Hey everyone! I tried some of your suggestions in the comments and have managed to fix both the paint on the mirrors and gotten the windshield barely noticeable. Thank you to everyone who provided these tips they were quite helpful. Thank you all for watching.

I get it being an cheaper alternative but scratching the windshield is insane.

The disc burns on the windshield are outrageous!

I thought that company was out of business. But 8 years ago I got a Maaco repaint and it lasted 7 years before the clear coat started peeling on the edges on the passengers side doors. For what I paid I was satisfied.

What my cheap ass loves about macco is that they don't try to push you to upgrade your paint. If you say you want paint on it, they simply....put paint on it 👍

Porsche flag, Porsche hat, Subaru BRZ with a Maaco paint job. My kind of value dude, nice review!

Couple of pointers. The paint in the mirrors, use Windex and a razor blade to take out. About the windshield, it might not be sanded but dry compound from the buffer. Try the same Windex with razor blade. If it is dried up compound, it will come off easily. If it is sanding marks, use 1,000, 1,200, 1,500, 2,000 and 3,000 grit wet sanding over it (it has to be wet sanding, not dry). Then use cutting compound with a wool pad and a buffer to polish it.

Maaco is great for what they specialize in, quick and affordable paint jobs. I've met some very competent and professional technicians that have worked for them. Obviously you aren't gonna bring the lambo there. But if you wanna slap some new paint on your daily driver and don't need anything fancy, they're a great option.

I’ll be honest. Aside from the sand marks on the window shield, I think it looks great.

One thing worth mentioning is location matters greatly as well. Before you go to a Maazco make sure you research locations before taking your car in. There is a Maaco in a much more wealthy city in my state about 40 miles away from my house with perfect reviews but the Maaco nearest me has terrible reviews. If you're getting a paintjob it's worth commuting to make sure you're getting a good service. Paint jobs last, want to make sure they last as long as possible.

I got the $1200 maaco job on one of my cars about 5 years ago. One thing to keep in mind is not every maaco is the same. I went to one with good reviews and I spoke with the owners and felt comfortable with them. I also saw some of their work and was impressed for the price. Now my color was Ford white so nothing hard. Overall I was very impressed in the end. In hindsight, I wish I would have done some more prep work like taking off the headlights and tail lights since the taping wasn’t the best.

Average paint job at a small shop will will you easily around $5,000 people need to stop complaining about $500-$1000 paint job that's done in a few days.

Remember that Maaco are franchised locations. The quality of the work will vary from store to store. However, some general guidelines apply here: 1. You get what you pay for. Do not expect a factory paint job from the cheapest place. 2. Prep Work, Prep Work, Prep Work! Where Maaco usually cuts most corners is when getting the car ready to paint. They will do the bare minimum based on what you paid, and nothing else. Detrim your car as much as you can. Take off anything that isnt supposed to be painted and that you dont want to be either painted or oversprayed. Mask off stuff you dont want painted too. It never hurts to start your own prep work just to ensure that it goes well. Remember, a paint job will only ever be as good as the prep work was. This is why you might also want to consider giving the car at least a brief first sanding before dropping it off to be painted.

Top tips for people who wants a nice Maaco paint job. Remove all the parts off of your car, headlights, tail lights, emblems , trims etc...if you want great results. Otherwise they will mask these items. I had Maaco paint many of my projects and I often sand the areas that they often miss for good adhesion, sand with 400 grit wet sand with a pad or red scotch brite pad

1200 considering they did a color change, and red at that, is an insanely good deal. I charge 2500 to respray and thats the same color, 3500 for a color change including the jams. The overspray on parts is forgivable but that windshield damage isn't at all, and they had to have known and just hoped you wouldn't say anything.

I have experience as a painter . Ive done a few full restorations and realize that a good painter is a artist . Since retiring and moving to a place where I dont have a garage I have used Maaco Twice and spent about $1100 each time..... 6 years apart. The first was a Base + clear , the second was integrated clear . Different shops and different parts of the country. Both jobs were very good. Today i picked up my car that had a ding repaired on the front fender it cost $400 , I found that a bit high ,but it was paid for by my neighbor.

With Maaco being such a high volume shop, the painters have a lot of experience. Even though they’re not a premium option, that experience at least means a consistent decent quality.

Thanks for the review. Your presentation was excellent. Love your car color. I only need a hood repainted. The clear coat disintegrated. Wish me luck. This should be good.

Get some glass polish mate and give the windscreen a buff. Those sanding marks will come out

Maacco is good depending where you go. My local macco has 4.5 stars over a few hundread reviews. But ultimately the layers of paint they use is thin. I had my mr2 painted the same factor color and is starting to peel at the edges where the windows and rubber pieces are. Other than that $900 is still what i paid for. Would i go this route again. Maybe. But i can't stomach too cough of $5000-$8000 to get it professionally painted when i dont have a garage to protect it.

Remember. If you’re unsatisfied with flaws, have them fix it. You aren’t paying for flaws. You’re paying for a uniform paint job. They will most likely fix the problem areas.

I also have an asphalt grey 86 I'm having painted by Maaco. Thanks for the video!

I got my pick up truck painted by Macco in 1985 . I was very pleased with their work then and I’m hoping to get my VW beetle done soon.

Nice! I think I'm going with them after a $6000 estimate from a buddy. I'm going to take as much trim off as I can. I figured my best job will be worst than their paint job!🤷🏼‍♂️

I remember Earl Scheib in LA-- "$29.99, no ups, no extras." My buddy had his old '55 Ford repainted. They did it while we waited. The various chrome pieces were all individually masked (kinda) and by and large, you get what you pay for. Worked for him.

The only thing I think you really have a legitimate complaint about is the sanding marks on your windshield. That to me is not acceptable,. Everything else looks terrific.

I've done two MACCO $249 special paint jobs over the years on severely faded paint and road rash on front bumpers on two Hondas. They were charcoal gray 88 4dr and red 97 4dr Honda Accords with +10yrs/+150,000 miles on them. Best bang for the buck paint jobs for a beater car you just want to spruce up a bit. Kept them both the same color and got the price I wanted when I sold them a few years later.

Do what I do if you don't have a custom color; find a color that you see on another vehicle and give that paint code to Maaco. That way you know what it looks like as a whole and in sunlight or at night.

bro you are too calm and understanding for how many things they messed up

In FL also. I had a Nissan Cube for 10 years. Had the windshield replaced 11 times. Like #8 insurance sent a rep to make sure everything was above board. That windshield would crack if a bug hit it too hard was insane.

Which Maaco did you go too? I think I would look online for suggestions on the windshield damage, maybe call the windshield company you used to ask about ability to repair it - it may not cost that much to do - very interesting video, have a 99 Mustang in laser red, I believe - original paint job, lots of cracking on hood -

Great video. I live in Hernando County and work in Tampa, but don't need a paint job at the moment. That said, it is great to know that the Maaco in Sarasota does good work. 👍

you can literally use a paint scrapper from the 99 cent store and take off the paint from the side mirrors in seconds and for the sanding part on your front window it literally will take you 5 minutes to buff it out with a buffing machine and your front glass will make the thin scratches disappear like new.

I thought the Maaco near was really good turns out they were. They did the Burgendy on my dad's E92 really well, it was also rather pricey. 1200 or so for a naked bumper. But it turned out to be quality work. Bunch of old guys working there.

They would have definitely changed my windshield I’m sure they have insurance too

my $1299 paint job (1966 El Camino) took 3 months. And I had it totally stripped down as far as trim/ molding. Plenty of places where dust specs had settled in paint while it dried, but overall good. You get what you pay for.

Never do any body work before taking the car in as they will void your warranty but not disclose it. This happened to me in 1992 with my 82 Z28. Two years after the job was done all the paint started flaking off the car. The local Maaco in Tampa couldn’t get the PA Maaco to pay for the repair because I did a small area of bodywork in the headlight recess. My receipt said “Customer did own bodywork, not responsible for cracks”. That basically totaled my car as it required a full strip and repaint.

If shop liability laws are the same in Florida as Texas, the shop is responsible for either buffing out the windshield marring or replacing it. That was straight up negligence on the shop's part. Please check with Maaco's manager or corporate team, you might be able to get that resolved at no charge to you. They should also owe you for transportation expenses during the vehicle is in the shop for corrective repairs.

Thanks for making this video

Thank you for providing this video. It was extremely informative and helpful. I am in exactly the same situation and this may fit my needs. Just curious, since you are/were in Florida. I am reading this in April of 2024 . . . . how has the paint held up to the heat and ocean air? I am in South Carolina . . . . . with a similar environment.

I'd like some fresh paint but I don't know how to go about assembling a checklist to be able to start my car..

I had them paint a 1966 T-Bird that I was restoring many years ago … like 1979😮 and the top of the line paint job (and they didn’t have clear coat then and I painted inside the doors and trunk and hood areas) was about $350 which at that time was a LOT😮… I had body work done at a body shop and the end result was a beautiful flat coating if enamel paint😢they repainted it after a month of curing and I got it back with a gloss finish. I removed all the chrome and bumpers and anything that would make their paint job easier and hopefully get a better result. The paint job was on a scale of 1-10 an 8. I also used Earl Schibe (SP) in the mid 60s to paint my 1953 Ford Convertible and color close to the factory color but not exactly. $29.95 was the cost😮

I got a Marco paint job when I first started driving... I pulled the pine needles out of the paint on the tailgate for a while after getting it home

$1200 isn’t bad, but the car I need painted (old Camaro) would need some body work. I question what their capability and quality of bodywork is like (i.e just a ton of Bondo). I imagine the $1200 is for a very straight body.

Use #0000 steel wool on the paint left on the glass.

Fine steel wool and razor blades to take care of overspray brother.

the sanding marks on windshield are unacceptable in my opinion. I would not be ok with that.

Question: Did they put your emblems back on? I’m in the process of getting my 96’ Impala ready for Macco.

From what I hear, if you stick to the urethane, they're usually pretty good...

I respect you for keeping your cool they legitimately damage your windshield. But It doesn't matter if they are budget they should respect your vehicle better. EDIT good video.

I'm gonna give it a try great video

I saw suggestions of how to get the scratches out of your windshield ... but you then had it replaced, if I caught that correctly? As, I have scratch marks in my windshield from accidentally using a too-scratchy sponge side when removing a huge sap splash, and was wondering how to remove the scratches out, by hand.

This is ok for certain types of cars...also the price tiers coincide with different types of paint and paint quality...pretty sure the cheap and middle tier are a single stage paint

My suggestion is, if you are going to have them do the paint job. Pull all your lights off and do the tape job yourself. I agree with the other posts about the damaged windshield should be replaced by Maaco or they give a partial refund.

You definitely got a qualify paint job from the looks of up, but not removing all the masking, overspray on the mirrors not being removed and that horrible sanding scuffs in the front windshield is just carelessness. Completely unacceptable in any setting, budget or otherwise. It would have taken zero extra effort to avoid those mishaps. Luckily it's an easy fix, even to buff out the scratches in the front windshield, but still. Sloppy sloppy sloppy prep work.

Did you prep it? Or do they have any options to prep for you such as sanding and bondo?

Can I get the specific paint I want because I want rp21m which is horizon metallic gray? Or theres presets only that they have ?

Hi. Wondering how the paint is holding up couple uears later? I live in Venice, FL. Was the shop you used near me?

Tbf, not having the door jams done looks better imo, but I like that darker gray. I am interested in how long the clearcoats last though. Still looks good for how "inexpensive" it is.

Those sand marks are an easy fix ..no need to change it ..can even get the stuff at harbor freight. Not that you should have to , that would never have left our shop like that , .anyway just trying to help . That can be polished out

I just got my Nissan Ultima paint it and originally they wanted 2700 with a five year warranty ended up giving me a deal for 2300 with a five year warranty and it came out nice up very happy with it

I got an Earl Sheib $800 paint job on my maroon '91 Toyota 22RE pickup and it looked nice with wax jobs every 6 months, for 10 years.

You didn't take it back so they would take the tape off? What did they say about the buffs on the windshield?

@Running2Redline Where are you located? The prices you mentioned are quite a bit different than where I am. 🤔

Practical-helpful post-many thanks from the State of Rhode Island-PEACE!

How much would it cost to have a front bumper for a Subaru repainted by them? I previously bumped into a fence & unfortunately caused clearcoat and paint damage to the bumper and want it repainted. I don't want to go through insurance because it's so trivial but still an eyesore.

The amount of orange peel on the deck lid, the messed up windshield, the mirrors..... yeahhhhh I didn't want my mustang to be a show car but I refuse to have this quality on my 03 gt glad I watched this

i own a brz and noticed something. I see the mirrors got painted but the only part thats supposed to be painted is the cap. thats all. im not sure if you requested differently but the painted right over black trim and didnt tape if off. other than the sanding marks and the mirrors not shabby for 1200

The maako guy who did ricer Miata's stuff seems pretty good. He basically said they can do cheap, but they can do expensive too if that's what you want.

Macco quality is completely location dependent. 71st and Binford in Indianapolis does cheap paint jobs and high end work on cars like Porsche and Ferrari too. It’s just like any franchise.

Where I can found one Maaco nearby in New Jersey.. I can’t found one near Newark nj

After watching this I’d say it’s Best place for a drift/race/drag car in my opinion. no need to go all out when it can get beat up

I painted my dodge Magnum in my driveway about 2 years ago. Not perfect. But im proud of it cause. I have never painted a car in my life 😂. And black at that and a car of that size. And paint hardener and clear coat. Around 400 bucks.

Windshield replacements are free in Florida?? Did not know that, how come?

Dude, I would have taken it back and made them fix that window! Its not like a little paint on something that was your window! anyway, glad you got it fixed.

Looks like the metallic red that came on 1st gen Lancers and other Mitsubishi's in the early 00's

Not all Maaco's are the same so it's a gamble. Paint jobs often look great from 10ft and beyond but I'm sure you'll find imperfections up close.

Great color

My experience with them was great, it took them 2 days to finish and by the 3rd day I was driving my car back home :(

you could put resin in those windshield scratches

There's an age old saying, "You get what you pay for". What give Maaco such a questionable rep, is that most of the folks you see get paint jobs from them, are getting the most basic paint jobs. So that becomes Maaco's reputation. A LOT of folks fail to see that. If folks step up and pay for premium paint job, they'll cost as mush as anyone else. Now those are the stories I want to see more of

my buddy had a maaco job done like 15 years ago... they literally just washed the car and painted over the clear. its wild... open the doors, and the old paint color was still there

Several years ago my friend got the cheap enamel paint job from Maaco. What a mess! There was oil in their compressed air causing "fish eyes". Looked like there was too much paint on the car. Bad masking, drips and runs. He took it back twice, very little improvement.

You can fix the windscreen with cerium oxide. This is glass polish.

Should have just bought some vinyl wrap for a few hundred dollars. Went online and found someone that could do the job in a few hours

Did it actually turn out to be $1,200 at the end, or did they hit you with additional charges?

Use steel wool to get the paint off windows. And buff scratches out of the glass.

Fair enough evaluation; but why is there always some minor points they miss or screw up ?? Otherwise a great concise video !!!

Thanks

Reflecting what others said, I'd be pissed about the windshield regardless how inexpensive it was. Did you bring it up to them?? I don't think you mentioned that. You did mention the overspray on the mirror and windshield but not the scratches??

This is the second video I've seen where Macco messed up badly but the customer makes apologies for them. "You get what you pay for." should not include having to waive damaging a vehicle in my estimation. You've convinced me to stay away from Macco.

The car looks great but the damage to windshield looks terrible. They should have replaced it for free. ❤ Thanks for the review.

i blasted my dads car with my 1500 psi pressure washer at 45 degrees while about 2 feet away and it ripped off the maaco paint. but hopefully they did better with yours

I’d do the body work myself then have them paint. After that finish off with a good correction. Thank god I can paint myself tho haha

I got a Maaco paint job on my Suburban 17 years ago for $425 , I did all the body work , stills looks ..wax it once a year

How did you not have them replace mirrors and windshield they messed it up so they are liable not your insurance

I don’t understand how you get paint on the mirrors and windshield if you masked it right, but at least they were willing to get it off

Im also in FL do you know what location did you do to?

Bro! How'd you get your car painted in that color for $1200?! Maaco wanted $800 from me just for a door and a fender on my 2007 Mustang GT in UA Black. Maybe I should go back in and ask for the whole car 🙄

what color paint is this?