Paint Shops

[MacPhail]

Any recommendations on where to go in the Belleville - Ottawa are for paint jobs?

Are there places to steer clear of?

How much should I expect to pay (I'm concerned that, with only a handful of places in Kingston, the prices may not vary much).

Cheers, Derek

[Kitten]

Go to a couple of shops and ask to see vehicles that have been done previously if possible. 

Does your car need body work as well?  Chips?  Dents?

If it needs some body work that's something else to take into consideration, it will add to the cost.

What sort of paint job were you looking for?  Show quality?  or just something to get the car all the same colour?

If you are looking for show quality expect to pay more...

[MacPhail]

There is some regular sanding required where paint has flaked off of is in the process of flaking.  I think there are a few scratches on that need to be smoothed out as well.

I'm looking for good quality but not top of the line; afterall, it's my daily commuter and I'll be catching a few rocks on the front hood.

I wish I knew who did the paint job that is on it now as I wouldn't take it there!  You can see the red around the trim and windshield!   

I'll stop by Maaco and see what they say.

Cheers, Derek

[Kitten]

If you've got overspray like that it may have been an original Maaco paint job... it was not masked as carefully as it should have been.

Sanding is required before the car is painted anyway (assuming the place is reputable).... so the flaking clear coat will be removed.  If the scratches are only in the clear coat they'll be sanded out at the same time.  If the scratches go down into the panel, they'll need a little more work. 

Prepwork (ie body work, masking, etc) takes more time than the actual painting does, and is what will bring the cost up higher because of the labour hours required.

Maaco will probably be one of the cheaper ones around because they deal in volume.

[FieroBUZZ]

As Kitten points out, much of the cost is in the prep work.  If your present paint is flaking, adding a layer will not help as the old layer will probably continue to flake off.

Going by some of the Ottawa car boards here are some shops they seem to like.
 * http://www.beaconautobody.com/
 * http://www.orleansonline.ca/AceBodyShop/
 * Milano Auto Body (details unknown)
 * Fiore, at S&G Autobody, Delzotto Ave (Off Albion Rd)
 * shawn at independent custom auto in north gower (s of Ottawa) (295-9447)

These guys do good work and charge accordingly.  I would suspect an average job to start at about 1500.00.  The problem with a lot of good shops is that their rep is at stake and they want to do the prep so they are confident that the job is right.  If you do a lousy job prepping and their paint falls off, you'll blame them and they'll blame you.

Maaco is in business to do volume work with a quick in and out turnover.  They are franchises, so much has to do with the location's owner.  Prep is shoddy, overspray rampant (door panels, seats, dash, etc)  Customer satisfaction is pretty low on the menu.

That said, for a quick respray where you will prep and mask, they may be fine.  Karls' black GT was done at the Ottawa West end Maaco and looked fine after 2 years.  It all comes down to who's behind the spraygun.

Have you looked at or joined LSS? (limestonestreetscene.com) They're a bunch of local (to you) yahoos, but may know a decent guy in the area who will paint at home for a good price if you do all the prep.

Sometimes the local car dealer's paint guy works on the sly with a nod from the boss.   

In the end it all comes down to what you want for the car.

[fiero308]

Gary is right about MAACO;
while they are 'franchises' and it is up to the individual to establish 'how they run their shop'........ they have a kind of poor rep for quality and in fact I am in a fight with the local one here over a 'business practise'.........

I have given them work a number of times but this last time they really screwed me around so I WON"T be back. When I ask other shops 'how they do this and that' I find that MAACO seems to cut corners a lot. Don't remove trip ("hey, it's not necessary!") etc etc.

If you only want the cheapest price then give them a try but you will get exactly what you pay for.

my 2 cents for what it is worth....

gp

[MacPhail]

Comments appreciated.  Maaco won't be seeing my car when I get around to it!

Thanks!

Cheers, Derek