WilsonHTID

If I got an Autocouture Front Bumper, how much is it to paint the bumper so it matches my car? Cause the price the guy is selling it for is pretty good, but if painting it is hella expensive, it's not worth it then. Just wanna know. The bumper is already red too which matches my car, but there is like a chunk of an unpainted part in the front so I would have to repaint the whole think no matter what.

Arkansas

Depends on the color and if there are any spots on the.bumper to be repaired. Black and white r pretty cheap. But any color other than black, a good shop will paint more than the bumper so that it all blends together instead of looking a little out of place. Labor rates vary also

Tabaka

iTrader: (8)

Call around and find out. I would assume that it will be near $300

cmh

sometimes its cheaper to paint the whole car then it is to just paint a bumper... let me explain. i can imagine its the age of the car but when u paint just one part of the car, the rest of the car looks faded as heck. ill post pictures of my car so u can see wat im talking about. the guy i bought my car from painted the hood because he has cats and the hood was all scratched up. now the hood is shiny as hell and the rest of the car looks dull.

so im saying do it once and do it right. i have to agree with tabaka, its about 300 to paint a bumper, but trust me u will be unhappy to see how much ur paint has faded thru the years once u get some fresh lexus paint on just one part of the car. this is just my opinion before anyone decides to say i dont know wat im talking about. i only give my opinion when i know for a fact that it has happened to me or i have experience with it. gl

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

cmh, you ever think about doing paint correction on your existing black paint? If your paint is faded to the point where a newly sprayed bumper makes the rest of the car look like chit, than you definitely need a good buff job.

These black onyx's are so easy to buff, you can just get a PC7424 and do the job yourself in a weekend.

cmh

no my black sc looks great... its the silver one im having issues with. its the same color as ur car.. u can tell big time. and its lexus paint. im assuming that its because the oaint is so old the fresh paint makes the rest of the car look awful. but im painting the whole car over again.

this isnt the first time i see his though. i mean paint isnt expected to look great after 15 years. i think its time for a new fresh paint job. lol theres some ppl on here that have done the same and just in pictures alone u can see the difference in color.

lilSCsteve

iTrader: (71)

you both have valid points, as a part time painter...a good painter can paint/blend the front to match the rest of the car. It's all in how well the existing paint was taken care of, etc. Now if there's body work or serious dents and dings, then it's better to do a respray IMO. Normally if I'm going to paint part of a car, i.e. a bumper or body kit...I'll start first by doing a thorough detail to include buffing on the vehicle to see how much if any wetsanding I'll need to do to match the entire paint, etc. Honestly, there's usually additional paint left over, so why not use it on a client's car. For me, it's about the reputation. If you do right by people, they'll respect that. Just my two cents.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

a bumper is a great place to learn how to paint.

Its very forgiving and it gives u a chance to learn.

You can rent a sprayer for very cheap and even purchase one if you want.

Materials shouldnt be much more then a hundred bucks and you would have much left over to touch up other areas if need be.

Arkansas

I think a fender or hood is easiest to start learning to spray on. With the bumper cover uve got two good sized curves that can throw u off not to mention the air dam and all of its angles. Ive also painted all 3 of these items and had the worst time with the bumper

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

well its the curves and the holes that make it much easier and forgiving.

On a flat surface there is no room for errors, especially when were dealing with high gloss like automotive paint there really is no room for errors because everything shows.

Ive painted a few cars and im not a pro but ive learned alot and came a long way, the bumper , front and back are still a great place to start as the imperfections wont show as much as other places.

The hood is the absolute worst place to start, it is a big flat surface with the sun shining the most on it, it has to be perfect in every way, fenders pretty much the same.

N00bie909

iTrader: (5)

Don't go cheap on paint use ppg paint and good ppg clear. It should run you around 350 to paint the front bumper.

Gate

I used Herculiner truck bed liner (black) on the hood and trunk of my 99 Neon, the rest was a dull dark green. Cost $12 total, one can each.

Anyways, everyone thinks that hella gay so I say just get the high quality stuff and give the job a shot on your own.

levie

iTrader: (1)

i would personally just do the whole car. its what makes more sense to me. do it right the first time IMO

WilsonHTID

See I was thinking that if I brought it to a paint shop, they could match the color to the rest of my car. Cause I know it's not factory red anymore, still bright and good paint, but not the same. So I would have them match it, but since it runs like 350 to paint the bumper, and the bumper itself is like 400, I don't think it's worth it. I might just go with a home depot lip and then CF wrap it so the I don't have to worry about paint. We'll see though, I was just wondering how much paint would run me. Thanks guys