the gel coat thing, i dont know about, but i had mine professionally clear coated after i bought it..

 

Well mine was good for 2 years, it's just now starting to wear down a little bit.

Ok, I know this is a dumb question, but i gotta ask. Maaco has a thing going, "supreme paint package" for $365. I know Maaco sucks, and for that price I could probably spray paint my car better, but I can't find anyone to sell paint here, and paintscratch will take too long to ship. The car needs repainted badly. There isn't a piece of the car where something isn't wrong. My question is, is it worth trying Maaco? I've looked at reviews online, and oddly enough, I see good ones as well as bad ones. I'm gonna have to put it on my credit card, and hope I get some $$ for my 21st bday. It's either that, or a CF hood. I think they would come out to be about the same price though.

 

well the old addage says you get what you pay for an yes its true in this case also. itll look good for like 5mnths then blammo paint goes to hell. lol

 

I have no experience with macco painting myself. I have some buddies who have told me about macco service.

I heard do a good job painting, but they won't sand your car down. They paint right over your current paint job. They'll lightly hit the whole car with sand paper, tape things up, remove spoilers and then spray the heck out of it. Which means if there's a thick area of wax, or something that would prevent adhearing of paint, they'll still paint over it. Not only does this mean you'll have a thick layer of paint covering your previous layer, but it also means that your car will be between 40-100LBS heavier. I've heard it's best to take advantage of the macco deals by sanding your own car.

They also charge you 1 hour labor to remove the spoiler regardless of how long it takes.

If I did it i'd probly schedule a appointment for next week, let them know my intentions, then start sanding all the paint off my car. Then, the day I go there, I'd hit it lightly again with 400 grit sandpaper, remove the spoiler and light from the spoiler. Let them take care of the rest.

Oh, yeah, get extra clear coat. They charge more for it, but another layer or two won't hurt. It will make it easier to buff scratches out.

 

Hey maybe you live by someone that can help ya out wit that if you not that skilled!?!

 

^^ Psssht. It dosn't take any skill... Just start sanding everything with 120 grit sand paper. When you start to see the primer turn into metal, move to a finer (higher number) grit of sand paper, like 220. When more metal starts showing move to 400 grit sand paper. Try not to sand into the metal too much.

This is a painting picture of my nitrous tank. It was an extremely hard and thick paint. i started with 80 until I started to see primer, moved to 120, then 220, then 400.
The picture shows all clear coat removed, some paint around the top part, some primer on the center part and the metal below. Really, that's the same as what you're going to be looking at when you sand a car, but car paint comes off easier. My picture does not look like a very pretty sanding job because i did not have the tools necessary to do a round surface by machine. I used a flat sander and it took a long time. Even if you just aim to take off all the paint and leave the primer, it would be better for adhesion then painting over clear coat.

It's really about how much patience and strength you have in your hands. Don't sand plastics, rubber, or windows. You know, things you don't want painted. Get a few friends to help.

The first part of my car I ever sanded was the dashboard. It was really wierd. But then I realized it was all part of a process. It's gotta look bad before it looks good.It takes balls to sand your car if you're not a body shop guy. That's unquestionable. But really, it's a simple mindless task and hard to mess up.

Now I feel bad for posting that nasty looking sanded picture. Here's the final product using nothing but spray cans.



That's dry paint, no rubbing or polishing on it.

 

I realized I don't have near enough time for a new paint job now, since I'm leaving in a week. However I will take the advice for when I do get a new paint job smile.gif

Right now I'm trying to fix up the clear coat where it's peeling on the car, and get all the clear coat off the hood, do a design with spray paint, and clear coat it myself. Also trying to get the clear coat off the top of my cf wing, so I can clear coat. Crap doesn't wanna come off!! lol.

 

If it were me, id do a design and have it professionally clear coated. I trust my spray can clear coat on the inside of the car, but I don't know much about the outside.

 

Yeah.. im just gonna save up and get it completely repainted. By then my air brush skills will be l33t so I can do some work on it. Right now I'm just trying to make it not look so bad, but no matter what I do or try it doesn't work.

 

well, hell, if you're just doing it "for now", then you can always sand down your paint job later. I'd say have at it and let me know how long the spray-on duplicolor automotive clearcoat lasts.