Sanders27

http://s16.postimg.org/4i618wcqd/CAM00211.jpg

Im thinking quite a bit because it is the edge and is deep, ie the picture doesnt show it well.

Just wondering before I take it in tomorrow

m a x i m u s

I'd say spot fix will run you a couple hundred, if you can find a good spot fixer. body shops will most likely respray the whole bumper for around $500-$1000.

solekeeper

are you kidding me? please don't ever give estimates on paintwork.


nobody repairs a bumper for 1000. by that point, it would get replaced. Even Mercedes wont charge north of 600. If they do, take it elsewhere.

This should NOT cost anymore than 500. Seriously. My reference, I have a body shop.

jvanbrecht

If you are going to end up getting the entire bumper resprayed anyways, you may want to try DIY repair yourself, if you screw it up, then have the shop do it. a little sanding, filler, primer, paint and clearcoat and you are good to go.

http://www.automotivetouchup.com/tou...mercedes-benz/ has everything you will need.

m a x i m u s

wow, take a deep breath there, bud. no need to get your ***** in a knot. I said 500-1000, and this is based on personal experience. just because it differs from yours and just because you have a body shop doesn't give you any right to tell me to "don't ever give estimates on paintwork".

m a x i m u s

+1

Sanders27

Well turns out it will be $421. But on the plus side they informed me that if filed as uninsured or hit and run the deductible is only 200 vs 500 for vandalism which it is currently filed under.

Thanks for all the replies and hope it will turn out well

jvanbrecht

Uninsured claims will affect your insurance, it should not, but unfortunately it does. At least in Virginia and Maryland

solekeeper

you paid 1000 bucks to do a bumper? Sorry bud, but whoever did it, raped you, viciously. Please do not go back there again.

jvanbrecht

Unfortunately, prices vary greatly, especially depending on location. my front bumper needed repainting, and the grill needed to be replaced after someone reversed into me. no damage to the bumper except paint damage. The grill got cracked. Total cost for me was around 1800 (well for the person that hit me).

m a x i m u s

dear sole keeper,

thanks for your concern, but despite what you are thinking, I am far far far from a moron, so no, I didn't pay $1000 to have a dinky scratch removed from my bumper (I don't think I ever stated that, did I?). in fact, I didn't even pay $500. what I did was I called around and got estimates ranging from 500 to 1000, hence my statement to OP. I ultimately went with a $150 spot repair that took care of the problem much better and much cheaper than what a body shop would've done.

Sanders27

So decided to take the advice and give it a try on my own before paying the shop. Just curious if you feel that it is best to get the aerosol can and go that route vs just filling it and then using a touch up brush. Def new to anything like this. Thanks again for the link.

jvanbrecht

I would definately go with some sort of spray, whether you have your own hvlp gun, or use the aerosol cans they sell.

I would also recommend you look at the various youtube videos showing people how to do spot repairs.

BerBer63

save your time and money and just get it done right

KIS007

It's a relatively minor scratch. If you believe it warrants repair, then the quality of the repair will matter to you, so why attempt to learn on your car? The chance that you will repair it to an acceptable level is zero. Get a reputable shop to fix it so you can forget this unfortunate incident.

Ingenieur

if you are not real picky try one of those mobile scratch/dent repair outfits
many dealers use them
ask your dealer who they use

jvanbrecht

I disagree, some people are very technically oriented. Now I do not know the proficiency of the OP, but there are many who can perform an excellent job. It is not rocket science, if you can follow instructions, you can do repair your minor paint damage.

And like I said, if he was going to go to a body shop, and does not mind spending a little extra, try it yourself, you have nothing to really lose (assuming the body shop is going to strip and repaint the entire bumper, which happened with my bumper when I had it done originally, but since someone else did the damage, they paid for it in my case)

KIS007

Valid point, but in my case, I am confident that my repair would not be equivalent to a competent professional's work. I'm old, I just want it done, and done right the first time.

callmiro

Please don't tell me you're going to spray can your bumper and think its gonna look fine....it will look worse than the scratch....you're just going to make a bigger mess for the guy who actually has to fix it.


Just get a touchup guy to come your house and do it for $150


$400 isn't a lot to get it back to factory spec....quit being tight and just fix it right

jvanbrecht

Come on now, you know I never said that. Obviously it is not that simple.

Sand the area a few inches around the scrath down to the bumper, use filler to level it out, sand it down level with the bumper, spray primer (2 or 3 coats), sand lightly, (all of this after you have taped off the rest of the bumper). Spray colour (2 to 5 coats depending on coverage, thin light multiple coats better than heavy costs), wet sand, spray clear coat, (also 2 or 3 coats), wet sand, polish... and be done.

Obviously, simplified slightly and some research would have to be done, but it is not that hard. The reason I provided the one link above is they mix the paint and drop it into an aerosol can, so it is color coded correctly. They also provide cans if you have your own spray equipment (which I do for spraying woodwork items)...

It also has nothing to do with being cheap, at least not for me. I enjoy doing this kind of stuff. Maybe I am unique that way, but I am guessing there are others who would enjoy it, or want to try..

Sanders27

I have to admit, I can see everyone's point of view, some positives and some possible negatives. Paint is by far from my realm but following directions and being careful and precise is my career basically. I did order some touch up materials from http://www.automotivetouchup.com just for some other stuff because everyone seemed to provide a good review for them online.



This was a good idea and thank you, I did not think of it. The dealer I bought my car from owes me two favors anyways since I referred my sales guy two buyers, one for a CLS63 and the other an ML63. So hopefully they will just take car of it. +1 to you!

KIS007

You lost me at "sand the area.......". Kidding aside, I admire people that are handy, I am not one of them.