lisalisa

hi everyone...

i just recently bought a used 02 sc430 blk/ecru and it has some minor rock chips and a little paint chip on the front bumper. ive been reading the treads trying to figure out what it is i should do to fix it. ive tried the touch up paint, but it still shows. where is a good body shop that i can take it to in nor. cal to have it redone...what is it exactly i should do to it.

thanks so much in advance

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Where in NorCal are you? SF? East Bay? Tri-Valley? Peninsula? South Bay? We are still trying to get a good list of good shops that we can recommend to members in different locales. There are a few places and we hope to grow the list. It depends on how far you want to drive.

As for what to have done, it depends on how many chips we are talking about. I've heard that some shops can spot paint a chip and blend it. I have not seen the results first hand so I cannot comment on how good this technique is. Otherwise, you'd have to repaint the whole bumper.

Regardless, after the fix, you may want to consider a protective film like X-Pel or Stongard.

lisalisa

lets just say i had the bumper repainted...how much should that run me??? and im in the bay area...and ill drive anywhere within 100miles if its a great place for a great deal.

and for the xpel or the clear "bras" that protect the front...does it look ok on a black car? i dont think ive seen what it looks like...also what is the cost for that...thanks so much!!!

/Aerostar\

iTrader: (2)

Just repaint it yourself, its not too hard. Did mine this last weeek

But if thats not your style, just look in the yellow pages for any high quality body shops. Make sure they use high quality paint (such as Dupont Chromabase) and request "no orange peel"

Neo

iTrader: (3)

I don't know about the SC bumper but depending on the shop, I'd say $300 -$600. I know that is a big range but it really depends on the facility. I can't speak for the shop so it will be up to them to give you a more accurate estimate. The shop I personally go to would be on the high side of that range. They are not cheap but they do very nice work and they stand behind the work. NorCal is not a great place for competitive pricing. Let me see if I can dig up a contact that is in the lower part of that range.

As for Xpel, it is a personal thing. It is definitely not invisible. I can almost make it out even at a distance because I know what to look for. It was months before any of my friends/co-workers even noticed that I had it done. And they did not believe me until I pointed it out to them. Honestly, the paint depth is not the same in the treated area. I heard that the newer films are better. There could be some flaws at the edges, depending on how good the installer is, but you only notice them up close. Still, I have not regretted it. My front end would be pitted (from the amount of bug stains and some gravel splatter I clean off) if not for it since I use my car as a daily.

If you are the kind of person who would be bothered just knowing of the potential flaws are there even if it is very hard to see, then Xpel might not be for you. If you are more practical and can overlook it for the sake of maintenance, then you'll be OK. Some people opt for the expense of repainting the front end every couple of years and work this amount in as part of maintenance. You can certainly do that too.

As for cost, I had my bumper, hood (partial), headlights, foglights, side mirrors, and my custom lip done for about $500. I can't remember the exact amount.

Here is a recent thread in the SC430 forum with testimonials (good and bad) on Xpel.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=124588

If you can wait that long, there is a meet in September where you will be able to see a number of cars. I don't know about the SC430s, but you can see a number of GSes with Xpel from a light color (silver- RMMGS4) to a dark color (Spectra Mica Blue - rominl). Since we don't know exactly who will be there as of now, I can't say what kind of representation of cars (and "mods") will be there. If you have time, come by. More info is coming. Just leave 09/26 open.