A few weeks ago this guy backed up into me scratching up my front bumper. Not much damage done to the car just paint scratches and chips. I got around $900 from it and the dealership would fix it up for like $600-700.

I was wondering if there was a cheaper way?

Anyone know anybody selling their good condition WDP front bumper around Dallas? I would love to save the money for the A-spec lip kit.

 

Have you tried looking around for a body shop to paint it cheaper than the dealer? Will the A-Spec lip cover the damage?

 

Nah, the A-spec kit will not cover the problem, the paint is cracked... And I don't really like taking my car to any place other than the dealership.. =\ Unless I know for sure it'll be a quality job.

 

Take it to the dealership, or a shop they use/recommend. I got my front bumper repainted because of the same exact reason, and it didnt turn out as good as I expected, but I was able to get $200 out of it because I claimed the other party's insurance.

Got any pics of the damage? It might be even cheaper to get a 07-08 front conversion even if you buy the pieces from scratch. Iono how it'll fit but I believe its totally doable.

 

The pics are still on my girl's cam I believe. Not much damage done, I just wish it didn't crack the paint... =\

 

Try asking any people you may know in your area that are in the car industry. They normally know people who can do the jobs for almost 60% less.

I scratched my rear bumper and had the whole thing repainted for 150 bucks. Can't imagine why you couldn't find the same deal there.

 

i'm getting my hood repainted for $180.. there are people out there that do it for REALLY REALLY cheap and good quality work...

 

Yea my guy even used OEM paint. Everything. It still looks cherry.

 

There's slight damage done to the headlights, but am choosing not to fix it because it's barely there. Keepin' the money.
I don't really know anyone in the auto repair industry so no hook ups... =\
My dad has a guy, but it's more of a low end shop. (They cut a lot of corners.)

 

Dude, it looks like you got hit by an elephant! The shop I chose quoted me at $450 at first, but the owner jacked it up for me to almost a thousand so I could get a little bit more money since I'm claiming another party.

I found the shop on yelp.com, 80 reviews with all 5 stars. I wasn't satisfied with the job, but I called him up earlier today and he'll redo it next week to meet my expectations. Go on yelp a look for good quality shops, then get all of their quotes on the repair costs.

 

Your lip looks like it can possibly be buffed out and have the damage removed. Not always 100% but it looks that way.

 

Nah, there's tiny paint cracks going all around there...
I'm sure all the black mess could be buffed out, but there's so much that you can't see with just a camera.

 

Okay so, I've gone to 8 different body shops and have narrowed it down to 4.

((Dealership charges about $700.00))

$450.00 - New Concept (recommended by a guy from Intercrew)
The place was kind of weird... A big lot covered by a wooden fence and the garage... Was kind of iffy on it until I saw that they were working on a S2000 and they had a newer beamer in the lot waiting to be painted. They get a lot of work from some dealerships and they use PPC paint which is pretty good. He said he charges a cheap price because it's a "wholesale" price.

$517.99 - Atlas
This is a bigger garage, which could be both good or bad... They seem to know what they're doing, but might rush the job to get to another car. A little more expensive, but still a lot cheaper than the dealership. It looks like they deal more with European cars so I'm not too sure if they could match the White Diamond Pearl color very well.

$608.80 - Road Runner
Their work looks pretty impressive, a very friendly staff, and the location is very near. The only thing is that they do A LOT of domestics. I see a lot of flat colored mustangs in the lot when I pass by, and it's a bit pricey.

$648.23 - Best Choice
Run by a traditional Chinese family with some people that are really experienced. He ran by the step-by-step process that he would do. He admitted that the Pearl would be hard to match and said that they'd usually do 3-4 tries to match the color up perfectly. They also said that they'd wait until it's a clear sunny day to be positive that it would be the right color. The only thing is that it is pretty pricey.

The wait on all of these places are around 3-4 days.

I've spent about 3-4 hours driving to each of the places and getting estimates. I really want to get a decent job for cheap. I might check out one more place tomorrow or Wednesday, but that place is kind of pricey also.
Any input would definitely be helpful. It's my car, my dream vehicle, but my mom said, "It's just the bumper, it'll be good enough."

Thanks ahead of time guys!

 

your mom wont understand your love for your car

my parents are the same way lol

 

The guy's insurance is paying for it, and I want to keep as much as possible while getting a good job done... Or can I not have it all?

 

WDP is a pretty hard color to match with so I would use the money and find a person that is good at painting.

 

I ended up going to A+ Motor Bay. Friend recommended, talked to the Mobile Service place near it, and they said they always have cars coming in looking wrecked and coming out like showroom. Paid a little extra, but I know they'll be doing an excellent job.
Paying $550 total for a full sand/repaint on the front bumper.

They had a few cars in the lot, but started working on my car right away. They had a NBP 04 TL sitting in the garage getting some body work done on the rear passenger. I liked the way it was turning out! I should be getting it back in about 4-5 days, will post up pics of the work when done!

 

damn i feel bad. =( i would be pissed if someone did that to my tl