Hey guys. I wanted to get everyone's opinion b/c I am the most indecisive person ever. I recently bought a 98 F-150 that needs some body work. The hood is dented, the fender is dented, and the edge of the driver's door is dented (because the fender is misaligned and now rubs when door is opened). So I bought a fender and hood off of someone parting out their truck (for only $100 btw) and painted the underside of the hood (which came out great) to save some money.

Anyways, I got an estimate from a reputable place for $1600 to straighten the frame (just where the fender bolts on to), fix the door, and paint the door+fender+hood. I went to Maaco to get another estimate for comparison and they are only charging me $800 to do the same work (using the highest quality paint they have).

I know Maaco doesn't have the best reputation but the savings is pretty significant. My truck is not in perfect condition but its not a "work truck" either. Its a 98 XLT, xtra cab, 4.6L Triton, w/ only 88k miles. I only paid $1600 for the truck but have now put about $600 into it. I don't want to spend more than it is worth b/c I am not sure how long I will keep it. Is Maaco that bad? Is it worth the extra $800 to go to the other place? What would you do?

 

Is Maaco cheaper? Yes. Do they do as good a job as another body shop? No. Not at all. I made the mistake of taking an old Blazer I had to them for a repaint. I wasn't looking for showroom or car show quality but something decent. There was overspray all over, small places they missed, didn't tape off right, ect ect.

Paint job overall looked good for about a year then it started looking like crap. Personally I wouldn't go there again. But all I've had them do is paint, no bodywork. I'd get 4 to 6 estimates from different places as prices will vary.

 

I have heard of the chipping of the paint before. The guy that gave me the estimate at Maaco actually admitted to me that that would happen with the "ambassador" paint which is the cheapest one. The quote he gave me included the "signature" paint. It is the highest quality paint they have. It includes a basecoat, clearcoat, and urethane. As far as the body work goes, I agree. I didn't want to let them put 5 lbs of bondo on the hood and fender so I got good panels off of another truck. Only body work they will be doing is the door which should be minimal.

 

ive seen some of maacos crap work come into my dads body shop to be rapaired after maaco screwed it up. over spray on everything, paint peeling off in sheets, they paint over trim, windows, door locks and handles ect. they do absolutely terrible work. $1600 for the work you listed is pretty reasonable but if i were you i would try a couple more shops and see if they may be a little cheaper. just stay away from maaco!