Paint repair

[Craig234]

The bumper of a 2007 white Honda Oddyssey was bumped, with no physical damage to the bumper but a couple inches of paint scratch.

I'm looking for information on the best option for affordably repairing that. The option of 'take it to the dealer' I expect to be very expensive and probably be 'replace the bumper'.

I have to think there are much more sensible options - perhaps finding a service on Craiglist who can repair something like that. Or maybe not? Can the people who know advise?

 

[RLGL]

Get a bottle of touch up or a rattle can. It's cosmetic, won't hurt anything if the plastic is exposed to the elements

 

[Belegost]

A picture of the damage would really help. Because it could be something that could be buffed out, or as much as needing to repaint the whole bumper cover.

With an idea of the damage I think you'll get much more useful information.

 

[Zenmervolt]

The option of 'take it to the dealer' I expect to be very expensive and probably be 'replace the bumper'.

The dealer will not do the repair. They will farm it out to a body shop that they contract with.

Also, unless you have damaged the bumper in some way they will simply suggest repainting the bumper. Removing, prepping, re-painting, and re-mounting the bumper would probably run $400 to $600.

If you just want something to halfway cover the scratch, then just buy a small bottle of touch-up paint and do it yourself.

ZV

 

[WilliamM2]

The dealer will not do the repair. They will farm it out to a body shop that they contract with.

Maybe some dealers, but every dealer I have bought a car from had their own body shop onsite. Including the one my family owns.

Dealers make more money working on cars, than selling them.

 

[Craig234]

Here's the one estimate I was sent from a body shop. No parts but paint - but $727.

"REAR BUMPER
2 R&I R&I bumper cover 0 0.00 1.1 0.0
3 * Rpr Bumper cover EX, EX-L, LX 0 0.00 2.5 2.7
4 Add for Clear Coat 0 0.00 0.0 1.1
5 # Subl Hazardous Waste
(EPA#CAR000069500)
1 5.00 X 0.0 0.0
6 # Repl Flex additive 1 8.00 T 0.0 0.0
7 # Rpr Tint color 0 0.00 0.5 0.0"

"ESTIMATE TOTALS
Category Basis Rate Cost $
Parts 0.00
Body Labor 4.1 hrs @ $ 72.00 /hr 295.20
Paint Labor 3.8 hrs @ $ 72.00 /hr 273.60
Paint Supplies 3.8 hrs @ $ 35.00 /hr 133.00
Miscellaneous 13.00
Subtotal 714.80
Sales Tax $ 141.00 @ 8.7500 % 12.34
Grand Total 727.14
Deductible 0.00
CUSTOMER PAY 0.00
INSURANCE PAY 727.14"

I don't have a picture, I can just describe it - seeing it, it looked like it might just be a smudge - I rubbed my finger to see if it went away and a few small lines of paint say 3 inches long and about an inch or two high very easily just sort of crumbled off, leaving those little lines of missing paint.

 

[Craig234]

Get a bottle of touch up or a rattle can. It's cosmetic, won't hurt anything if the plastic is exposed to the elements

The idea is the person wants it to not be visible so the resale value isn't hurt. Would those options do that? When you say 'it's cosmetic' - right, but that's what needs fixing.

 

[PottedMeat]

anyone ever try one of those 'painted bumper covers' off ebay? for a 2007 odyssey they go for ~300-450 (depending on front/back)

If you just want something to halfway cover the scratch, then just buy a small bottle of touch-up paint and do it yourself.

ZV

sounds like this would work just fine cleaning the area and smearing the paint into the scratch. you'd probably have to run your fingers over the entire surface to find the damage.

 

[RLGL]

The idea is the person wants it to not be visible so the resale value isn't hurt. Would those options do that? When you say 'it's cosmetic' - right, but that's what needs fixing.

You are making a big deal out of nothing, look at the age of the car. It is normal\al for a few scrapes and dings.

 

[mvbighead]

If it's a simple scratch, touch up paint.

Hell, I went to a car dealer that was trying to sell a Jeep with 100s of scratches filled in with touch up. I obviously declined, but it was comical how bad it looked. A simple scratch or two, meh.

 

[Zenmervolt]

CUSTOMER PAY 0.00
INSURANCE PAY 727.14

So it's covered by insurance? In that case, have the insurance pay for it and be done with it. That's what you have insurance for.

The idea is the person wants it to not be visible so the resale value isn't hurt. Would those options do that? When you say 'it's cosmetic' - right, but that's what needs fixing.

If the scratch is as small as you say, it's not going to hurt resale value on a 7-year-old minivan. If you were talking about a classic or a collector vehicle, then maybe, but a minivan? Be realistic.

Also, there is a huge disconnect between being that worried about resale value and fixing it so that the repair is invisible but also being so incredibly tightfisted that you don't want to pay to have it repaired properly. If having the repair be invisible is that important, take it to a good body shop and accept that doing the repair to that standard will be expensive.

ZV

 

[SearchMaster]

You can do a pretty good job yourself if you're willing to put some time and effort into it, assuming the scratches aren't too bad.

There are guides all over the 'net, including videos on Youtube, but basically you'll sand down the area real well, apply touchup paint from a can or bottle, let it dry, sand it down again, apply another layer if necessary, repeat...once you have the paint smooth, use polish to get rid of the scratches then clear coat and wax. This might not be the exact order but a general guide to let you know that it will take a few days total to let everything dry and cure and will involve a few hours of time.

I have done it on dark colors and a white car and the white came out better, FWIW.

 

[Craig234]

You are making a big deal out of nothing, look at the age of the car. It is normal\al for a few scrapes and dings.

No, the owner is. I accidentally bumped their parked car in the parking lot, and am trying to fix it - and they took this position of the effect on the resale value.

But there's a likely bit of progress. I had thought that if I filed it with my insurance, my rates would go up, and the deductible would make it pointless anyway.

But I'm told I was wrong on both counts - that there is no deductible for damage to the other car, and that California law prohibits an increase for an under $1000 claim.

 

[Zenmervolt]

No, the owner is. I accidentally bumped their parked car in the parking lot, and am trying to fix it

Then you do whatever they want. Period. End of story. You damaged their property, it's your fault, they get to choose how it's fixed. What kind of person tries to weasel out of their responsibility like this? It's ridiculous.

Act like an adult and pay for whatever method of repair they choose.

ZV

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Maybe some dealers, but every dealer I have bought a car from had their own body shop onsite. Including the one my family owns.

Dealers make more money working on cars, than selling them.

in-house body shops are less and less common, at any make or price range. this is especially true if the dealership just opened in a crowded city.

just because the dealership contracts out the work doesn't mean they don't make money from it. in fact, they make more because they don't have to carry an idle body shop on their books. 99% of customers will never know, anyway.

anyone ever try one of those 'painted bumper covers' off ebay? for a 2007 odyssey they go for ~300-450 (depending on front/back)

the damaged part in question is known as a painted bumper cover. the actual bumper is a steel beam buried somewhere behind it.

 

[Craig234]

Then you do whatever they want. Period. End of story. You damaged their property, it's your fault, they get to choose how it's fixed. What kind of person tries to weasel out of their responsibility like this? It's ridiculous.

Act like an adult and pay for whatever method of repair they choose.

ZV

What the hell are you talking about? You're wrong.

I'm asking what the appropriate repair is. What if they said they want a whole new car? What if they want a new bumper, when a repaint completely repairs it?

If you had some reading comprehension, you might notice I did not take the suggestions of 'touch up paint' thinking the quality won't be high enough.

My plan right now is for her to get the repair she wants at the one dealer she prefers. I was checking to see if that's what makes sense, it seems it does.

Your comments are quite offensively incorrect.

I'm getting lectured that I'm making way too big a deal out of this and trying to do too much to repair this, and you say that?

I left the scratches. I left the owner my contact information, she called me, I asked how she felt about it, she said she was concerned it would lower the resale value, I said that was her right and I'd repair it, and I came here to ask what the appropriate repair is since I don't know. There are different options. Go away.

 

[Zenmervolt]

What the hell are you talking about? You're wrong.

I'm asking what the appropriate repair is. What if they said they want a whole new car? What if they want a new bumper, when a repaint completely repairs it?

If you had some reading comprehension, you might notice I did not take the suggestions of 'touch up paint' thinking the quality won't be high enough.

My plan right now is for her to get the repair she wants at the one dealer she prefers. I was checking to see if that's what makes sense, it seems it does.

Your comments are quite offensively incorrect.

I'm getting lectured that I'm making way too big a deal out of this and trying to do too much to repair this, and you say that?

I left the scratches. I left the owner my contact information, she called me, I asked how she felt about it, she said she was concerned it would lower the resale value, I said that was her right and I'd repair it, and I came here to ask what the appropriate repair is since I don't know. There are different options. Go away.

Bullshit.

If you were asking about options honestly, you'd have told us that you hit a parked car from the get-go. Instead, you deliberately left that information out and phrased the question as though you were helping a friend fix his own car. The impression you gave was that your friend had scratched their own car and was looking for a cheap repair.

That is miles away from what actually happened.

In the case of scratches left by an owner on his or her own vehicle, yes, you would be making too big a deal of it. Frankly, if the driver caused the scratches on his or her own (or if the owner's kid scratched it with a bike in the garage by accident, etc.) then the appropriate response to scratches on the bumper of a 7-year-old car is to ignore them and not bother with fixing them since it's just cosmetic.

But damage caused by another party is different. In that case what needs to be done is for the damage to be repaired perfectly. The appropriate response in that situation is to take the car to a professional body shop and do whatever the body shop recommends (yes, even if that means replacing the entire bumper with a new one).

If you don't understand the difference between those two situations and why full professional repair is appropriate in the latter but not in the former, then you're not mature enough to be driving a car. However, given the way you intentionally misrepresented the situation in your initial post, I think it's quite clear that you do understand the difference, but were hoping to manipulate the story in such a way as to make us tell you that cheap repairs were fine in order to give yourself an excuse to lowball the victim of your own carelessness.

"The bumper of a 2007 white Honda Oddyssey was bumped." Indeed. A responsible adult would have said, "I hit a parked 2007 Honda Odyssey and scratched the paint on the bumper," but you didn't.

Grow up and take responsibility for your actions.

ZV

 

[Craig234]

Bullshit.

If you were asking about options honestly, you'd have told us that you hit a parked car from the get-go. Instead, you deliberately left that information out and phrased the question as though you were helping a friend fix his own car. The impression you gave was that your friend had scratched their own car and was looking for a cheap repair.

That is miles away from what actually happened.

In the case of scratches left by an owner on his or her own vehicle, yes, you would be making too big a deal of it. Frankly, if the driver caused the scratches on his or her own (or if the owner's kid scratched it with a bike in the garage by accident, etc.) then the appropriate response to scratches on the bumper of a 7-year-old car is to ignore them and not bother with fixing them since it's just cosmetic.

But damage caused by another party is different. In that case what needs to be done is for the damage to be repaired perfectly. The appropriate response in that situation is to take the car to a professional body shop and do whatever the body shop recommends (yes, even if that means replacing the entire bumper with a new one).

If you don't understand the difference between those two situations and why full professional repair is appropriate in the latter but not in the former, then you're not mature enough to be driving a car. However, given the way you intentionally misrepresented the situation in your initial post, I think it's quite clear that you do understand the difference, but were hoping to manipulate the story in such a way as to make us tell you that cheap repairs were fine in order to give yourself an excuse to lowball the victim of your own carelessness.

"The bumper of a 2007 white Honda Oddyssey was bumped." Indeed. A responsible adult would have said, "I hit a parked 2007 Honda Odyssey and scratched the paint on the bumper," but you didn't.

Grow up and take responsibility for your actions.

ZV

Bullshit yourself. I came back to see if you posted the well-deserved apology and found this garbage instead.

I didn't imply anything you said. You made baseless assumptions (which are pretty harmless regardless) and are trying to not admit your error by falsely saying it's something I implied.

I didn't get into the story because it wasn't relevant to my question which was what the appropriate repair is and what the options are.

When it became relevant because someone said I was being too picky about the solution, I explained why I was.

I do understand the difference in those two situations and I have treated the situation as the one it is. I didn't say 'does anyone know a half-ass inferior option to repair this that's really cheap'. I was asking for what options there are for repairing it to make sure I wasn't looking at getting ripped off unnecessarily by the one shop that had seen it and provided an estimate.

You're lying. You're making false insinuations. You are not taking responsibility for your bad behavior.

There's a real irony how you are doing what you are making false accusations about. You need to grow up and take some responsibility for your actions.

You show character problems with your behavior.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the original post leaving the irrelevant situation information out to ask the question clearly. I didn't say "My bumper", I didn't say "my friend's bumper" and I didn't say "a stranger's bumper", I accurately described the question and you are trying to lie about the meaning of that. I repeat: go away.

On the other hand thank you to the other posters who have provided their advice.

 

[Zenmervolt]

long rambling irrational diatribe

You damaged another's property. You hid that fact and attempted to get advice about how to do the repair cheaply instead of using a professional bodyshop.

Instead of saying, "I hit a parked car and scratched it. The body shop has given me this estimate for repairs, is it reasonable or are they trying to screw me?" you asked about finding an amateur on Criagslist (if they're on Craigslist, they're an amateur) and completely omitted the bit about you being responsible. You being responsible absolutely was relevant from the beginning; knowing that would have eliminated all the "don't fix it" and "just use touch-up paint" responses and would instead have focused on what appropriate charges from body shops would have been. The responses would have been far more relevant had you given complete information in your first post.

Instead, it's quite clear that you were hoping to get responses about doing it cheaply so that you could attempt to force the owners of the car you damaged to accept a cut-rate repair instead of a full repair. You're just pissy about having had that found out. Put on your big-kid pants and deal with it.

ZV

 

[Craig234]

You damaged another's property. You hid that fact and attempted to get advice about how to do the repair cheaply instead of using a professional bodyshop.

Instead of saying, "I hit a parked car and scratched it. The body shop has given me this estimate for repairs, is it reasonable or are they trying to screw me?" you asked about finding an amateur on Criagslist (if they're on Craigslist, they're an amateur) and completely omitted the bit about you being responsible. You being responsible absolutely was relevant from the beginning; knowing that would have eliminated all the "don't fix it" and "just use touch-up paint" responses and would instead have focused on what appropriate charges from body shops would have been. The responses would have been far more relevant had you given complete information in your first post.

Instead, it's quite clear that you were hoping to get responses about doing it cheaply so that you could attempt to force the owners of the car you damaged to accept a cut-rate repair instead of a full repair. You're just pissy about having had that found out. Put on your big-kid pants and deal with it.

ZV

You continue all the bad behavior of previous posts and continue to be offensive and wrong.

This is my last reply, as I see nothing constructive in interacting with such a bad actor and repeating the same criticisms every time you repeat the bad behavior.

You say 'hid'. That's a lie. I felt it was not relevant, and I still it was not relevant - though there is some relevance in hindsight that it would have filtered out some possible 'shortcuts'.

Since I wasn't asking for shortcuts to begin with, I hadn't anticipated that as an issue and addressed it when it came up.

If I had any interest in 'hiding' or 'shortcuts', I could have easily kept the discussion on those lines and not clarified the things I did. It's just you lying to say that was happening.

Why did I say I was considering Craigslist as a resource? Because not knowing otherwise, I thought that maybe a perfectly quality solution could be obtained there. When auto work needs to be done, 'take it to the dealer' is sometimes the right choice, and sometimes a very unnecessarily expensive choice. I didn't know. Hence my asking.

From the discussion, the solution I have settled on is the owner's suggestion of the dealer and the estimate they made - again contradicting your false insinuations.

Nothing was 'found out'. Nothing was 'hidden'. You are simply dishonest and smearing, projecting your character problems onto others.

I won't rule out 100% responding if you post yet more outrageous lies that seem to call for a response, but hopefully you will just be quiet and not reply, and I don't plan a reply.

 

[Zenmervolt]

more rambling

You wanted to get people to tell you cheaper ways than paying a professional. You didn't get them and weren't able to push the victim into taking a cheaper solution, and somehow you think the fact that they weren't interested in cheap repairs means you weren't trying to find cheap repair methods.

You'll forgive me if I'm not at all convinced by your bluster. You were seeking a way to push a cheap solution on the people whose car you damaged, were found out, and, ultimately, were not able to force a cheap solution on the victims. That's quite obvious from your posts and your amusing over-reaction to being called on it.

Just give up, you're not fooling anyone.

ZV