im cursed with two ugly holes on the front bumper where the dealer decide a license plate might look good

i think this is a shi$%$ design by nissan making a holder that requires drilling in the body, but oh well, whats done is done.

What is the average price expected to have the holes refilled and bumper repainted and finished>?

$400? hopefully less

OR, if i order a new bumber from nissan does it come prepainted? and at what cost?

 

new painted bumper is probably around there. maybe closer to 500 depending on paint

but you can go out and get some bondo, Id go in from behind, fill it in, get it real smooth, and then get the touch up pen, and do it, more than likely itll be unnoticable without getting 2 inches from it, and total cost will be like 20$. less if you have either bondo or the touch up paint.

 

thought about those plugs, but problem is the dealer put some pretty noticeable nicks and scratchs behind the license plate.

how well will touch up paint work on those scratches? i have never seen it put on well, unless it was so good i didnt know it was there

worse comes to worse i will just hold out and buy a new bumper, im kinda liking the balsarini kit

 

I've got the same problem, and after I saw all of the pics of cars with no front plate, I couldn't accept the plate on mine anymore. So I took it off. It looks a thousand times better, even with the holes. Buty I plan to fix them.

I was originally goinf to plug the holes with painted plugs from Home Depot. They are pretty tiny (smaller than the ones in the link above). But I bought some Bondo instead. I planned on coming from the inside of the bumper. But I looked this weekend and the holes are blocked by the structural part of the bumper.

So I haven't done it yet, but I am confident that it will be pretty clean from the outside. Clean up the holes with a razor blade to remove the bits that the screw has pulled out. Then fill the holes as best you can with bondo. Keep the outside of the holes clean by removing any excess quickly (and by working slowly and neatly from the start). Get the bondo close to flush with the bumper, but leave a slight indentation. Then slowly and carefully paint the bondo with a touchup paint from Nissan ($2.99 or so). Use a few thin coats and try to leave the surface smooth.

Liek I said, I haven't done it yet, but I think it will be a pretty clean patch. Definitely less obtrusive than plugs. I'll put up some pics when I get back from my vacation in two weeks.

Good luck.

 

Man I've got the same problem as you guys do. I was so excited to get a Z that somehow I overlooked the fact that it had a front plate when it was on the lot. And besides the two holes that are there, there's also two deep abrasions. So I'm either going to go with a whole new stock bumper or maybe some aftermarket one. One question though, does the Nismo bodykit come with a whole new front bumper or?

 

well, perfect match actually isnt needed, cause all bumpers have small indentations where the holes should be. even if you get close to smooth, it would be a smaller hole than a new bumper would have.

scratches are another story. if the paint is smooth, the pen might do a good job, but if its an actual scratch, thats a different story.

 

Hey guys......
I do not recommend using bondo on flexible parts (bumpers) and if you just fill the hole with the stuff, it will crack in no time.

Best repair is "plastic welding" if not, chamfer the holes (to make some surface area) and use a two part bumper repair material. Body shop supply places have this. Ask them what is best for your bumper material.

If you want a good job at a good price, find a Paint Doctor, or Colors on Parade guy that does touch-ups on used cars for dealers. Ask the desk guys at a big dealership who does there touch ups.

Hope this helps

Scott

P.S. I like the plugs idea the best for bang for the buck.

 

The problem with the plugs is that they don't show a match fo Daytona Blue.

 

I would get the ones from the above link, if they can't match the paint coat the plugs w/ touch up paint. then after a few coats, wax it for protection. When you paint them use one stroke or if you have an airbrush thin the paint and spray the plugs. I had the Honda OEM plugs on my S2000, improved so much.

 

HEHE, i think this gives me a reason to buy another toy ive always wanted ... an airbrush