Anyone have the front bumper repainted?
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,393
Likes: 3
From: HOU TEX
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,056
Likes: 2
From: Elgin Il
Depends on the color, etc.
Mine was repainted twice.
The dealer screwed up the car before I bought it, so they repainted the front end. They did a crap job. It had more stone chips in 300 miles then my C4 does in 160,000.
Since the car was "new", the dealer paid me $1,800 to have a new bumper installed again and a repaint for the second time.
Its been good for 35,000 miles now.
Mine was repainted twice.
The dealer screwed up the car before I bought it, so they repainted the front end. They did a crap job. It had more stone chips in 300 miles then my C4 does in 160,000.
Since the car was "new", the dealer paid me $1,800 to have a new bumper installed again and a repaint for the second time.
Its been good for 35,000 miles now.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 5,786
Likes: 6
From: Lafayette Colorado
Keith
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 316
Likes: 0
From: canton sd
labor times according to a mitchell book are 3 hours for a new bumper to repaint and about 3 hours labor to take it off if you want a professional job done. a professional painter can match torch red perfectly without having to blend it. if we (where i work) bid to paint it it would be about 350 to 425.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,536
Likes: 24,826
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
I asked a local body shop what the cost would be to paint the front bumper (was looking at a TigerShark front fascia). Was give a quote of around $250.
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,911
Likes: 10
From: Simi Valley CA
Did mine too. $500 and he painted the fuel rail covers too.
the bad news: didn't stick well and after 2 months.. it looks like 10 years. I'm going around in circles with them now trying to get them to re-do it with a better pain or adhesion or ???.
the bad news: didn't stick well and after 2 months.. it looks like 10 years. I'm going around in circles with them now trying to get them to re-do it with a better pain or adhesion or ???.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 931
Likes: 35
From: Rowlett, Texas
My original red bumper is not a very good match from the factory.
I bet a good shop could match it better than that.
I see many new Vettes with slightly mis-matched bumpers.
I read where the factory used a flex agent on the bumpers, so the paint would be less susceptible to cracking and chipping.
So, the bumpers are painted separately from the rest of the body panels.
The flex additive changes the color shade slightly, and so does being painted at a different time/place I assume.
But any good shop should definitely use the flex additive for a bumper, plus lots of good prep and special primer, with baking afterwards; to keep the chipping to a minimum.
I really don't know if they would blend the flex-modified paint onto the adjacent panels for a better perceived color match - might not react well to the non-flex paint underneath?
My experience with paint has always been: any repaint = easier to chip.
DG
I bet a good shop could match it better than that.
I see many new Vettes with slightly mis-matched bumpers.
I read where the factory used a flex agent on the bumpers, so the paint would be less susceptible to cracking and chipping.
So, the bumpers are painted separately from the rest of the body panels.
The flex additive changes the color shade slightly, and so does being painted at a different time/place I assume.
But any good shop should definitely use the flex additive for a bumper, plus lots of good prep and special primer, with baking afterwards; to keep the chipping to a minimum.
I really don't know if they would blend the flex-modified paint onto the adjacent panels for a better perceived color match - might not react well to the non-flex paint underneath?
My experience with paint has always been: any repaint = easier to chip.
DG
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,849
Likes: 95
From: Springfield MO
Thanks for the input guys. I've got quite a few rock chips on the lower left corner near the front turnsignals that is driving me crazy. When the weather gets nicer/warmer I'm getting it repainted.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 651
Likes: 0
From: Littleton NC
I had mine painted at the local GM dealership and they charged me $200. I ordered the bumper cover from them for cost at like $375 or so. They just took my VIN number and used the paint code from that. My 02 Z06 is black and the front bumper cover matches the rest of the car perfectly. I was very pleased.
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
i had the same problem with the paint adhesion on my 2000 they had to replace the cover which was cheapper then stripping it and had to strip and repaint my hood . Iwas able to chip it with my finger nail. I had sikkens come out and agree to pay county corvette to redue it. If you are going to get the bumper painted spend the extra money to have them take it off and painted the right way
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
flex additive should not change the color. i was told by three different paint shops all high end two corvette shops and a mercedes shop that they cannot recreate the high tempatures that the manufactor does to bake the paint to almost burning which makes their paint harder i think they said the highest the booths go is 180 degrees
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 316
Likes: 0
From: canton sd
the corvettes are painted all at the same time set up on a jig that spaces the body panels about 2 foot apart so all the panels get paint coverage on the edges. i do not think that any factory cars use flex additive on the bumpers anymore, they rely more on the baking of the paint to make it strong.
