Repairing Rock Chips to Bumper, Hood and Fenders Costs a Lot
So I am sick of the rock chips on the front of my car. On a black car those little specks all over are almost starting to look like metal flake! Next time, I get the clearbra (or something similar) for sure!!! But too late for me now...plus there are a lot or scrapes on the lower bumper due to conflict between lowered car and speed bumps and concrete parling stoppers.
So I got two estimates today from good shops in my area. I opted to replace the bumper cover. It costs $284 new and to repair it vs replace is only $130-$140 more for the total estimate. Total cost to replace the bumper cover, sand and refinish everything is $1373 at the least expensive shop. The other one quoted $1596. 8.4 hours body labor because in addition to the bumper R&R you got another 2 hours to R&R the headlight assemblies. Then 1.5 hours on the hood chips and .5 for each fender, it all adds up fast.
I saw other posts with people asking how much this might cost so that gives you an idea of what you might pay here in So. Cal. So save your paint!
__________________
2004 Coupe 6MT, Black/Graphite, Premium, 19\" TSWs/Tein S. Tech Springs, 350EVO Control Arms, SPC Camber Arms & Toe Bolts, Sirius Satellite, Tint, Overlays, Clear Corners, Z Tube w/K&N, Debadged
yah u shouldve gotten the clearbra....normally a saleperson would offer me these packages while i purchase the car and I would always say no but the clearbra is probably the best accessory I have purchased for it
No doubt bro! These cars are a giant paint chip waiting to happen. Good call on the clearbra. Do it for sure if anyone has any doubt.
__________________
2004 Coupe 6MT, Black/Graphite, Premium, 19\" TSWs/Tein S. Tech Springs, 350EVO Control Arms, SPC Camber Arms & Toe Bolts, Sirius Satellite, Tint, Overlays, Clear Corners, Z Tube w/K&N, Debadged
ditto on the clear bra...... got one once i purchased my ride cuz i drive on the freeways a lot
__________________
'05 6MT AB/'06 bumper & headlights, Iso Thrml MREV kit, JWT PC w/Z-tube, UR crank pulleys, Swift Springs, Diablo Doors, Seibon CF hood, IONIC grill, Hornblasters air horn, Clear corners, Blue tints
+1 - clear bra is a worthy investment. I hate the damage that happens to the front of cars, especially pretty cars like the G! I had the clear-bra installed the week I got my G. Car is still almost perfect. There is no damage to the front bumper what-so-ever.
As time goes on, I understand that the clear bra on the bumber get get a little dinged up, but replacing the clear bra on the number for $100 or so is a hell of a lot better than the re-paint scenario you're facing. I had the front number of my Ford SVT Contour repainted a couple of times while I had it. Gets pricey after a while. I think I only paid around $500 each time, though.
Why do you want to replace the whole bumper panel? Just getting some scrapes and chips fixed up should be able to be done with the existing bumper and new paint.
There are about a billion (OK maybe only a million) little chips, it would take forever to try and touch them all up. The reason I am going new on the bumper cover is that the old one has a lot of scrapes as well as chips. I figured it would be worth the extra $130 to go new and then I know for sure the result will be good. Both shops said they could repair it if I wanted to go that way. Then when it is all done get the clear bra so I don't have to do this again. From what I have read that should cost around $750 installed for the bumper, hood and fenders?
__________________
2004 Coupe 6MT, Black/Graphite, Premium, 19\" TSWs/Tein S. Tech Springs, 350EVO Control Arms, SPC Camber Arms & Toe Bolts, Sirius Satellite, Tint, Overlays, Clear Corners, Z Tube w/K&N, Debadged
$750 sounds a little high, to me. When I got mine, I had one guy quote me $725, but then I had a shop recommended to me that did it for $550, which included bumper, hood, fenders and mirrors. I'm near Philly. I don't know what they're charging where you are. I like to drive fast on highways and the clear bra has saved my car from becoming a chipped up eye-sore.
Oh, if you have any large chips that you want to fix, get a product called Langka and some Nissan touch-up paint. You build up the touch-up paint in the chips, and then use the Langka applied to a cotton cloth stretched over the included plastic card to smooth the touch-up paint flush with the rest of the paint so that the end result looks perfect. Langka only works with touch-up paint, not with original factory paint. Something with the forumlation of touch-up paint is the secret to how it works. Of course, as you said, if you have the "sand-blast" effect on your bumper, this won't work as there will be far to many little chips and they wouldn't be deep enough to hold touch-up paint anyway.
my g is black. would the infiniti nose mask look ok on my car?
I personally don't like nose masks as I feel they take away from the natural lines of the car. Especially with our cars where a big part of the looks is the grille, air dam and lights. I would recommend a clear bra. You will hardly be able to see it. The only time you can see it is if you're close to the car and look at a certain angle. Then you can only notice the edges of the clear bra material.
my g is black. would the infiniti nose mask look ok on my car?
I personally don't like nose masks as I feel they take away from the natural lines of the car. Especially with our cars where a big part of the looks is the grille, air dam and lights. I would recommend a clear bra. You will hardly be able to see it. The only time you can see it is if you're close to the car and look at a certain angle. Then you can only notice the edges of the clear bra material.
Pics? Pics? I'm curious to see what a clear bra looks like. Thanks.
Well, I could post some pics, but like I said, you will hardly be able to see it, if at all in pics. The car literally looks exactly the same with the clear bra on as it does without it, except for the very fine lines at the edge of the clear bra material, which can only be seen up close and at the right angle. The clear bra doesn't change the appearance of your car at all. That's beauty of it.
If I get some time I'll post a couple of pics, but it's kinda busy with the holiday coming up, so I can't promise I'll have time to do it. All you're likely to see in the pics is a a silver 05 G35 Coupe, though. The clear bra really doesn't show.
my g is black. would the infiniti nose mask look ok on my car?
I personally don't like nose masks as I feel they take away from the natural lines of the car. Especially with our cars where a big part of the looks is the grille, air dam and lights. I would recommend a clear bra. You will hardly be able to see it. The only time you can see it is if you're close to the car and look at a certain angle. Then you can only notice the edges of the clear bra material.
Pics? Pics? I'm curious to see what a clear bra looks like. Thanks.
think of it like normal clear tape thats on your car... but you can feel and see the texture of it and wont be as smooth as normal tape and its made from 3M also so basically its a thicker piece of tape that goes around your whole car or around the areas where you purchased them for
AutoForums.com is the premier network of enthusiast-owned
enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
We operate more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share
experiences and opinions as a community.
Repairing Rock Chips to Bumper, Hood and Fenders Costs a Lot
got one once i purchased my ride cuz i drive on the freeways a lot
