[Dmitriy@AUTOcouture]

Got an appointment with a body shop tomorrow to get both my rear and front bumpers repainted (really bad parking scratches from people backing up into my car and scuffing it - I hate Brooklyn).

Anyway, any suggestions of what I should ask the guy before I give it in and what do you estimate the cost to be?

TIA

-Dmitriy

[Couch]

I have no clue on the total. My guess is $300+ since it's a repaint.

I just bought a new front bumper through the dealers body shop. Bumper, prep, paint, install was around $575. May have been lower than that.

[200Duece]

Couple hundred bucks per bumper sounds about right.

[E90330iS]

My shop charged me $490.

[Dmitriy@AUTOcouture]

Originally Posted by E90330iS

My shop charged me $490.

Foth both bumpers or just one?

[tintivilus]

Huh. I had a new rear bumper cover last year and it was $800-some-odd out the door. The bulk of that was paint and R&R; the actual part was only a couple hundred iirc

[jcrwu]

My local BMW dealer charges $450 to sand, prep and paint one bumper. A local body shop should be able to do the job for less.

[Couch]

Originally Posted by tintivilus

Huh. I had a new rear bumper cover last year and it was $800-some-odd out the door. The bulk of that was paint and R&R; the actual part was only a couple hundred iirc

$800!!!

I know the owner of the body shop I went to, which is used by my dealer for all their cars. So I got a small deal on my front bumper, but $800 for the rear with everything seems steep. Really steep.

[Dmitriy@AUTOcouture]

Just gave my car in this morning, $500 for both the front AND rear bumpers. I have a AW and the guy said he guarantees the job will be flawless.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[triton.]

Just becareful, You get what you pay for in painting. Depends on the quality of paint and accuracy of the color match which is based on the painter. I wouldn't take it to some place really cheap either. If you've ever seen cars with front or rear bumpers with paint flaking off, that's a clear sign of a cheap paint job that didn't bind to the bumper.

In Phila, Delware area when I priced it out, just the painting at a good place was $500 - $700 for 1 bumper, not counting install.

Cost of Full Mtech Kit + M3 Lip spoiler Paint and Install cost me $1800 with lifetime guarantee in Phila area. A little high, but job was perfect.

All parts came primed, 1 pieces needed a little repair (which is common) even though it came primed.

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by triton.

Just becareful, You get what you pay for in painting.

That's why I swallowed the $800 job... I've gone to that shop before and their work is spectacular. I'm sure there are places that could do as well for less, but I don't think it's worth taking a chance on a crap job to save a few hundred bucks.

If I ever need anything really substantial done I'll start shopping around.

[triton.]

Originally Posted by tintivilus

That's why I swallowed the $800 job... I've gone to that shop before and their work is spectacular. I'm sure there are places that could do as well for less, but I don't think it's worth taking a chance on a crap job to save a few hundred bucks.

If I ever need anything really substantial done I'll start shopping around.

Yep, that's the same conclusion I came to shopping around for body shops past few weeks and talking to a few painters for my mtech kit.

Nothing worse than a paint job that is 99% color matched.