2013 Subaru Impreza Bumper bar repair

BERTNES

MEMBER
2013 SUBARU IMPREZA
AWD
AUTOMATIC
5,000 MILES

Hi, I did some minor damage to my bumper bar only. My repairer has said that although the damage is minor & only impacts the bumper bar, that the 3 layer white pearl paint will need to be blended into the other rear quarter panels therefore the cost will be much greater. I thought they would just remove & repair & respray the bumper bar separate to the rest of the car. Am I being taken for a ride?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,737 POSTS

Nope. Your bodyman has been yelled at so many times by picky people that uncover every tiny defect in his work while overlooking how astoundingly terrible a lot of factory paint jobs look. Dirt in the paint from the factory is very common but owners overlook that. All paint repairs require blending to the adjacent panels although it is easier to paint up to a natural break like a body line, (crease), rubber strip, or something like that. The hardest thing to blend is when they're painting up to the middle of a panel Getting the new paint to match to the faded old paint is almost impossible, and you'll see that in the right light.

The new paint color will be affected by temperature, humidity, distance of the gun from the panel, air pressure, color of the primers and sealers under it, thickness of the color coat, amount of thinners and hardener, etc. I have the utmost respect for people who can do bodywork. I tried, and I can't.

If you don't believe what your guy is telling you, get a second or third estimate from different shops, but be sure you're comparing the same things.