Smashed bumper repair: Lexus LS430

A

AppliedColors

New member
Customer delivers car for detail and we remark bumper damage and offer a repair for $350 (usually we would charge $450 if the car had arrived for the bumper alone).



01.JPG




Remove bumper. Clean, scuff, and remove wax and grease. Remove chrome trim. Heat dent with heat gun. Reshape with hand (wear gardening gloves). Scuff w/ 80 grit.



02.JPG




Fill w/ polyester body filler. Sand w/ DA. Sand w/ 600 grit. Spray primer.



04.JPG




Remount to car. Spray white basecoat. Spray pearl midcoat. Spray clearcoat.



03.JPG




Took 2 people 2.5 hours.



Materials cost: $45.



Touched up various scratches and chips for $50. Detailed for $219.



Total ticket: $619.



Car returned to customer in 6 hours.
 
Very nice. Shows the professional what kind of return there is on additional services. Perhaps you should repost this in the Professional Detailers forum?
 
drew.haynes said:
Nice! Any more pics of the repair from other angles and/or lighting?
Click to expand...



I have no other pictures. This repair came out virtually prefect from all angles...only a body man could detect the repair. White cars (even white pearl) are very easy to paint...white hides any defects.



The chrome strip was surprisingly easy to reshape. We simply removed it, applied new mounting tape, heated it a bit to make it bend easily, and reapplied it.



The customer got amazing value on this repair...the Lexus dealership wanted $1350 for the repair :nervous2:.
 
AppliedColors said:
The customer got amazing value on this repair...the Lexus dealership wanted $1350 for the repair :nervous2:.
Click to expand...



That's because they wanted to replace the bumper and sensor. Most shops don't advocate bumper repair, but it's a viable part of collision repair.



Questions:

Did you clear the entire bumper?

Did you refinish the sensor housing?

Do you offer a guarantee with your repairs?

What's the object hanging off the left bottom edge on the finished picture?
 
David Fermani said:
That's because they wanted to replace the bumper and sensor. Most shops don't advocate bumper repair, but it's a viable part of collision repair.



Questions:

Did you clear the entire bumper?

Did you refinish the sensor housing?

Do you offer a guarantee with your repairs?

What's the object hanging off the left bottom edge on the finished picture?
Click to expand...



1. Not for $350...not going to happen.

2. Sensor was fine. We tested it before and after the repair.

3. 4 year warranty. Never had a claim.

4. Masking tape. Removed during final inspection.
 
A 3 hour repair (dent wise) on a bumper with *full* 3 stage & overhaul is ~$500. You charged less, but you're spotting in the repair, which costs less and isn't a proper repair per industry standards.



FYI - Lexus doesn't allow sensors (even housings) to be refinished. That's probably why their estimate was so expensive. Even if a sensor has the tiniest scratch, they make you replace them. That's why they are only ordered by color. From your pictures, the left outer sensor looked damaged?



Have you been doing these types of repairs for 4 years or have followed repairs like these to see if they hold up in the elements? Spot repairs usually fail. That's why paint manufacturers don't allow them.
 
David Fermani said:
A 3 hour repair (dent wise) on a bumper with *full* 3 stage & overhaul is ~$500. You charged less, but you're spotting in the repair, which costs less and isn't a proper repair per industry standards.



FYI - Lexus doesn't allow sensors (even housings) to be refinished. That's probably why their estimate was so expensive. Even if a sensor has the tiniest scratch, they make you replace them. That's why they are only ordered by color. From your pictures, the left outer sensor looked damaged?



Have you been doing these types of repairs for 4 years or have followed repairs like these to see if they hold up in the elements? Spot repairs usually fail. That's why paint manufacturers don't allow them.
Click to expand...



I did offer to clear the whole bumper for an additional $125. This would ensure that the blend would not delaminate 4 - 8 years in the future. The customer declined to pay the extra $125, as happens about 80% of the time.



Industry standards require that the bumper and sensors be replaced; as I wrote, we tested the let outer sensor in the shop and it worked fine. The same standards require that body shops mark up parts 50% and charge far more labor than is actually expended. Thus, independent body shops would do this job for maybe $900. A Lexus dealership will charge $1350 but include a gourmet chocolate and maybe a keyring for the customer's patronage.



I've been doing these repairs for 6 years and have followed some for as many as 4. No complaints, no comebacks. But...I operate in Oregon where UV damage is minimal. I couldn't in clear conscience charge a retail rate ($400) on a spot repair on a black bumper in TX or AZ and offer a guarantee. But I could certainly do it for $225 with a 3 year guarantee.



The customers who want spot repair are paying out of pocket or have high deductables. When I offer them a same day repair that I guarantee to last 4 years for $350 when a body shop offers a visually identical repair that will take them 3 days for $1350, whom do you think an intelligent person with a budget will choose?



About one in eight cars has a bumper scuff or blemish. Why do they go unfixed? Because bodyshop insist on replacing the entire bumper at a cost of $800 - $1300.



Spot repair is a significant sector of modern body repair. It operates on cash (no insurance hassles), and addresses blemishes and eyesores that previously went unfixed because of the unrealistic standards and pricing of high overhead shops.
 
SilvaBimma said:
Where would one get training to do all this?
Click to expand...



I'm self-taught.



If I did it again, I'd attend paint/body courses at the local community college.



One thing that has helped is hiring workers with body shop experience. The things I learn from them are invaluable.
 
Nice work, I usually do quickies without removing it, I heat the dented area with a heat gun and use PDR tools to push it out and cool with cold water and patch with bondo if needed and repaint.
 
Looks good. I do blends at my dealership all the time, and have never had anyone come back with a complaint.



Might want to clean the white off the exhaust tip though. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top