$813 to fix a scrape on the rear bumper

[Herr Kutz]

So, our Lexus is in the shop getting some extremely minor damage to the front bumper repaired (woman backed into our car while it was parked and she left a note). We had some minor damage on the rear bumper from my wife not pulling far enough into the garage and one of the hinges on the garage door scraped the rear bumper while it was closing.

We figured we would get that fixed while the car was in for the front end damage. Well, they gave us a quote of $813 to repair and repaint the rear bumper. Does that seem reasonable?

Our deductible is $500 so I'm hesitant to submit a claim for fear they'll raise our rates. My initial though is to just pay the body shop for the full amount of the repair and be done with it. Thoughts?

At least we don't have to pay for the rental car, the other person's insurance is paying for that.

Is there some reason the other person's insurance isn't paying for damages as well?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Is there some reason the other person's insurance isn't paying for damages as well?

What are you talking about? Their insurance is paying for 100% of the damage to the front bumper and they are paying for the rental car.

We are paying to repair the damage to the rear bumper ourselves.

 

[kitatech]

Have it done by MAACO....you're not going to own it 3 years from now, are ya?
I had MAACO do my front hood and they did a great job blending it to the curve of the fenders to the pinstripe line....looks great...not perfect but
At the time I asked about my bumpers and they said they'd charge me $300 to strip, prep and finish.
The trick with MAACO is to have it done in a shop located in an upscale 'hood where their work will be scrutinized.

This is an 11-year old car, but they matched the faded finish quite well.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Have it done by MAACO....you're not going to own it 3 years from now, are ya?
I had MAACO do my front hood and they did a great job blending it to the curve of the fenders to the pinstripe line....looks great...not perfect but
At the time I asked about my bumpers and they said they'd charge me $300 to strip, prep and finish.
The trick with MAACO is to have it done in a shop located in an upscale 'hood where their work will be scrutinized.

This is an 11-year old car, but they matched the faded finish quite well.

There is no way in hell I'd ever have a car painted at Maaco. They do minimal prep, minimal masking, minimal everything and it shows in every car I've seen painted by them.

Anyway, we picked up the car yesterday and it looks like it was never damaged. In fact it looks brand new.

 

[kitatech]

Glad you're satisfied with your effort...
I must say that people have all commented that I should be happy with the results I got from Maaco....time will tell though...

 

[NutBucket]

Exactly. It's qualified....it's good for Macco.

 

[kitatech]

No....I didn't say "good for Maaco'.....I said it was good, not perfect....the color match is perfect but there are a couple specks of dust under the finish.

The Camry will find enough flying debris to chip the hood soon enough (it's in its DNA ) that paying big bucks for perfection that nature will ruin sooner than a cheap paint job did not seem cost-effective.

Likewise the bumpers that will get "bumped" often enough and being plastic they're not a critical repair on an 11-year old car....only their unsightliness will force me to have them refinished and repainted, again for $300 each, in a couple of years.

 

[JulesMaximus]

No....I didn't say "good for Maaco'.....I said it was good, not perfect....the color match is perfect but there are a couple specks of dust under the finish.

The Camry will find enough flying debris to chip the hood soon enough (it's in its DNA ) that paying big bucks for perfection that nature will ruin sooner than a cheap paint job did not seem cost-effective.

Likewise the bumpers that will get "bumped" often enough and being plastic they're not a critical repair on an 11-year old car....only their unsightliness will force me to have them refinished and repainted, again for $300 each, in a couple of years.

My FIL is cheap. His wife had a 325i BMW that was older and faded (it was dark blue). He took it to Macco and had them repaint the entire car black. That car was passed to my wife shortly thereafter. The paint job on that car was horrible. They didn't remove any of the door molding, just masked it, they didn't remove any of the glass, just masked it. I don't think they removed a single thing from that car before painting. From about 6' away the car looked okay but up close it just looked like shit. It was nowhere near perfect... not even close.

He also had a 525i front fender repaired at the same shop (I have no idea why he went back there quite honestly) and it didn't match and showed the same level of prep and attention to detail.

I used to work in the car rental industry for a company that specialized in insurance replacement rentals in and around the Los Angeles area so I was in and out of many body shops from the best to the worst and maaco is definitely one of the worst.

Prepping a car for paint makes or breaks the result. It takes a lot of time to paint a car right. If you want shit results, go to maaco. If you want a quality paint job that looks as good as new or better, shop around for a reputable place and pay the money because it won't be cheap and it won't be fast.

 

[kitatech]

So you do understand it's the franchise not the corporation that determines the result.

...in my case they removed the grill and windshield washer spray jets, and at my request removed the pinstripes...all were replaced properly afterwards....

I did say, and it bears repeating, that some shops do better than others...they have to if they're to stay in business in more upscale neighborhoods....another reason I went with Maaco was a 5-yr national warranty, something I may need if I move from Florida.

 

[JulesMaximus]

So you do understand it's the franchise not the corporation that determines the result.

...in my case they removed the grill and windshield washer spray jets, and at my request removed the pinstripes...all were replaced properly afterwards....

I did say, and it bears repeating, that some shops do better than others...they have to if they're to stay in business in more upscale neighborhoods....another reason I went with Maaco was a 5-yr national warranty, something I may need if I move from Florida.

So, you want me to shop around different maaco shops, maybe try a few of them out? Yeah, that's not gonna happen.

The Lexus dealer recommended the shop we took it to. The results speak for themselves. The car looks perfect. There is no over spray anywhere on the car because they removed the bumpers to paint them.

 

[kitatech]

Yeah, well, I did look at different shops, including one at a dealer, and was not impressed by their appearance....
I shop around for such work, and recommend that others do the same...hence my posts....again, glad you're satisfied with the work you got done.

 

[JulesMaximus]

In hindsight I think $813 is very reasonable. A friend of mine had a seat cowl for his Ducati painted (kind of a cafe' racer seat pan/cowl). Just one color, Ducati red, with the word Ducati hand painted in white block letters with black outline and then clear coated. Turned out really nice but even that work was $500.

 

[olds]

 

[Herr Kutz]

What are you talking about? Their insurance is paying for 100% of the damage to the front bumper and they are paying for the rental car.

We are paying to repair the damage to the rear bumper ourselves.[/QUOTE

 

[Midwayman]

I assume this is what you were hoping for...

 

[Elganja]

813 is fair imho considering they are repainting the entire thing

as for the lease thing, look at your contract. I know with Honda/Acura, they only cared about scratches larger then 3inches

 

[Subyman]

Touch up pen and a buff job. See if it gets noticed. Worth a shot

 

[mizzou]

You will feel a lot less stressed about the beauty of your car when you don't let minor bumps and scrapes bother you.

Chances are, you spend $800 to fix it then a shopping cart or dog comes by and somehow does the same thing.