Can I fix this collision damage myself??

[David Fermani]

Originally Posted by iyzmi

The insurance company is going to give me about $650 to have the bumper repaired by a body shop. The body shop won't be touching it up like what I want to do. They're just gonna sand down the whole thing and repaint it. A new painted bumper on ebay is $550 so I figure if I mess up, I can just go ahead and order a brand new one and install it myself. Either way it is less than what the bodyshop wants. Here are some pics of front of the car as a whole. You can see that the damage really isn't that bad and isn't that noticeable either. The front plate is really messed up but it took most of the damage.

Here's my thoughts:
A brand new OEM bumper cover is $260 and paint + installation is another $350 which is approximately what you are getting paid from your insurance company. So I don't think they are repairing your existing cover for the same cost, they are probably replacing it. Also, from this picture it appears that there is a really bad crease/crack on the top of the left side of the cover. I personally don't recommend attempting a repair on that extensive of damage. It can be done and shops could fix it (with alot of filler) but I'd be hard pressed if they would warranty their repair because it might not last. I've seen shops attempt bumper repairs and they usually fail after they get heated up in their paint booth and/or when they install it. 3M makes a great bumper repair kit and the repaired area is many times stronger than before, but due to how cheap a replacement cover is, it's not cost effective to attempt.
If you do decide to have the bumper repaired, make sure the shop paints the entire bumper.

[iyzmi]

The shop will repair the bumper (repaint) for $800. To replace it would cost about $900. There is another shop that will repair for $700. I've already gone and gotten estimates so I know the facts. There are no cracks or creases whatsoever and I'm not sure what area you are referring to. There is a tiny little dent on the bottom where the white spots are but it's really not a big deal. There's a dent behind the plate but that doesn't matter because a new front plate will hide it. My choices are to try to have it professionally touched up, to fix it myself, or to buy a new painted bumper and install it myself. All of these options will be cheaper than my least expensive body shop estimate of $700. I probably won't be able to do it myself so that leaves me with the remaining two options. In the end I will probably just order a new one though.

[David Fermani]

Looks like a diagonal crease at the center of the left headlight bottom that goes on an angle down and stops in the middle of the left grille. It looks like a crease by the way the reflection of the clouds stops right at the edge of the crease. The other side of the cover doesn't look like that? It must be the way the reflection looks.

If there isn't a crease (which I believe you), the cover is easily repairable.

Also, my estimating data base shows the bumper cover to be $260.40. The part # is 55504FE020. If you want to PM me your e-mail address, I'll send you a screen shot.

[iyzmi]

Nah, that's just the reflection of the house. And I don't need a screen shot, I believe you. I'm looking at the estimate to replace it right now and I see that the cover is $260.40. All type out the prices on that I see:

Final Calculations & Entries
Gross Parts - $260.40
Other Parts - $15.00
Paint Material - $154.00
Parts & Materials Total - $429.40
Tax on Parts & Materials @ 5.600% - $24.05

Labor
1-Sheet Metal- $181.50
4-Refinish - $242.00
Labor Total - $423.50
Tax on Labor @ 5.600% - $23.72
Sublet Repairs - $5.00
Tax on Sublet Repairs @ 5.600% - $.28

GROSS TOTAL - $905.95

[iyzmi]

Originally Posted by AppliedColors

Call your local Toyota, BMW, Nissan, Mercedes, and Lexus dealerships. They all use bumper specialists.

Some of them didn't know what I was talking about but 3 of them have a guy that comes in once a week. I only got 1 guy's number and he does not do house calls. I'll see if maybe I can meet one of them at a dealership...

[heyyo302]

Precise information very helpful for me and hope for others too. You can dainting the parts for bringing it back which was before accident. Of course it will not like new but almost better than general painting.

[iyzmi]

Do you guys think any body shop would paint an unpainted brand new bumper cover for around $240 or is this way too low? So far my best price is $500 for a new bumper on ebay and I'm just seeing if I have any alternatives.

[My5ABaby]

I vote you practice on the bumper and see how good you can get it. If you go with the airbrush method you're looking at under $50 in parts/supplies it would seem. If you don't like the results, get it repaired professionally. The worst that happens is you get a $50 lesson on touching up paint. Best is that you get a great looking bumper that you fixed yourself.

[David Fermani]

Originally Posted by iyzmi

Do you guys think any body shop would paint an unpainted brand new bumper cover for around $240 or is this way too low? So far my best price is $500 for a new bumper on ebay and I'm just seeing if I have any alternatives.

They might paint it for that much if you do the installation. Again, I don't suggest painting this as a DIY project because of the quality of your vehicle. If it was a low quality vehicle in bad shape I'd say go for it, but not on this one.

[iyzmi]

I called 2 places and both quoted me at $350 to paint it.