So I’ve had my new (to me) LS at the dealer for the last week getting the ABS Actuator replaced under warranty. It’s the same dealer I’ve used for all of my service for my GS and they’ve always done good work and took good care of the car.

Well I went to pick up the LS today and there were some scrapes on the front bumper on the passenger side. It definitely got through the paint but didn’t make any holes. Fortunately it was only the bumper and not the quarter panel. The dealer immediately said they would take care of it and have their paint guy repaint it on Thursday. He said they would only need to paint the section that was damaged and would blend it in to the rest of the bumper. Does this seem like the normal process for addressing scraped paint, or should they paint the whole bumper?

I realize accidents happen and front bumpers pretty much get painted each time a car gets traded in, but this is the first time I’ve had this happen. I’m also planning to have them check the alignment just as a precaution, although I’m sure it was probably just a short turn made by one of the shop helpers in the parking lot.

 

what color will depend if a blend can truly be made if they repaint the bumper and not blend the adjacent panels you as the owner might be able to tell and it will become troublesome everytime you look at it.

 

It’s nebula gray pearl, not sure if that’s good or bad. I’ll wait and see how it turns out, with their response tonight I think they’ll make it right.

 

We have that same color and have had to have a couple of repairs this year. A good "paint guy" should be able to match. At least we have no issues with color matching..... Let us know how your issue is resolved....

 

Darker colors are typically not too hard to match. Things start getting screwy for brighter colors and the whites.

 

I don't mean to sound negative, but just stating a factual observation, and my reaction to it. On a rare occasion I went to the Lexus dealer. And as I was approaching the drive-thru garage area, I noticed a younger female in some kind of Lexus very much zooming through the area. I thought she ought not zoom around like that, but oh well, she's gone.

Then as I'm talking to some service writer or whatever they're called, here comes that same girl walking up to me and said, "can I have the key to your car?" And I was like, "why?" She said she needed to move it in order to keep the cars flowing through the garage area. I said, "uhhhh no. My car is fine right there." There was only a car or 2 behind me, and this garage area would hold maybe 10 cars or so, but this place has the idea of keeping the cars out of there as much as they can, kind of like restaurant wait staff that are trying to take your plate off the table even if you set a utensil down for a second (what's up with that?). I wasn't about to let her zoom around the parking lot in my car. Based on that observation, I can see why a car here or there is going to get damaged.

Sorry you have had anything but a trouble free experience there.


On Edit, let me add: I would have had this same reaction WITH ANYONE that I had just seen zooming through the parking lot. Younger, older, male, female. It was just my observation that this was a young white female.


Jason Oliver

 

My dealer definitely has some “kids” that work in the bay area where you are first greeted when dropping off your car, probably teenagers making minimum wage. They’re always very respectful and address me as Sir or Mr. last name. But it’s usually the older workers who move the cars when they’re ready to be taken to the holding parking lot and I’ve never seen them driving fast or wrecklessly. But I’m under no illusions here...I’m sure as soon as they’re out of customer site they very well may “hot rod” the cars around. I’m envisioning a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Ferrari scenario haha.

 

My car is Nebula Grey, and when I bought it new it had some scrapes on the bumper that they repainted and blended into the rest of the bumper, you would never know.

 

I would let them blend it in, and then inspect it carefully. If the section doesn't match, then tell them they have to paint the whole bumper.

 

It's not much more work to paint the whole bumper as to patch-paint it. I'd ask them to take the cover off and do the whole thing.

 

They will take the bumper off and clear coat the whole thing. They just color blend it within the bumper. The result wIll likely be better than painting the whole bumper because you won’t have to worry about a paint match where the bumper meets the fenders and hood.

 

After I posted I was thinking about what both you guys said. It is just as easy to paint the whole bumper, but it is possible that then the bumper won't match the rest of the paint.

So basically, we're all of no help at all!

 

Ha!!! Yes, there are plusses and minuses to both methods.

 

Thanks for everyone’s feedback! I’m hoping to get it back tomorrow so I’ll let you know how it turns out.

 

I would just let them make it right any way they want. At the end of the day, you look carefully at the repair and if your satisfied, carry on. If not, they give you a loaner and they try to make it right again.