Probably when I get back fromw orking in MO this summer I iwll have the Paint and Body work donw on my 71 super beetle. I was thinking of taking it to Macco but I could not find their web page to get info. I know their are a lot who dislike Macco and one of the webpages I found maccosucks.com was about someone who took their Super Beetle Convertible and was not happy. They got the most expesive job since they were restopring the car to show quality. I just want a color that I like better than the one I have.
Does Macco do good body work or should I take it to someone else for body work? I would take it to a friend and have him do the whole thing but last time he was taking about how high paint was it would cost me a bit to have it done with him. Where as Macco runs 199 specials from time to time.
I'm still trying to decided what color I want to paint it I am trying to decide from Red, Dark Blue or Orange...
I'd imagine you get what you pay for. I am teaching myself how to paint and now know there's a lot of preparation work in making it look good and be durable. What can you get nowadays for $199 - not a lot, right? They say that their prices are lower because the pass their buying power price down to you, but you can get very good paint for about
100-200 dollars. It just doesn't explain their price difference between them and the other shops ($2000-3000, mostly) out there.
A while ago I looked into the options out there and decided to try to do it myself - I like learning new stuff anyway. For the price Maco charges for their top of the line job, I can screw it up several times, even after buying a decent HVLP setup. If you decide to do that, it seems a lot of people have gotten good deals on paint here:
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Of course, that's just my opinion - I could be wrong. Remco
Has anyone tried to paint a car with an electric airless spray gun? If so how well did it work? I am thinking of trying it on my bug. I found some enamel paint that is for tractors and since it was cheap and so is my car I thought that it just may work. I am not looking for a show car paint job but I would like it to be good enough so that when you are next to the car it does not look like it was done with a brush. Another thing is a clear coat really needed or just can I wait for a month and wax it?
I'd imagine you would not get a great finish using those things. I have a spraytech sprayer (one of those pumps that sits near a bucket, long hose, sprayer) I've used to paint all of my house and it does not seem to have to control a true HVLP sprayer has. The rooms like nice, but clearly one is less picky when spraying rooms than a car.
On theSamba.com, in the body/paint threads, there is one thread ("how I painted my bug for $50", something like that) where someone painted his bug using a rustolium-like paint and a special type of paint brush. The results certainly look good, but suspect a lot of prep was done.
I meant to say "does not seem to have the control a true HVLP sprayer has" - just making sure.
Btw, just checked on that thread: it is locked and I guess some of the experts seem to have come to the consensus that this method of painting with this rustoleum paint is BS. So maybe don't do even bother with it
My other VW I am restoring I am using SPray [paint cants. Looks good froma afar but up close not that great but good enough for me. But I want this other car to look much better.
I've done the Maaco thing and eventually took a vo-tech class to earn how to paint cars. Maaco's vary from one to the other. I strongly urge looking at their parking lot to sample their work. If there's "expensive" cars in the lot then it might be an excellent shop. Maaco's paint jobs are only as good as the prep. As far as bodywork, I haven't heard of any that does good work. Speaking form the experience of using Maaco and now learning how to do it. I suggest doing the prep work yourself if possible. I believe the following: If you sanded everything and removed as much stuff that doesn't get painted you're ahead of the game. The less masking tape they use the better it will look.
Below is what I have on my site if you do go the Maaco route:
Paint Prep Suggestions
(If you intend on having Maaco or E. Scheib paint you Bug)
- Sand the ENTIRE body smooth. Start with a course grit (about 80) and work you way up to a minimum of 220. If you want to strip paint use 36 or 40 grit. If the paint shop is going to sand, ask what grit they'll be using and use that as your max.
- Prime all exposed metal with good sandable primer, even if it's from a spray can.
- Use you hand to 'feel' for dings or deep scratches. Spray an area with paint if you're unsure. The paint will magnify any imperfections. You can remove the paint afterwards by sanding.
- Remove all chrome and rubber seals. Remove anything that is not to be painted. ( Head lights, door & lid handles, bumpers, etc)
- Put spacers between fenders and body. Use 4 to 5 washers. Also,put spacers on the license plate cover.
- Remove all glass. Now is the time to replace the rubber seals. If they are new, they still can be removed and re-used. Check the seal area for rust.
- Strip doors (see separate list on this)
- Sand, prime & paint all doorjambs. You can use spray can touch up paint, assuming you're painting it a stock color. An alternative is to have the shop do it. Maaco charges $50-60 per door opening. (1999 prices)
- Put a spacer on both front and rear hood to hold them about 3-4" open. This allows paint to get to the seal area. Remove the rubber seals and sand, prime and paint as necessary. Cover trunk area and air vent slits on rear deck lid
I agree with Mel P. I have heard of ONE Maaco that does a very good job of painting cars and I am in Chicago and we have LOTS of Maaco shops here. This Maaco was recommended by someone that enters Bugs in shows..........although I don't know if his Bugs win or not! lol
I would NOT let Maaco, or other chain store, do bodywork. I have seen them use so much bondo on a trunk lid that NEW struts could not keep that lid open. Either you can do the bodywork or take it to an independant shop and have them prep it for painting. They will probably finish with finer sandpaper of maybe 400 grit.
Now if you want you can try the spray paint cans and practice spraying one panel. Then wait until it cures well and then wet sand and buff it out. You might be surprised with the results. 8^o Can you imagine how many spray cans you would need though?????????? lol
I have been getting in alot of cars that have had a $800 special. I still think most people do much better themselves then to go that level. Maaco will do a very good job, but it will cost you normal body shop rate.
So understand you get what you pay for, so ASK them what work they are going to do.
Rustoleum does work. I painted my beetle 10 years and 4 New England winters ago and it still looks reasonabley good. I bought it gallon of the stuff and thinned it with enamel reducer and sprayed it on myself. Do many light coats with flash off in between.
The one thing that is not so good is that it doesn't stay shiny for more than about 2 years. I think I woulkd recommend a clear coat to keep the shine.
It works for a 50/50 paint job (50 feet or 50 mph) and makes a solid base for other stuff.
Fweem. -- David A. Tosi Facilities Manager Habitat Re-Store 3826 High Point Road Greensboro, NC 27407
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