If done correctly there really should not be a difference or at the very least it will be minimal. The problem is that over time the paint on your car will weather and fade. The paint code used by the paint shop will be the unweathered color and so if your paint is new then the match is better than if it is faded.

The rest has to do with the quality of the painter. If they do a good job you may not notice it at all. For a bumper I think you will be OK.

 

OP, seems like you're in the Chicago area (I noticed your Mullers license plate frame). Two years ago I purchased an OEM rear bumper cover myself and had Dent Mob in Schaumburg repaint and mount it. It was inexpensive and the paint match was perfect. Better than the original bumper. Paint has held up nicely. I have also used them a couple times on various vehicle to do Paintless Dent Repair.

 

Thanks Ravi. They say they do computerized color matching - would the match be better? I went to another autobody shop today, this one is owned by an individual and does restoration work also but I didn't find too many newer cars in his lot. The gentleman was kind enough to give me tour of the facility. I haven't seen a body shop from inside before so I have nothing to compare it to. I thought he might take personal interest since he probably deals with fewer cars than the bigger body shops. He said they use "plasticizers" to repair bumpers - basically it's this polymer which melts and fills up or corrects dents in the bumper. He would then blend the color in with the rest of the bumper and re-apply the clear coat over the entire bumpers. According to him the repair will be invisible and he guarantees a paint match (not sure if it is a written warranty) -- Does anyone have any experience with this? The total cost is coming to the same with an aftermarket bumper. So if go for an acura oem bumper (which I will) instead of getting my current bumper repaired I will be paying about $150 more. Which option do you think is better? I am not sure - if I get my bumper repaired, the paint match might be better since he wont repaint the whole bumper plus I can keep my bumper and don't have to worry if a new acura bumper was infact used and the fit would be perfect. But I am not sure how clean the job would be (especially since there is a point where the bumper has an outward indentation probably from the bumper hitting the steel bar. If I replace the bumper and get an oem acura bumper the paint on the entire surface of the bumper will need to be matched to the rest of the car. But the bumper will be hopefully flawless. I guess the fit should be as good too, right? I want to ensure that the repair is invisible in terms of finishing (gloss) and paint match.

Thanks Jhumbo. I am in the Chicago area - will check out dent mobs - I am also planning to visit Schaumburg Autobody - are you in the schaumburg area? have you used them before? That's where Muller directed me to.

 

If you want a great body shop check out A&L in Palatine. I was there today for the first time with a buddy to get some work done on his Miata. They really took there time to explain the work that would have to be done. They are also very well known on the Euro forums as there was a bunch of M3's, M5's, Porsche's outside and a R8 inside that they were working on.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/a-and-l-autobody-palatine

 

Thanks for the information. I did go and check them out today and although they were closed Anthony took a look at my bumper and said it could be fixed by melting it back into shape.

What do you guys think? Is fixing better than replacing or vice versa for a perfect match, finish and fitting? anyone has any experience with a fixed bumper?

Also not sure if this is the right place to ask but I have added pictures of other cars involved a lexus and a chevy. The chevy has little to no damage however the estimate to fix the lexus is $4000 dollars - does the damage look worth $4000?

Thank you for all the advice!!

 

No problem on recommending the shop.

Did Anthony recommend going the "fix" route? How much was the price difference on getting it replaced? If it isn't much more money to replace it then I would just do that.