If I were going to buy an OEM stock front bumper for my '03, would it be best to buy it painted or buy it primered then get it painted locally? Or would it be even better to go to a shop around here and have them order it?

Thanks

 

Honestly I would say buy it primered, then get it painted from a shop. Because if you buy a painted bumper, it might not paint match your car and you'll regret it!!

 

I sure would not buy a painted bumper and not have the color match your car.
The only exception is if you were buying a OEM used bumper that was painted
your car color.Even buying a primed bumper does not mean your local shop
will do a perfect match.I've seen some good matches and just as many that
were awful.Some of this depends on the color to be matched.
Go with the primer one.Its your best bet unless maybe you have a black car lol.

 

I had a friend buy painted fender/bumper for his 06 sentra(blue) and for the price it was close enough where no one but someone who works on cars would notice

 

OP, who are you buying the bumper from?

 

I guess it depends on your budget, someone on here just recently bought a prepainted oem bumper from slidegood for 500 shipped and it looked like a good match. If you're ok with paying more then I would stick with primered and go to a good local paint shop

 

def. primered. Nobody can paint a bumper for a car thats been out in the sun and have it match without having the car next to them. If you take it to a shop they should mix the paint to match your exact shade of whatever color you have.

 

I understand why most people would go with the primed bumper and then go to a local paint shop to match the color, but some paint shops don't really use great paint and will actually just blend it to make it look like the color matches.

I work at ReveMoto.com, and like SlideGood.com, we offer new painted parts. Although I can't speak for SlideGood, I understand many people have a misconception when it comes to painted auto body parts so I just wanted to point out how exactly it works.

Our paint system actually accounts for sun fading so if your car is a 2003, it'll look different from a 2007 even if you're painting them the same color. The system will provide a variant based on the year the vehicle was manufactured. This also means we must use higher quality paint in order to achieve the match, so we're not using cheaper brands to make some extra cash like a lot of local paint shops do. At ReveMoto, our paint is guaranteed not to peel, fade, or chip in a few years unlike some horror stories we've heard from customers.

Moral of the story - just make sure you know who you're getting to paint your part. Local doesn't always mean better unless it's a reputable shop that does honest work.

 

what kind of paint ya'll use?
what primers, sealers, base coats, and clear coats.

 

Hi - we use an AzkoNobel line called Lesonal for all stages of the paint process. If you have any questions about the line, I'd be more than happy to help.