jtdurden

1 month old '06 TSX (CGP). My rear bumper was hit in a parking lot creating some deep scratches along a two foot section. Don't know who did it. Below are my two options so far.

I saw this very similar post https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37303 but was wondering if anyone here had ever had a repair job similar to that in option #1 below.

1) I went to my Acura dealer, where I discovered this guy who sets up shop in the parking lot a few days a week. He works under a tent out the back of a van. Said he would tape off the area (ie. will not remove the bumper), sand it down, and paint and clearcoat just that area. Said he uses some German paint matching system. About 2.5 hours and $200. Is this shady? Think the paint will blend / match well?

2) Local body shop quoted me $830 to replace the bumper. They are a very reputable shop that specializes in luxury cars. I'd expect them to do a very professional job.


I'm leaning towards the guy in the dealer parking lot. Deductible is too high to claim insurance. Normally, I'd be sketched out about a "quick fix" job, but this guy seemed knowledgeable and was working on several Acuras in the parking lot of an Acura dealer.

I'll try to post some pics shortly (have to get my web server up)

Tsx536

So is the guy is the parking lot affiliated and/or supported by your dealership?

...or was he just some random dude that walked up to you when you're were going in?

TacoBellSauce

i say try the dude in the parking lot except tell him that you wouldn pay him unless the job was flawless
if he doesnt do a good job, u keep ur money and still go with option 2 with out any loss trying option 1

LuvMyTSX

I'd go option #1 if that's the only two choices, and the guy is good at what he does. But, if he can fix it without replacing the bumper, why does the shop in option #2 have to replace it? Can't they just repaint it?

jtdurden

One of the salesmen actually directed me to him, but I don't know any specifics about his relationship with the dealer. He had his own business cards, so it doesn't appear he is employed by the dealership, but he obviously had approval to set up in their lot. He said he is normally there several days a week and has been doing this for a long time.

The body shop gave me a second quote to repair instead of replace, however it was actually slightly more expensive. I imagine this shop would not be willing to cut any corners and risk their reputation.

jtdurden

visuelz

It costs 800 dollars to replace a bumper?!

LuvMyTSX

Yes, unfortunately. The (front) bumper itself is around $300 unpainted, then you have to pay the body shop to paint it. Cost was $7xx when I got my new bumper. That was for the front...I'm not sure about the rear bumper but I'd imagine it's about the same, as evidenced by the OP's $800 quote.

jtdurden

Here's the breakdown from the body shop quote:

$347 - Parts (rear bumper)
$63 - Body Labor (1.5hrs, removal & reinstallation)
$231 - Paint Labor (5.5 hours)
$148 - Paint Supplies (5.5 hours)
$17 - Misc (I have no idea)
$25 - Tax


$831 - Total

bjtexer

i've had the same problem b4 i paid $250 to get it wetsand and repaint by the similar peoples they are the color match peoples who are working for all the dealerships their job is to match up small scratch that doens't need to be set and dry in the drying room like the body shop...anyways, i can tell you that the color matched my fractory color 99.9% (i used to have an PWP and that color is verry hard to match) but the quality is not too good, the spot that got repainted on my car started to chip off about two months later. if i were you i'll spend the money and get it done right... hope this will help!!!

CrazyCool[O]

iTrader: (1)

Well said It should be done right.

parag_a2z

the guy outside the stealership should be good, have seen this type of shops in LA region. These guys are pretty good at their work, and i think if he says, he can fix it, prolly he can do a better job than most of other guys out there.......

acn684

jtdurden...from the lookks of you pics...it seems like ur scrapes aren't that deep at all..If i were you, you'd probably be able to cover the bottom with aspec kit and the top with some touch up paint and buffer techniques. Unless theres more, i don't think it'll be worth it to spend 800 bucks on a new bumper just for that type of flaw. Unfortunately, shit happens and people are careless, you might end up with a new scratch again and it'll just be a pain again to replace. My advice, try the aspec kit, i figured if ur alreayd willing to spend tha tmuch for a new bumper, if not, just try to touch it up and buff it out for now.

taz98spin

Wow! Don't know what state you are in, but I thought I was getting
ripped off when I got quoted $400 from a Honda service center.

I have a 06 CGP too, and somebody hit the side of my bumper while parked in a garage. Mine was only 2 weeks old than.......
Used a heat gun to pop it back out, but decided spending $400 to repaint the bumper wasn't worth it. Maybe in a few years I'll fix it, but as of right now, I'm fine with it.

mrgold35

Thought about checking the salvage yards for CGP TSX with front end damage and a perfectly good rear bumper? You could find a used replacement bumper for $400 in perfect condition.

I life you get what you pay for, you can't expect $830 bucks of quality from $200 of service. If I was selling the car in 6 months, I would go for the $200 job.

klas

my advice, spray paint it and drive it as is... you'll be paying more money if someone scratches it again and believe me... when you have a nice car... $hit happens all the time

04 from KC

Exact same damage-- only I am an idiot and figured the over-tanned scummy dealer meant "professionally" done (even though he said they would do it in a couple hours). Got it back and it looked like a teenager in high school vo tech used silver nail polish from the dollar store. It was re-done three times-- same every time. Finally after complaining to corporate, they agreed to repaint at their body shop. Great. I have also heard about and seen awesome work done by back parking lot van people since my ordeal. Good luck.

stogie1020

Get a written warranty and the policy number of the parking lot guy's business insurance.

jtdurden

Thanks for all the input. (by the way, I'm in Northern Virginia, a few miles outside DC) Good idea to check salvage yards. I hadn't thought of that one. That's a good alternative to having a new one painted.

I think I'll try the guy at the dealer parking lot next week. I'll post some pics afterwards. If I'm not happy with it, I can always replace it later. Like others have pointed out, it will get scratched again sooner or later, so why spend all that money when I'm just going to get pissed again when it happens.

Another thing that occurred to me is the synthetic wax (Klasse) I've used. Putting paint on top of wax doesn't seem like a good idea. Obviously the sanded part won't have wax, but there's bound to be some overlap between what's sanded and what's painted. I don't know what kind of prep this guy will do. Maybe I'll strip the wax myself beforehand. Any opinions on that?

After it's done, I'll put a few coats of Klasse on top. Hopefully, that will help minimize any issues with paint coming off.

acn684

to strip wax, just use rubbing alocohol. Washing that area with dawn works too..but thats really harsh in terms of chemicals to pqaint.

wrussi

i've dealt with those types of shops before(the ppl on the dealership in the tents) they are good BUT tak off the bumper and take it to them they do a crappy job at masking stuff. i learned that the hard way. paint quality wise is good

Deepfreezed

thats not bad at all. try the guy. no need to replace bumper.

Ishakir

Another possibility (if you are worried about paint matching) is to buy the paint and give it to the guy. The guys over at www.paintscratch.com match the Acura paint colors perfectly and sell the paints in different quantities.

hageemah

i have given up on fixing all the dents and scratches on my car. the bumpers are bound to get dented and just become a moneypit. you will notice when ur bumper gets scratched, the first thing is it will flake white, which is the clearcoat. think of a krispy kreme donut and squishing it. the sugar coating is like your clearcoat. most should just wash off although that area won't have protection anymore. most of the stuff on your bottom picture should wash off. there is a place in san diego called BumperMedic that has a shop specializing in this and they charge about $325 for a 3 hour job. just a fyi.

jtdurden

So I paid the guy $200 to repaint the bumper. I think it looks great and I'm glad I didn't pay the $830 to have it replaced. The paint match is right on. I'm sure there's someone who can see a difference, but I can't.

For anyone interested, here's what he did:

- Taped off entire bumper and the tail pipes
- Cleaned w/ some kind of solvent
- Electric power sander on the scratched spots - two passes, second time w/ finer grade paper.
- Cleaned w/ solvent again.
- Applied "prep spray" to help the paint adhere. Used a spray gun hooked up to an air compressor.
- Allowed to dry about 10 minutes while he mixed the paint and strained it.
- Applied paint (again with the spray gun). Looked kind of dull at this point.
- Drying time in sun for 5-10 min.
- Applied clearcoat w/ spray gun.
- Drying time in sun for 5-10 min. Looked nice and shiny again.
- Sprayed with water and hand sanded w/ fine paper. This removed some small specs/bumps where a grain of dirt had gotten in.
- Power buffer w/ wool pad and polish.

Total time was about 2 - 2.5 hours.

This weekend, after washing, I put a coat of Klasse all-in-one on the bumper, followed by a coat of their sealant (the silver bottle).

acn684

nice, thats actually the real pro way to touch up a bumper. Some people wont even go through 1/2 those steps let alone the last 5.

aaronng

Don't apply a sealant to the resprayed area. You will get bubbling. Leave it to outgas for 8 weeks before applying a sealant. Washing and applying a glaze is fine.

jtdurden

It was about a week between when it was painted and when I put the Klasse sealant on. (the bottle says "high gloss sealant glaze") Should I strip if off and wait another 7 weeks? Another user said rubbing alcohol was a good way to strip wax.