What do I need to know in repainting a bumper?

[FlipIam]

My T4R was parked and the front passenger-side bumper was scratched by another car trying to park in the next stall. To make the story short, their insurance will pay to get it repaired and I am meeting their estimator this afternoon. This is my first (and hopefully the last) time to do this thing, so what do I need to know?

I know that... the whole bumper has to be repainted and not just the scratched part
...BUT how would I know that they are painting it with the same color code as the original?

How many days should I expect the T4R will be in the shop to do this repair?

When I get it back, can I wax it right away or the paint/clearcoat has to cure in certain amount of days first?

What info should I expect from the estimator?


Any other helpful info you can give me will be greatly appreciated. ;-)

 

[rook]

My T4R was parked and the front passenger-side bumper was scratched by another car trying to park in the next stall. To make the story short, their insurance will pay to get it repaired and I am meeting their estimator this afternoon. This is my first (and hopefully the last) time to do this thing, so what do I need to know?

I know that... the whole bumper has to be repainted and not just the scratched part
...BUT how would I know that they are painting it with the same color code as the original?
the body shop will obtain the paint code from the label in the drivers side door jamb some shops mix their own paint, others order it from the supplier who mixes it at the store... the body shop will prepare the entire surface, repair the scratch, prime, paint, blend and finally clearcoat for an invisible repair

How many days should I expect the T4R will be in the shop to do this repair?
2 days... it is best for them to do the repair and get it in primer on day one, then allow the primer to cure overnight. they can then paint on day 2 and bake the paint in the booth to cure it. modern urethane clearcoat cures at 140

 

[FlipIam]

Re: Re: What do I need to know in repainting a bumper?

I know that... the whole bumper has to be repainted and not just the scratched part
...BUT how would I know that they are painting it with the same color code as the original?
the body shop will obtain the paint code from the label in the drivers side door jamb some shops mix their own paint, others order it from the supplier who mixes it at the store... the body shop will prepare the entire surface, repair the scratch, prime, paint, blend and finally clearcoat for an invisible repair

How many days should I expect the T4R will be in the shop to do this repair?
2 days... it is best for them to do the repair and get it in primer on day one, then allow the primer to cure overnight. they can then paint on day 2 and bake the paint in the booth to cure it. modern urethane clearcoat cures at 140

 

[Uneek]

Re: Re: Re: What do I need to know in repainting a bumper?

Thanks for great info. One more question... do all the paint shop bake the parts to dry or some will just hang it to dry?

Most shops use heat lamps to dry the paint. Unless it's an advanced body shop, then they might have heated paint booth(s).

 

[i30RLS]

painting

Same thing happened to me, however, in my case, it happened to my rear bumper. The guy was parking and didn't notice scratching my and his cars.
So the guy's insurance estimate it and sent me a check to have it fixed. But this is what I did instead. I used one of those re-chargeable lighter oils and rubbed away other guys car paint mess off my4Runner. It was mostly the paint from his car on my 4Runner's rear bumper. I also bought one of those scratch n fix products and rubbed away minor scratches. Overall, it looks ok. Almost not visible overall. And the guy is out of some $$$ for making a stupid mistake while parking. Some people are just plain dumb no matter how much parking space they have.

 

[Uneek]

Re: painting

Some people are just plain dumb no matter how much parking space they have.

More often than not, people park by feel. At least the other guy was willing to own up to his mistake--far better than those who flat out deny they ever made contact, especially when the alarm is going off.

 

[rook]

Re: Re: Re: What do I need to know in repainting a bumper?

Thanks for great info. One more question... do all the paint shop bake the parts to dry or some will just hang it to dry?

its probably a 50/50 split. force drying in a heated booth cuts dry times allowing the shop to be more productive. with the warm temps you have on the island, air drying will not be a problem. heat lamps are becoming more popular, especially infrared lamps, but they are designed for metal surfaces, as they can melt the paint off a plastic bumper, due to the different adhesion properties involved in painting plastic.

 

[chaz]

scratches

i always get my front bumper scratched, nicked, even cracked, no matter where i go. it must be a NJ thing. so i gave up & bought a cheap bumper , & painted it myself, that way i can touch it up as needed. only thing is it doesnt polish out like the factory did. ( sort of looks like a satin finish) but i can live with it. now the door dings will be a different story. its like that commercial, you can park at the end of the lot by yourself, go into the store, when you come out some idiot in a hooptie is next to you.