[Wasuri]

Well for a xmas present I will be getting a paintjob done for my Crx. Yet my lack of knowledge is starting to suck. I don't know of any reputable places here in texas, and I dont know of any relativly cheap places.

Price IS an issue. This is were the questions start to break out.

I would like to know if anyone has gone to maaco for a paintjob. How much did it cost? Does it look good? Did you prep it yourself? Flaking bubbling?

Ive heard the whole story on maaco, but im willing to give it a try. I hear there is a warranty for flaking and bubbling?

Also about prepping. I have on clue on how to do it or anything. Ive searched several forums but all I get is people talking about how they prepped it themselves before they brought it in. Yet I would like to know more of the process, and what I need to use to do it right and what to-do.

I think im going to get prics at maaco either tomorrow or the next day. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[baker_jeff]

Just remember... what you pay for is what you get! I think prepping it yourself is the best idea, and just having them spray it. To prep it, you'd have to remove all the moldings and stuff to get as much paintable area exposed as possible, then wet sand it all down, smooth out any bodywork, then prime. A coat of primer will reveal any imperfections in the body and allow you to fix and make repairs. Good luck!

Jeff

 

[joshman]

I'm also thinking of going to Maaco. There is one right down the street from my store so that is very convenient. It is true that you do get what you pay for. so that means you can't complain about a $300 paint job. I talked to a guy at Maaco once when I was in school and he impressed me. Just because they offer a $300 paint job it doesn't guarantee it is the one for you.

I've personally have about 2k right now saved for a paint job. But I still need to order the Vis Mugen front clip, door caps and rear bumper. Plus thanks to idiots I have some body work that needs to be done. I think I am going to go there tomorrow and see if they can start the prep work now and then spay it in the spring when all the new body parts are in. I'm not in a big hurry because I have my 96 Civic.

 

[Wasuri]

What tools do you use to sand? Any power tools? How far do you take it?? Down to the metal?

lol of course you get what you pay for, but ive heard of maaco offering a warranty for things like bubbling and flaking-which is, from what i hear, the main problem with maaco.

Yet again this is just a late night post, and i plan to head over there tomorrow and see some pricing. I hope that can help me at least a little.

Then again your guys help is always appreciated!

 

[crxfisher]

So Wasuri, you're back from China now?

 

[Wasuri]

Yes sir! Ive been back for a week and 4 days. Feels good to be back.

Thanks for asking!

Also I went to maaco today and my estimate came out to be around $1800. So I have another question.

If I prep the car myself how will I go about taking out dents and dings? Ive got a good amount but nothing REAL major. Will I be able to fix them with either bondo or some kind of filler?

 

[Krix]

You want to get the metal as close to the original shape as possible and then use filler. Bondo gets a bad name because people put on 2 inches thick then it cracks for falls off. Some places its hard to get in to, like the door or quarter panel to hit it from behind. Was the $1800 including fixing the dents and dings?

 

[Wasuri]

Yes it was. The parts that got me bad were my roof, sunroof, left door, and left QP. My roof is messed up because I had someone weld holes that the previous owner had put for a lexan sunroof. My sunroof is messed up because previous owner of the panel tryed to paint it himself. Both of those i have been lazy on fixing and I need to get some POR15 on those welds really bad.

So some of the problems I could see myself fixing during prep, but I don't exactly know how to prep or what to do when I finally get to the point where I need to get some type of filler.

Im guessing bondo would be a bad idea then?