Well, I was just wondering if any one has had success with a Maaco paintjob? For the "Supreme" pkg. with a 4 year warranty, it doesn't sound too bad. I plan on selling the 'ol 242Ti in a couple years anyway, but just looking for input. Thanks.

This is just me, but I wouldn't let them clearcoat anything. In my fleet, I have a '87 760T and a '82 245T that look awful because the clearcoat has all peeled away. The 1800 I just picked up has had bodywork done on the front. Sure enough the idiot bodymen resprayed and clearcoated it and now the clear is peeling off the fenders. I also have an '82 242T that has obvoiusly been resprayed. It loked pretty good a year ago but last time I looked at it, you guessed it, huge pieces of clearcoat missing from the sunroof. The bummer is, the only fix for this is a total respray.

On the other hand, I recently picked up this '73 144. The car was supposed to be red but actually looked orange due to all the oxidation. A couple hours with some polishing compound and some wax and the paint looked as good as it did in '73. I also painted my 544 a couple of years ago, no clearcoat, and it still looks plenty shiney to me.

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Volvo Farmer:

21 Volvos '58-'91

445-544-122-144-1800-240-740

sorry, no FWD

All good advice here.

My son couldn't bare to drive our yellow '86 240, and paid to have Maaco do a change color to black. I was pleased with the finish, but I'm not convinced that they did everything they said they did (ie. complete sanding and 2 primer coats), because the black has chipped off relatively easily in some places.

In hindsight, I wish I had dropped by to see the progress before each stage of spraying.


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David Armstrong - '86 240(350k km?), '93 940T(270k km), '89 240(parts source for others) near Toronto

I'll agree with all the advice offered. If you do the prep, MAACO does a nice job of spraying paint. It's amazing how easy it is to remove bumpers, body trim, wipers, antenna, (you get the idea). A local restoration shop (charges $10-12 GRAND for a top job...not on my car!) gave me a couple of hints. Take a piece of clothesline and run it under the rubber seal abound the windshield and back window. It lifts the seal a little and avoids the ridge that is such a repaint giveaway. I have had 5 cars painted by the same local MAACO shop and am pleased with the results. February is the best sale here in the Northeast since they are not too busy. MAACO shops are locally owned so results can vary by location.

Skip
'93 850GLT
'83 242TI Flathood

Great tip on the rubber seals. I suppose you could do the same on the wiper shaft seals too.

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David Armstrong - '86 240(350k km?), '93 940T(270k km), '89 240(parts source for others) near Toronto

I had my car repainted by a local (Charleston, SC) Maaco shop a little over a year ago. I'm pretty satisifed with the paint job, as it looks nice, but they pretty much only painted what one can actually see. In other words, they masked everything that wasn't to be painted and sprayed down the rest. I get the feeling if I had had an accessory panel, they would have masked it and sprayed the car, meaning if I ever removed it, the area between my taillights would still be the original paint.

So, if you do some prep work yourself, or if you go over what you want done in detail with the person who's going to paint your car, you can get a very high-quality paint job. Alternately, even if you don't do anything (my case), you can still get a good-looking car.

I had the third-level paintjob (maybe the Presidential?) done for about $520, which I have detailed here. A year later it still looks good.

I think most independent shops will spend more time going over your car, getting it ready, and making sure things are done right, but it seems that Maaco shops do a sufficient enough job for the price.

Two point about Maaco/repainting--keep an eye out for specials, and make sure you figure out what you want done with the under-window black strip. I've heard that every Spring Maaco does a half-price deal or something like that, but I think that's every February. When we got my car done, there was a $100 discount deal running. Also, get the shop to remove, spray over, replace, or otherwise do something about that black strip underneath the windows. Mine was cracking, and unfortunately it got masked over. Don't let them do that--get it removed and made body-color, get them to paint a new one on there, or do something. Otherwise the great new look will be hurt by the cracked black tape.
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'89 244 GL -- 111,005 miles (see profile for info on car)

I believe KeplerNiko had a Maaco paint job, which he describes on his webpage (look for his profile). I'm sure he'll reply to you and can tell you more. Though, as with anything, your experience will depend on your particular store, so try to get some local recommendations as well.

The best paint package they have, I think it is the Presidential, I got on my Crown Victoria. It is a good buy for the money. But, I would do some prep work myself. Some sanding, bondo, etc before you bring it. If you are going to sell it than its fine.
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92 240 2.3 L with a Borla! 104,000 Miles!Http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/774146