Paint job cost: $757.56 - All products were Sherman Williams. I called a couple of paint stores and was told the same thing; it's good stuff. One guy told me, "The only thing that separates SW from Dupont and PPG is the price. SW costs less. It's just as good as any of them if the painter knows how to mix and shoot."

Sand and prep. Prime, 2 coats base, 3 coats clear. 3 year total cost repaint warranty/ years 4 and 5 would be pro-rated. I plan on waxing this car in about 3 months and will do it every 6months after that. I have no worries about the paint lasting.

I brought it in Monday morning and watched the sanding, cleaning, degreasing,trim removal including emblems and taping.

Tuesday I was there for prime, base and clear coating. As a matter of fact, I brought in a bunch of baked goods my wife made and drank coffee and ate the stuff with the guys while we were waiting on stuff. Probably didn't hurt the final product.

My orginal plan was to pay the service manager an extra $50 under the table to keep a close eye on things. He refused to take it after the work was done, and believe me, I insisted several times. He flat out wouldn't take it.

Anyway, I picked it up this afternoon after they finished polishing it up.

Here's some before and after shots. *Pic #4 is does not show overspray on seam between hood and fender, It's a trick of light or something.

There was no overspray, no runs, no orange peel. No problems at all.

 

Where did you get it painted at?

 

Maaco

 

Yep, that's right. Maaco. Signature Series paint job, with Value Prep, well under $800. Business seems to be a little slow there and the one I selected ( I went to 3 diferent Maaco's and let them know I was doing this) cut their price to the bone without too much haggling AND without sacrificing quality.

I watched them every step of the way. They took their time and did a real, real nice job.

Now some of you boys can say anything you want about Maaco. But remember now, they are franchises. They ain't all owned by one big corporation.

Find a good one, with good people working there and you can get a nice paint job for pretty low dough. And pretty quick too. Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon? FIne with me.

Right before and right after Christmas I imagine things are slow at most auto painting places. This is probably the best time of year to get a car painted.

My advice is to study up on car painting a little bit and learn the words so you don't get conned.

Insist on a work order that outlines exactly what they will do to the car and what materials will be used.

Insist on a written warranty.

Inspect it closely when it's done and have them fix any problems before you take off. (I couldn't find anything wrong with what they did for me).

Some auto painters won't like my giving out this advice. The honest ones won't mind a bit.

Oh yeah. What happened to all that overspray on the tires, windows and trim some of you boys promised me?????? I didn't get any.

 

Its white--of course it looks good.

 

I thought imperfections etc. would show up easier and be more noticeable on a white car and they would be hidden more by darker colors.

Anyway, $750 for their top of the line paint job with the warranty? I'll take it. I think I found a good Maaco that needed the work.

 

Black would probably show more imperfections...in the daylight. For instance, over time a white car can accumulate tons of swirl marks & it hardly be noticeable whereas a black car with swirlmarks is incredible obvious. I guess it depends on the imperfections.

 

yup black and silver

 

congrats, let us see it in 6 months,.

 

IT'S PUT UP OR SHUT UP TIME!!!!!! (See below)

I hoped I'd be hearing from you, sour grapes.

What ever happened to all that overspray on the tires, windows and trim you promised me?????? I didn't get any. Not a friggin' drop!

I promise I'll post some pics in 6 months.

What do you predict will go wrong? Remember, I watched them every step of the way. And they did it right.

Do you think Sherwin Williams products are inferior? That's the only thing thing that could cause problems.

Care to put your money where your mouth is?

How about $100?

I will put up photos of the car on June 17th and we'll do a poll on whether the paint job has held up or not.

OR

You and I can agree on a "neutral" judge here in Tampa that I can bring the car to and let him be the judge of whether or not the paint is in good shape.

Whattya say, pal? Put up or shut up.

Or are you just talking out your ass as usual?