can bumper be fixed?
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Warwick New York
can bumper be fixed?
I found a reasonably priced monterey red convertible 2007. The car is super clean other than the rear bumper. It has not been hit (clean car fax) but it appears someone must have bumped the rear bumper into something not hard enough to scratch the paint, but enough to where the rear bumper flexed enough to eggshell the paint. The damage to the paint is only visible in certain light, but the eggshell like cracking is there. Can that be fixed? My concern is that a repaint will never match- the paint will either not match the trunk or fender or it will be oranged peeled. Am I better off finding another car. Or is this not a big deal if I can find the right body shop to do the work.
Any opinions?
Any opinions?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,116
Likes: 5
From: Livonia MI
I'd take the car to a good repair shop with a computer paint matching system. I had a shop like like this do extensive paint work on my daily car with a difficult metalllic red and turned out perfect. You're definitely wanting an inspection here, as the foam crush beam beneath the visible bumper cover may need replacement.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,171
Likes: 4
From: Columbia Maryland
It's not going to be a cheap repair. Someone hit my Mag Red C5 on the front and had to get it repaired. The only damage was an eggshell like cracking of the paint, just as you describe on this car. The issue is that Monterey Red (and Mag Red) are 3-stage paints. A dark red base coat, followed by a lighter red, followed by the clear coat. Very hard to match, and the only way to do it is to sand the entire panel down to bare plastic, or replace it and start fresh. On my C5, the labor to sand down the entire front bumper was only a little cheaper than a new one, so I opted for new. Total cost, was around $1,500. Your repair is going to be more, because the back panel is more complicated to take off and put it back on than the front bumper.
Last edited by Thrill6; Sep 30, 2010 at 10:57 PM.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Warwick New York
Thanks Thrill 6- that's great info. I'd rather put that cash into finding a car that is mint than to have to go through the hassle of spending 1500-2000 to cross my fingers and hope that when it is done that it comes out perfect.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 1,405
Likes: 18
From: Danville IL
This sounds exactly like the problem that I had with mine. Except that it was ME that caused the problem.!! $664 fixed it. Removal of the rear facia, patching the "bumped" area, repainting and clearcoating, and of course reintstalling the rear facia. Want pics?
