by "Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
Published 04/17/2017 at 13:02
by "Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
Published 04/17/2017 at 13:02
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STARS: 0
My Miata has some gouges in the front bumper cover from the previous owner probably rear-ending someone gently. Went to the body shop for a quote to fix it... yikes.
Overhaul front bumper = $100 labor
Body labor = $125 labor
Refinish = $140 paint
Clear coat = $55
Basecoat reduction (aka prep sanding) = $25
Remove fog lights (wtf why?) = $20
Paint materials = $125
Total pre-tax = 590
what in the SHIT? Aside from the price these guys seem to want to do this the hardest possible way by removing the entire bumper and all components from it instead of just cutting a hole in some masking paper, skimming some bumper filler over the gouges, sanding, painting, then wet-sanding and clearing. Fuck that shit. Time to go buy some spray cans of factory touch-up paint since I already have a syringe of bumper filler.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
04/17/2017 at 13:03, STARS: 1
Is this what ChrisFix is for?
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
04/17/2017 at 13:05, STARS: 2
http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/how-to-make-your-cars-face-pretty-again-1794126301
Thought this was a pretty thorough write-up on DIY bumper repair. Looks managable if you’re of the DIY type.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:07, STARS: 0
In theory. The problem is with the metallic paint which, aside from the inherent issues of being metallic and super difficult to blend properly, is incredibly rare since less than 6000 cars were ever manufactured wearing this paint code (2002 Special Edition, 2003 Shinsen Version, 2004 MazdaSpeed) if I remember correctly. I think some weird version of the Protege had it as well but nobody ever bought those.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:09, STARS: 0
What is a chrisfix
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
04/17/2017 at 13:10, STARS: 4
I charge $0.10 to conduct Google searches.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
04/17/2017 at 13:12, STARS: 0
In that case, I’d just pull the entire front bumper for a respray. See if that’s a bit less expensive than the quote you were provided with?
"E92M3" (E46M3)
04/17/2017 at 13:12, STARS: 3
What if you take the bumper off yourself, remove the fogs, leave it with them, and reinstall it all yourself?
Or just order a can from PaintScratch.com, and DIY. I’ve used them before and it matched perfect.
"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
04/17/2017 at 13:12, STARS: 2
I charge $0.25 for correcting youtube.com where google.com was used.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
04/17/2017 at 13:14, STARS: 0
or LMGTFY.
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
04/17/2017 at 13:18, STARS: 1
Oh you want insurance to do that. Have a friend with a trailer hitch back into in a bit. Someone bumped my z which normally would have been infuriating, but I needed the rear crossmember by the hatch lid replaced anyway and I got the rear painted. A head start on the rest of the paint work! Wink wink nudge nudge.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/17/2017 at 13:22, STARS: 1
That’s not as bad as I thought. But it still might not be worth paying them. I’d take 2-night vacation instead.
"AfromanGTO" (afromangto)
04/17/2017 at 13:28, STARS: 0
It seems like they want to do a quality job, and only once at that.
"Sovande" (sovande)
04/17/2017 at 13:28, STARS: 0
I would guess they want to remove the bumper to do the job the right way instead of just using rattle cans and bumper filler. The cost doesn’t sound all that crazy if the result is that it matches your car and the repair is not visible. Bumper filler and touch up paint is going to look like bumper filler and touch up paint when you are done.
"RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire" (ricerocketeer2)
04/17/2017 at 13:28, STARS: 0
Sadly, that sounds about right.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:37, STARS: 0
Bodywork is stupid.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:37, STARS: 0
Possibly. Looks like just the paint and materials is around $250 though
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
04/17/2017 at 13:39, STARS: 2
Here in Madison we’ve got this body shop called AutoColor that isn’t a full-on body shop but instead specializes in plastic bumper repair, paintless dent repair, and detailing. Basically more minor stuff where dealerships send them a lot of business, and also people who want to fix minor things on their cars that aren’t worth claiming on insurance. I used them once for some repairs similar to what you’re describing and it was maybe 300 bucks tops. Still more than the price of touchup paint but you might try to find a similar shop near you instead of a traditional body shop.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:39, STARS: 0
Paintscratch sadly doesn’t have my color since it’s fairly rare. I have found it at one or two places so I may look at going the DIY route. I just don’t understand how or why repainting a 5x12" area requires removing the whole damn bumper.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
04/17/2017 at 13:39, STARS: 0
Inb4 repeat of last miata’s door.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:39, STARS: 0
I don’t think my insurance with my $1000 deductible would cover something that was wrong with the car before I even got it.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:43, STARS: 1
Bumper filler and a touch up respray is exactly what they’re wanting to do, though. I see no reason why the front of the car has to be taken apart to do that
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
04/17/2017 at 13:43, STARS: 1
$250 for a quality bumper respray by a pro shop seems entirely reasonable. They might still insist on doing some prep work.
"Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero" (sampsonite24)
04/17/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 0
yeah but if you have someone hit it now they wouldnt know, i keep hoping a tree branch falls on the cobalt and totals it so i dont have to pay to fix the motor myself
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 0
Or repeat of the S197 Mustang’s door handles, which turned out better than factory because I used actual automotive paint instead of rustoleum.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:45, STARS: 0
$300 is what I was expecting on the high end for what amounts to “a little body filler then blend the paint”
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:46, STARS: 0
But if the repair is less than my deductible I’d still have to pay for it, right? I’m still not clear on how that works.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
04/17/2017 at 13:46, STARS: 1
I think you should just get a bull bar to cover it up
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 13:47, STARS: 0
Or a vinyl stripe. Which was my original thought.
"Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero" (sampsonite24)
04/17/2017 at 13:50, STARS: 0
yeah youre probably right, i have a lower deductible on the cobalt so its a bit different for me
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
04/17/2017 at 13:54, STARS: 0
That actually sounds appropriate. Nothing sounds too crazy in there. The fog lights coming off makes sense if the bumper is being removed and especially if the paint inside the housing area is being resprayed. Sure the final price is high but not surprising for body work.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
04/17/2017 at 13:56, STARS: 0
oh yeah that sounds way too high then. That price should be a full sand and repaint
"Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever" (rustanddust)
04/17/2017 at 14:30, STARS: 3
Bumpers get removed due to the mounting edges that aren’t exposed when mounted on the car, as well as the fact that painting a bumper on a stand is a hell of a lot easier than masking an entire car for a bumper. Hardline the paint at the fender edge, and it’ll be peeling within months.
Parts get removed for the same reasons you’d pull pictures and switch/outlet plates off of a wall when painting inside your house. It’s impossible to prep the bumper properly for refinish with trim installed, and stuffing your hands down into the foglight pockets with blue fineline and a razorblade would be a nightmare.
Paint must be sanded off as when you hit a certain millage, or paint thickness, no paint manufacturer will warranty their product, as excessive millage will lead to paint cracking/failure.
They’re probably not painting the entire bumper, but they’ll have to clear the whole cover. Basecoat can be applied in the repair area, and overreduced and blended into the undamaged base, helping to maintain the color match at the fenders. If they try to melt a clear blend into undamaged clear (unsupported process by both vehicle and paint manufacturers), especially on a bumper cover, it’ll fail prematurely.
$590 to overhaul, repair, and refinish a bumper cover is pretty good, to be honest.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
04/17/2017 at 14:31, STARS: 0
Wrap the whole thing
"Scary__goongala!" (corymagee)
04/17/2017 at 14:32, STARS: 0
When someone backed into the front bumper of my NA it cost them $610 out of pocket. Was just some big deep scratches and a big scuff spot. And then someone did it again just week ago. /sigh
"random001" (random001)
04/17/2017 at 14:40, STARS: 0
You mean they want to do it right, and you’re bitching about it? Just do it yourself, then...
"random001" (random001)
04/17/2017 at 14:41, STARS: 0
Burn the whole thing.
"random001" (random001)
04/17/2017 at 14:41, STARS: 0
Because it’s the right way to do it.
"random001" (random001)
04/17/2017 at 14:42, STARS: 0
To avoid any chance of overspray on the reset of the damned car?
"diplodicus" (diplodicus)
04/17/2017 at 14:43, STARS: 1
Depends on your provider, on progressive if you aren’t at fault the deductible is waived.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 14:47, STARS: 0
Interesting. I’ll have to call them.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 14:48, STARS: 0
Masking and You: the magic of blue tape.
"Sovande" (sovande)
04/17/2017 at 14:51, STARS: 0
This was 100% not my experience with Progressive after getting hit with debris on the highway. $800 in damage and I got a $300 check. They did fix my shattered windshield for free, however.
"random001" (random001)
04/17/2017 at 14:52, STARS: 2
Experience and you: the magic of knowing things by doing them, screwing them up, and doing them right the next time.
They’re a pro shop, they’re not going to risk screwing up a job by not doing it 100% right. There’s the repair, the paint, the feathering so it doesn’t look like a respray with new paint on an old car, etc. It’s not a simple “mask off this little part and fix just it” task.
"diplodicus" (diplodicus)
04/17/2017 at 14:57, STARS: 0
Did you have broadform or limited?
“With Broad Form Collision coverage, we pay for damage to your vehicle caused by a collision that exceeds your deductible, regardless of fault. If it is determined that you are less than 50% at fault, you will not be required to pay a deductible.” Straight from progressives website.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
04/17/2017 at 14:59, STARS: 0
If it’s so easy why did you consider having a shop do it?
"DocWalt" (DocWalt)
04/17/2017 at 14:59, STARS: 1
The only way to get a decent coat of paint on that (that a shop would actually warrantee) is a full respray... I’ve been in the same situation, it sucks ass.
"DeLM" (oldmotox)
04/17/2017 at 15:01, STARS: 0
Makes me afraid they are going to total my LE when I bring it in tomorrow, someone didn’t look changing lanes and sideswiped me. the whole left side with exception of the rear bumper. I love my car. :(
"RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire" (ricerocketeer2)
04/17/2017 at 15:25, STARS: 0
Reminds me of these services:
http://www.fibrenew.com/markets-we-service/automotive-leather-plastic-vinyl-repair-restoration/
Not a judgment one way or another, haven’t used them myself. I think someone here on Oppo might be involved with them one way or another though which is how I ended up researching them in the first place.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 15:42, STARS: 0
Because I’m lazy.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 15:44, STARS: 0
Luckily Miata values are doing alright so if it’s totaled maybe the payout will buy you a nicer Miata? If my car gets hit I hope it gets totaled. I don’t want to drive a fixed car.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 15:45, STARS: 1
Well that blows. Bodywork sucks.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
04/17/2017 at 15:53, STARS: 2
You don’t have enough money to be lazy
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 15:55, STARS: 0
Shit.
"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
04/17/2017 at 16:02, STARS: 1
maybe they know how to paint cars better than you and all the steps are necessary?
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 16:25, STARS: 0
That makes far too much sense. I refuse to believe it.
"DeLM" (oldmotox)
04/17/2017 at 16:35, STARS: 0
Not likely with an LE, plus I just replaced all the brake rotors,pads, timing belt, water pump, front splitter, tires. etc. It was just all finished up for summer....
"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
04/17/2017 at 19:15, STARS: 1
hahaha. can I suggest you try to repair it yourself and then pay someone to paint it? Save a lot of spondoolixs that way.
I have fixed cracks in bumpers using this stuff $20 and you don’t need to buy a fancy squirt gun and its a proper 2 part adhesive.
sand down the paint clean out the gouges and sand them degrease squirt some magic in there and let it harden and then sand it and send it to paint.
or if you just need a smaller amount try this
"Sovande" (sovande)
04/17/2017 at 20:19, STARS: 0
No clue, but I am going to check!
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/17/2017 at 21:22, STARS: 1
I already have the bondo bumper repair kit. I’m going to give that a go and try to get it smooth then hit it with a $23 spray can of paint from a local shop that custom-mixes it to match your car. If the result isn’t satisfactory I’ll take the bumper off myself and have either a paint shop paint it or ask for a cheap favor from the local technical college.
"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
04/18/2017 at 02:06, STARS: 0
those paint cans they mix up is just spray paint that matches dont expect it to last.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
04/18/2017 at 04:51, STARS: 0
easier from an OH&S point of view to remove bumper and do it upright instead of crouching down
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/18/2017 at 10:28, STARS: 0
I gathered it was the same product they sell by the gallon to local body shops and hobbyists just in an aerosol.
"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
04/18/2017 at 14:17, STARS: 0
no pro paints are 2 part with a hardener which make the paint much more durable it actually chemically bonds with primers instead of just mechanically and any clear that is used has to be aerosol and that stuff is crap.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
04/18/2017 at 15:09, STARS: 0
Meh. Either way. I paint matched metallic colors on the door handles of my S197 and the finish on that turned out better than factory.
I just bought the base coat for the Miata and they said it’s the same stuff they sell by the quart just with hardener mixed in at a specific ratio.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
04/19/2017 at 12:28, STARS: 0
I had the same reaction. Not that bad given the amount of work to do it properly and also have it last (if they warranty their work).
"Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever" (rustanddust)
04/19/2017 at 15:22, STARS: 1
If they warranty and use decent materials, they’ll have $200-300 into a bumper in just primer, sealer, base, clear, and abrasives/tape.
A buddy of mine stopped by last month to get a price on painting his dad’s 30 year old Toyota pickup. Rust free, low miles, all service work performed per manufacturer schedule, but the paint was fading/clear delaminating pretty bad. I gave him a friendly off the cuff price of $4000 to disassemble, strip, prime, block, paint, polish, and reassemble. The price was a bit more than he had in mind, and we got onto other conversations. Ironically, we’d just finished painting a 67 Nova (sedan!) for a customer, and he loved the finish on it...
..which prompted me to pull the invoice for the basecoat. 1.25 gallons, unreduced, mixed out of Sikkens color library by our jobber:
My buddy’s jaw dropped, said he had no clue how expensive paint was, and dropped his dad’s truck off the following Monday.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
04/19/2017 at 17:49, STARS: 0
That Nova looks awesome!
That receipt looks familiar, too. My last gallon of Deltron was $900 for just color.
A good quality paint job (not even great) near me runs around $10,000 at a resto shop. At some point you have to decide if the car is worth top dollar work/materials or not.