Repaint bumper or get a new one?

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Only had my car about 5 weeks and scratched the front passenger side of the bumper ever so slightly. The scratch is less than 3 inches long but the quotes I've gotten in the Dallas area to fix it are in the $700-800 range which I believe is too much (even if I went with my insurance to fix it). Also, since it's a new lightning blue, I'm concerned about how the paint match would work.

At this point I'm considering finding an OEM painted new bumper either through craigslist or e-bay for about $300 and installing it myself. Has anyone done something similar to this before or do I run the risk that the OEM painted bumper will still be mismatched to my car. It's just about an month old paint and apart from daily driving, has been kept in garage nightly.

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[mattshotgunk]

Only had my car about 5 weeks and scratched the front passenger side of the bumper ever so slightly. The scratch is less than 3 inches long but the quotes I've gotten in the Dallas area to fix it are in the $700-800 range which I believe is too much (even if I went with my insurance to fix it). Also, since it's a new lightning blue, I'm concerned about how the paint match would work.

At this point I'm considering finding an OEM painted new bumper either through craigslist or e-bay for about $300 and installing it myself. Has anyone done something similar to this before or do I run the risk that the OEM painted bumper will still be mismatched to my car. It's just about an month old paint and apart from daily driving, has been kept in garage nightly.

I replaced my front bumper with an OEM painted bumper I found on ebay. I could not tell the difference between the old and the new bumper. I spent around 270.00 with free shipping, totally worth it in my opinion.

 

[Tweet_this]

Thanks for the confirmation Matt! I'm hoping to do the same and avoid this stupid "repainting" cost. At this point, I might as well replace the fender too if I can find one on ebay

 

[mattshotgunk]

Thanks for the confirmation Matt! I'm hoping to do the same and avoid this stupid "repainting" cost. At this point, I might as well replace the fender too if I can find one on ebay

I purchased from micropartsinc on ebay, you might want to check and see if they have a replacement bumper.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Ask the shop how much they charge to paint it OFF the car so you are comparing apples to apples. You might be surprised how much of that price is removing and reinstalling the bumper which is something you are comfortable doing if you are considering a take-off.

 

[BeauxXL1200]

Only had my car about 5 weeks and scratched the front passenger side of the bumper ever so slightly. The scratch is less than 3 inches long but the quotes I've gotten in the Dallas area to fix it are in the $700-800 range which I believe is too much (even if I went with my insurance to fix it). Also, since it's a new lightning blue, I'm concerned about how the paint match would work.

At this point I'm considering finding an OEM painted new bumper either through craigslist or e-bay for about $300 and installing it myself. Has anyone done something similar to this before or do I run the risk that the OEM painted bumper will still be mismatched to my car. It's just about an month old paint and apart from daily driving, has been kept in garage nightly.

I poked a hole in my front bumper a while back. Thought I was in reverse but I was in first. :doh: See the pic.

And I've included a pic of the one I bought off e-Bay. But I think I paid around $500. The donor bumper was practically brand new and the paint matched perfectly.

The only issue was the splitter was not a PP splitter, even though it was advertised as one and the pic on e-Bay showed it with a PP splitter.

Obviously, the pic on e-Bay was not the one I received. So I had to replace the splitter with the splitter off my damaged bumper, which was no big deal.

 

[GTP]

Ask the shop how much they charge to paint it OFF the car so you are comparing apples to apples. You might be surprised how much of that price is removing and reinstalling the bumper which is something you are comfortable doing if you are considering a take-off.

^This.

Also, is the scratch too much for DrColorChip? Post pictures so we can ridicule you.

 

[lisandra]

Post some pictures, youd be surprised how deep a scratch can be fix with some light sanding and polishing on your own

 

[Tweet_this]

Man, you guys are making me think of options that didn't readily come to mind. Much appreciated. I already bid on an OEM painted bumper on ebay for about $250 (fingers crossed). I doubt even a bumper repaint without the added workmanship will beat that price.

For the fender though, I think I might just remove it myself for repaint at bodyshop because the scratch is deep. Even though I'm a bit worried about the paint matching if the rest of the car is not there for reference. I know they'll use a paint code from ford but it's still very easy to get a shade or two off.

And just because you all asked nicely, I present below, my :headbonk: :doh: moment of the month!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

For the fender though, I think I might just remove it myself for repaint at bodyshop because the scratch is deep. Even though I'm a bit worried about the paint matching if the rest of the car is not there for reference. I know they'll use a paint code from ford but it's still very easy to get a shade or two off.

As for matching, the takeoff will likely be a very good match. The covers and cars aren't painted at the same time or even with the same paint formula since the covers need paint that can flex. So manufactures go to great lengths to make sure all the cars are as close as possible to each other and the same for all the covers, so they all match the cars pretty much the same.

A shop probably won't match as well on the first attempt and they will NOT want to re-shoot if you complain. Remember when they paint body panels they can often blend which reduces some of the pressure of an exact color match. Of course some painters will be better, maybe a lot, than others. But a good shop should be able to match well enough on the first try that its not a problem. Just saying the potential for a matching problem is higher with having it repainted.

A shop can do better than the factory for smoothness/gloss. The shop paint will be thicker which means they can polish out all orange peel. Might be better for chip resistance too. Then again, a shop may be slightly more likely to not prep as well as the factory did or even mess up the mixture a little, like the amount of flex agent which could cause a problem well down the road.

 

[BeauxXL1200]

Man, you guys are making me think of options that didn't readily come to mind. Much appreciated. I already bid on an OEM painted bumper on ebay for about $250 (fingers crossed). I doubt even a bumper repaint without the added workmanship will beat that price.

For the fender though, I think I might just remove it myself for repaint at bodyshop because the scratch is deep. Even though I'm a bit worried about the paint matching if the rest of the car is not there for reference. I know they'll use a paint code from ford but it's still very easy to get a shade or two off.

And just because you all asked nicely, I present below, my :headbonk: :doh: moment of the month!


If you're in the Central Texas area, you might want to consider Berli's Body and Fine Auto Finishes. They are certified by several high end, luxury car manufacturers.

A lady backed into my Ruby a year or so ago causing $8000 in damage. The right rear quarter panel and the rear bumper had to be replaced.

Berli's did an outstanding job. I have a friend back home who has been a body man for 30 odd years and he could not tell the areas that had been repaired and repainted.

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.berlisbody.com/

And here's a pic showing the right rear quarter panel after the replacement and paint job.

 

[Tweet_this]

A shop probably won't match as well on the first attempt and they will NOT want to re-shoot if you complain. Remember when they paint body panels they can often blend which reduces some of the pressure of an exact color match. Of course some painters will be better, maybe a lot, than others. But a good shop should be able to match well enough on the first try that its not a problem. Just saying the potential for a matching problem is higher with having it repainted.

A shop can do better than the factory for smoothness/gloss. The shop paint will be thicker which means they can polish out all orange peel. Might be better for chip resistance too. Then again, a shop may be slightly more likely to not prep as well as the factory did or even mess up the mixture a little, like the amount of flex agent which could cause a problem well down the road.

That's my exact worry. Not having to go back and forth with a paint shop if they botch the first time. I think my best option is to just find the best shop I can and see how best they can get it.

 

[Tweet_this]

If you're in the Central Texas area, you might want to consider Berli's Body and Fine Auto Finishes. They are certified by several high end, luxury car manufacturers.

A lady backed into my Ruby a year or so ago causing $8000 in damage. The right rear quarter panel and the rear bumper had to be replaced.

Berli's did an outstanding job. I have a friend back home who has been a body man for 30 odd years and he could not tell the areas that had been repaired and repainted.

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.berlisbody.com/

And here's a pic showing the right rear quarter panel after the replacement and paint job.

Thanks Beau. I'm in North Texas (Dallas) so I can't use them but I'm checking out other forums to see comparable local body shops that are certified for exotics and such. Might be a bit pricier but I'll pay a bit more to get a great job done.

Btw, what wheels are those with what spec/stance? They look stunning! Lowered on progressives?

 

[xmustangx]

New bumper can be had from the dealer for $105+$75 core if you know some one.

 

[BeauxXL1200]

Thanks Beau. I'm in North Texas (Dallas) so I can't use them but I'm checking out other forums to see comparable local body shops that are certified for exotics and such. Might be a bit pricier but I'll pay a bit more to get a great job done.

Btw, what wheels are those with what spec/stance? They look stunning! Lowered on progressives?

Thanks. The wheels are Velgen's BM7s and I'm lowered on Steeda's progressive springs.

A good paint/body shop will make it look like it never happened. :cheers:

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