Bumper Paint Issues

[homemechanic]

Had a rear-end accident last year and got pushed into the front. New front bumper and a re-conditioned bumper for the rear. The shop initially painted the bumpers, but the gold color didn't match to the fenders and quarter panels. Plus a paint crack was noticed at the rear bumper adjoining the quarter panel.

The shop took the car in and painted the bumpers the second time. The rear color is matching better, but the front color is still several shades off. I am aware the slight color disrepency between plastic and metal, but several shades off is not acceptable in my opinion. I also notice the paint is cracking on the rear bumper again.

1. Anyone run into this kind of issues after body work?

2. The paint crack is probably due to thick paint or too many layers. What's the standard practice for painting the bumpers?

3. Some shops don't sand the old paint off the bumpers before painting a new layer on. How many layers of paint on the bumper is still consider acceptable? I-Car standards??

Thank you for reading!!!

[Ray92es]

Had a rear-end accident last year and got pushed into the front. New front bumper and a re-conditioned bumper for the rear. The shop initially painted the bumpers, but the gold color didn't match to the fenders and quarter panels. Plus a paint crack was noticed at the rear bumper adjoining the quarter panel.

The shop took the car in and painted the bumpers the second time. The rear color is matching better, but the front color is still several shades off. I am aware the slight color disrepency between plastic and metal, but several shades off is not acceptable in my opinion. I also notice the paint is cracking on the rear bumper again.

1. Anyone run into this kind of issues after body work?

2. The paint crack is probably due to thick paint or too many layers. What's the standard practice for painting the bumpers?

3. Some shops don't sand the old paint off the bumpers before painting a new layer on. How many layers of paint on the bumper is still consider acceptable? I-Car standards??

Thank you for reading!!!

Is the shop trained for Lexus? Lexus paint is different than other cars as is Mercedes

[homemechanic]

Is the shop trained for Lexus? Lexus paint is different than other cars as is Mercedes

Unfortunately, no. They have I-car certification. I wanted to go to a Lexus dealership, but none have body shops within their dealership. All referred their customers to different shops, so I just chose a shop that's convenient for me. Big mistake. . . I should have went to a certified Lexus shop that's like 60 miles away.

[djspawn00]

I had my toyota (pearlized white) and lexus (onyx black) both painted after bumper damage and there was no problem with color matching... I didn't even go to a dealership for my work, just a trustworthy body shop.

[tckcumming]

Had a rear-end accident last year and got pushed into the front. New front bumper and a re-conditioned bumper for the rear. The shop initially painted the bumpers, but the gold color didn't match to the fenders and quarter panels. Plus a paint crack was noticed at the rear bumper adjoining the quarter panel.

The shop took the car in and painted the bumpers the second time. The rear color is matching better, but the front color is still several shades off. I am aware the slight color disrepency between plastic and metal, but several shades off is not acceptable in my opinion. I also notice the paint is cracking on the rear bumper again.

1. Anyone run into this kind of issues after body work?

2. The paint crack is probably due to thick paint or too many layers. What's the standard practice for painting the bumpers?

3. Some shops don't sand the old paint off the bumpers before painting a new layer on. How many layers of paint on the bumper is still consider acceptable? I-Car standards??

Thank you for reading!!!

I've had two body shop experiences with my Lexus ES300 ('93).

I was rear-ended at a red light, the other car punched a hole a couple of inches wide right through the plastic rear bumper cover, and put a couple of creases in it, too. I was sure it would need a new bumper. I took it to the Lexus dealer's bodyshop. The manager told me that they send bumpers out to an independent shop that repairs and re-paints them. I was skeptical, but when it came back it was perfect, couldn't tell it had ever been touched. Still looks fine today.

My second bodyshop adventure... not so good. A neighbor backed into my car, put a dent in the rear left quarter panel. I took it to the same Lexus shop, they took more than a week to fix it. When I went to pick it up, it looked awful. Sanding marks, overspray, dirt in the paint, etc etc. I refused to sign the work order, told them to keep it until it was done right. I drove away in their rental car. Got another call a few days later to come and pick it up. It was better, but still not right. They had cleaned the overspray, buffed the paint... but had done nothing to correct the crappy paintwork and bodywork. I told the shop manager that I could have taken the car to the local high school auto shop class and had better results - he didn't take that too well. I drove off in their rental again, told them to call me when it was done RIGHT. I called my insurance company and told them not to pay the bill until I authorized it.

Got a call a few days later from some Lexus rep. He said they had looked at the paint work and had deemed it acceptable, and they wanted their rental car back. I was more than a little upset! I told him that I didn't care what they found acceptable, the only thing that mattered was whether I found it acceptable or not. I was paying (through my insurance), they would do it to my standards, end of discussion. I also told him that my standards were getting higher all the time they kept the car... it had better be perfect the next time I went to get it.

Well, they had the car for more than a month in total. I had their rental car the whole time (put about a million miles on it, too). When I went to pick it up the last time, they had quite the wecoming party. Manager, body guys, some guy in a suit... the whole gang was there. I took a LONG walk around the car, crawled underneath, even moved it to see how the light reflected on the paint. This time it really WAS perfect. I don't know what they did differently this time, but the car looked really good. After about 10 or 15 minutes I pronounced that the job was "acceptable" and gave them back their car. They all said "thanks" except suit guy - he just looked annoyed.

The moral of my long-winded tale? Don't get taken for a ride. If you're not happy with the work, take it back. Take it back as many times as you have to until you ARE happy. Don't settle for poor quality or excuses. Be polite and cordial, but be a pain in the a$$ until it's right. There are many independent shops that do excellent work, some that don't. Then there are the high priced places (not only Lexus) that try to slide shoddy work out the door because of their name and supposed reputation. Don't assume that you'll get better workmanship just because there's a "LEXUS" (or other) sign hanging over the door. If they promise you something - make them deliver.

tck...

[SKperformance]

The primer is inadequate causing it to crack as well as not having enough flex coat added into the mixture to allow the paint to bend . Ask for your money back and go somewhere else , they are being lazy and cheap.

[blk_on_blk]

I second SKperf's note that they didn't add enough flex-additive to the paint if it's cracking.

I'm sure any reputable paint shop can do the job right. Color matching gold is hard, for metallics fade in the sun (as do many colors) and it's hard to match old paint.

The bumpers are just a polymer skin... they can be filled, sanded, reshaped, and more. I think they are just one big injection molded part.