1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

Hey guys ,

after seeing alot of guys paying upwards of $500 for a bumper respray I thought id post this and show you guys you don't have to be at the mercy of these body shops.


In the winter I reversed into a small ice bank, and it damaged the rear passenger side of my bumper.

For a job like this it might cost you $100 to $200 in materials but you will really only use a tiny fraction of what you buy, and you will have a ton left to tackle other jobs when they come up.

My total costs:

1. Mystic Gold metallic base coat - Purchased 500ml for $40 - used about 50ml - you do the math
2. Body Filler - $10.00
3. Sandpaper - $10.00
4. Filling Primer - $10.00
5. Urethane Clear Coat + Hardener + reducer - $100 for - 1 Gallon - 1 Litre - 1 litre - approx. 75 ml used


I literally still have a full container of base coaqt, clear coat, reducer , hardener , filler, and primer , I used like $30 or $40 of materials if not less.

Anyways ill lt the pics do the talking, please keep in mind I did this all on the side of the road, with my neighbors giving me dirty looks the whole time lol

I think it turned out very well considering.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

the after shots , I need to call my body shop and thank them for giving me such a good match, metallic colors can be hard to match especially silvers and gold.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

turned out pretty good.. been thinking of doing this to my front bumper and lip... but i have a 3 stage paint so that might be more difficult...

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

thanks buddy , im actually going to do my front bumper as well, it has a ton of rock chips.

I would suggest doing the right thing and removing your bumper and then re-spraying it if you decide to go ahead.

it will turn out better and you dont risk any overspray on your car.

Ive never done a 3 stage paint but im sure its not much worse then a 2 stage.

id say go for it , worst that happens is your not happy with it and have to bring it to a body shop.

Give it a try

Jabberwock

Super nice diy. Looks really good.

Another alternative for the manual labor adverse is using touch up service from the local mobile guy that works your local used car lots touching up paint and interiors on cars that have been traded in. These guys work cheap, quick, and they are very good at matching paint, and will usually sand defects, and air brush bumpers for $50 per bumper and the work looks pretty good (not body shop perfect, but definitely good enough for 7+ year old cars). There really is no reason at all to run around with scraped up bumpers.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

thanks man

yea ive heard a few people talk about the mobile service guys that re dye your leather and do touch ups.

Im actually starting to get into automotive detailing and I am in talks with leatherique on buying some leather dye and leather care products, im thinking of getting into it as a hobby and perhaps a side business.

I will post some photos when I re-dye my front seats its very easy as long as you have a good color match.

Im also going to re-do my front bumper , I think id like to have it removed this time so I can do a more thorough job and not have to worry about overspray.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Not too bad. Why did you paint over the sensors? You can also see the color difference clearly in the sunlight. Painting is an art.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

the sensors were already not functioning, the bumper was a respray already.

if you look closely and have an eye for color you will see that is actually is a pretty close match, your comparing the color to the top half of the bumper which was already a respray. Compare the area I sprayed with the trunk for better comparison.

I agree its not perfect, its a little too gold , I will add some pure silver metallic to the batch next time when I do the front bumper that should do the trick.

Yes it is an art, ive painted 3-4 cars in my life and it is very hard to get a 100% color match, especially with these light color metalics, Even the dealer or professional body shop have a hard time matching these colors.

Anyways the point of this is to show people it can be done, and for much less then you think, we had a HUGE debate in the sc400 forum where people are believing all the lies the body shops tell them, regarding the high cost of materials and how much materials you need etc...

Its all a scam for the most part, you only need a couple hundred dollars of materials to do a whole car.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I had a new rear bumper and a tail light put on due to a small rear end. The paint is totally perfect. You cannot tell under any lighting. Don't know how they do it but I do know I choose the best body shop I could find. You would not believe how much that cost. Few sensors, new bumper, tail light, a few mounts, and paint. Super expensive...

choi0706

no problems with the parking sensors?

jasonson

Not too shabby *****, looks great for the amount of money spent.

Did you use an air compressor spray gun?

campisi

Nice job. I also think the respray is a little 'too gold' but for the cost it is an excellent tradeoff and one that I would willingly make.

BradTank

Nice work. Color match looks perfect.

What kind of spray gun did you use? I've heard Harbor Freight sells a nice one for dirt cheap.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

Thanks a lot guys

Yes I used a portable HVLP mini compressor.

I have had a few during my lifetime but the one I used for this was a very cheap $99.00 special from Princess Auto.

They are like a Napa or autozone type store here in Canada.

I would suggest to anyone that has a garage or is into cars to pick up an HVLP, they have a ton of uses and come in handy more then you might think.

If you have the money buy a good one , Fuji for example makes a very high quality HVLP and well worth the extra cash.

Im also going to tackle my front bumper soon, im going to tweak the color a little to take the edge off that bright gold .

But in all honesty in person you cant tell at all, the color is super close even in the bright sunlight

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

can you make another DIY for the front bumper?