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  #1  
Old 08-18-2005, 02:11 AM
brabus's Avatar
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Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 338
Has anyone had their car repainted at Earl or Maaco?

I have the devil and angel on each shoulder bickering about if I should have my car repainted by one of these cheap-o places.

Has anyone been resprayed there? Got pics?

P.S
Buy my boat or truck on ebay.
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZtoysQ5fbQ5fgone

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1984 300D / The only Benz I have

Completed weekend projects
  1. R/R front crankshaft seal
  2. R/R nearly the whole vacuum system
  3. Converted to WVO www.greasemachine.com
  4. Upgraded to electric power locks
  5. Upgraded and rewired stereo/amp/speakers
  6. Installed 2.88 differential
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  #2  
Old 08-18-2005, 03:35 AM
300SDog's Avatar
gimme a low-tech 240D
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: central ky
Posts: 3,602
Had a 280/8 of mine repainted at Maaco long time ago and they did an outstanding job for about $850. One of the techs owned a 116 Benz himself, so he took special pride working on my car.

In fact while driving around to check out paint shops, seeing a Benz in the Maaco parking lot is the major reason i decided on them. Was yapping with the tech who owned the 116 about old MB's for awhile and greased him with a $50 bill before he worked on my car. In case you've never bribed anybody before, the way to do it is palm the bill and slip it to him while shaking hands...... so management or anybody else doesnt see it.

And you do NOT have to use cheap Maaco paint. They used DuPont lacquer on mine. Choice of paint bumped up the price, but i think it was worth it. Maaco is franchise paint shop you understand, so they probably differ alot from each other depending on who is operating the business.

(edit: But the rule is never repaint a Mercedes unless the old paint has litterally cracked or scorched...... because 'faded' MB paint can easily be brought back to life with compounding and buffing.

Last edited by 300SDog; 08-18-2005 at 03:55 AM.
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  #3  
Old 08-18-2005, 04:29 AM
ForcedInduction
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 240DieselDog
(edit: But the rule is never repaint a Mercedes unless the old paint has litterally cracked or scorched...... because 'faded' MB paint can easily be brought back to life with compounding and buffing.
Is there a known commercial shop that will do this well?

How about diesel smoke damage? The butt end of my TD is toast and the 240D isn't that hot also. Will cleaning the paint and shooting a cleat coat help that?

P.S., any paint's resistant to diesel/smoke?
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  #4  
Old 08-18-2005, 05:11 AM
Rick & Connie
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Cheap paint job

While I've never had anyone else repaint my cars.I used to work for Earl Schieb's many years ago doing the body prep work and tapeing the cars.I don't know if they've changed at all.But it used to be all jobs were done with Earl's own paint.The paint had a slightly rough texture,similar to rock guard coating sprayed on the rocker panels of some cars.Maaco does offer paint other then their own at extra cost.But the bottom line is that every shop has different painters.Some are very good at their jobs.And some shouldn't have graduated from finger painting.Look at a finnished car before you agree to letting them do you'rs.As for diesel smoke,and oil smoke stains on the paint.There are cleaners availabe at auto parts stores that you can use yourself.And for extreemly bad and stubborn staining,there are tar and tree sap cleaners on the shelves for the really bad stuff.After cleaning,any good car polish will help keep you'r car cleaner.
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  #5  
Old 08-18-2005, 08:14 AM
rg2098's Avatar
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Rochester Hills, MI
Posts: 2,415
Prep the car yourself, remove all trim, etc... Then tape anything you want taped (wheel wells, etc....) Now trailer or tow the car up to the paint shop and buy their best paint service. It will come out looking pretty good, not concours quality but good enough for a great driver.
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  #6  
Old 08-18-2005, 08:15 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
dieselarchitect
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Lafayette Indiana
Posts: 38,613
i have had

several cars painted there. the paint jobs are ok. they will do some body work but i would personally do any repairs myself before having the car painted. i have had a couple of benzes painted that were very faded. yes any solid color benz can be brought back with buffing but if the paint is very faded it won t last for long and rather than rebuff my cars every month i decided to do a cheap paint job. they last three or four years here in indiana, sitting outside, before starting to fade.

my $.02

tom w
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #7  
Old 08-18-2005, 09:01 AM
Coming back from burnout
 
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Location: in the Pacific Northwest
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Can you switch colors when you paint?

I'm tired of Gray. I would like---Gloss White
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  #8  
Old 08-18-2005, 09:14 AM
Tradonguy
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Prince George, BC, Canada
Posts: 68
Maaco Paint Job on my 1981 300SD

I was fairly happy with the paint job that Maaco did on my 1981 300SD last year but for some reason there has been a problem this summer with the paint peeling and we've had to take it back. They actually painted all the plastic too, which I didn't ask for but it looks OK. 'sorry but my pictures are too big for ShopForum. Glen
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  #9  
Old 08-18-2005, 09:59 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
dieselarchitect
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Lafayette Indiana
Posts: 38,613
changing

colors is a little tricky. if done correctly, painting everything like door edges and underhood it will get expensive. otherwise it will always look like what it is, a cheap repaint.

on the other hand you may not care.

i had my 64 studebaker painted my favorite mb color a few years back. the original color was a light metallic tan. i had it painted ivory. it looked like an original color and the studie nut i sold it to didnt mind. but the studie wasnt very collectable either.

so there is no right or wrong answer. if it were a 57 corvette the answer would be simple. go original because the corvette people are fanatical about originality. for an older benz... do what you want. a color change done cheaply will turn some off but if you intend to keep it for a while, who cares?

tom w
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #10  
Old 08-18-2005, 10:41 AM
:::
 
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Location: Alberta
Posts: 268
The rear door, rear quarter panel, and trunk lid of my car were repainted at Maaco approximately 4 years ago. Overall, the paint job hasn't stood up very well. The main issue is that the clearcoat didn't adhere to the paint (on the door and trunk only for some reason), and it chips easily and is starting to peel in places. It's not that bad (the average person on the street wouldn't notice), but it's below my expectations of how durable it should be given the age of the paint job. On the other hand, it probably looks a lot better than it would have if it had not been repainted.

The paint itself looks OK (metallic paint is even and matches the rest of the car well) but the overall quality of the job isn't up to the same standards as the original finish.
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  #11  
Old 08-18-2005, 10:46 AM
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If you do lot of the prep work like removing doorlocks, windshield sprayer...etc yourself, it isn't too bad.
You get what you pay for!
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  #12  
Old 08-18-2005, 11:26 AM
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tour the shop, look for the air mover, you know the exhaust ducts over the paint booth. See if the floor is dusty, it should be clean as a whistle. Likely they don't have the best system, as a friend took his 55 Chevy to one of the two mentioned franchises. Car has a perfect body (he is original owner) they repainted in original 2 tone, white over baby blue. The paint looks good from a distance but run your hand over it and you find it has lots of craters where tiny bubbles popped and they didn't rub them down and apply a second coat. There were places where dust settled on the fresh paint. No laminar air flow in the paint booth. You get what you pay for. The best paint is wasted somewhat if applied in a poorly equipped shop
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  #13  
Old 08-18-2005, 05:05 PM
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I think doing all of the prep work first is a good idea, and i was planning on getting salvage parts for my trunk and passanger side quarter panel becase they have dents.

I still don't know what to do. Maybe I will try to master the art of auto painting.
__________________
1984 300D / The only Benz I have

Completed weekend projects
  1. R/R front crankshaft seal
  2. R/R nearly the whole vacuum system
  3. Converted to WVO www.greasemachine.com
  4. Upgraded to electric power locks
  5. Upgraded and rewired stereo/amp/speakers
  6. Installed 2.88 differential
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  #14  
Old 08-18-2005, 05:13 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by 240DieselDog
(edit: But the rule is never repaint a Mercedes unless the old paint has litterally cracked or scorched...... because 'faded' MB paint can easily be brought back to life with compounding and buffing.)
Sorry for hijacking this thread, but as my 300D is the poster child for fading...any suggestions on the best approach to this? I've done plenty of searching on the topic and I've seen rubbing compound, clay bars, etc. Which am I least likely to do irreparable damage with if I start with it first? I'd like to avoid respraying the car just yet.
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  #15  
Old 08-18-2005, 05:33 PM
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Location: Geographically challenged on the S.W shores of Lake Michigan in S,E Wisconsin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TNBenzNewbie
Sorry for hijacking this thread, but as my 300D is the poster child for fading...any suggestions on the best approach to this? I've done plenty of searching on the topic and I've seen rubbing compound, clay bars, etc. Which am I least likely to do irreparable damage with if I start with it first? I'd like to avoid respraying the car just yet.

try a good detailer. let them handle it.

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the above two cars are for sale
and can be seen on the cars for sale thread here. pix also available.


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