rogan01

Well - I backed into a cart at the supermarket this weekend (see picture). Took the car to a local bodyshop today - Autopainting USA. Got an estimate of $278. They said they needed to paint the area and then clearcoat the whole rear bumper. What should I ask or look for to make sure they do a good job? They said they did not need to remove the bumper to do the repair - is this OK?

Thanks for any advice or help - It was an expensive shopping trip []

[IMG]local://upfiles/68560/B34E0F985D33481195CD58FAF2A12B98.jpg[/IMG]

A_J

Provided they mask the area well, they should be ok with leaving the cover on.. and yes, a redo of the entire panels clearcoat is probably not a bad idea. Keep in mind too that the appearance can change a bit in the first couple of weeks and may need a going over with a polising compond or such - I've had a few paint repairs where they did the clearcoat over the pigment coat rather fast, so the pigment coat still dried for a while later and hazed the clearcoat a bit. But it was cleared up with a polish. Also, silver can look a bit off in color before it's fully set up, so if you're **** like me and notice a slight color mismatch I'd still give it a week or two before I took it back.

But all this begs the question - would you be ok with just some touch-up paint you apply yourself? It can be tricky on those ABS panels as when they scratch they raise the plastic a little, but it might get you 75% of the way there at 10% the cost.. just a thought..

pascal

You do have to reclear the whole bumper.
You can get away with leaving it on the car when painting...
I don't, that way, there isn't any taping involved thus no waste of materials. It's all about saving money
And no overspray anywhere also, when the bumper is off.

The quote they gave you isn't super expensive but you're not gatting a sweet deal neither.
Shop around some more, $50 cheaper would be a go.

rogan01

Thanks guys - appreciate the feedback - especially pascal since I know you are in the business.

I don't know much about this - will they need to "bake" the paint? If so how do they do this? They told me if I brought the car in tomorrow am it would be ready thursday am. Does this sound OK?

A_J

I'm not sure about "baking" the paint - Pascal may know, it may be an accelerated curing process - just hope that they didn't mean "we get baked before we paint"

And the turnaround time sounds normal to me, my BMW with damage, parts replacement, and repaint was done in 2 days..

Johnboy7701

Hey dudea brand new bumper OEM painted from newtakeoff.com or ninosport.com would be the best bet since it will be brand new and u can have 2 bumpers... just my opinion

A_J

Not a bad idea at all - you'd probably get off cheaper ( I can't recall the exact $), and the cover is pretty easy to remove and replace yourself..

rogan01

Takeoff bumper is $159. Any down side? Is it really new? Never thought of this...

(edit) Well - just calculated shipping - it is $123! So $282 total vs $278 for paint/repair. Plus time and/or labor to install. (guessing $50?) - I am totally useless at this so would need to have it done...

also this disclaimer:
Disclaimer
All products are new take off parts and are sold “as is”. We do not guarantee or warranty paint finish, but will take reasonable measures to protect the painted “A” surfaces. (WHAT ARE "A" surfaces?) In most cases we will be able to offer your color of choice; however we do not guarantee we will be able to match your factory color.

Any thoughts? I understand Silver is difficult to match... Any experience with either company?

Thanks for the advice!

pascal

The shipping from the newtakeoff people is kinda of a rape plan[8D].
If I recall, it's like $130 for a bumper.
Still a bargain if they have your color.


Baking paint is mostly for single stage paint system, as opposed to clear coat processes.
The idea of baking is to keep the paint from drying to quick.
The slower it dries, the more gloss you get.
You use very slow reducer or retarder, so the solvents get out of the paint before it gets hard. Therefore, the texture is like glass without orange peel etc...
Then the baking speeds up the drying time when the solvents are gone.

If you don't bake when using retardants, you'll still have a soft surface the next day and it won't tolerate firm fingerprints or tape marks yet.
You can't do much for a couple of days.
Not good for Insurance work I'd say, since they won't extend rental car time because of it.
Exceptions with exotic and classic cars.


For conventional painting, if you bring a small job to a shop on monday, they'll have time to prime if needed but will paint the next day.
First thing in the morning, so it has time to dry and get hard before 4/5PM for delivery time.
I myself don't like this cause it's rushing. If a hood or a bumper isn't painted by 10am, I won't let it go out the door the same day.
For new parts, it's a 2 day deal though.

rogan01

Thanks again pascal - glad you responded and appreciate your experience and help!