ouch!

[Fastbuck]

The fender and bumper are combined hence the link. I think the fender may come prepainted too as they get delivered to the factory with the light unit and various other components such as windscreen washer bottle already attached.

[carlgo]

Originally Posted by PasPar2

got an absolutely ridiculous quote from the dealer - $2800 includes new fender (which I understand) and a new bumper cover (which i dont) he also said the hood will need to be repainted to color match (?!?) going to shop around the private shops...

Oh, oh, I was wrong on my post saying the fender and bumper were two parts. I was thinking E53, which is two parts. The E70 is indeed one piece and made of some sort of plastic. The bumper in this case would be the part way at the bottom, across the front. The photo doesn't show any damage, but maybe it is hidden, torn where it attaches or something.

The guy that wrote the estimate should have gone over this with you. Give them a call, be nice, you will get an answer.

Now, for the painting. I would not blend the hood. Note the curve up from the fender. Any slight difference wouldn't be noticed because of the different angles.

I would for sure blend the L/F door. There is no way on earth that they can just paint the fender. Your very expensive new X will be two-tone if that is not done. When they blend the door, make sure the handles and moldings are removed. Taping them off is for cheap jobs on cheap cars. Even insurance companies pay for blends these days as well as the parts removal and installation ("R&I"). Some moldings are glued on, no favor to the consumer, and have to actually be replaced. Re-gluing the old parts is not terribly successful.

BTW, blend means just continuing the paint onto the adjacent panel and feathering it out to nothing about half across. Then, both the fender and the door would be clear-coated entirely. All modern metallic paint is clear-coated (with actual clear paint, not some magic liquid!)

If you have any doubts, go to another shop for another estimate.

It was suggested that a shop could just knock out the dent and this would be a one-day job. It is possible that if the fender was removed and heat and pressure were applied that maybe it could be repaired. I retired from the shop before these new plastic fenders made the scene so I have to experience with them. I do know that we tried this on various plastic parts on other cars with mixed results. Usually, it was an attempt to make it look decent, but not new, and only if the owner was ok with that.

Not too many shops will experiment on an expensive vehicle. You know a new part will work, so you do that. Nobody will pay you twice if the experiment fails and then you have to go out and get the new part, start all over, etc.

The good part about repairing that dent is that the damage is so far away from the door that the rear of the fender could be blended and the door would be spared from a blend, disassembly, etc. This all would take a few days if paint is required.

Aluminum and plastic parts save weight. The hood and fenders have little to do with crash protection and even steel fenders are thin little things. All the crash stuff is in the rails and structural parts. What they do is create high repair costs as replacement is almost always indicated. Dealers get to sell pieces of pressed metal for hundreds of dollars.

[carlgo]

Originally Posted by Fastbuck

The fender and bumper are combined hence the link. I think the fender may come prepainted too as they get delivered to the factory with the light unit and various other components such as windscreen washer bottle already attached.

See my correction in my previous post. Wrong model!

The fender will require painting. They won't stock fenders in different colors. Even if they did, the colors wouldn't match and would have to be painted anyway. Some parts, like small trim parts may well come color-coded and some parts that are the same color for every car likely don't have to be painted.

H. Ford was smart in offering only one color!

They do deal with sub-assemblies on the assy line, but it is unlikely you would get one for a replacement fender. You can buy an entire front end, from the firewall forward and you still won't get any small parts.

[UCrewX5]

It's difficult for me to tell from the picture, but is the paint marred? If not then you may want to check with a PDR (paintless dent removal) specialist to see if they can repair the damage. I've been really amazed at what the right person with the right tools can do in situations such as this.

[carlgo]

Originally Posted by UCrewX5

It's difficult for me to tell from the picture, but is the paint marred? If not then you may want to check with a PDR (paintless dent removal) specialist to see if they can repair the damage. I've been really amazed at what the right person with the right tools can do in situations such as this.

Some of those guys are great. We would call our guy in to do small dents and save the customer the cost of painting.

This part, though, is plastic, so it would have to be removed and worked out with heat. Unlikely to be perfect. Plastic parts are not good for the consumer except for the weight savings. They aren't cheap, either.

[rh71]

Can I just ask - why would one "titanium silver" not be the same as another "titanium silver" painted by the dealer/workshop? Is it fade due to being exposed to the elements you're talking about?

[juicer]

Originally Posted by erick_c

With that logic, I think the rest of the car will need to be repainted to color match the fender/bumper.

and I would update the interior too - have to get those colors matched just right, the interior may have faded in the sun during the accident

[carlgo]

Originally Posted by rh71

Can I just ask - why would one "titanium silver" not be the same as another "titanium silver" painted by the dealer/workshop? Is it fade due to being exposed to the elements you're talking about?

You can have the original can of paint and still the color will be different. That is because the little metallic particles will lay out differently each time giving it a more or less silvery appearance each time.

This is due to to differences in humidity, air pressure, spray gun, technique, etc. These things can never be duplicated.

Perhaps you have seen it, and now you will be looking, where the paint match is perfect when looking at it straight on, but looks terrible when viewed from another angle, or under different lighting conditions.

There are other factors. Most of the paint manufacturers will give out around five variations in the paint code. These are factory variations! There is not the consistency you would think. I have no idea why they do that. I have heard they bid out the materials in some cases. They may use a different brand of paint. I understand some paints are water-based, but there is no useable water product available for refinishing. Some day water paint will be universal. Emissions and all. Then they will sell us $20/liter water with magic properties. Count on it.

Here is something most people don't know: there is no factory paint available for refinishing. In the past one could order paint from their BMW dealer, but no more. EPA factors, hazardous shipping rules, etc. are blamed. I always thought is was because it didn't match anyway, so why bother.

The bigger and better shops have their own paint mixing systems. There is a big rack of color all being churned by a system of chains and paddles. Many cans of different sized and colored metallic particles, pearls, toners, etc.

All this is mixed by weight on a scale that can measure a tiny amount. One coin weighs more than another, depending on wear, for example. Fun to play with.

The painter test-sprays panels that are held up to the car and then tints it. Our painter, a gem, could do this accurately. It is a gift. A painter can save a shop's butt, or create havoc. The paint companies say it is science, but it is still art, even today.

Our shop had two such systems as one brand would match certain colors better than the other. We used European brands as they seemed better for the work we did.

There are also many different primers for different uses. Non of these are the old grey primers many of us grew up on.

BTW, two-step paint refers to color and then a clear coat over it. Three-step means there is a pearl prior to the clear. Solid is for those no-extra-cost Alpine whites and black. Sometimes the manufacturers put a clear-coat over those for extra scratch protection.

You asked about fade due to the elements. Today's paints are great about not fading. The costs are hugely more than they used to be, but there is no question that they are so much better. Fade is not much of a factor except for the solid yellows and reds. Those are very hard to match even when they are new and fade in funny ways after that.

There is more, but I am going fishing now.

[DSE]

As often as the front and rear bumper areas get dinged, it is a drag that the area covering the front bumper is not a separate piece like the rear bumper appears to be. I realize there would be a line between the front bumper cover and front quarter panel, but a painted bumper is going to get dinged, and an owner should be able to avoid such an expensive paint job.

It is one reason insurance rates have gone up. Even minor dings are major repairs requiring new panels and paint jobs these days.

[carlgo]

Originally Posted by DSE

As often as the front and rear bumper areas get dinged, it is a drag that the area covering the front bumper is not a separate piece like the rear bumper appears to be. I realize there would be a line between the front bumper cover and front quarter panel, but a painted bumper is going to get dinged, and an owner should be able to avoid such an expensive paint job.

It is one reason insurance rates have gone up. Even minor dings are major repairs requiring new panels and paint jobs these days.

The manufacturers do their best to sell as many collision parts as possible for as much money as possible. That is their only concern. There are lots of things they could do to lessen collision repair costs, but they have no interest in that.