How Much Does A Maaco Paint Job Cost?

Driving around in a dull-looking car doesn’t feel half as good, does it? Especially if you own a nice little Toyota or Mitsubishi, looks are honestly more than half the charm. With a properly painted car, you can just brim with confidence driving all around the city.

As for the painting itself, there are so many ways to do it. If you think you can handle the workload, you can simply do it yourself in the backyard. But in recent times, the most time-saving option is to seek MAACO’s services. And that brings up the question – how much does a MAACO paint job cost?

Depending on the severity of the services, the MAACO paint job price can range anywhere from $300 to $1500. If your car is in truly bad shape and needs heavy reformative services, the cost can go even higher. Other than that, the very basic painting/coating packages shouldn’t ideally cost any more than 300-500 bucks.

Needless to say, MAACO offers multitudes of automobile services to its clients. They have attended to over 20 million vehicles in their whole 45 years of operation. Hence, it’s hardly mindless to assume that they do know what they are doing. If you’re in the States, it’s pretty much second nature by now to go to them about your car/truck issues.

As such, in today’s article, we’ll talk all about MAACO and their paint job cost. We’ll go over the services and packages they provide and their estimated values as well. Additionally, we’ll note down our thoughts and tips on DIY-ing such projects.

Read on to find out whether it’s more profitable to do all the grunt work by yourself or to hire MAACO professionals.

How Much Does A Maaco Paint Job Cost?

MAACO is comparatively much more affordable and reliable than your regular automotive shops. But then again, they ARE your regular automotive shop. By now, they have over 500+ shops throughout the globe. The massive popularity is also why they tend to keep the price a little bit on the lower side.

So, how much is a MAACO paint job after all? Well, it’s hard to give an accurate estimate without thoroughly checking out the condition of the car. But you can avail of decent car painting servicing from MAACO from $300-$1500. And if you’re going for multiple packages at once, you may even get discounts!

Factors That Influence The Maaco Paint Prices

The ballpark figure really does a number on your head, doesn’t it? Check out the factors that influence the MAACO paint job cost to see why the amount is so arbitrary.

Vehicle Type

Needless to say, it’s not the same thing to paint over a car and a truck. Again, different vehicles need different types of treatment and aftercare as well. So, depending on the vehicle type, you can expect to spend more or less likewise. It typically costs less to paint over a car than a truck, due to the sheer lack of surface area.

Again, between cars, painting over a Ford Mustang or a classic Chevy may cost slightly more. Compared to them, Hondas or Toyotas don’t cost as much, since they don’t require any such specific or special treatment. No matter the type, you will need to spend at least $300.

Vehicle Quality

After vehicle type, comes vehicle quality. If your car or truck is already somewhat damaged, the damages should be addressed before the paint job. So, MAACO will charge extra for doing all that grunt work for you.

If the vehicle is already in tip-top shape, then they won’t make a fuss over these. They’ll get right to the paint job and thus, you can spend the bare minimum. Similarly, if the vehicle is seriously banged up and needs heavy reformative services, the pricing will skyrocket.

Vehicle Rarity

Remember how a classic Chevy or Ford Mustang can cost more than your usual Mitsubishi or Toyota? Well, the cost differences aren’t that much but it’s still somewhat prevalent. Fun fact – there’s a juicy little way to get around these extra costs.

During the insurance period, pricey car owners can get some advantages at times. They can also haggle their way into upgraded packages with experienced professionals for the same price as usual. Even if you cannot cut down the costs, moving into a better package does sound like a win-win situation, right?

So, do you own one of the classics currently with a market value of $50K, or up? Check in with your insurance policy right away to see which offers/privileges you can profit off of.

Repair Work

As mentioned above, the price varies depending on the extent of damage to the vehicle. MAACO, being an automotive shop, offers all sorts of repair works for all vehicles. You can always rely on them for the necessary bodywork before the paint job.

If it’s just a few scratches or blemishes, they won’t matter. But sometimes, there are lots of hidden damages that may end up becoming time-consuming and expensive as well. From replacing the bumper to fixing the bender, the severity of the repair work will drive the costs.

Outward Appearance

We repaint cars/trucks to make them look not as depressing, don’t we? As such, outward appearance is always a key part of a paint job. So, alongside maintaining the depth of the original coating, you may want to integrate a few added artistic aspects. In such cases, you’ll need to instruct the workers likewise, which may involve hidden costs, per the extremities.

Again, MAACO will charge you extra if you want to change the original color of the vehicle. Because then the workers will need to implement multiple coatings to cover the initial color. The color and quality of the paint can also heavily determine your overall costs.

Selected Packages

As of now, MAACO offers three different paint packages to choose from. Depending on your budget and preferred services, you can easily go for any of these three. We’ll elaborate on the specifics later, but for now, here’s the rundown.

The basic one is the least expensive. It basically refreshes the topmost coating of your vehicle. The preferred one is an upgraded package based on the basic one. Here, the paint quality is slightly tweaked to make the car more resistant to chafing and scratches.

And lastly, the premium package involves a dual-stage paint job, offering more accuracy and longevity. They also have the prettiest outward appearance out of the three, hence it’s the most expensive package thus far. Depending on your needs and budget, you can drive up or down the costs with these packages.

Consecutive Package Discounts

MAACO is basically your friendly neighborhood Macdonald’s, but for automotive vehicles. If there’s anything wrong with your car, they’ll find a way to take care of it for you. And here’s where you can grab a few benefits.

If your car needs a lot of work, then you can go for multiple packages at once. MAACO might then feel obligated to give you a few discounts here and there as a gesture of goodwill. Getting consecutive packages can then play an important role in determining the costs.

Getting Recycled Parts

If you need mild repair work, then chances are that you might need to replace a few parts too. Take the bumper of your car for instance. If it’s badly bruised, getting a fully new one will cost a lot. But if you receive a recycled but completely functional bumper from MAACO, then it will cost half the usual amount.

So, getting recycled parts may influence the overall MAACO paint job cost as well. Recycling is not only a cost-effective practice but also the most sensible one.

How Much Does MAACO Charge To Paint A Car?

Depending on the model, size, and rarity, MAACO charges differently for cars, trucks, and other vehicles. Let’s go through the average MAACO paint job cost for different vehicles.

Sedans

Sedans are sleek and stylish vehicles. The lack of surface area is more than made up by their outward appearance. As such, they must require a proper glossy finish to maintain that look.

It’s best to go for the premium package with Sedans for that extra glossy look. Overall, you should have somewhat of a $300-$800 budget for Sedans, specifically.

Sports Cars

Sports cars are full of technicalities. They require special care and services. In fact, regular paint jobs shouldn’t even cover the bare minimum in such cases. They need a rust-proof, scratch-proof exterior finish. Paint jobs for sports cars can cost well over a thousand bucks.

Commute Vehicles

If it’s your day-to-day car for commuting purposes, they don’t need as many extravagant services. A simple coating is enough to make them look decent again. So, if it’s a regular Honda or Toyota, the paint job cost is the bare minimum i.e., 300-400 bucks.

Commercial Vehicles

Unlike commuter vehicles, commercial vehicles sometimes need that bit of razzle-dazzle. In fact, luxurious finishing and subsequent aftercare services can cost well over $3000-$5000 at times. From paint color to quality, MAACO will only use the very best to make your Limousine pop like never before.

SUVs

SUVs also fall under the commuter i.e., utility category. However, since they are much larger, the paint job requires extra bucks too. If you own an SUV, you can expect to spend a minimum of 500-600 bucks for a paint job. And if there’s any repairing work involved, the amount can easily go up to 900-1000 bucks.

DIY-ing The Painting: Procedure & Pricing

If you know your way around a car, you may want to DIY the painting procedure. After all, who wants to give away 300-500 bucks, unless they absolutely have to? Here’s a brief overview of the DIY procedure and their subsequent (estimated) pricing side by side.

Getting Appropriate Materials

You’ll need access to special equipment, paint materials, etc. for a paint job. If you don’t own them already, you’ll need to buy them from scratch. Here’s a list of all the potential items that you may need while DIYing the paint jobs.

• Sandpaper
• Enamel Paint
• Rust Stripper
• Powder Sander
• Glue Dissolver
• Proper Gloves
• Masks & Goggles
• Paint Maskers
• Quality Fillers
• Towels/Expendable Clothing
• Masking Tapes
• Spray Paint
• Paint Roller
• Glass Cleaner, etc.

These are only a few of the items. Unless you’re getting second-hand materials, buying all these alone will cost you well over 300-400 bucks. If not even more.

Prepping The Vehicle

This is an annoying but necessary step. Repairing i.e. doing the grunt work by yourself is also a pretty time-consuming procedure. First, you need to thoroughly wash and clean the car. Especially the exterior surface area. While doing this, mark all the places that seem like they could use some repair.

Sanding

Sand all the places aggressively that you marked previously. If there’s rust, sand away until there are no rust flakes and you can see the shiny silver exterior underneath. The same goes for miniature fractures, cracks, or chips.

If sandpaper doesn’t seem to do the trick, use rust strippers. They’re rougher than usual. And even if rust strippers fall short, you can go for powder sanders. However, be careful in using them since you don’t want to powder away from the healthy parts alongside the chipped ones.

Filling

After sanding away the impurities, it’s time to use body fillers to maintain the smoothness of the exterior surface. The paint won’t sit properly if there are bumps and bruises along the way. And then you’ll experience early paint flaking and peeling issues.

Painting

If you’re DIY-ing, we’ll recommend going for spray painting. Since they’re fairly easy to use you can hardly go wrong with them. The quality may vary since you may struggle with implementing the proper intensity. But hey, a paint job is a paint job. You’re allowed to cover up a few mistakes here and there.

Differences Between DIY-ing & Getting Hired Help

Here are a few noticeable differences between DIY-ing and getting hired help from MAACO.

Quality

If you’re experienced enough with painting cars, you can end up attaining better quality. But in most cases, the professional workers at MAACO will do a much better job.

Expense

Similarly, you can finish the DIY procedure in less than a hundred bucks if you already have everything. If not, the materials alone will cost you a fortune. Simply going to MAACO is the most sensible option in such cases.

Warranty

MAACO paint job cost comes with a signature MAACO warranty. For instance – the basic package warrants for a year while the premium one goes up to five whole years. While DIY-ing, it’s all you. Even if anything goes wrong later, there’s no warranty for your car.

Insurance

Like the warranty, DIY-ing also makes you lose access to proper insurance facilities. If anything goes wrong during the paint job, MAACO is obligated to pay you the required compensation. You won’t have that safety net if you’re working alone with your car/truck.

Rental Services

Unless you have other cars, it’s going to get problematic moving around the city while your car is drying in the garage. On the other hand, MAACO has its own rental car programs that can assist you while your car is with them.

Towing Services

MAACO offers towing services as well to their clients. Once you make the proper arrangements, they’ll send a truck to pick up the car from you. And they’ll return it the same way too if you want to. But if you want to DIY through the painting period, this won’t happen.

MAACO Car Painting Pricing: Determining The Estimate

The best and only way to determine the proper estimate is to take your car to the local shops. The professional workers need to check out the condition of your car thoroughly before they can give you an answer. You can, however, guess a ballpark figure by stalking them online.

Generally, the MAACO paint job cost shouldn’t go beyond the $300-$1000 range. Without the repair costs, you can somewhat guess a general estimate based on the surface area alone.

For instance – if they charge around 6 bucks per square foot, then just multiply that by the total area. If your car comes around 80 square feet in terms of the painting surface, then 80×6, you’ll need to pay around 480 bucks.

And that’s just the basic premise costs. The color of the paint and its quality will add on. Nowadays, basecoat and topcoat automotive paint go for 20-30 bucks. Metallic paint can cost more than usual since they often have anti-scratch and anti-rust abilities.

5 Ways To Save A Few Bucks While Fixing Your Paint Job Estimate

Like most other services, there are a few loopholes in hiring/getting paint services too. Here are a few ways to save a few bucks while determining the MAACO paint job cost.

1. Get All-In-One Kits

This may sound childish, but you can indeed get all-in-one paint kits for cars and trucks. So, if you’re DIY-ing, then you may want to get one such kit to get everything at once. Search for auto paint kits on Amazon to get amazing deals under 150-200 bucks only.

2. Buy Second-Hand Materials

Another effective way to reduce the costs if you’re DIY-ing – get second-hand items. Look up on eBay and similar platforms, and you can end up receiving huge deals on garage sales. Make sure to not compromise much on the quality though. Doing that will come to bite you back in the long run.

3. Do The Grunt Work

Don’t wait for the MAACO handymen to hand you a bill for the washing and cleaning costs. Take some time apart and prepare the car yourself. You can also take care of the little dents and dings so they don’t have to.

4. Avoid Middle Men

Sometimes, you may encounter middlemen who will lure you in by mentioning discounts. These people are most often scammers. MAACO offers 100% free estimates to their clients. Go directly to them and discuss the packages/fees if you’re not sure of anything.

5. Haggle

Haggling is an age-old practice that never fails. If you’re running that low on money, try to talk down the price with the local shops. Most often than not, they’ll inevitably succumb to a certain extent and spare a few bucks.

And if that doesn’t work, you can simply always go back to the basic painting packages. The car won’t look as glossy and posh, but it will definitely look a lot better than before. Moreover, you can always wax and polish the exterior later on your own for better finishing.

MAACO Paint Job Reviews: Precautionary Measures

Even MAACO has received multiple complaints over the years regarding various issues. From measly peeling issues to damaging the exterior beyond repair – they’ve seen it all. Such instances only go to show that not all MAACO shops are as reliable.

That’s why you should always do a little digging online and check out the local reviews. See if they have had any major complaints over the years. By doing so, you can also gather somewhat of an estimate alongside the safety issues and subsidiary complaints. It’s a simple and yet foolproof way of finding the answer to the ‘Is MAACO worth it?’ question.

You can also leave your very own google reviews sharing your thoughts and experiences. That way, people around you can further find out whether they should or shouldn’t make the same mistake as you.

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• Cost To Paint A Garage?
• Cost To Paint A Motorcycle?

Final Verdict

So, what are your feelings after reviewing the MAACO paint job cost for different vehicles? Do let us know. However, the fact that MAACO has years of experience and a subsequent reputation – is quite irrefutable. They have rightfully earned their position amongst well-known automotive agencies.

With MAACO, you won’t have Maaco to (much to) worry about. For the right price, from cleaning to repainting to refurbishing – their professional workers will take care of it all. As stated above, they take no longer than 2-3 business days for simple painting gigs.

During this period, you can simply use one of their rental cars and stay afloat with no issues. While on the other hand, you won’t have much access to either insurance or rental cars if you choose to paint by yourself. And if you’re not experienced enough, you can end up spending more on buying the necessary items.

Bottom line – no matter the MAACO car paint cost, it’s still a more viable option for the most part. For only 300 bucks, you can receive decent enough car painting servicing from them. And for further upgraded services, you can always just increase your budget a tad more. MAACO will definitely see to it that all your needs have been replicated accordingly.

Michael Rosales

Hello, I’m Michael Rosales an expert in cars. As a little boy, I have always loved cars. Over the years I became lucky to have the opportunity to work as a car dealer. It was at this stage I became vast in the knowledge of cars, things you need to know when buying cars and how to minimize cost while still getting your dream car.