Two deep scratches -- should I go to a pro?

A

AsmodeusDM

New member
Hello all,

When I returned to my car at the Target parking lot today, this wonderful sight greeted me:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dmalenda/CarScatches

Not sure if it was from a cart or another car.....

In any case I'm pretty sad about it.. especially since I've had the car all of 6 months.

In any case.. it doesn't appear to have gone through to the metal, instead it looks like the paint has been scrapped away and left a black primer? layer behind. Or it could just be the plastic of the bumper.

I'm wondering if there's any way I can fix this... or should I take it to a pro?
 
I'd suggest taking it to a reputable body shop for the repair. If you go with a cut rate body shop they probably won't use the necessary flex agent in the paint to make the repair. If they don't and you bump something even slightly you'll have all kinds of cracks in the paint then.

If you're not opposed to a self touch up job then I suggest finding your paint code and looking at expresspaint.com or call autogeek about a dr. colorchip solution. I haven't looked at dr colorchip at autogeek yet but I believe it is a touch up system.
 
Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but the third photo almost looks as if the area of that scuff had been previously "repaired" with some brushed-on touch up paint.... is that correct?

I would agree with Dave's comment though, if you don't have the equipment and experience with spraying paint, your best bet will be to go to a body shop for a completely proper repair. There are a number of ways to perform a DIY repair "on the cheap" but they will never be totally right in terms of appearance or longevity. Just depends how picky you are.
 
Welcome to the site from Northern Calif


That's a body shop fix IMO, its down to the plastic / metal


Oh and you wear funny looking socks:rofl:rofl

Just kidding:D
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but the third photo almost looks as if the area of that scuff had been previously "repaired" with some brushed-on touch up paint.... is that correct?
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good catch :inspector: if you look closely at picture #2 you can see the tape line from a previous painting of the bumper. The way the paint peeled off leads me to believe the repaint of the bumper was not done correctly ...

as stated above, if you want the car to look right, take it to a good shop and have them strip the bumper and do it right :bigups
 
Thanks everyone for the replies.

The areas pictured have never been repainted I bought the car brand new from the showroom ~6 months ago and have never had any paint repair done to it.

The second gouge is right where two panels come together to create a ridge, maybe that's the "line" that you are all seeing.

I will call some shops today to get an estimate, any idea of what I can expect to pay out of pocket? (I like in Northeast Ohio if it makes a difference).
 
AsmodeusDM said:
Thanks everyone for the replies.

The areas pictured have never been repainted I bought the car brand new from the showroom ~6 months ago and have never had any paint repair done to it.

The second gouge is right where two panels come together to create a ridge, maybe that's the "line" that you are all seeing.

I will call some shops today to get an estimate, any idea of what I can expect to pay out of pocket? (I like in Northeast Ohio if it makes a difference).
Click to expand...

You know, even "brand new from the showroom" cars may have had paint work done to them if they were damaged during shipping/etc. -- not that the dealership would ever tell you that unless you spotted the repair and asked about it. ;)

As far as what you'd pay, body shops I've seen are likely to go anywhere from $150-300 to R&R a bumper cover and refinish it.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
You know, even "brand new from the showroom" cars may have had paint work done to them if they were damaged during shipping/etc. -- not that the dealership would ever tell you that unless you spotted the repair and asked about it. ;)
Click to expand...

Came in here to say just that. In fact, I believe that dealerships (in some cases) may not know themselves when there has been some repair work (i.e. from the manufacturer to the regional distributor) nor are they obliged to tell you (sell the car "as new") even if they do know. It may be different for different states, and I haven't done the legwork to say this is, in fact, state law here. I am going on "hearsay" from a friend I have who works for the industry.

In any case, I cast my vote to have those professionally repaired/repainted.
 
Well I called up 3 body shops today to get price quotes (and these are reputable shops I work for Progressive auto insurance and got them from our preferred list). Each one quoted me at around $400 to tear down the bumper cover, sand, repaint, and reassemble.

Ugh...
 
AsmodeusDM said:
Well I called up 3 body shops today to get price quotes (and these are reputable shops I work for Progressive auto insurance and got them from our preferred list). Each one quoted me at around $400 to tear down the bumper cover, sand, repaint, and reassemble.

Ugh...
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My local shop charges $500.00 so $400.00 is reasonable for a first rate job.
If it is just patched it will look good for about 18 months then you will see the patch area under the clear.
Only way to fix it right is to sand and repaint entire piece.
 
Poorboy said:
also have them paint it off the car ;)
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Agreed. I'd go so far as to tell them you don't even want the car itself in the shop when they do the work on the bumper. That way you don't get tons of body filler dust and paint/primer overspray everywhere you don't want it to be.
 
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