Hey guys, so I have a considerable paint chip on my rear bumper that was there when I bought the car. It's a 2006 White Diamond Pearl TL and I just took it to Maaco to get a quote on how much it would be to repair.

I'm fine with the price and everything, but they said they have to strip all of the paint and then repaint the whole bumper. My only concern is that the paint color they they apply will be different from the faded version of the same color on the rest of the body (from 2006).

Has anyone had any experience with this, and if so, is it that noticeable of a difference?

Thanks!

 

You lost me at Maaco...




I'd find myself another reputable shop if I were you.. they'd be able to paint match and blend to avoid that exact issue.

 

As soon as I heard Maaco....they are cheap for a reason and that is why you are fine with the price. Painting a whole bumper is not cheap. How big is the chip? Picture for reference?

 

I wouldn't say $348 is cheap, but I said I was fine with it. It's like the width of a license plate, assuming someone backed into it before I bought it. I'm going to go to other places to get quotes, Maaco was just the first one.

So besides where I'm taking it (which likely won't be Maaco), I'm just wondering about the tonal differences in new vs. older paint.

 

Then it's expensive for a not so great job.


Like I said, body shop should be blending to other panels if they're doing it properly.

 

I agree, they did say that they blend it, but they obviously can't fade new paint. I'll be checking other places and see how it goes.

 

WDP is so hard to match. How bad is the chip? like is it deep or just the top coat is off?

 

Might want to just leave it alone and have that money better spent elsewhere (like maintenance or something)


it'll just get messed up again due to OTHER shitty drivers..

 

It's deep, I couldn't completely tell myself but the Maaco guy said it was to the metal.

 

well now you KNOW that mofo is full of shit because the bumper cover is plastic

 

Are you referring to the bottom portion of our kit, the noticeable horrendous yellowish tone? I got my bumper painted a couple months ago, if the body shop is reputable they should be able to blend it just fine. I have an 07 and got my back bumper painted as well as the upper right portion above the passenger tail light. The shop blended it with the trunk and its seamless

 

lol. I don't know much about the Dr. Colorchip, but I heard they have a repair kit. I haven't used it but watched demo videos before. Seems like it works?

 

I've HEARD Maaco can do quality work- not just that "ambassador paint job" for $34.50. I've HEARD you can get quality work done there, but obviously, at a much higher price.

But, I'd still find somewhere else to go

Honestly, when it comes to paint, you really get what you pay for. The work might look good, but it really comes down to how they prep the car/bumper for paint. If the prep sucks, you can end up losing chunks of paint due to poor adhesion, etc.

Also, are they blending the paint at all into your rear fenders? A more quality shop would do that, to make the color look uniform. Of course, you're also paying for that. If I was getting a bumper redone, I'd ask them to blend into the rear quarters. I truly prefer OEM paint as opposed to repainting, but since the 3G TL has such a bad history of paint matching between the bumpers and body, I'd have it taken care of.

 

Yes! Cool, just what I needed to know. Thanks!

 

Well there's a separate small spot on my trunk that was looked at too so maybe he was referring to just that part. Either way he said the same process would apply to both.

 

A reputable shop will give you a lifetime warranty with the work for around $500. Depending on the location of the damage, you can hide it with the rear A-Spec lip kit.

A good shop matches the paint from the car and just doesn't paint it based on the color code. Plus all batches of the same color code vary!

Whatever you do, I DO NOT RECOMMEND BLENDING. You are painting unnecessary portions of your car. Most shops that do blending do it's terribly. They are supposed to refinish and repaint the whole part, most shops only redo a portion and the job looks horrid where the old paint meets the new over time.

 

WDP is a bear to match. The rear cover needs to be stripped of paint if there are any cracks, spider webs, etc as painting over such defects is certainly not advised. I would not advise having the paint on the bumper blended into the other body parts as I can guarantee that the repaint, when viewed with an experienced eye, will not be a perfect match and if blending, the balance of the body will be compromised.
From the factory, the bumpers don't match the body, but with a repaint, hopefully it will be closer and the difference not so noticeable.
You'll find the cost to be all over the map depending on the shop.

Ebay has painted bumper covers for the TL @ $350 shipped. Quality, don't know, never used them.

 

Interesting read because I've actually been planning on getting my front bumper done for $350. Found an independent man through networking who does work for his own profit. I was skeptical at first but saw his recent work on other cars and looked great so gonna go with it. He's been doing body work for a good couple decades so I trust him. My bumper has many scratches from the previous owner and is beat up on the bottom so that will all be done as well. When it's finished it should look about new considering damage and paint.

 

Hmm, I've been curious about WDP cause of the mismatch & how it would end up after getting it repainted

 

Okay guys so after going to a few shops today, change of plans. TWO different places wanted WAY to much... $800... and then $1,500.....????!?

So I've decided to just buy a new bumper since that is the cheaper option apparently. There are a few other minor spots besides the big chip so I might as well start fresh. Ideally I'll get lucky and find one at a salvage yard, ebay, etc. but if not I may just buy one and have it painted. If I DO get lucky though, then I won't have to worry about the color difference since it will already be faded.

 

The biggest thing that needs to be noted is that the bottom portion of our cars, (the noticeably shade of yellow), cannot and will not ever be the same as the upper portion. Reason being is the bottom portion is plastic, and paint sits completely different into plastic than metal (upper portion).

Take my word on this, my friend has been doing body work for over 20 years, he tried and tried to match the bottom portion of his benz (similar tone to Acura), spent thousands of dollars on the materials, still no luck!

Also, in my previous comment, when I mentioned blending......I was referring to the auto body shop blending the upper portion (above my passenger tail light) into trunk. NO BODY SHOP should ever try to blend the bottom bumper into the rest of the vehicle, it will not BLEND!

 

To me, the base really doesn't make a difference as long as it is sealed/primed properly, and all parts painted at the same time. Just had it occur on our TII. The car/parts were repainted all at one time, Blaze Red, with everything removed, side skirts/fender extensions, bumpers, spoiler, taillights, mirrors, etc., and when completed, everything a match. At some time, the top of the front bumper was nicked/scratched, so it was completely sanded and repainted. Same shop, paint, mix, and the front bumper is not a perfect match to the body. The shade difference is so minimal, don't believe anyone would notice, but I did as I was particularly looking at the area. After installation of all parts, there is no difference in color match with the balance of the car, including the "plastic/rubber" body parts.

WDP is a tough match as with different lighting conditions, the color will differ. I've had the front cover, WDP, painted twice, once when a fellow scratched the fender and side of the bumper, so the bumper/fender was painted and I must say it came out perfect. The next time, wife hit a deer and a new cover was installed. Same shop/painter and the job was not to our liking and needed to be repainted with more pearl. Repainted and fine.

All I can say is good luck and most times the finished product is much better than what went into the shop, so the customer is happy and isn't as critical as what I might be. It will also hopefully will be a better match than what came from the factory.

 

Just to update anyone who comes by this thread, I got the bumper fixed at a small shop for $600.81 completely repainted and it looks great! No noticeable color difference and looks brand new.

 

good to hear man !