Paint chip/ding question
 

Someone was kind enough to hit/ding my truck in a parking lot and not leave a note. The chips are relatively small (pictures for reference) and on the right rear quarter panel (just below the taillight).

Any idea if this can be repaired without having to re-spray the entire section? Any idea on what something like this should cost before I call the dealer tomorrow?

Thanks for any help!

Requires a repaint of the entire panel, period. They will prep the whole panel, then paint the spot blending it out ... but the entire panel will need to be 're-cleared' out to the seams. Anything less is hokey.

And you meant your X5, not a real truck, right?

:)

A

I park far away from everyone else for good reason... that sucks.

I had my front fender repainted and they had to do the entire thing... unfortunately I couldn't tell you how much as it was on the dealer's dime since it was on their lot when it happened.

Why dont you spend $30 on the touch-up paint and see if the results are acceptable to YOU. It is a bumper after all, you will get more of these one way or another... If it will require re-painting of the whole bumper and blending, it will cost many hundreds, and on that scale the throw-away $30 on the touch up paint will not make huge additional dent in your checkbook.

I would estimate $500 to $1000 depending on who you go to, how well you negotiate and how busy they are.

I've had my bumper done twice for similar @$$holes that like playing bumper cars in the parking lot.

I have now decided to do it after accumulating a couple of them and using touch up paint in between.

You have 2 options as mentioned--try the touch paint route if not the panel will have to be painted. If you don't want to screw it up with the touch paint have a paint shop or detail shop do it for you--they have more practice at it.

Seriously?

How can it get any more screwed up than touch-up paint?

If one does a "perfect" job with touch up, it is still bad.

DIY, then get the whole thing done in 4 months when some moron rear ends you....

No I mean screw it up by not having a steady hand when putting the touch-up paint on or you put too much on--like it get's too much of a "blob" look, etc.

I know.

My point is that we've turned into such abject failures as men (and women) if we cannot manage to apply touch up paint.

Have the wife do it- the skill set is putting on nailpolish....

If the other guy left a note and insurance info. I would just take it to the paint shop unfortunately that is not in your case :(

Happened to my X, wife had parked the car at a local park and it was windy. A kid opened the next car's door which blew open in the wind and left a inch and a half ding with some scrapes over the rear wheel well. Luckily they were decent to leave a note. I just took it to a local body shop, they did a fantastic job, can't even notice it. Did not have to paint in my case, but it was expensive from the insurance cos point of view, 600bucks or so.

I would suggest try the touch up paint first. You get a two pack with a clear coat to go on top of the regular paint. The way I did it on my 3 series was to apply a painters tape or something and cut out the exact section where the paint was missing (you can feel it if you run the finger on the tape), then apply the paint freely over the tape and then the clear coat. Peel off the painters tape and it did a pretty good job. Won't be as good as new but was ok for me.

My 2007 x5 that I just purchased was MINT except for a scrape like that one --same size. They said they would fit it---would need to blend the paint and do a involved job as the OP stated. I am waiting for pick up.....

GL

Tried the touch-up route, and it looks fine unless you are up close and look at an angle. I got an estimate from the body shop at my dealer to re-shoot the entire panel for $183. If it starts to bother me I will have them re-shoot it, otherwise it is a lease and I will get rid of it in a year and a half. If the dealer tries to say the chip will cost $750 to repair I can hand them the estimate their body shop gave me. Either way I am covered.

Thanks for the help.

$183??!!?!

That's a dinner. I'd have it done and be finished with it.....

Absolutely. Whoever my local Porsche dealer outsources paint touch-up to is farking magical. I challenge anybody to come visually inspect my 996 Turbo and tell me where my paint chip was.

/m

Really? I've never met a touch up I couldn't pick up.

lemme know when you're in CA:thumbup:

But seriously.... You say it doesn't require a full panel clear coat, and others say you cannot 'patch' clear... how can both be true? Does it vary based on how 'picky' people are? I look at all these new X5s and am horrified by the crappy orange peel and other defects. Others simply have no idea what good paint looks like.... is this it?

Or is the whole 'gotta clear the whole panel' a fallacy and there are a few magical painters who defy this purported truth?


A

Well, I had my bumperettes painted by a local body shop that came in high regard from Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini owners. The bumperettes came in a tinge just slightly darker than the rest of the car and I could tell a difference. Fortunately, I sleep well at night knowing that 996 bumperettes come unpainted from the factory so I can always go back to them.

But this touch-up job, I can't tell the exact spot of the touch-up and I have not found someone yet that can with the naked eye. I'm not talking about visibility from a couple of feet, I'm talking about inspecting the bumper cover inches away in broad daylight.

Personally, if you can find somebody that does this level of touch-up work, then I'd go that route than having the entire bumper cover resprayed. For starters, it's cheaper so if you're hell-bent on getting it resprayed anyway, then the only thing that'll hurt is the small sting from the wallet; but the best that can come out of it is that you won't need a complete respray. The other thing is, I've seen on more than a few occassions a bumper cover respray not matching the rest of the car (i.e. my bumperettes); so even if the touch-up was just barely noticeable, then I think I can live with that than the risk of the entire resprayed cover not matching the rest of the car.

/m