Paint Job Advice

Be very careful here. Not to bash the OP (if he’s happy, then that’s all that matters for him) but pictures almost always look good. Not specific to his truck but I see cars all the time on the internet and they look fantastic, then I see them in person and they look terrible. The camera hides a lot. Even in the pics he posted I’m able to see signs of things that, for me, would be unacceptable. And that’s just what I can see in a couple wide angle photos on a computer screen. Ive seen many Maaco paint jobs. Even had one of our race cars painted there. None have been any good. But that’s my opinion based on my personal standards. Everyone has different standards and expectations. For some, Maaco is a great option, but for me, I’d take weathered OEM paint over a fresh Maaco job all day, every day.

Make sure you see examples of a shop’s work IN PERSON before you commit. Because at the end of the day all of us keyboard warriors can rant all we want but YOU have to live with your truck.

 

It cost me about 3k for everything. It's definitely more than what I was expecting from Maaco as I had 2 other cars painted by them for half the price but that was many years ago. My truck had clearcoat failure when I acquired it so getting it freshly painted made it look 200x better. Is it perfect? NO, and I wouldn't go to them if I was wanting to win car show trophy's, but it's a lot better than having clearcoat failure and I can live with it if I get a scratch here and there for a daily driver.

 

Bullshit. If the truck and paint job wasn’t as pristine as I say it is I would not have posted pics. That paint job is 4 years old and still looks fantastic. The OP lives in Sacramento which is about 20 miles from me. If he wants to see it up close and personal he can message me and we can hook up. He can bring a magnifying glass and inspect every square inch and if he wants can report back what he sees. And I can say for positive his report would be glowing.

 

Actually those pics were taken at Comanche reservoir. But yes I agree looks like Folsom.

 

I appreciate the offer. I plan on visiting some places and hope to see their work in person, but if I need further convincing, I'll drop you a line. Thanks much.

 

Fair enough, good advice. Thanks.

 

I have a 2007 Tacoma that I plan to keep a long time. It's gradually getting repainted, at local body shops. I get a little done every year or 2.

3 years ago, a shop repainted the hood for $500. Next, a shop repainted the roof for $1400. Truck had been in Florida a
few years, where sun can kill the paint, clear coat, and eventually rusts. Roof had rust, and was starting to look bad, plus dents, scratches, from tree branches/ tree debris over the years. The shop tech sanded out the rust to bare metal, removed the dents, then paint and clear coat.

Just last month, I had the entire right side of the truck repainted for $4,000. Right side had a lot of scratches and minor dents which they repaired. Cost included 2 new oem fender flares (about $500 each), as the rear fender had some bad scratches and staining. The tailgate and left side are OK, and I'll probably keep them as is for a few years.

The shop that just did the right side said they dont do complete repaint on trucks.

I still have the original frame, but can see a few years down the road, getting an out of pocket frame replacement if it ever comes to that. Truck was in Florida much of its life, now in Northeast, and has been regularly undercoated , though few years were missed. Now gets undercoated every year. Something I keep a close eye on now.

I'm one of those people that likes low tech trucks. No modern electronics on it.

 

Have you considered color-correcting since you mentioned there are parts of your truck that look descent? Might be an option worth exploring. I was quoted $2000 for the entire truck. Granted it's in really good shape - there are lots of imperfections I'm tired of looking at on a daily basis. The shop owner indicated it's a 3 stage process which would take him 3 to 4 days. I've been hit a few times over the years and my truck has been painted in sections using the same color code on the drivers side door.

 

Is color-correcting a term for just painting the panels that need it?

 

So here's my experience at the body shops. First place I went into was an Earl Schieb that was recommended to me by a neighbor who had used them four times over the years. I'm not sure if there's been a change in ownership or what, but it seemed totally unprofessional. Some grumpy guy reluctantly came to the front desk, and after I struggled to understand his broken English, he scribbled a quote on a piece of scrap paper for $1250 to paint the roof, hood, and three of the four wheel well trim pieces. Despite the crazy-low price, I did not come away with the impression of a professionally-run shop.

Next up, Maaco. Seemed like a well-run business. Professional guy gave me a quote for $4000 to do the whole truck using the second-best package they offer which includes a clear coat.

And finally, I went into an independent body shop. Seemed pro enough, but the guy said it'd be at least $4000 just to do the top, hood, and trim pieces, and around $10 to $12k to do the whole truck. Thank you, but no.

So it looks like I'm gonna roll the dice with Maaco and hope it comes out looking something like Sprig's.

 

Op I feel your need to make your truck look good again. My 2006 has some roof issues as well.

I'm feeling like doing the raptor/bed liner for cheap and putting my money into installing a roof rack.

I had to replace the fenders and hood due to a wreck and found some cheap aftermarket flares.

I like Post #16 in this thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/repainting-roof-advice-needed.812591/

Good Luck!