body shop paint quality

[fatngs]

i own an 06 SE and i recently splurged and finally bought myself a new front bumper cover; the original was cracked and damaged on the right corner due to a dumb **** and a few weeks ago bambi decided to run out in front of me..... my TSX retro headlights (beautifully made by LE05) helped me spot the damn thing within time and my akebono pads slowed me enough to not hit bambi too hard (it ran away after the impact).... the bumper on the front left was slightly cracked and it damaged my lower headlight brackets and damaged my brand new foglights

i got an after market CAPA bumper and just ordered another set of JDM fogs along with new OEM brackets, bolts, and some other misc parts

now im just waiting for my parts to come in but heres the question of the hour..... paint

ive gone to 2 places for estimates so far... maaco (yea i kno) and a local body shop chain called collision max

maaco quoted me about $190 with tax (1 yr warranty) and collision max quoted me $294 (lifetime warranty)

now i know the obvious choice would probably be collision max but i hope to get the whole car repainted possibly within the next year (dont ask lol) and i would prefer to not have a bunch of different shades of black when its all nice and pretty and if i got maaco paint i would probably get the bumper redone along with the whole car

another downside with maaco is ive seen 2 cars that they had just painted and they really lacked shine in the clearcoat; but, i got my rear bumper replaced after an accident at collision max and have been back 4 times due to fitment isses and even paint peeling off (the paint they "fixed" the fitment "cant" be fixed)

i'll probably get a few more quotes from other shops but id prefer to stay local and im a bit wary of some of the shade tree shops around here

now by doing all this work by myself im saving my self quite a bit of money and in the end i kno it will cost less than half what a body shop would charge but im a bit snagged my this paint fiasco.... what do you guys think??

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

If the old bumper is usable, keep it on, until you decide to repaint your whole car. And get the whole thing (new bumper/car) done at once to avoid mismatched colouring.

[fatngs]

thats not a bad idea..... unfortunately the old cover isnt in great shape.... one fog light mount is broken, theres cracks in the paint, and the lower grille isnt too pretty

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

As long as it serves it's purpose, i would still wait.

Mine was messed up cracked paint, pealing etc. I bumped a snowbank and in -30 the paint just cracked.

But i waited til i could afford it and i got the hood, and bumper repainted. And the roof (black).

I also used the old bumper for winter. Now i am storing the Camry for winter so no need for me to switch bumpers.

[fatngs]

well ive been driving without a bumper for over a month now and im annoyed of everyone that comes in my store asking "whats wrong with your bumper??" plus i really miss my foglights so im probly guna stay with the new bumper

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

Fogs don't actually do anything. They don't throw enough light to light up the road. It is more of a safety feature for on coming cars in foggy conditions.

Just put the old bumper on and save up for your paint job.

[Glenn8963]

Originally Posted by Punks_Not_Dead5

Fogs don't actually do anything. They don't throw enough light to light up the road. It is more of a safety feature for on coming cars in foggy conditions.

Just put the old bumper on and save up for your paint job.

i too know the feeling of driving something that has body damage. it kinda makes you feel low..but this advice given to the o/p IS REALLY the best to be given.

so please listen to what Punks not dead is saying. you really want a clean, sleek look where everything matches. then too, from the "sounds of it" those 2 places, "Maaco and Max" sound like assembly line factories that do production work, NOT QUALITY work, so if it were me, i'd stay away....ask around town, or if you can afford to do so, subscribe to "Angie's list" and check the customer satisfaction ratings on REAL body shops in your area.

the money and time spent at those two other places, and your returns to them, to me spells piss-poor workmanship, so do not waste any more time or money at either...

just my opinion

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

If you were in my area, i would take you to my body guy that did my paint work. He uses OEM paint and does all high end cars for a great price and great quality.

[arabianobsession]

Black is one of the worst colors to paint match, and if you're thinking on getting the whole car a repaint, just wait to put the new bumper on. Trust me, you will thank yourself afterwards.

My Camry is also black, and after some psycho lady threw a gin bottle at her husband's car in the parking lot and it hit mine, I had to get a few spots repainted. At a quick glance, it doesn't look any different, but if you look closer, you can tell it's a bit different. And it bugs the crap out of me!

[fatngs]

thanks everyone for your advice and opinions!!!! i am still going to get a few more quotes and decide what im guna do.... ill keep you posted

[BlackG5]

yea definitely stay away from Maaco, a friend of mine had such a bad experience with them. paid $600 for the entire car, and when he was talking to the guy beforehand, he was like yea its gonna look great! well, 6 months later the clear was peeling.

I agree with Punks, do the whole thing or you'll see the different shades of black. I'm in the same situation as you, although my bumper is probably just as bad if not worse(190k miles ) and I have a JP vizage lip on the way. I'll probably just wait to get the side skirts and rear bumper before I do any paint work.

Hope it works out for you, paintwork is a B.

btw, I'm SO jelly of your retrofits

[fatngs]

Originally Posted by BlackG5

btw, I'm SO jelly of your retrofits

thnxx its well worth it


well i went to a number of shops today..... almost everyone quoted me about $300 and one shop even quoted me $500.... i will say though that shop was very clean and the lady even took me on a tour and everything looked top notch

ive decided im definately gonna get it painted and install it later next week.... i just got my new brackets and bolts and im just waiting for my new ricer fogs to come in; its looked like crap for well over a month and i just want to fix it and be done with it; im going to a local shop that didnt look too bad and they wont charge tax ($20) if i pay cash

as far as the whole car being painted, it could be 6 months or 2 years before i have the $$ to do it.... plus i have alot of expensive things planned for it the car soon (wheels & tires, new suspension, tranny flush) plus i might be attending school in the spring; the whole car needs paint because some panels were painted before i bought the car and they did a horrible job...... but for now ill keep it looking as best as i can

thanks everyone for your opinions and i will post pix wen its all fixed up

[bronzemaxell]

i replaced my 2002 camry rear bumper due to an accident,
i went to ebay and bought the matching color oem used in good condition, around $100 shipped, installed, just look good as new.

[arabianobsession]

Silver/Gray is easier to paint match than black-black is a PITA.

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

Sadly he will regret not waiting...

My white matches perfect but they used OEM paint. My lip doesn't match but that is cause i did it myself lol still looks good though