question about cost on a repair

[ralessi]

ugh, I feel like a retard... was dropping my girlfriend off at her house and pulled into her driveway... I stopped turned my head towards her to say goodbye and so on... but I guess my foot let off the pedal a little bit and BOOM hit the concrete wall at 2 mph or so...



Wow, I have so much better things to do with my money... sigh...



The damage is like 1 inch tall and 1/2 inch wide... It is a bunch of little holes that I can feel with my fingernail... some are still green underneath but some are white(might be paint from the wall)? And like an inch above it there are a few more scratches but not bad at all...



question is... what can I do about this? Do I need it repainted? Can I touch it up myself? Would it be able to get buffed out? How much will this type of thing cost and who can I go to for it? Thanks a lot for anything you guys can tell me...



raley

[Lemonxxs]

DO you have a picture?



What year, car, color etc.



If the top coat is gone then paint is required may it be touch up or a total paint. If the car has clearcoat then it is hard to do a total paint in a small area because of blending in the clear.



Take to some body shops for estimates.

[hkross]

it should just be paint. I hit my moms car while back. This was before autopia so dont get mad guys. I used some turtle wax rubing compound. And it removed it all. There was a dent still but that was cause my speed was higher. But if you use some remover it might be fine. Maybe clay? :nixweiss

[imported_BretFraz]

Use a magnifying glass to look at the damage. The white you see may be scratches down to the primer or it may be concrete residue. What you see will tell you what the next step is.



If you can feel broken paint then the damage is done. You can clean it up as best you can (re: above comments) or have a body shop sand, fill, and respray for $$$. Sorta depends on your long term view of the car.



Good luck.

[ralessi]

I am not sure what down to the primer would look like... so I am not sure... Do body shops give free estimates? Any advice on how to decide which one is reputable and does good work? What about something like wetsanding or something else of the like... The car, btw, is a 99 mazda protege es, color is dark green.



How much would the sand refill and respray cost btw? And the touch up/buffing out if I take to body shop... thanks...



raley

[Lemonxxs]

The primer would be a different color than the top coat.



Most body shops should be able to look at it and give a free estimate right on the spot since the damage is localized and does not include any body work.

[TonyTahoe]

Question for you: Is it on metal of the fender or the plastic bumper material?

[medic]

Originally posted by ralessi

I am not sure what down to the primer would look like... so I am not sure... Do body shops give free estimates? Any advice on how to decide which one is reputable and does good work? What about something like wetsanding or something else of the like... The car, btw, is a 99 mazda protege es, color is dark green.



How much would the sand refill and respray cost btw? And the touch up/buffing out if I take to body shop... thanks...



raley



I`ve heard Macco is bad, but that was for a complete paint job. The paint pealed and discolored, but that may have just been from regular use.



Any good body shop will give free estimates and it probably won`t be much since it`s localized. I`d figure <$150-$200 on the high end.



You can talk to the local Mazda dealer to find out what body shops they use. AAA can probably also reccomend some. The best way though is to look at their work when you are at the shop and decide.

[ralessi]

Just checked it again... It is a plastic material... is this good or bad? Hopefully it is good... haha...



anyway, most of the white stuff is gone (actually I think all of it but am not 100%)... this is probably a good sign? It is pretty chewed up though like a bunch of bad rock dings or something... I should be getting a digital camera Saturday or early next week so I will be able to take a picture soon... any advice for now? Thanks...



oh also, I am getting detailing shipment from CMA either tomorrow or monday, I have klasse stuff and 3M SMR... what should I do? Should I wait until I get this fixed or go for the full treatment? This will be my first time washing and detailing a car but I have thoroughly read the archives... thanks



raley

[Lemonxxs]

Play with your new stuff on the rest of the car if not the whole car for now....

[ralessi]

alright, I have some pics... one is close up, one is from far away... let me know what you think



http://home.woh.rr.com/ralessi/scratchfar.jpg



http://home.woh.rr.com/ralessi/scratch.JPG



raley

[ralessi]

any more help here please? should be easier now that i have pictures ;-D, just looking for possible repair techniques or whatever you have to help me with ... thanks a lot



raley

[imported_BretFraz]

Well, it looks like the damage is down to the plastic cover. Me thinks the only way to fix it is to have a body shop sand it to the plastic and respray the area.



Since the bumper/air dam is one piece it might be best to have the whole thing resprayed instead of blending in the one spot.



This is best left to a pro. They work with these plastic front clips daily and know how to repair them.



One question - is it something you can live with? It looks bad up close but maybe not too horrible. I`m concerned that to make it look new will cost serious $$$$.



BTW, great pic. Thanks!!