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

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.

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?

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.

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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Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

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.

I'm tired of Gray. I would like---Gloss White

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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1981 300D, "a lot of" miles (broken odo)
"Engineered like no other 24-year-old beater in the world."

try a good detailer. let them handle it.

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currently
[1981 300 td tdidi 165500 dark brown/palamino-Brownie-mine-3k miles of ownership
1983 240d 162+++ Anthricite grey w/ henna red interior and hella lights-wifes car-Red

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


240d-144+ Manilla Yellow w/ palmino interior-greasecar kit-Blondie-the college kids car

23" gt 21 speed still on original tires-still got the nubs
21" khs tandem

i was at the mb dealer today and the guy behind me ask for paint...
and i walked out but i got the impression they sold the exact same paint.
and I heard the lady ask how much do you want.. pint quart etc....

So, you might be able to get the acutal paint from the dealer and then if you prep it yourself and you go to maaco you probably could get them to use the mb dealer paint.... just a thought....

Some common causes of pealing paint are paint that has gone bad from freezing or being old before it was sprayed.But the most common cause is poor prep work prior to repainting.The old paint needs to have ALL origional claer coat sanded off and there can be no oil.smoke residue on the body or dust left from sanding.New paint will peel off eventually if the old paint wasn't properly sanded and cleaned.
As far as faded paint goes.If the paint is faded badly enough that the hand applied pollishes available won't work.Then I would say a detailing shop should be you'r next stop.When working with a power buffer and buffing compounds,it's quite easy to buff right down to bare metal on the bodies edges and curves unless you'r experienced with using a buffer.But if you really want to try for yourself.Try finding a cheap beater to practice on first.

I have a 300sd that I hope to be painting black. There are a couple rust areas and areas where the paint is peeling. It is brown\tan now but I would like it to be painted black. What would I be looking at for a price? Thanks!
DK

hey dont compare maaco to earl.... earl is the bottom of the barrel
they use to have 99 dol paint jobs.... maaco is a bit more professional.

I am picky a Maco paint job would drive me nuts, I want paint that is a mile deep and perfect. Ie not a single scratch, chip, ding, dent, scuff, swirl, orange peel, or imperfection of any kind. I guess it depends on what you want a Maco paint job would make a lot of sense to bring some life back into a daily driver.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

blueranger, I remember reading sometime hear that the MB brand paint is like $400/quart? Anyways, it's extremely expensive. Perhaps the person was buying touch-up paint?

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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