i just bought a 95 GLE, metallic green (not sure the actual name yet) and the body and paint is not in the condition i would like. i am looking at repairing a couple of moderate dents and repainting the whole thing. i have never repainted, but i know how much it can cost. if i spend the money, i don't want it to suck, but i don't have much to spend. does maaco do a decent job on any of their packages? with a decent paint job, will proper care make it last longer (as opposed to spending an arm and a leg)? i do not want cheap, but money is certainly a concern. what are my options? any input is helpful. thanks.

 

honestly, maacohh-noo is horrible, ask anyone on the org. Give your car a nice deep wax if you dont want to spend too much, touch up paint will only make things worse. My car is emerald green and the paint is really bad with a couple of huge scracthes. Going to turtle wax her this spring break.

 

There was just a big thread about it...Maaco and their paint jobs are the worst, no matter what you say. You can get a decent paint job for about a 1000, just continue to look around.

 

believe me, i don't want to maaco, but some of the scratches are too deep to just get out. i have read here that the 3m swirl mark remover is the best stuff for swirls, but what i have is more major than that. should i just wait until i have the money for a real one? or are there some decent ones out there for me to check? i know the touch ups are not worth much except protecting from the water getting underneath and making things worse. again, thanks for input.

 

unless you can drop 3k, take it an get it professionally detailed. its your best choice...really they buff the crap out of it and make it shine...

 

good one Torgus, might do that instead

 

If your paint is oxidized, I would suggest Einszett Ultimate Polish. It is very strong, but it will even out oxidized paint. They also two other polishes named Eizsett Polish and Einszett Metallic Polish. EP is the lightest, while EMP is stronger but still less strong that EUP.

I would suggest PMing PrinzII in the detailing forum. Send him some pix or your car and he will be the best judge. He is the detail guru around here...helped me in the past.

 

You can PM me those pics too if you want...I know a little about detailing.

As far as Maaco, no f'ing way. They do horrible work.

Not sure what the body shop situation is around chillin, but every "bargain" paintjob I have ever seen has been garbage, and 1000 is a MAJOR bargain. My buddy got his 86 Coupe GT painted for 1300...the guy didn't even fully spray the bumper and rocker panels and the paint on the hood bubbled within a year. He also tried to up the price halfway through.

A decent paintjob (same color) is going to be AT LEAST 2 grand, depending on how much body work you need, and a color change is going to be at LEAST 3.