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Thread: Bumper Damage

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    40
    My Cars
    2008 135i

    Bumper Damage

    Basically, the right corner of my car's rear bumper got swiped by the side of my friend's car at about a 45 degree angle to the bumper. Luckily, the damage is only about 4 inches or so of stripped clear coat and white paint. I called a shop that we've used before to fix a BMW rear bumper and they did a good job. They told me they would take off the bumper and completely redo it (paint strip and repaint). As my friend is a high school student, he can't really afford the $700 they quoted me. Because of this, he went to his dad (who isn't my biggest fan) and they are going through insurance. His dad was furious and demanded that their insurance valuate it. I told my friend that it would be fixed at my shop of choice, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Anyway, is repainting the whole bumper necessary? It's an 08 with 97k miles on the clock if it matters. I want the car to look as good as before, no way will I accept a subpar repair.


    Pics below:

    eIMG_4141.jpgIMG_4159.jpgIMG_4140.jpg
    Last edited by B00STED; 05-28-2017 at 02:41 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Milton, WV
    Posts
    1,286
    My Cars
    2002 BMW 530i Sport
    The "proper" way to do the repair is to remove the bumper and refinish the entire thing. One can do other methods with varying levels of success but to ensure a consistent finish removal/refinish is best.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    40
    My Cars
    2008 135i
    What would those other methods include? My friend's family doesn't give a damn about their cars and I just know that their insurance is going to lowball me. If I need to go to the family directly, I also know they would tell me to get some spray paint from Home Depot and get to work. I just want to have some expectation of what their cheap resolution will be. Also, does $700 sound about right from the shop? The estimate I got was what the guy told me over the phone after I described the damage to him. They haven't seen the car (they don't do estimates with pictures) and I haven't taken it to the shop because it is about 70-80 minutes each way. I'm not sure if I will take it to them for an IRL estimate before the repair gets done because I don't think I would really accomplish anything as the $650-700 quote was based on taking the bumper off and completely redoing it, something I don't think would change if they saw it in person.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Akron
    Posts
    1,694
    My Cars
    '17 GTI,'99 M3,'86 190E
    The proper way to do this is to pull the bumper, blend the color in-panel (it's a small mark, it's easily blendable) so you don't have to worry about color matching the panels that the whole bumper meets to. The rub is that you MUST re-clear the entire panel. There's really no way around this, unless the clear system used specifically allows clear blending - not many do, and the ones that do are high end, not OE level finishes (and the clear on the car should be the same paint). You really don't want to do the clear on the car, because the masking will probably take more time than just pulling the bumper, so you're going to pay for the prep no matter what you do. Plus, if the bumper tucks under other body work in any area, you don't want that masked off and shot - you'll get a tape line and the clear could lift.

    Unfortunately paint is quite expensive these days and the labor time for something like this will be at least a few hours, plus R&R. $700 sounds about par for the course, depending on your area.
    Last edited by lithium726; 05-31-2017 at 09:07 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Chicagoland area
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    If he insisted on filing an insurance claim, what's the problem?
    Take it to shop of your choice, the adjuster for your friends insurance will approve the estimate if reasonable.
    $700 seems normal for that repair.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Ft Lauderdale
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    07 530xiT, 05 CLK500 Cab
    Remove, repair and reinstall, should not be more that about $400....You need to get more estimates.
    Go to the local dealer, ask around where they get their work done...
    look for shops that do high end cars....but $700.....wow
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    North Hatfield,Ma
    Posts
    6
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    No BMW Yet
    My 7 took a parking lot rub hit. They removed bumper, repaired the crease in the cover . About 1.5 hrs labor. blended paint and clear coated .$1100.00 If it will look the same $700.00 is fair to me.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    I had a similar scratch on a z3 rear quarter-panel,
    $600 repair according to Allstate adjuster, I took the check!
    Keep in mind that this was 10yrs ago.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Ft Lauderdale
    Posts
    378
    My Cars
    07 530xiT, 05 CLK500 Cab
    "MY" body shop charges about $500 to remove, repair and install a bumper...small damage is usually repairable, sometimes they can get a used bumper, once repaired and painted, on a newer car if it's a good body shop they can match it 100%, on a older car they can usually match the color very close.....(I'm very fussy)
    BMWCCA # 12660
    PCA # 1994019867
    2019 Porsche Macan S (75% Mine)
    2018 M/B C 300 Cabrio AMG (wifes)
    2003 Porsche 996 Cabrio 6 speed (99% mine)
    **************************************
    ***FOR SALE 2007 BMW E 61 530xiT
    I WILL BE NEEDING A BMW E 30 CABRIO SOON
    **************************************
    2014 M/B GLK 350 (awful car, lease) gone
    2005 M/B CLK 500 AMG gone
    3 Z3's (gone)
    2006 911 S Cabrio (gone)
    4 Boxsters (gone)
    2006 X5 3.0 (gone)
    1999 528iT (gone)
    1994 525iT (gone)
    7 Assorted 911's (gone)
    60 others (gone over 70 years)

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