how to get it right (archive)

Well, everybody knows you don't have an expensive complex paint job done by a production shop - whether they pay for it or not. At least I thought most people know that these sort of shops (Maaco, Earl Schibb, and a dozen others) are best for a simple quick paint job of the same color the car already is. The enthusiasts should remome any trim and correct any problems as much as possible. Not only for better finished work but to make it a lot cheaper. In all fairness there is certainly some nice paint jobs I've seen come out of a few of these sort of place. It all depends on the workers there, not the money spent in the office. About 7 years ago I had car painted at a local Maaco. It was to be the same color and I did a hell of a lot of body work, prep and trim removal long before bringing the car in. Still, I expected better work than the orange peel that resulted over much of the surface. But it was less than $300 and looked decent from 8 feet away. Different colors are more forgiving than others. White for instance is fairly easy to get half decent while black is very difficult. They don't color sand anything that comes out - yet every paint job should be color sanded. Its labor intensive, expensive for the job and no money in it.
Bottom line: These shops are only good for people who are willing and able to do most or all of the time consuming body work and prep required and the color sanding and polish afterward. In otherwords only spraying the car. My advice to anybody considering ANY paint shop is to look at the cars coming out.
Peter S

Found on the CS Board. Reminds me of a $150 Earl Scheib job I saw on a Coupe 2 years ago...

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