Guess it is a sign of the times..Earl Scheib has gone out of business

[Reatta Man]

Their Web site claims all of their shops are now independently owned, and they will no longer honor any of their warranties!

Too bad....their paint quality for an everyday driver was getting to be quite good at most shops.

[RICK YOUNG]

NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!:eek:

Not Earl Scheib too!

How do they get that paint job done in China.

Never had a E.S. paint job. Been many years since there was one in Des Moines.

I've had several MAACO's on school cars and a S-10. Not bad for $229.00

It was so funny to walk in and look up at the board and order a paint job like McDonalds.

"I'll have a #3 with extra clear coat"

[Guest Silverghost]

I remember my dad having his old 53 DeSoto Powermaser painted Earl Scheib Green in 1960 for $19.95.

Not a bad job ~

BUT they did not mask the trim very well and dad spent two weekends with a razor blade and steel wool cleaning up the overspray !

[NTX5467]

I saw, first-hand, the way they masked-off a '74 Chevy Bel-Air for paint . . . ONLY the tires and windows, maybe the chrome around the glass, too. I kind of laughed to myself, but it was good for what it was. Of course, if you wanted "body work", that was extra.

I think they've been moving more to a franchise situation rather than company-owned stores for quite a while. The franchisee would handle the warranties themselves, I suspect, rather than looking to the national organization.

Could well have been the environment issues with paint booths and their emissions. Federal and state standards have mushroomed in more recent times. Could have been "other issues", too.

By observation, MAACO seems to have taken their place. I've seen some really good paint jobs come from the most budget-oriented body shop chains, over the years. One, in particular, was a shop that also did paint and body work for the car auctions--looked better than many of our body shop customers would do in their normal paint jobs.

There are still some "deals" out there for basic paint jobs. Restraint and such is necessary as with their many add-ons, the price can increase quickly. Extra UV protection? +$$$$ Body side moldings? +$$$ Dents taken out? +$$$$ Pin Stripes? +$$ Customer removes chrome trim? -$$ BUT, if you shop well, you can come out with a pretty good job and a pretty decent price.

Another American Icon fades into the sunset!

NTX5467

[Reatta Man]

Willis,

No reason given on their Web site. Some suspect (complain) that it is environmental issues, but don't know at this point.

I feel sorry for anyone that paid big bucks for a paint job with a 6 year warranty, because now it is not worth the paper it is written on.

[NTX5467]

I suspect the "warranty period" would relate to the amount of prep that was done to the vehicle and possibly to an upgrade in paint materials' quality. I suspect there were some "fine print items" in that warranty which detailed what was NOT covered. Be that as it may.

On the other hand, if I went into a chain body shop and paid "big bucks", I'd certainly want to make sure that I got what I paid for, versus what a normal body shop might charge and certainly NOT a "restoration shop". But, by the same token, any body/paint shop can close as they might desire, leaving all of their existing shop warranties in the dumper. LOTS of "buyer beware" issues can come into play.

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Malo48]

That's kinda bittersweet...it's been a long time since I heard 'riiiiiiiight' blaring from the TV here in Chicago.

My aunt once the front end of her '79 Olds painted there. Not a great job by any means but at least the car was blue again.

[MarkV]

Well I got my mustang painted there back in early july, they respected the end of the 6 year warranty (before the collapse) I took it in the day before the warranty expired! They did a good job, I only paid the year warranty. On the MKV I got the lifetime warranty but that was a few years ago