Would you?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 124
Likes: 124
From: Normal IL
Would you repair it or live with it?
A rock dinged my front bumper cover and left a couple of small indentations and knocked off the paint. I tried repairing it myself with touch up paint, wet sanding and polishing. After a few attempts I've given up and will have it professionally repaired.
The body shop will remove the bumper cover, paint it and clear coat it. $850ish was the estimate. I have zero deductible comprehensive coverage which will pay 100% of the repair cost. I initially was going to pay for it out of pocket.
Hopefully i wont ding it again right away. Would you have it repaired? Do you think it will show up on a CarFax report? I would put Xpel over the bumper cover but I'm not a fan.
The body shop will remove the bumper cover, paint it and clear coat it. $850ish was the estimate. I have zero deductible comprehensive coverage which will pay 100% of the repair cost. I initially was going to pay for it out of pocket.
Hopefully i wont ding it again right away. Would you have it repaired? Do you think it will show up on a CarFax report? I would put Xpel over the bumper cover but I'm not a fan.
Last edited by StFarmer; May 9, 2017 at 07:49 PM. Reason: Title change
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,191
Likes: 3,388
From: Morrill Nebraska
A rock dinged my front bumper cover and left a couple of small indentations and knocked off the paint. I tried repairing it myself with touch up paint, wet sanding and polishing. After a few attempts I've given up and will have it professionally repaired.
The body shop will remove the bumper cover, paint it and clear coat it. $850ish was the estimate. I have zero deductible comprehensive coverage which will pay 100% of the repair cost. I initially was going to pay for it out of pocket.
Hopefully i wont ding it again right away. Would you have it repaired? Do you think it will show up on a CarFax report? I would put Xpel over the bumper cover but I'm not a fan.
The body shop will remove the bumper cover, paint it and clear coat it. $850ish was the estimate. I have zero deductible comprehensive coverage which will pay 100% of the repair cost. I initially was going to pay for it out of pocket.
Hopefully i wont ding it again right away. Would you have it repaired? Do you think it will show up on a CarFax report? I would put Xpel over the bumper cover but I'm not a fan.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,746
Likes: 916
If your repair is invisible from 10 ft away, I would just drive it and fix it in a year or two after additional chips develop. As soon as you repaint it, it could happen again since the front bumper is a high risk area for this type of damage and you'll be in a perpetual repaint loop.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,783
Likes: 400
From: Paoli, IN
St. Jude Donor '17, '19
If your repair is invisible from 10 ft away, I would just drive it and fix it in a year or two after additional chips develop. As soon as you repaint it, it could happen again since the front bumper is a high risk area for this type of damage and you'll be in a perpetual repaint loop.
XPEL is nice, but for the cost of it, you could just repaint your bumper a few times.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 9,114
Likes: 1,534
From: Edmond, Oklahoma
If your repair is invisible from 10 ft away, I would just drive it and fix it in a year or two after additional chips develop. As soon as you repaint it, it could happen again since the front bumper is a high risk area for this type of damage and you'll be in a perpetual repaint loop.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,500
Likes: 1,449
From: Pittsburgh PA
2025 C8 Stingray of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
If your repair is invisible from 10 ft away, I would just drive it and fix it in a year or two after additional chips develop. As soon as you repaint it, it could happen again since the front bumper is a high risk area for this type of damage and you'll be in a perpetual repaint loop.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,342
Likes: 464
From: Raleigh/Cary NC
It probably won't show up on the carfax, but take pictures beforehand just in case it is ever questioned. Repainting a front bumper is pretty common. Many dealers do it and no one ever knows.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 29,113
Likes: 2,194
From: Big Bend Country, TX
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15- '16-'17-‘18-‘19-'20-'21
NCM Lifetime Member
If your repair is invisible from 10 ft away, I would just drive it and fix it in a year or two after additional chips develop. As soon as you repaint it, it could happen again since the front bumper is a high risk area for this type of damage and you'll be in a perpetual repaint loop.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,903
Likes: 315
From: Cedar Falls Iowa
I had a Toyota Camary back into my front bumper cover and spider the paint. It didn't chip the paint though, so it still looks fine if you don't scrutinize it too much. I got insurance money, but decided to leave it as is and build up more damage. The second you paint it it's gonna get trashed again.
Can't wait to see my car fax. Probably makes it sound like the car was run over by a monster truck. If it is dinged by car fax I'll leave it alone so the next buyer can see the kind of minimal damage that may end up on car fax.
Can't wait to see my car fax. Probably makes it sound like the car was run over by a monster truck. If it is dinged by car fax I'll leave it alone so the next buyer can see the kind of minimal damage that may end up on car fax.