thanks.
Yeah, I was wondering the exact same thing. I got a '96 2 door Tahoe w/ Z71 and some flowmasters, but that's beside the point. It's got A TON of chips, scratches, dings, whatever and a couple of deliberate key'd marks by someone else. I was wondering as well if I got a brand new paint job if it'd look the same as the original one. Also, how much does it cost for full body at, say Maaco?
You can always get those Earl Shrive type jobs for like $200, but they fade severely after a year or so. I suggest getting the best basic-color paint job money can buy at Maaco, which runs somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000. Those last like stock jobs in most cases and actually look damn good.
One thing to remember with paint jobs is, you get what you pay for. If you go to Maaco or Earl Shive, you can get your hood and roof repainted for $200 or so. However, they are both pretty low end on the quality scale based on my experience. It sounds like you have oxidation problems and its probably just the clear coat that is peeling. Basically, you have a urethane based, base-coat, clear-coat finish. Also called a two stage paint process (this is key, as some shops will save time and money by doing a single stage finish, which is not the correct way to do it). Stay away from any shop that is not going to do a two stage, urethane based finish. Anyway, a good shop will also de-trim the roof and hood so that they don't get over-spray on the trim. Basically, thell sand off the clear coat all the way down to the basecoat (they won't sand down to the primer or metal). If necessary, theyll re-apply a thin basecoat and re-clear coat the whole panel. After the paint drys, they will usually do a color-sand and buff to knock out any paint defects that came up during the painting process. Some shops may want to blend into your front fenders or bumper covers. What part of down do you live in? Might be able to recommend a shop that I work with.
I know a great body shop on the southwest side. Main Street Body Shop, on South Main I believe between Fondren and Gessner (maybe between Hillcroft and Fondren...it's been a while). Great body work, nice people, reasonable prices...they'll probably give you a good deal on a paint job.
I looked into some of the higher quality paint jobs and found they quickly went from a minimum of $1000 to an average of $2000 - $4000 bucks. Does anyone have some experience with about a $300- $500 dollar Maaco paint job? That's all I would feel justified putting into my car, but I would like to get it repainted.
What a coincidence on this thread topic. I've been doing some bodywork on my car lately...filling in the dings and dents, rebuilding the rear fender (I smashed in the fender flare when I sideswiped Tara's mom's car backing out) and preparing to do some fiberglass work on some rusted structural areas. I also recently purchased a rust free hatch for the old rustang. On the way to work yesterday, I decided to stop at a paint and body shop that is on my way to work. The guy quoted me a price of $1500 which included welding new sheetmetal on all the rusted areas, replacing my cracked widshield, repainting the rust free hatch (it's yellow) and repainting all the trim. He will use the two step base coat clear coat and will paint to manufacturers specs. (your car paint code is on the label on the inside of your door). I'm going to hit some different paint shops around town, including Maaco, and see what others can offer me.
I got the "Best" Earl had to offer a few years ago and it was poor - so poor I had them paint it over. The got paint everywhere paint wasn't supposed to be and I spent hours getting it off. But the worst was the paint faded after the 1st wash. They repainted it and re-clearcoated (I suspect they never put clearcoat on the first time) it but it only lasted a year before it too faded. Waste of money. I had a friend get a Macco job back in the 70's (remember the $29.95 job). I found it funny that they sent him home with a small can of paint and a brush - in case they missed some spots. I'd spend the extra money to get it done at a paint and body shop. If the paint is not faded on the fenders you may be able to get away with just doing the top/hood/trunk at a good shop - ask their opinion.
That was my next question. It seems only the roof and hood have the most noticeable wear and tear. Will there be a big difference in the look between the old and new paint job after it is finished?
I wouldn't worry about it. The roof does not have any adjacent panels. The bumper and fenders are considered adjacent to the hood and can be blended. Might cost you a lil extra for the blend. Also, if the other panels have been hit with fading and oxidaztion, they can color-sand and buff them to bring the color back up.
