Hey all,

Forgive me if I seem a bit frazzled, but I'm struggling to find a body shop that will do paint repair work on my '98 Cherokee Sport within driveable distance of Morris County, NJ. I have paint flaking in some spots, mostly the roof and rear hatch, and it's beginning to rust. It's a surface patina right now, but I'd like to get it taken care of now before it turns into a cancer problem - this is a California car that got me from San Jose, CA to Parsippany, NJ without a single complaint. There's no rust anywhere on the car save for where the paint's flaking. Here's what I'm dealing with:




I'd also like to get the bumpers, bumper covers, and wheel arch covers shot, but I can wait until I get somewhere where I can do it myself (I'm currently in a condo complex, so DIYing it is not an option thanks to the golf cart patrol.)

I've been to:
Williams Auto Body - Flat out told me he won't do the work, he's got enough cheap and simple jobs to keep him going.
Chester Auto Body - Won't return my calls for an appointment.
Eagle Auto Body - Fed me some cockamamie story about this being a warranty issue on a 25 year old car with 175,000 miles. When I asked what it would cost to just do it out of pocket, they informally quoted me over $10,000. I'm stupid, but I'm not that stupid.

Do you have any recommendations on a place to go to for something like this? Any good experiences? I'm desperate to get this addressed before it gets worse and I'm not looking for factory perfection, it just needs to be good enough to not be horrid and offer protection against rust for some years. Maaco is an option I'm considering now that "doing it right" seems to not be an option out here. I'm willing to drive up to 30, even 40 miles for a strong recommendation for a shop that'll do good work without ripping me off. I don't mind extended appointment wait times of a few months or so - I just need it done right for a respectable price.

Thanks much for your time and recommendations.

 

I wouldn't trust Maaco with that job (I used to work there, I know how these businesses are ran). They use the cheapest paint you can buy that will eventually succumb to UV rays (Whether it's base/clear, Enamel, or Urethane). After about 1-3 years it'll likely de-laminate no matter how many coats of wax you put on it (I've seen spray can tractor paint hold up for longer.).

Anyways, I don't think I can really help you find a good shop in NJ, but for about $30 in materials you could probably stop it from getting any worse (You might even make it look half decent.).

 

I had my '99 XJ done at a MAACO shop about 7 years ago. Still looks OK. For less than $1000 if it goes bad down the road I'd have them do it again. I'm in South Jersey and nobody would give me a realistic price either.