WdnUlik2no

Last December right after Christmas, I was headed back to Atlanta from Augusta, it had snowed a little bit, but not even a centimeter stuck to the ground. The roads on the highway were clear, but of course down here in Georgia everyone overreacts to even a hint of snow and someone thought it would be a good idea to have a truck spraying road salt all over the place. My car started getting pummeled about a mile back from the truck, then as everyone passed him, I was getting hit head on, so I passed him as well getting as far away from the truck as possible. I then stopped at a gas station and got most of the salt off, then I get the rest off when I got home.

But today I finally got a chance to wash the car thoroughly, and I finally see the true damage. My bumper is littered with chips as well as some chips on my hood and fenders. Being that the car is 6 years old, I wouldn't mind much, but It looks terrible. Obviously the front bumper needs to be repainted, and probably the hood and fenders as well, something I wanted to avoid.

I'm guessing the bumper repaint will be around $250, but not sure if they would need to repaint the ENTIRE hood and fenders. If so how much should I expect to spend? $1000 - $1500?


Cliffs

2005 Acura TL
Georgia overacted to 1 cm of snow after Christmas
Car bumper/hood/fenders gets pelted by road salt.
How much to fix?

charliemike

I would figure if a good paintjob is $6-7000, then you're looking at $2500-3000.

But that's a SWAG.

nj2pa2nc

WOW: My tsx has lots of rock chips on the front hood thanks to the lousy paint and driving from NC to NJ and back (95 in the worst for getting chips) I lived many of winters in the north and actually did not mind having the roads treated with salt. I just made sure to get the car washed-especially the undercarriage. I did get the rear bumper repainted after getting chips from shopping carts. It cost $350.00 for that. They did do an very good job.

Rockstar21

iTrader: (1)

at an honest shop.. yes

i know this topic comes up a lot.. and not discounting your numbers.. b/c im sure some places do charge this.
but i've seen Stealerships that have paint and body shops repaint cars for under $5k.. thats for a full inside/out job.

$7,000 better be a custom color with some major body work needed, otherwise somebody better lube the customer up...

i deal with a shop thats owned by an older Vietnamese guy who works at a chevy dealership.. the shop is his second job.
he charges just over $1k for an exterior only job with factory quality work. and no more than $2,500 for engine bay/door jams etc.

his work is top notch and he makes plenty of overhead at those prices..

mrmako

Earl Scheib will paint it for $199.......

AZuser

Uh-oh... Better get Maaco!

ParaSurfer1979

No No better not do Maaco... Ha Ha Ha!!!

05TLdcc

any pics, OP?

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear that OP. With my experience with bodyshops over the years I'm thinking $1500 for the front bumper, fenders and hood.

But do your homework and be willing to pay more for better quality work. Ask what is all involved in the process. Like for instance:

will they mask the car or remove the panels
have they ever had any problems with paint matching your particular color car
how do they ensure the the panels will be aligned correctly during reassembly
have they ever had any problems with realigning panels on a TSX?
take a tour of the paintshop and take note of the cleanliness, orderliness and work in progress.

I know it sounds anal but if you don't ask they will treat you like "just another customer". Let them know that you are concerned with the quality of the work because you like your car that much.

meburdick

Did you report this to the Highway Department of the City/Town/State that was responsible for spreading the salt? Most municipalities have clauses in their laws that limit their liabilities from your use of their roads, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Additionally - Check with your insurance company regarding a comprehensive claim. Well, actually, talk to your agent first so that it doesn't get recorded as a claim until you know it's actually worth the trouble. My '06 TL was repeatedly bludgeoned by debris from a construction zone that I had to drive through a number of times for my work commute. It trashed the front of my car (bumper, fenders, and hood) and I pursued a comp claim. They valued the total repaint job (including the mirrors) in late 2007 at about $1,700. Got a check, less my deductible.

OperationDarkie

iTrader: (1)

LOL @ Earl Schiebs, they always paint those ghetto cars that have those funky two tone paints.

Looks like ass.

Aman

Damn, that sucks. But a six year old car, you're sure most of the damage is from road salt this one night?

My 2003 Accord is in the same boat as you, the front end is chipped and pitted to no end. I find it's mostly the front bumper, pretty much the entire hood, but just the front half of the fenders. They might end up painting the whole fender. Check your mirrors as well.

I'd at least try getting a touch-up pen first and doing what you can. It won't be perfect by any means, but if it hides the chips enough to avoid a repaint, that's a $5 solution to a $1500 problem. Nothing to lose, right?

WdnUlik2no

Once again, thanks for all your responses. The guy I'm planning on taking it to did an excellent job on my G35c lease that seemed to have some sort of acid damage on the rear quarter panel. The damage was down to the metal, and he did such a good job that I don't think the lease inspector could even tell it was repainted. In fact I had that same area done by a body shop, but they did such a crappy job, I took it to this new guy and he did it right. I had to double pay, but it was worth it. This guy paints cars for Lotus America so I trust him that he will do a good job.

I was thinking about going through comprehensive through my insurance, but I have Progressive, and they are some cheap a$$es when it comes to paying out claims; so I will probably end up paying out of pocket.

I'm headed up there now, but I will take pictures and post on here before I decide to get the work done. It it were just a few chips I would live with it, since it being over 6 years old. But, it looks terrible, especially in the sunlight.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Every time I have asked this question in the past I was told it would be about $500 a panel. If you are painting the hood, fenders and bumper then I am sure he may cut you a better deal.