Fender bender.. touch up or respray?

lannypoffo · 08-26-2008, 12:17 PM

Fender bender.. touch up or respray?

Had the car less than a week... The last pic shows it waxed up and cleaned. I need to decide if I use touch up or bring it for a total respray. I hate to half ass a job on a BMW..

What route would you take?

Purgatory · 08-26-2008, 12:23 PM

A good painter can do a localized spray for you which should work fine, but if money isn't a big issue... I would definitely do the full re-spray as a touch up (at least what I think of when I hear touch up) won't cover that without it being noticable. I wouldn't think that it would cost a lot more to do the re-spray of the full bumper.

If you took the bumper off yourself and were comfortable preping & sanding you could probably shave some additional cash. Although most people would just let the painter handle it. I agree with you that a BMW should look good and not on the cheap. Good luck, I'd love to hear how it goes.

karma8 · 08-26-2008, 12:55 PM

it really depents on how gd u want it to be man.....touch up would be fine, others won't knowest....but u will.......if respray should be around 300-450$

lannypoffo · 08-26-2008, 02:18 PM

The respray quote at a high end shop I'm comfortable with was $980. Hard choice between a $50 bottle of touch up..

Stratos · 08-26-2008, 02:54 PM

easy. Touch up first, then drive around until you get crazy thinking about it, and then repray it...

JKAWB · 08-26-2008, 02:56 PM

Did someone hit you, why not let insurance pay for it?

MI128 · 08-26-2008, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lannypoffo

The respray quote at a high end shop I'm comfortable with was $980. Hard choice between a $50 bottle of touch up..

You might want to go get another quote... I had a retouch on my front bumper from the dealership which they paid for but if they didn't it would of only cost $400 to remove and repaint the whole front bumper. Good Luck.

lannypoffo · 08-26-2008, 03:32 PM

ya ill shop around a bit. the other person sort of hit me from behind. but not fully. i would say its her fault, but its a sticky situation. im not posting any pics of the street diagram until I get this process moving.

I was getting on the freeway in an exit lane. Bumper to bumper, I used my turn signal and angled in an available slot. I was then stopped waiting for the car in front of me to move so i could straighten out. But 2-3 seconds after I had stopped at an angle she ran into me probably 2-3mph. She seems to think I was changing lanes at a bad angle, but she still hit me from behind.. Law is the law.. California.. behind is at fault.

Darth One · 08-26-2008, 04:15 PM

there is no way that is going to look good just touched up. the damage is just too big (at least in touchup terms).

but almost $1k for a localized sand-and-respray is just ridiculous as well. they will not take the bumper off the car to respray that. they'll mask off the tire, the quarter panel, and go to town. that job will not take more than an hour.

take it to a shop you trust and ask them to do a spot repair. i've heard some shops also refer to it as a "bumper blend" or a "blend job"..

imported_McLovin · 08-26-2008, 04:25 PM

Mine got hit and scratched in the same exact spot. Not as bad as your's but still infuriating. Mine was in a parking lot and of course it was hit and run. You're lucky you were in the car when it happenned. At least you can get their insurance to cover it if you want. Good luck.

gargoyal · 08-26-2008, 04:38 PM

I'd shop around and get it painted.

I noticed your rim is dinged too. If the rim damage was caused at the same time. You want to have things checked out. bumpers give ,wheels dont. there may be more damage than you think.

lannypoffo · 08-26-2008, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gargoyal

I'd shop around and get it painted.

I noticed your rim is dinged too. If the rim damage was caused at the same time. You want to have things checked out. bumpers give ,wheels dont. there may be more damage than you think.

my rim is not damaged. that mark came off with a rag. Luckily i had just waxed my wheels a couple days ago.

uclalex · 08-26-2008, 05:09 PM

When I had my Z4 I had a rock chip the paint on the front fender and I ended up getting it repainted at a body shop I trust and it was $600. My wife recently scratched the rear bumper of her black (non-metallic) 328 backing into a parking space (she caught a stucco light post). She didn't dent it, but the scratches were much more wide spread than on my Z4. I didn't want a $900-$1k bill like you were talking about and so I figured I'd try out something else and if it didn't meet my OCD requirements then take it to the shop. I found a mobile car repair business called Collision on Wheels. They quoted my $250 and they had a $30 off coupon on their web site. So $220 and 1 hour later they were done--same day I called them too. They are franchised, so if you're not around LAX, they may not be the same, but the few other reviews I found online were pretty good too. There was some surface roughness after they were done which he said would come off after washing. When it didn't they came back out the next day, polished and buffed it, and it looked good as new.

I just had this done, so obviously I can't speak to how well it wears compared to the factory paint. They told me that they guarantee it as long as you own the car, but there is no contract or paper work that says that, so keep your receipt. This worked well for my wife, so I thought I'd throw it out there in case you were interested in something between $50 touch up and $1k body shop!

lannypoffo · 09-02-2008, 02:55 PM

This person has not being returning calls from either insurance company. Both sides pretty much say they can't do anything until they get a hold of her. Her insurance company even went so far as to say if they cant get a hold of her at all, they just close the case. I have a $950 repair on my shoulders and I don't want to have to eat it.

EspressoBoy · 09-02-2008, 03:33 PM

wow, that sucks
here in ON Canada, we have "no fault" ins.. which just means there is an agreement that we deal with our own ins for all costs...

they worked it out that it all balances out and saves them a whole bunch of $$$

anyway, my exp is this;

if you do go ins way;

Do everything yourself (don't use their ppl)
Get your own quote
Talk to the people who will fix it
And get everything in writing, including warranty
Nothing wrong with getting a few quotes, not so much for the cheapest, but to make sure you think they can do it right...

Any sign of a body shop doing funny business, run!!! away!!!!
Cause what ever they lie the insurance co's they will lie to you.

If you find your ins co is bad, take it as a lesson to change!!! again cheapest is not always the best.

As for the work, doesn't look to bad... 1grand seems a bit steep, but again shop around. Get in writing it's garanteed forever! (no paint peeling etc)

EspressoBoy

PS
Thanks big time for posting, and let us know how it goes! As much as those pix sadden me, it reminds me it can happen to any of us!

ChrisK · 09-03-2008, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lannypoffo

The respray quote at a high end shop I'm comfortable with was $980. Hard choice between a $50 bottle of touch up..

I had something like that happen to a bumper about 5 years ago. Get another quote. :wink:

lannypoffo · 09-03-2008, 10:36 PM

Another high end shop said he would never want to spray the entire bumper, and that it will never be the same quality as true OEM process. He suggested doing as small a respray as possible, retaining all the properly adhered oem paint. That estimate was more like $550 including bumper removal and that sounded a lot better to me. This shop specializes in BMWs.

Darth One · 09-04-2008, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lannypoffo

Another high end shop said he would never want to spray the entire bumper, and that it will never be the same quality as true OEM process. He suggested doing as small a respray as possible, retaining all the properly adhered oem paint. That estimate was more like $550 including bumper removal and that sounded a lot better to me. This shop specializes in BMWs.

that's exactly what i was saying. you may be able to shop around and get a price better than $550 but if you trust this guy and the quality of his work it's not bad at all.

it's a good sign that he's not BS'ing you off the bat

lannypoffo · 09-04-2008, 10:22 PM

ya he said $450 if he doesnt remove the bumper but i wanted to be safe about overspray and stuff.

lannypoffo · 09-16-2008, 10:11 AM

cars going in this week to get this fixed. all out of my pocket.

imported_McLovin · 09-16-2008, 03:10 PM

Did you report the accident to the police when it happened? If not that should always be the first call you make. I'm sorry about what happened. Keep after her. I can't believe the insurance company can't get ahold of her. Sounds like they're trying to weasel out of it with an easy cop out. If they still recieve payments from her for car insurance they need to dispatch somebody to physically go make contact with her. Thats BS.

lannypoffo · 09-16-2008, 03:13 PM

we did call cops, they came. they wouldnt write a report. anyway, it was found in my fault because i was merging into her lane. so my insurance will be paying her and im covering out of my pocket. her POS car was worth maybe $5k at best, and she'll prob get $3k to fix it.

08-26-2008, 12:17 PM	#1
lannypoffo Lieutenant 19 Rep 564 Posts Drives: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (1)	Fender bender.. touch up or respray? Fender bender.. touch up or respray? Had the car less than a week... The last pic shows it waxed up and cleaned. I need to decide if I use touch up or bring it for a total respray. I hate to half ass a job on a BMW.. What route would you take? Last edited by lannypoffo; 05-01-2018 at 02:29 PM..
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08-26-2008, 12:23 PM	#2
Purgatory Private First Class 5 Rep 178 Posts Drives: 2011 X5 xDrive 5.0 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Calgary iTrader: (0)	A good painter can do a localized spray for you which should work fine, but if money isn't a big issue... I would definitely do the full re-spray as a touch up (at least what I think of when I hear touch up) won't cover that without it being noticable. I wouldn't think that it would cost a lot more to do the re-spray of the full bumper. If you took the bumper off yourself and were comfortable preping & sanding you could probably shave some additional cash. Although most people would just let the painter handle it. I agree with you that a BMW should look good and not on the cheap. Good luck, I'd love to hear how it goes.
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08-26-2008, 12:55 PM	#3
karma8 Private First Class 16 Rep 182 Posts Drives: Join Date: Aug 2008 iTrader: (0)	it really depents on how gd u want it to be man.....touch up would be fine, others won't knowest....but u will.......if respray should be around 300-450$
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08-26-2008, 02:18 PM	#4
lannypoffo Lieutenant 19 Rep 564 Posts Drives: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (1)	The respray quote at a high end shop I'm comfortable with was $980. Hard choice between a $50 bottle of touch up..
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08-26-2008, 02:54 PM	#5
Stratos Private First Class 15 Rep 173 Posts Drives: F22 220d Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Oslo, Norway iTrader: (0)	easy. Touch up first, then drive around until you get crazy thinking about it, and then repray it...
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08-26-2008, 02:56 PM	#6
JKAWB Second Lieutenant 15 Rep 295 Posts Drives: 08 135i Black Sapphire Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tampa FL iTrader: (0)	Did someone hit you, why not let insurance pay for it?
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08-26-2008, 03:32 PM	#8
lannypoffo Lieutenant 19 Rep 564 Posts Drives: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (1)	ya ill shop around a bit. the other person sort of hit me from behind. but not fully. i would say its her fault, but its a sticky situation. im not posting any pics of the street diagram until I get this process moving. I was getting on the freeway in an exit lane. Bumper to bumper, I used my turn signal and angled in an available slot. I was then stopped waiting for the car in front of me to move so i could straighten out. But 2-3 seconds after I had stopped at an angle she ran into me probably 2-3mph. She seems to think I was changing lanes at a bad angle, but she still hit me from behind.. Law is the law.. California.. behind is at fault.
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08-26-2008, 04:15 PM	#9
Darth One drunk poster 6613 Rep 3,649 Posts Drives: M4 GTS \| E46 M3 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	there is no way that is going to look good just touched up. the damage is just too big (at least in touchup terms). but almost $1k for a localized sand-and-respray is just ridiculous as well. they will not take the bumper off the car to respray that. they'll mask off the tire, the quarter panel, and go to town. that job will not take more than an hour. take it to a shop you trust and ask them to do a spot repair. i've heard some shops also refer to it as a "bumper blend" or a "blend job"..
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08-26-2008, 04:25 PM	#10
imported_McLovin Enlisted Member 1 Rep 45 Posts Drives: Join Date: Jul 2008 iTrader: (0)	Mine got hit and scratched in the same exact spot. Not as bad as your's but still infuriating. Mine was in a parking lot and of course it was hit and run. You're lucky you were in the car when it happenned. At least you can get their insurance to cover it if you want. Good luck.
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08-26-2008, 04:38 PM	#11
gargoyal First Lieutenant 11 Rep 352 Posts Drives: Join Date: Mar 2008 iTrader: (0)	I'd shop around and get it painted. I noticed your rim is dinged too. If the rim damage was caused at the same time. You want to have things checked out. bumpers give ,wheels dont. there may be more damage than you think. __________________ Crimson Red 135i, sport pkg ,blk leather delivered 6/27/08
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08-26-2008, 05:09 PM	#13
uclalex New Member 1 Rep 6 Posts Drives: Join Date: May 2008 iTrader: (0)	Cheaper respray option When I had my Z4 I had a rock chip the paint on the front fender and I ended up getting it repainted at a body shop I trust and it was $600. My wife recently scratched the rear bumper of her black (non-metallic) 328 backing into a parking space (she caught a stucco light post). She didn't dent it, but the scratches were much more wide spread than on my Z4. I didn't want a $900-$1k bill like you were talking about and so I figured I'd try out something else and if it didn't meet my OCD requirements then take it to the shop. I found a mobile car repair business called Collision on Wheels. They quoted my $250 and they had a $30 off coupon on their web site. So $220 and 1 hour later they were done--same day I called them too. They are franchised, so if you're not around LAX, they may not be the same, but the few other reviews I found online were pretty good too. There was some surface roughness after they were done which he said would come off after washing. When it didn't they came back out the next day, polished and buffed it, and it looked good as new. I just had this done, so obviously I can't speak to how well it wears compared to the factory paint. They told me that they guarantee it as long as you own the car, but there is no contract or paper work that says that, so keep your receipt. This worked well for my wife, so I thought I'd throw it out there in case you were interested in something between $50 touch up and $1k body shop!
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09-02-2008, 02:55 PM	#14
lannypoffo Lieutenant 19 Rep 564 Posts Drives: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (1)	This person has not being returning calls from either insurance company. Both sides pretty much say they can't do anything until they get a hold of her. Her insurance company even went so far as to say if they cant get a hold of her at all, they just close the case. I have a $950 repair on my shoulders and I don't want to have to eat it.
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09-02-2008, 03:33 PM	#15
EspressoBoy 1addict, and proud 40 Rep 1,019 Posts Drives: BMW 135i 08 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada iTrader: (1)	wow, that sucks here in ON Canada, we have "no fault" ins.. which just means there is an agreement that we deal with our own ins for all costs... they worked it out that it all balances out and saves them a whole bunch of $$$ anyway, my exp is this; if you do go ins way; Do everything yourself (don't use their ppl) Get your own quote Talk to the people who will fix it And get everything in writing, including warranty Nothing wrong with getting a few quotes, not so much for the cheapest, but to make sure you think they can do it right... Any sign of a body shop doing funny business, run!!! away!!!! Cause what ever they lie the insurance co's they will lie to you. If you find your ins co is bad, take it as a lesson to change!!! again cheapest is not always the best. As for the work, doesn't look to bad... 1grand seems a bit steep, but again shop around. Get in writing it's garanteed forever! (no paint peeling etc) EspressoBoy PS Thanks big time for posting, and let us know how it goes! As much as those pix sadden me, it reminds me it can happen to any of us!
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09-03-2008, 10:36 PM	#17
lannypoffo Lieutenant 19 Rep 564 Posts Drives: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (1)	Another high end shop said he would never want to spray the entire bumper, and that it will never be the same quality as true OEM process. He suggested doing as small a respray as possible, retaining all the properly adhered oem paint. That estimate was more like $550 including bumper removal and that sounded a lot better to me. This shop specializes in BMWs.
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09-04-2008, 10:22 PM	#19
lannypoffo Lieutenant 19 Rep 564 Posts Drives: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (1)	ya he said $450 if he doesnt remove the bumper but i wanted to be safe about overspray and stuff.
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09-16-2008, 10:11 AM	#20
lannypoffo Lieutenant 19 Rep 564 Posts Drives: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (1)	cars going in this week to get this fixed. all out of my pocket.
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09-16-2008, 03:10 PM	#21
imported_McLovin Enlisted Member 1 Rep 45 Posts Drives: Join Date: Jul 2008 iTrader: (0)	Did you report the accident to the police when it happened? If not that should always be the first call you make. I'm sorry about what happened. Keep after her. I can't believe the insurance company can't get ahold of her. Sounds like they're trying to weasel out of it with an easy cop out. If they still recieve payments from her for car insurance they need to dispatch somebody to physically go make contact with her. Thats BS.
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09-16-2008, 03:13 PM	#22
lannypoffo Lieutenant 19 Rep 564 Posts Drives: 2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (1)	we did call cops, they came. they wouldnt write a report. anyway, it was found in my fault because i was merging into her lane. so my insurance will be paying her and im covering out of my pocket. her POS car was worth maybe $5k at best, and she'll prob get $3k to fix it.
	Appreciate 0 Quote