Camry Front Bumper Cover Question

[mjrkong]

Current front bumper cover on my '98 is pretty well done in. I've searched various
parts sites that offer "raw" and "primed" pieces. Which would I be better off with?
Can I paint the piece myself or best done professionally? How much for an average
paint job? If I were to find an already painted cover would 125-150 be a good px?

Thanks

[DrewsCam]

that would be good price

what about shipping?

[mjrkong]

Shipping would tack on another $30 or so.

[DrewsCam]

not to bad

[ruoknow]

i replaced the front bumper cover for my avalon once.

The cover, which is so called "primed" and ready to paint, is about 80 bucks (made in taiwan). I bought it at a locat shop, so no shipping incured. I was trying to do the paint job by myself, and finally, i failed. I think there are some defective products at autozone. The paint i put on became a powder and was easily buffed off.
BTW, after comparing the orginal bumper cover and the new one. i would say the difference is not that big.

I would like to recommend you take it to a paint shop and let the professional to do it.

About the price of the painting: it depends on your original paint. How many stages it has. Mine is pearl white, which is a 3 stage paint. It costs at least 200. But if your original paint is not in good condition, you may just match the all over paint condition and have a cost effective paint job. You know what i mean, right?

If you can find a painted one in good condition, matches well with your car and under 150, I would say go with that. Be sure not to bend it too much or scratch the paint when you intall it.

[98CamryLE]

I would strongly reccommend NOT buying an already painted one. Your car was made in 1998- it's about 7 years old. Your paint does not look the same as it did when your car was new. If you order a bumper on the internet, or somewhere else- and have it pre-painted, it will not match your car because they will paint it based solely on the paint code, and not take into consideration any fading or anything.

If you are going to spend the money to replace the bumper, do it right. If you spend 150 bucks on a bumper that doesn't match, you just wasted 150 bucks. If you spend 250-300 to buy a bumper and have it painted TO MATCH, you have spent your money wisely- especially if you plan on reselling your car one day. Have it professionally painted, and do it at a shop where they can match the paint with the rest of your car.

Don't waste your money on something that will look unprofessional and not match.

[Eye8Pussies]

^ well, to add to that, it highly depends on what color your car is, as well as if you park your car indoors or outdoors

if you have a more flat color such as black, white, red, blue, etc, and a non-metallic color, then more than likely your paint has faded at least a decent bit in the past 7 or 8 years

if you have a metallic color, and you've taken good care of hte car and parked it indoors all its life, then a painted bumper should be perfectly fine

you have to remember that the lines on the bumper are pretty defined and there is an obvious break in the colors when you look at it anyway- so even if it's a little bit off, you won't notice the difference

other pieces such as the hood or fenders always have to be matched and also blended to look right- especially with metallic paint where the flecks may lie in different ways