Painting my 04 MM

[wilsoj6]

I am about to paint my 04 MM and I am wondering if Maaco is a good choice. I got my 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis painted by Maaco back in 05 and they did a pretty good job. Needless to say the Marauder is a bit more important to me than the Grand Marquis so I am a little hesitant. I am painting it back the same color (silver birch). Any suggestions/comments/advice????

[Egon Spengler]

Do not go to Maaco if you care about your car! Get it done by a reputable body shop in your area... I am having mine repainted soon as well

[Dragcity]

Do we need any special paint addatives for the bumper covers to make the paint flexible?

[justbob]

NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! You must have gotten really lucky last time! Go tour their shop and see first hand the quality. You do not want that on your conscience.

[DTRMiguel]

Any suggestions/comments/advice????

Yeah paint it DTR :D you wont be happier:beatnik:

[Egon Spengler]

Only do this if you want your car to be slower and be called a grand marquis!:P

Yeah paint it DTR :D you wont be happier:beatnik:

[DOOM]

:stupid:
Yeah paint it DTR :D you wont be happier:beatnik:

:stupid:
That will make your car SLOWER and you will lose 7mpg :down:

[SILVERSURFER03]

Silver sweet great color .......... And find a good shop pay a little more and get a great paint job

[FordNut]

find a good shop pay a little more and get a great paint job

Do this for sure. It's really hard and expensive to fix a bad paint job.

[james1986fox]

No go for maaco, i had a car painted their and the paint started chipping after a couple months than when they repainted the chipped paint the color didnt match and somehow they figured it wasnt their faults.

[Local Boy]

Maco is junk...

Do yourself a favor ...

And go to a reputable shop...pay the money...and have a Big smile on your face every time you get in her......

Yes, Joe... they have an additive to allow the paint to flex... that is used for painting bumpers and other "soft" areas...

ALOHA

[offroadkarter]

Only do this if you want your car to be slower and be called a grand marquis!:P



paint it black! No wait that's racist

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f312/Tonito44/ThatsRacist.gif

[88LTDCV351]

My brother got his 88 Grand Marquis painted a few years ago at Maaco. They did a pretty good job, except for a fly that got stuck in the paint. You can barely notice it though. The paint job is holding up pretty well. Only problem he has is he parked it last year by the hard water or whatever sprinkler and the water spots are hard to get out. My Marauder still has some on one side from it also. Ugh. We are both paranoid about parking by sprinklers now.

I'm still not sure I would take my Marauder to Maaco though. I'd consider it for the old cop car however.

[justbob]

Maaco's just fine for lets say a panel repair or something small, maybe even go as far as a work car repaint. But i would never have my hole Marauder painted by them.

It is a fact you get what you pay for, i wouldn't ever expect a show car finish from them, problem is that is all my MM will ever see.

I had them quote my hood last lear and they wanted 1/4 of the price they charge for doing a whole car. He was embarrased about the quote when i questioned it but simply told me it is the shop minimum because of booth time. I understand where he was coming from, but still declined. They just seem to not have the skills that i demand on my car and i'd rather pay more to get it done right.

[freakstatus]

If you do go to Maaco, let us know how they did. Post up some pics.

[scruff]

yes i agree Maco is ok if you just want a mop and glow paint job but if you want a quality paint job you dont go to Maco

[Bigdogjim]

Macco has some of the BEST paint booths in the bussiness! Bar none! However it is the prep work that matters and they skip over that somewhat.

The cost to repaint one of our cars the same color is anywhere from 8-12,000. I did a lot of let work on this 3 years when mine got a full dip. (complete repaint) if you change color add at least 1K to paint the door jambs and under the hood and trunk.

Mine was painted by the Ford Dealer who has a excellent body shop and the Factory paid them $8,200. I know because I signed off on the claim:)

You will only get the quality if seek out a shop that knows how to paint and prep.

Some shop will not do it because of the time involved.

[03blackvegas]

If you can afford it take your car to a shop that repairs late model cars, they will have a good paint system in place. Your car MUST be painted in base coat, clear coat, just like the factory did it. More than likely it will need to be rubbed, the same place will do that as well. If you can't afford it at first, than save your money, its well worth doing it right the first time.

[Pat]

A couple of days ago I was talking to a member here, "Mr. Crabs" who owns a collision repair center and I asked him what the cost of a full repaint on my Marauder?

$5-7K depending on body work and if hood/trunk/door jams are involved.

[GordonB]

IMHO, there may be a decent Maaco place out there somewhere, but I know not where. When in doubt, go conduct an interview with the head gguy at your local Maaco shop and then go to a custom shop and compare notes. My bet is after 6 months the Maaco job will be coming apart literally. You get what you pay for, usually. Buy QUALITY for your MM!

GordonB

[namllitsdad]

[The cost to repaint one of our cars the same color is anywhere from 8-12,000. I did a lot of let work on this 3 years when mine got a full dip. (complete repaint) if you change color add at least 1K to paint the door jambs and under the hood and trunk.

Mine was painted by the Ford Dealer who has a excellent body shop and the Factory paid them $8,200. I know because I signed off on the claim:)]

Ring,Ring.... there's a guy on the phone selling a 2003 MM, he claims is in excellent condition.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ctd/1104345680.html (http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ctd/1104345680.html).

His asking price is $8,900. You can have two for the price of a paint job!

No offense to anyone but you'd have to have some serious disposable income, have your kids college paid for, retirement cash to last you till your 90 and really enjoy your adult beverages if you can rationalize dropping 8-12K on a paint job on our beloved MM. Go to Macco, get a decent paint job and drive it every other day, as you can have two at their current value!

Or better yet, get it supercharged with your paint dough and you'll always be going so fast no one will even see the Macco paint job!

[Shora]

I am about to paint my 04 MM and I am wondering if Maaco is a good choice. I got my 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis painted by Maaco back in 05 and they did a pretty good job. Needless to say the Marauder is a bit more important to me than the Grand Marquis so I am a little hesitant. I am painting it back the same color (silver birch). Any suggestions/comments/advice????


If I was you I would not even THINK about going with ANYONE other than JJ (member name "Mills Marauder"). He is here in FL and has custom painted a number of Marauders, including mine, and I can honestly say that he is THE MAN!

Really cool guy and did a GREAT job on all the cars (I have seen them all in person).

Contact him!!!!

Also, here are some threads of his work.

John's Car:
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=36339

JJ's Car:
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forum...ad.php?t=44642 (http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=44642)
(click his link and read the positive comments.)

My Car:
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=50154

[tjg442]

I am about to paint my 04 MM and I am wondering if Maaco is a good choice. I got my 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis painted by Maaco back in 05 and they did a pretty good job. Needless to say the Marauder is a bit more important to me than the Grand Marquis so I am a little hesitant. I am painting it back the same color (silver birch). Any suggestions/comments/advice???? TELL ME YOU ARE SERIOUS ?
"MAACO" ??????????????:lol:

[wilsoj6]

Hey Shora,
Thanks for the recommendation but how can I contact "JJ"? I took a look at the picture's and he does some really nice work. I am fairly new to the site and I am also not the most computer saavy so I am not sure how to get in touch. I would really like to get an estimate from him if possible. Please help if you can. Thanks. Oh yeah, I do not have 8-15 thousand dollars to spend on a paint job like some members. Hopefully, it won't be that much and based on the feedback from this post I don't think i'll be going to Maaco.

[Shora]

Hey Shora,
Thanks for the recommendation but how can I contact "JJ"? I took a look at the picture's and he does some really nice work. I am fairly new to the site and I am also not the most computer saavy so I am not sure how to get in touch. I would really like to get an estimate from him if possible. Please help if you can. Thanks. Oh yeah, I do not have 8-15 thousand dollars to spend on a paint job like some members. Hopefully, it won't be that much and based on the feedback from this post I don't think i'll be going to Maaco.

Click on one of the threads that I posted about his work. When you see a post by "Mills Marauder" click his name and PM (private message) him.

Ask for his number and call him. He is REALLY a nice guy and will do a GREAT job. For me, he went above and beyond.

[tjg442]

Hey Shora,
Thanks for the recommendation but how can I contact "JJ"? I took a look at the picture's and he does some really nice work. I am fairly new to the site and I am also not the most computer saavy so I am not sure how to get in touch. I would really like to get an estimate from him if possible. Please help if you can. Thanks. Oh yeah, I do not have 8-15 thousand dollars to spend on a paint job like some members. Hopefully, it won't be that much and based on the feedback from this post I don't think i'll be going to Maaco. Congrads !!! your fast at learning :bows:

[SC Cheesehead]

TELL ME YOU ARE SERIOUS ?
"MAACO" ??????????????:lol:

Hey, I can go one better....Earl Scheib. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uCDV8OWRQA

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

A good quality paint job done with good quality paint that will be adequately UV resistant, will run $2500 on up, and likely quite a bit more. You get what you pay for and you can't even buy good materials for what Maaco charges.

Yes most urethanes get flex additives for the covers.

Just because someone paid $8000 for a paint job does not mean that's what it was worth. Although you can get paint jobs that are clearly worth that much, you should be able to get a really good quality all over repaint in the $3-5k range, color change included.

[BAD MERC]

A $250 paint job belongs on a 1982 Chevy Pickup. To properly paint the Marauder, all the emblems, lights and trim should be removed. The fender liners, rubber gaskets and the door handles should be removed and the wheels/tires should be removed and have 4 steelies put on. I think anyone here will agree that a paint job worth $5000 is well worth the time and investment. You will NEVER make the areas around the door handles, keypad entry or stationary glass look decent with a one-day spray.

[DJCV]

No offense to anyone but you'd have to have some serious disposable income, have your kids college paid for, retirement cash to last you till your 90 and really enjoy your adult beverages if you can rationalize dropping 8-12K on a paint job on our beloved MM. Go to Macco, get a decent paint job and drive it every other day, as you can have two at their current value!

Or better yet, get it supercharged with your paint dough and you'll always be going so fast no one will even see the Macco paint job!

I agree.

Hey, there's nothing I respect more than a man who wants to do things RIGHT with his vehicle. At the same time, unless you're aiming to put your vehicle in a car show, or put it through the Barrett-Jackson auction, it's almost impossible to justify paying over half the value of a given vehicle on a new paint job.

You're better off doing some or all of the prep work yourself and taking a gamble on a decent local paint shop for far less coin-------then enjoy the savings in some honest-to-goodness upgrades that you can enjoy each and every time you drive the vehicle.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[Bluerauder]

A $250 paint job belongs on a 1982 Chevy Pickup.
So, I am guessing that the $29.95 Earl Scheibb special won't cut it either. ;)

[MyTMerc]

My brother got his 88 Grand Marquis painted a few years ago at Maaco. They did a pretty good job, except for a fly that got stuck in the paint. You can barely notice it though.

Now it's got wings and is truly a "Messenger of the Gods"