Paintjob time - any advice?, Getting a Maaco job Options

[GriffGirl]

Okay, so here's the deal– my hood is badly faded and the bumper has mad rock chips. Someone opened up a Maaco not too far from me and is having a special on their "Supreme" Paint Service, so I'm going to take advantage of it and have my car painted. I'm keeping it silver, but am changing the silver from Alpine Silver (Maaco calls it Silver Metallic) to a silver that's a tad darker and has more metallic flake in it. I can't remember the name of the color.

I know there are things to be aware of, such as removing whatever I want removed and not taped off, etc. I figure a moderately sh1tty paint job will look better than the way my paint looks now. The guy @ Maaco warned me that with a single-stage paint, there's a greater chance of flaws. When I asked "like what" he said there could be some orange peel, even some dirt. DIRT!? WTF? I'm not expecting a $2k paint job for what I'm paying here, but dirt!?

Lastly, I have a crack in my bumper. Maaco wants $180 to repair it. If I had the $180 to repair it I'd just replace the whole bumper. (anyone in the PNW have a bumper for me! ) So I'll repair it myself. I know it won't be top notch, but I can do the best I can with whatever guidance you 6GCers might have to offer me! Current photo of the crack can be taken/posted if that would help.

What prep work can I do myself? What things can I do before hand to get the most out of the Maaco job? What can I do once I get the car back from being painted, to "help it along" and make it look as good as possible?

[GriffGirl]

Okay, so that's what I'm finding, is that it seems that the prep work is definitely the most important.

So should I sand the car down myself? I want to make sure I do this right if I do though. Orbital sander, what grit paper?

For filling in dings, body filler. I know, it has to stay thin. (I get that). What grit to smooth it out with after it's flush?

To repair the crack in the bumper— what do I use for that? Body filler? Probably not the best choice.... what's a better choice? I know to prime it after repairing, high build primer, sanded smooth... etc? Is this correct?

Do I prime the car myself so I can sand the primer myself to ensure the paint lays down smoothly? If so, what grit do I start with, and then finish with 220? Is that correct?

When I go to drop the car off, I will remove the tail lights, license plates, lights, front bumper. I've also been told to remove the weather trim around the windows, although I'm very reluctant to do this because of how much it rains here, I can't afford to not put it back on correctly.