Maaco are a reputable car painting company, but how much does Maaco paint job cost? Please read on as I walk you through this discussion…
In the present world, vehicles are an integral part of every society, and increasingly so.
They facilitate our daily activities like commuting, transportation of commodities, and adventures.
You need to maintain the new look of your vehicle to make it look presentable and prevent rusting; automotive painting is just the right solution.
Many car painting companies charge differently. Let’s look at one such company: how much does Maaco paint job cost?
An average Maaco paint job costs between $300 and $1000! However, it can go up to as high as $10000.
The huge price range is due to several factors, including your vehicle’s size/surface area, the type of paint, and the bodywork required.
Regarding surface area, a sedan will cost less than a larger pickup truck, SUV, or van.
Regarding the type of paint, straight-up enamel is the most affordable, followed by acrylic enamel, then urethane finish, and the basecoat-clearcoat finish costs the highest.
The main takeaway here is you get what you pay for!
In this article, I’ll give you insights into the above cost differences to better understand how they come to be.
I’ve also included related auto-painting subtopics for a holistic learning experience. The subheadings are:
- The definition of a basic paint job at Maaco
- A detailed analysis of how much Maaco charges for automotive painting
- The time it takes to get a Maaco paint job done
- The standard cost of DIY vehicle painting
- How much it costs for professional automotive painting
- Whether or not it’s worth hiring a professional to paint your car
- Estimating vehicle painting costs
- Approximate painting cost for a Maaco paint job
- The general labor costs for a Maaco paint job
- Money-saving pointers when painting a vehicle
When you read this to the end, you’ll be well-versed in vehicle-painting matters.
You’ll always know what you want before taking your vehicle in for painting or doing it yourself.
Get ready for a vehicle painting journey (excuse the pun) like never before; it doesn’t get better than what I’m about to divulge. Read on.
Before getting to the article’s nub, I’ll introduce Maaco.
Who Is Maaco?
The “Maaco” designation sounds great and exotic. It’s so unique that some buyers tend to want to know more about it. So, who is Maaco?
Take a look at this backstory to find out more:
Maaco’s full name is Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting, and its headquarters is in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It is an American franchising company for automotive painting and collision mending.
The company was founded by Daniel I. Rhode and Anthony A. Martino in 1972, then known as AAMCO Transmissions (launched by Martino and his associate, Robert Morgan).
The name AAMCO is the initials of Anthony A. Martino. In 1967, Martino sold AAMCO to Morgan, with about 500 operational stores.
Martino opened a rival company in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1972.
He opted for the name MAACO (a condensation from Martino Anthony A and Company); the naming was pre-meditated to win the confidence and trust of potential franchisees who were aware of AAMCO’s successes.
The new company grew fast, opening around 200 franchises in under five years.
Following Martino’s demise in 2008, Driven Brands, a holding company owning Meineke Car Care Centers Incorporation and other vehicle-related businesses, bought Maaco from the Martino family.
The financial terms of the purchase remained under wraps.
What Services Does Maaco Provide?
After the initial introduction, what services does the company named above offer? That’s the crux of the matter in this segment.
I’ve done the write-up in a systematic manner so that each part is introduced by the preceding segment for better understanding and flow.
You may have guessed right from the official name (Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting). The company provides vehicle body mending and painting services.
The repairs involve dents, holes, rust, and other auto body defects. After body restoration, Maaco’s painting provisions include:
- Surface smoothing: this involves sanding using various grades of sandpapers to eliminate minor bumps and imperfections. It makes the surface more receptive to paint.
- Priming: this fills and seals surface pores to prevent paint from soaking into the substrate (metallic body).
It also adds strength to the overall coating, allowing you to apply fewer paint coats. The primer also contains anti-rust agents to prevent rusting.
- Painting: This is the main coating procedure. Maaco categorizes its painting services into various classes based on quality.
The first is the single-stage enamel painting which is the most basic; the second is acrylic enamel painting, then urethane painting and the premium service is the basecoat-clear coat finish.
I’ve given a detailed account of the said finishes in the subsequent segments of the article. Just read on.
- Finishing: This represents the final bit of the painting project. Maaco offers this service to protect the underlying paint from yielding to physical stressors, premature peeling, and adverse weather conditions.
It also makes the car appear glossy, improving its aesthetic appeal.
Other Services Offered by Maaco
The services I’ve mentioned above are the main ones provided by Maaco. Others include:
Spot Painting
Many have been in situations where they’ve scratched a small part of their vehicle, and the paint on the affected part comes off.
While the rest of the body may still have new paint, the small peeled part is quite a pet peeve for most of us. Thankfully, Maaco has the best solution to the above.
It’s a service termed spot painting, where the affected area is repaired, sanded down, primed, and painted with the original color to match the rest of the vehicle.
The service comes at an affordable price, depending on the extent of the damage.
Replacement of Vehicle Parts
Maaco also replaces lost or damaged vehicular parts using recycled or new ones, if available.
Their services are way cheaper than other body shops, which helps keep the overall restoration costs low.
You can also come with your own (externally sourced) recycled auto parts and let Maaco fix them for you at a fee. However, the company will void the warranty.
What Are the Advantages of Maaco
One of the parameters people use to choose one vendor or service provider over others is the perks that come with its services.
It’s the same thing with automotive painting and repair companies. So what are the advantages of Maaco?
It’s more affordable: The company has remarkably low charges for its services compared to other automotive painting and body repair companies.
The low cost is a resourceful incentive that attracts and maintains customers. You can get your vehicle done even when you’re financially pressed.
Quality services: Even with low-cost services, the company still delivers high-quality finishes that match its competitors.
Their work’s durability, hard-wearing properties, and attractive appeal are so good that you can’t tell the difference from other high-cost companies.
Maaco offers several services: other than auto painting, the company offers other related services like body repair and replacement of damaged parts.
In short, the company is like a one-stop shop for vehicular touch-ups.
It is convenient for any damaged automobile, as they often need all these services for complete restoration.
Otherwise, you’ll have to change repair venues for each service.
Warranty covers: another advantage of Maaco is their work comes with warranties.
It enables you to return your automobile to the company for do-overs to remedy poor servicing. Maaco does this at zero costs.
Ubiquitous presence: Maaco is a franchise business model, facilitating its propagation throughout the contiguous United States; it has over 500 open franchises.
The wide presence makes it easily accessible to clients, further boosting reputation and business acumen.
Disadvantages of Maaco
In line with the old adage, nothing is perfect! Despite the many advantages you can enjoy with Maaco, it has a few drawbacks. These are its disadvantages:
Franchise business model: The company runs its stores as franchises. It means the franchisee decides on some of its operational procedures.
This leads to slight variations in working standards and outcomes among different outlets.
Limited Color Matching: The company has a line of paint hues that they use in their stores, and the colors are often the common ones.
So, if your vehicle is uniquely colored and you want it spot-painted, getting a matching color becomes a little bit challenging.
What Is a Basic Paint Job at Maaco?
All painting companies offer services from primary, to slightly complex, to fully-customized levels.
The details of the services differ remarkably among the companies; therefore, it’s essential to have prior knowledge of what to expect before taking your can in for painting.
In that respect, what is a basic paint job at Maaco?
A basic paint job essentially means regular or ordinary painting; it doesn’t entail customizations, special paint types, or vehicular touch-ups.
The above paint job is Maaco’s most affordable painting service and only involves single-stage enamel painting. It typically comes with a one-year warranty.
The enamel paint used in the above project costs less, but it adheres firmly and has good surface coverage.
However, it is more susceptible to chipping and fading than other paint types, including acrylic enamels and urethane.
How Much Does a Maaco Paint Job Cost?
Many auto painting companies employ varying techniques to effect this noble undertaking.
The variables drive cost differences among the painting shops. That said, how much does a Maaco paint job cost?
Again, there are lots of variables that come into play to determine the painting costs.
The standard rates range between $300 and $1500; this range only covers painting and fixing minor imperfections.
If the vehicle requires extensive repair and prep work, it can cost as high as $10000.
Other major cost-determining factors are the type of vehicle (both by size and make) and the type of coating you want.
Here is the cost breakdown of some of the most common vehicles:
Cost of a Maaco Paint Job for a Sedan
I thought it necessary to feature a sedan as it’s the most common personal vehicle, so it’ll cover most of the presenting cases. Little wonder I’ve ranked it first in this category.
A typical sedan has a small surface area for painting and therefore requires less paint than other automobiles. Maaco paint job for a sedan costs between $300 and $600.
If the car only needs painting with single-stage enamel, the cost will fall closer to the $300 figure.
If you opt for higher quality finishes like urethane and basecoat-clearcoat, the charges will be much closer to the $600 figure.
If the car goes through bodywork and surface prepping, and you double up with a high-quality finish, you could part ways with as much as $1200.
Cost of a Maaco Paint Job for an SUV
SUVs are sports utility vehicles; they are often larger and more expensive than sedans. It drives the painting cost by both the required paint and the type of finish.
The type of finish isn’t much of a factor, but the general observation is that most SUV owners tend to go for either urethane or basecoat/clearcoat Maaco painting.
Maaco charges between $600 and $900 to coat SUVs.
The exact reasons addressing the price ranges for sedans above apply to SUVs, i.e., if the vehicle needs prior bodywork restorations and surface prepping, the bill will fall closer to the $900 limit.
If it’s only painting, Maaco will charge you around $600. If the damages are more extensive, the cost may be $1100.
Another cost-defining factor just among the SUVs is their size! There are mid-size and full-size SUVs; the former have smaller surface areas than the latter.
From the preceding text, it’s easy to infer that the bigger vehicle will cost you more to paint at Maaco’s.
Cost of a Maaco Paint Job for a Pickup Truck
Pickup trucks also come in mid-sized and bigger versions, and both have larger surface areas than sedans.
The mid-sized ones present a similar surface area to full-sized SUVs, while the bigger trucks have a larger surface area.
However, painting records show that pickup truck owners have varied selections of paint quality for application on their vehicles.
Some go for the single-stage enamel, some for urethane, and others for the basecoat-clearcoat finish.
All the above factors, coupled with repairs and prep work, set the Maaco price range to between $600 and $1100.
Like the preceding cases, the charges rise linearly with the extent of services needed to redress impairments.
Cost of a Maaco Paint Job for a Commercial Vehicle
Commercial vehicles have the most varied features of all the above automobile categories. They range from vans, trucks, and buses to oil tankers.
As a result, their cost of painting is wide-ranging; Maaco charges between $800-$5000.
The $5000 comes when you paint large commercial vehicles with high-quality finishes.
A piece of slightly unrelated but worthwhile information is that Maaco is a franchise business structure, so the painting technique and finishing may differ slightly.
Each franchisee has their painting method, and this reflects in the results.
How Long Does Maaco Paint Job Take?
Painting is a systematic process involving various steps. Each step sets up the surface for the next (e.g., etching prepares the way for paint reception).
You have to allow them the requisite time to optimize the outcomes. Considering the above statement, how long does a Maaco paint job take?
Automotive paint jobs at Maaco take 3 to 5 days. However, it will take longer if your vehicle requires substantial body servicing and prep work.
The size of your vehicle and the Maaco outlet are other contributing factors to the timing.
As I mentioned, Maaco is a franchise business, so the franchisees work at varying paces.
The three-to-five-day duration is not cast in stone; I know of cases where some vehicles have spent a few weeks at the painting shop.
The painting process takes a few hours, but the protocol surrounding it extends the time; remember, they also need to do some documentation and assessment before getting down to business.
The best way to determine the precise time your vehicle will take is by taking it into a Maaco shop and asking them to give their estimates.
Average Cost to Paint a Vehicle If You Do It Yourself?
Some people like a hands-on approach to all painting projects involving their vehicles.
If you are in such a category and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, don’t worry; there are many of us.
But have you ever pondered the average cost of painting a vehicle if you do it yourself?
Depending on several factors, DIY vehicle painting costs between $100 and $1500.
It’s cheaper than professional or body shop painting because a single-stage enamel DIY paint job will cost between $100 and $350.
The exact treatment costs between $300 and $600 when you seek professional services.
The above is for sedan cars; for larger vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks, the DIY costs range from $200 to $900.
The very large vehicles and custom painting of smaller vehicles; the cost goes further up to $1500.
If your vehicle’s body contains substantial defects, the repair costs and surface prepping will drive the painting costs to around $1800.
A main cost-determining factor in DIY car painting is the time investment.
Painting the vehicle yourself takes 40 to 80 hours, depending on the bodywork and size of the vehicle.
It means you’ll set aside all your routine activities to focus on the painting task; you can theoretically take this as a cost because you can’t go to work and paint simultaneously.
On the other hand, professional/body shop car painting only needs you to convey/deliver your vehicle to the painting shop for servicing.
You can go about your other businesses and return later to pick up the finished vehicle. It saves time.
The best way to solve the time issue (at least in part) is by seeking a helping hand; you can ask your friends, neighbors, or family members for such favors.
It fast-tracks the project for timely completion.
Also, if you’re doing an exhaustive form of DIY painting, the overall cost grows even higher (up to $2000).
Exhaustive and custom painting involves the removal of lights, windshield wipers, side mirrors, moldings, and trims, then sanding and priming before finally painting.
It’s advisable to use high-quality or premium car paints in such cases to make the effort count; paint all the parts, including the door jambs, for a complete job.
Average Cost to Paint a Vehicle If You Hire a Professional Company?
While DIY automotive painting is fun, many vehicle owners don’t take this route. It’s because they don’t have the time or expertise to do the painting.
If you fall in the above category, I’ve got you covered in this segment. It highlights the average cost of painting a vehicle if you hire a professional company. Read on.
The average cost is around $1000. However, this category presents the most significant cost variation; the minimum value is $300, and the highest values go beyond $50000.
The surprisingly large difference is down to the company/artist offering the painting service, vehicle size, type of finish/paint, the pigment, paint color change, bodywork and prep work needed, etc.
Taking the above factors into account makes it easy to understand the prices; vehicles are different, and even the same brands are in different conditions.
In short, the cost is often tailored to what you present to the auto painting shop and what you want.
Vehicle Size
As already highlighted, large-sized vehicles like SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks cost more than smaller ones like sedans.
Smaller vehicles will cost between $500 and $1100, while larger vehicles will cost between $800 and $1400.
If you incorporate body restoration and surface prepping, the costs rise even higher depending on the scale of reparation.
The above costs encompass all auto body shops and collision repair outlets.
The cheapest of these companies, like Maaco, charge a minimum of $300 for smaller vehicles and a high of $1300 for large automobiles.
Type of Finish
As mentioned earlier, the paint type sways the overall cost of vehicle painting.
One-stage enamel painting is the cheapest, followed by urethane paint, then two-stage basecoat-clearcoat painting.
The lower-quality finishes will cost between $600 and $1100, while the higher-quality finishes range from $900 to $1500 at local collision repair and painting facilities.
The most affordable facilities (like Econo Auto Painting) bill between $300 and $650 for low-cost enamel paint and $500 to $1300 for top-grade finishes.
Larger vehicles cost more.
Pigment
Paints have three major ingredients, i.e., pigments, fillers, and binders; pigments are the most expensive of the three. It doesn’t stop at that!
Some pigments cost higher than others. It’s often due to source availability and the ease of processing, refining, and milling into the paint.
The pricing is usually ranked in series one to five, with the lowest price at the lower end of the scale and the highest price at series five.
That said, red and blue-colored automotive paints are more expensive than their white and black counterparts.
Color Change
Changing the car’s color, e.g., from red to white, costs more than repainting with the same color.
It’s because shifting to a different color needs more effort to strip the original color and prep the surface in readiness for the new color.
The cost goes even higher if you shift between warm and cool colors far apart on the color wheel, like red and green.
You don’t need to remove the initial color if it’s the same as the incoming paint color; you may only have to if it’s too scuffed.
It’s because there’s no risk of the original color showing through the new paint; if it does, it won’t be readily noticeable.
The color-changing cost mainly goes to the labor and materials needed to do away with the old color. It will cost you $100 to $300 on top of the already mentioned painting costs.
Bodywork and Prepping
Bodywork loosely translates to the mending required to restore the vehicle’s body to OEM status.
Auto painting shops charge between $1000 and $5000 if the car painting process involves repairs; the level or degree of repair determines the cost.
Cheaper companies charge less but remember, you get what you pay for. The more expensive professional companies are the best at vehicle restoration.
Is It Worth Hiring a Pro for the Car Painting Job?
We’ve covered both DIY car painting and seeking professional services in the preceding segments. When we draw parallels, is it worth hiring a pro for the car painting job?
It’s worth it! I can bet almost anything on this.
It’s especially best to seek pro painting services when painting your vehicle is insurance covered,
Other reasons to hire a pro are; you don’t have the time to do DIY painting, you have little or no automotive painting experience, and for custom paint jobs.
The insurance coverage point is relatively straightforward. Always go for the best services to enjoy the perks of paying for insurance and give your vehicle the best treatment.
On time, remember it is a form of investment; you can never get back lost time.
So if you don’t have the time to paint the vehicle, let the pros handle it while you carry on with other jobs.
At the end of the day, it benefits both the professional painter and yourself; the painter gets his dues while you remain productive at your workplace.
Painting the vehicle alone could take a week of your time; that’s five working days and a weekend. It takes even more if you have a bigger vehicle; ponder that before going DIY.
If you have little or no automotive painting mastery, you’re more likely than not to screw up the project; 90% to 10% chance if you ask me.
The best solution to the above situation is to leave it to the pros; they have the expertise and years of experience to do the job conclusively.
Custom vehicle painting needs combined input from an auto painting company and a professional artist.
It’s the most expensive form of painting, running into $50000 and sometimes up to $80000. It also takes quite some time to complete.
It’s almost impossible to do this yourself; unless, of course, you’re an artist. Even then, it still is time-consuming.
If you have a high-quality, expensive, or rare vehicle and want to repaint it, the best thing to do is look for the pros.
Such automotive needs experienced and well-versed handlers, including in painting.
The vehicles are primarily classic cars and SUVs; their surfaces need top-grade paint for maintenance.
The trade-off to the above kind of treatment is that you’ll have to pay more for the services.
Despite all of the above points, there are situations where a DIY painting is more relevant than the professional/body shop route.
Such cases include a low-value or depreciating vehicle, operating on a low/shoestring budget, and when you plan to sell the vehicle.
Lowly-priced vehicles don’t need detailed painting or prep work before painting.
Sanding and other preparatory procedures are only necessary when it’s heavily dented or has widespread surface defects.
Taking in your low-priced or second-hand vehicles for expensive professional painting is a waste of resources, manly money.
It’s like coating plastic with gold, if that makes sense. See? It doesn’t make sense. Why would anybody cover plastic in gold? It’s the same logic.
If you can’t paint the vehicle DIY, the next best thing is to take it to the most affordable pro painting facilities, like Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting.
If you are financially pressed, DIY vehicle painting will do you great justice, saving several hundred or even a couple of thousands of dollars.
It’s especially true if the vehicle needs a lot of bodywork. In this case, DIY painting saves you labor and materials costs.
The only trade-0ff to the above is you’ll have to sacrifice a lot of time on your side.
On vehicle sale, if you are planning to sell your vehicle, there’s no need to spend too much money taking it for professional painting.
You can do it yourself at a lower price and avoid unnecessary costs.
However, it’s best not to be sloppy or carefree with the painting, as the finished product may scare off potential buyers.
Alternatively, you can present it to Maaco Auto Painting or any other affordable automotive paint shop; it’s what most car dealers do.
How to Estimate The Cost of Painting a Vehicle?
So far, it’s been about mentioning the costs without using a calculative approach. However, it’s crucial to know how the above figures come to be.
In this part of the article, I’ll show you how to estimate the cost of painting a vehicle.
If you are doing home-based/DIY car painting, you need to do your estimation based on your budget.
If you have a constrained budget, consider calculating with single-stage paints (mostly enamel and cheaper painting materials.
If you are comfortable with a bigger budget, you can plan using urethane paint or basecoat clearcoat paint and the more expensive/high-quality painting paraphernalia.
Since it’s a DIY project, the labor cost is not applicable; however, there’s the time factor you have to invest.
A sedan needs 7 quarts of paint, approximately 2 gallons, but most spray paint cans contain 12 fluid ounces of content.
The total number of rattle cans you’ll need is calculated as follows:
One gallon＝128 fl oz
Two gallons＝256 fl oz
If a can contains 12 fl oz of paint, you’ll need (256 ➗ 12) ＝21.333 or 22 cans of aerosolized paint.
The 22 cans are for 3-coat applications; if you’re planning to use one or two coats, you’ll need around 14 cans.
If each can goes for around $20, the overall paint cost will be (20 ✖ 14)＝$280
Other painting equipment/supplies needed include the safety gear (respirator, gloves, and safety goggles), orbital sander, painter’s tape, and sandpapers. Their costs are as follows:
- Respirator and eyewear: $25
- Industrial grade neoprene gloves: $11
- Motor-driven/electric orbital sander: $64
- Multi-Surface Scotch blue painter’s tape: $11
- 24 pieces of assorted sandpapers for car bodywork: $15
The total cost for the supplies is $126. If you add to the $280 of paint, you’ll pay $406.
That’s it! The rough estimate for painting a sedan car is $406. It gets even lower if you already have some supplies, like the safety gear and sanding machine.
Conversely, it could go higher than $406 when you use top-grade or premium paint, apply more than two coats, or if your vehicle is larger.
Estimated Cost of Paint For a Maaco Paint Job?
One of the factors driving the differences in automotive painting costs is the company contracted to execute the project.
Here is the estimated cost of paint for a Maaco paint job:
The estimated cost is between $300 and $1500. The price range doesn’t include body works and priming.
If you wish for your vehicle to be repaired before painting, the cost automatically goes higher.
On body repair, Maaco assesses your vehicle and calculates the restoration cost.
It can range from $800 to $10000 depending on the extent of the damage and vehicle quality.
Maaco also adds labor, time, and supplies needed to paint your vehicle to their pricing. The more time and labor required, the higher the cost.
The other guiding factor is the type of finish you need.
As already mentioned, Maaco’s cheapest quality service is single-stage enamel paint, costing between $300 and $1000.
It’s closely followed by one-stage acrylic enamel coating, going for between $400 and $1300.
The premium-grade services, featuring urethane paint or basecoat-clearcoat finish, cost between $800 and $2000.
I’m using a sedan car as my point of reference for the above estimates. Large-sized automobiles, like SUVs and pickup trucks, cost more in each category.
Estimated Cost of Labor For A Maaco Paint Job?
You need to budget for labor when hiring vehicle painting services from professionals. Thankfully, most companies include it in the overall bill.
But for good measure, what is the estimated labor cost for a Maaco paint job?
Maaco charges $50 to $80 per hour of labor to paint a vehicle.
Part of the sum pays for the brand/company, a fraction is reserved for vehicle assessment, and some go to the blue-collar worker, i.e., the manual laborers carrying out the painting.
That’s the basic aggregation; other costs cover the warranty, insurance policies, etc.
These are interwoven with legal precepts that differ among states, so breaking them down is challenging.
The labor costs can soar to higher price ranges of between $120 to $200 per hour or more due to the following:
- Custom paint services: this needs more expertise to effect.
Here, the labor fee covers the painter’s experience, time investment, and artistry. The charges depend on the task you want to be done.
- Brand/make of vehicle: classic car brands and high-end vehicles attract higher labor charges as they need a meticulous approach to their painting, and you have to get it right in one go.
- The degree of body repair needed: If you request Maaco to mend the vehicle’s body and prime it before painting, it adds to the labor costs, depending on the severity of the damage.
Also, you may want a thorough surface prepping operation on the surface instead of regular surface prepping; this, too, builds on the cumulative labor fee.
- The selected finish: Maaco has a range of finishes that you can choose from; there’s single-stage enamel, one-stage acrylic enamel, urethane, and basecoat-clearcoat finish.
The single-stage paint application costs less because you only coat the vehicle once, and the paint itself is inexpensive.
The urethane and base coat-clear coat finishes require a two or three-stage application process, and the paints are more expensive. It drives up the labor cost.
Money Saving Tips When Painting a Vehicle
Automotive painting can be quite expensive, especially for the DIYers, if you do it without employing a few artful tricks.
In that regard, I’ve dedicated this section to share some money-saving tips when painting a vehicle.
You can employ several tactics to save money when painting a vehicle. Such tactics include:
- Painting the automobile yourself.
- Hiring affordable professional painting services like Maaco.
- Prepping the vehicle ahead of professional painting.
- Using cheaper paint.
- Purchasing inexpensive supplies.
However, be careful not to go overboard with the money-saving tips. Otherwise, you’ll compromise the quality of the finish.
By Doing It Yourself (DIY)
DIY automotive painting cuts labor costs. It involves mending and preparing the vehicle’s body and painting without seeking professional help.
It works best for small-sized vehicles like sedans, but it’s also workable on SUVs and pickup trucks.
Good auto painting skills and rich experience are highly integral to making the above successful. DIY vehicle painting is by far the most cost-saving strategy.
Proper Vehicle Painting Techniques
The above is an essential money-saving tip, especially for DIYers. As basic as paint application may sound, many people get it wrong on the techniques.
Some of the best approaches include:
- Cleaning the vehicle’s body before painting it
- Holding the paint sprayer or rattle can 4″ to 10″ from the car body when applying paint
- Priming before paint application to minimize paint usage
- Painting the car in calm weather prevents wind from blowing away atomized paint
- Applying thin paint coats for better adhesion to avoid paint wastage
- Holding the paint can or spray gun perpendicular to the substrate for direct hits. It minimizes oversprays
Bypass the Bodywork and Prepping Procedures
Body reparation and prepping processes cost a lot of money and time. You can sidestep all or some of the procedures if they are not necessary.
You can avoid them wholly or do them lightly as needed. Some of the circumstances under which you can skirt around the said processes include:
- Repainting the vehicle with the same color
- Minor or unnoticeable defects on the vehicle
- If the existing paint is relatively new
Thin the Paint
The above is only possible for those using spray guns as it involves paint mixing and thinning.
It’s best to thin the paint if it’s too thick to avoid wastage and to facilitate better surface coverage.
It saves money because a single gallon can go a long way, and you can use leftovers for the next vehicle painting project or any other relevant task.
Hire Inexpensive Auto Painting Services
Another approach to saving money is seeking the services of affordable or cheap vehicle painting companies; they include Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting and Econo Auto Painting.
They’ll recoat your automobile at around half the price of high-end body shops but with an almost similar quality of finish.
Do the Prep Work Yourself
If you’ve opted to take your car to an automotive shop for painting, you can mend the body and prep the surface ahead of time.
The painting company won’t charge you for bodywork and other prepping operations.
Wash the vehicle, sand it down with a power sander, apply a primer, and present it to the pros for the final painting.
You’ll only pay for paint application, but the drawback to this is the company voids any warranty in the event that the paint fails to adhere.
Use Cost-Friendly Paint and Supplies
While enamel has an inferior quality to its urethane and basecoat-clearcoat counterparts, it’s still an excellent vehicle painting agent.
Its advantage over the others is that it is the least expensive. If your vehicle is not as outstanding as such, you can paint it with single-stage enamel to lower the costs.
However, if you can’t compromise on paint, you can opt for cheaper painting equipment; for example, it’s more affordable to use an HVLP or air spray gun than an airless/hydraulic spray gun.
I also advise using recycled or previously purchased sandpapers, paint thinners, and other painting paraphernalia for the project. It cuts down on the overall cost.
Compare Costs From Multiple Painting Shops
Before taking your vehicle for painting, ask for prices from different automotive collision and repair shops.
You can start looking for their information through online searches and also asking some of their customers.
Then, collate the information before settling on the company with the most cost-effective offer. It makes you strike a delicate balance between paint quality and price.
Conclusion
To conclude, painting your vehicle communicates your character, taste, and degree of fondness for the automobile.
You need to give it the best paint job at the most cost-effective price.
While there are many automotive-painting companies out there, Maaco presents a fine balance between affordability and quality of finish. So…
How Much Does Maaco Paint Job Cost?
As already discussed, the standard costs range from $375 to $1000! The upper limit can rise to as much as $10000 depending on several variables.
Vehicles come in different makes, shapes, and sizes; for instance, a sedan will cost differently from a van, SUV, pickup truck, truck, and bus.
Also, there are many types of finishes for automotive painting, e.g., enamels, urethane, and basecoat/clearcoat finishes.
Finally, people hand in their vehicles for painting in different conditions; some require more bodywork than others to facilitate paint adherence.
All the above factors determine the cost of a Maaco paint job; I’ve explained the said variables throughout the above content.
Other auto-painting themes included in the write-up are:
- A description of a standard paint job at Maaco
- Comprehensive coverage of Maaco paint job costs
- The duration Maaco takes to complete vehicle painting
- The usual cost of painting a vehicle yourself
- The typical cost of painting a vehicle by a professional company
- Whether it is fitting/sensible to hire a pro for the car-painting job
- How to approximate the price of painting a vehicle
- The rated paint cost for a Maaco paint job
- The approximate labor costs for Maaco vehicle painting services
- Money-saving suggestions for a cost-effective vehicle painting
I hope you’ve enjoyed the read and learned much about vehicular painting costs, especially by Maaco shops.
The above information galore comes from the horse’s mouth; I’ve drawn the content from personal experience, Maaco insiders, and customer feedback.
So rest assured, you’re getting the real deal. Feel free to share new but related ideas, questions, and other relevant information in the comments section.
Have a great and successful vehicle painting experience.