Had front bumper repainted-need opinions?
 

I need opinions on how well the color matches. The bumper seems to me a little lighter in some pics but looks good in other. Maybe its just the way the light is hitting it in the garage? I drove it today and I cant really see any difference in the daylight.

http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...DSC00328-1.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...DSC00323-1.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...z/DSC00340.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...z/DSC00339.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...z/DSC00337.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...DSC00329-1.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...z/DSC00328.jpg

Looks good to be honest.

How much was it? I'm looking to buy a Nismo long bumper for mine and having it painted brilliant silver. Any tips?

Hue is off, common trouble with color matching paint. The correct way would have been to blend it into the hood and fenders. It's really up to you. If you can live with it, no problem. If the bodyshop is good to deal with, let them know you're not happy with it.

Thanks, now maybe I'll be able to sleep tonight! :icon17: I've looked at it so many times now I think my eyes are starting to play tricks on me.

I paid $300. He took it off, fixed some cracks, sanded it down and painted the whole bumper. When I first talked to him about getting a quote I told him flat out I'm going to pay you cash and asked if I could get a discount (there was no paperwork or any type of receipt). We agreed on $350 but when I picked the car up he told me $300 :icon38:.

Definitely go to a shop that you know a little history about. Shop around for the best price..I'm sure something like this really varies in price in different areas. I'm also sure dealers are going to charge much more, so I'd try to find a local guy. I'd expect to pay around 300-400. And of course some paints are more expensive than others, like I have PPW (tri-coat) so it costs more. I would think brilliant silver would be a little cheaper.

I literally got my PPW back from the shop two days ago for a bumper repaint, and it looks the exact same as yours. bumper seems to be more white than the fenders and hood.

From what I understand, a lot of them don't really match even from the factory. Mine is silver, and the bumper looks a bit off in certain lighting, and I have no reason to believe it's ever been resprayed. I think it's just the difference in materials... the bumper is plastic, the hood is aluminum, and the fenders are steel.

$300 sounds like a killer deal. I've thought about getting mine done because of all the rock chips, but then I'd be tempted to get the hood and fenders done too as they're chipped up a bit as well. That would surely cost a bit more money.

Bumper colors are usually off some regardless, I think it looks good, it is a little brighter, but as said, without a lot of blending and all of that it looks good.

Depends on how particular you are.From the photos,the bumper does look
lighter.To me,because I'm extremely anal on this kinda stuff,it would
drive me crazy.I'd want it perfect.Matching paint perfectly is very difficult.
Especially paints that have pearl undertones.They look different under
different lighting conditions.IMO,the problem lies not in the color match but
the clear coat over the color.The other parts of your car,especially
the panels adjoinig the bumper,have worn clear coat.When a new part like
your bumper is put next to them with new clear coat,the new bumper will
tend to be brighter.The only remedy is to blend in the paint to the adjoining
panels.

maybe it is just the way light reflects off the paint. When I look at the car outside I don't really see any difference. In some of the pictures I posted on here, it looks different haha :dunno:. It kinda seems that way for your car too. In a few of your pics, the bumpers look a little off but in other theres no difference. :icon17:

Worst thing to do is panel paint a 3 stage.

Compare pics from before paint

I agree. The bumper is a different material from the hood and fenders so technically it will never match 100% perfect.

Plus you have to keep in mind that no matter how much the person tries to match the original paint, it will never be 100% matching. Paint mixures are mixures, so to have a PERFECT amount of everything is almost impossible. Heck even cars from factory look different when put next to each other.

My old Civic was Vivid Blue Pearl, and my buddy's RSX-S was Vivid Blue Pearl, obviously same color code and everything. When put next to each other mine had more Pearl and his was slightly darker, as mine was more "Blue"

Also, over time paint fades, so a freshly painted front bumper that maybe be the color code of your car will not match the paint on your car that has X amount of years in the sun and other external factors.

My '08 is at the body shop now, getting a new hood and front bumper. It's carbon silver, and I'm stressing over the color/texture match. I'd say of the color looks OK in outside natural light, call it a day.

I had an E30 M3 back in the day that had a front fender repainted at the POE before it was delivered to the dealer as a new car. It was Henna Red and in natural light the match was perfect, but under the sodium vapor lights at the dealer's lot at night, the fender stuck out like a sore thumb. Lighting makes all the difference.

Looks good to me i cant notice a difference.

And $300 isnt a bad price plus he did some body work

some more pics outside..

http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...z/DSC00349.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...z/DSC00351.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...DSC00350-1.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...C00347-1-1.jpg

That's about as good a job as you're going to get without re-spraying your entire car. It's almost impossible to color-match the bumpers. My Nogaro Red bumpers came out a slightly different shade right from the factory.

Looks fine to me

Agreed. I've had numerous panels painted after the fact and none of them ever match perfectly. In my opinion that is a very close match but that's about as good as it will get.