Originally Posted by
Coldaccord
a car needs to have a lot of shit removed before a proper paint job. bumpers, lights, glass, trim at the very least. maaco doesn't do any of that, they just tape off your glass and paint.
in 2 years this paint will look so awful. need to pull the molding? gonna have to repaint the panel. need a new window gasket? going to have to repaint the painel. etc.
not to mention you're putting h&r sports on with oe shocks. they will likely blow soon. get some bilstein sports.
i hope you sell this car cheap, because in decent condition they go for 5k.
-fellow 95 m3 owner.
the molding i hear you on... i was wondering how i was supposed to get it off without fucking up the paint around it. i guess i am semi-disappointed about that, but not enough to launch into a fit or rage about and make them repaint it... other places wanted $4000 plus to do the things you suggest, it wasn't worth that to me. i paid 1600 including some underlying bodywork that needed done... i'm not building a show car, and we'll see how it looks in two years, if i still have it. it looks good now, that's what i wanted, and what i paid for. on top of the '3 year gloss guarantee'... i haven't looked into it, nor do i think it's really worth a shit, but it's worth mentioning, i guess. not sure if maaco's always offered that, or how far it would go if i brought it back in 2.5 years; i kind of doubt they'd actually repaint the car if it was faded/cracking in 2.5 years, but whatever. it's there.
on to your other points. have you personally seen oem shocks go with sport springs? if so, how long did it take? i bought these struts damn near two years ago, they're going on the damn car. and from what little research i did other than listening to what everyone on the internet says, people have run oem struts/shocks with 60k plus miles on them with h&r sports and had no issues. mine are brand new. unless you can show me otherwise, there is no strong physical evidence that suggests these struts will blow with 1.5" less suspension travel. bilstein has marketed their product well, the internet even says you need them when you don't.
and why are you worried about how much i sell this car for? you trying to buy it? i'll sell it for whatever someone's willing to pay for it, or it won't sell. it's a pretty simple concept. and i don't know where you're looking, but the e36 m3's i've seen around here are going for upwards of 8-9k, even with 120k plus miles... 4-5k would net you a pos like this used to be, with faded paint and blown suspension plus a shitload of miles... if i do everything i plan on doing to this car, i'd want about 8-9k for it at least, and imo it would be worth it. but i don't plan on selling anytime soon.
i'll let you know when i need you to judge a car i've entered into a show, until then let me be happy with my maaco paint job!