New bumper chipped

[Aries326]

So I just got my M bumper painted this past week and now it is chipped. I'm sure it was a small stone. Should it chip the way it did? Is this something the shop should repaint or am I stuck with it? Did they do a poor job and I can expect my bumper to easily chip like this?

[Steeler]

Not an expert but have been involved in enough body and paint jobs to say it does not look like the proper prep was done before painting whether it be priming or sealing of the bumper. Was the bumper black before painting ?,if so then the chip has taken the primer and the paint which should not happen.

See if you can put a pin or you finger nail under the paint and see if the paint starts to lift
IMO the body shop should be respraying.

[Finnegan]

Man that just stinks!

What kind of additives did the shop put into the paint? How was it prepped?

When I had my side skirts done, they used some kind of flexibility enhancers, or something along that line, with the paint. That should be listed on the invoice and the work order.

They might be able to touch it up for you in any case. I strongly recommend letting a cure for a month or so, and then applying 3M or Ventureshield protection. I have Ventureshield on my 3 series front bumper, and it's been great at keeping it looking new.

Again, it's really sad to see something like this, right after you had painted.

[Aries326]

That's what I thought. There's no way it should chip and take everything off. It's like they put one thick layer on. The bumper was black when I bought it. But the bumper was primed with black paint. What else should they have done to prep the bumper properly?

[Steeler]

As finnegan says a flex agent should be added to the paint and bare minimum scuff the bumper to promote adhesion of the paint to the factory primer.

[msh441]

Even with the flex agent, proper priming and baking, I've never seen a respray over factory paint hold up like stock paint (or paint over a factory primed part).

On a front bumper, I expect a 3-4 year life span. Because of this, I went with an X-pell clear bra film this last time around.

It was applied a week after paint so it cured well. I've had good luck with it so far.

[Aries326]

Thanks for the input, guys. If I ask them to repaint it, what kind of service should I expect? Do they strip the paint off, redo everything or do they use dr. Color chip, respray and call it a day?

If they do repair it, should I let the car sit in the garage for awhile to let it clear and have a clear bra applied?

[nesrevival]

I think that is pretty bad work... I repainted bumper myself last year and don't see any chips. And.. they are going to fix only chipped part

[v3.2mc]

Did you supply the parts to them for paint, or did you buy them through the body shop? Body shops make almost all of their profits off of parts, so it's possible the painter was instructed to cut some corners to keep from losing money on the job. Insurance companies seem to be the biggest cause of this mentality. Ask any shop estimator how they like working with State Farm's new mandatory software and you'll soon find a large reason for them "making time".

At least in this area... Good customer reviews are not enough; it's best to have a working friendship with the shop as well.

[jdoublehcubed]

Yeah thats just aweful, a stone should not chip that bad.

Looks like they didn't degrease the new bumper properly, so the paint didn't adhere well.

[Huz-Z]

I'm no paint expert but that definitely does not look right to me.

Be prepared though for them to say that its not their fault because something unusual hit the car and caused this unusual damage. To counter that, is there another paint shop nearby who could look at this and tell you what the first guy may have done wrong with the paint work? Then you've got some good argument in your back pocket.

[ferrarif1]

Its a sign from the Bavarian god "Otto" that you should not install M parts on a non-M car.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by ferrarif1

Its a sign from the Bavarian god "Otto" that you should not install M parts on a non-M car.

Keep calm and Zpost on! Please don't feed the troll.

[ferrarif1]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

Keep calm and Zpost on! Please don't feed the troll.

Relax, a little humor never hurt anyone

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by ferrarif1

Relax, a little humor never hurt anyone

I'm quite relaxed actually. Its a good idea to throw in a few smilies, LOLs or whatnot to make your future efforts at levity more apparent.

These are good:

Along with a few

or even a

But okay - cool!!! If I misread you, my bad!

[The HACK]

On my wife's E92 328i, which I picked up personally from The Welt, and have never repainted the front bumper, which was white, there were 2 stone chips that look just like that when we returned it at the end of the lease.

So I wouldn't say it's not normal to chip like that. Now, I was pretty sure of at least one of the stone chips, when it happened, I knew it would leave a pretty nasty chip. I mean I heard it from inside the car at ~80mph.

Just sayin'.

[Aries326]

Originally Posted by ferrarif1

Its a sign from the Bavarian god "Otto" that you should not install M parts on a non-M car.

Lol... If I get t-boned, then I'll believe you.

I drove the car a total of 4 times. I can't say I remember hearing a stone hit my car. I do believe the prep work was bad. I'll go see them this week when the row hook cover comes in.

[Aries326]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

I'm no paint expert but that definitely does not look right to me.

Be prepared though for them to say that its not their fault because something unusual hit the car and caused this unusual damage. To counter that, is there another paint shop nearby who could look at this and tell you what the first guy may have done wrong with the paint work? Then you've got some good argument in your back pocket.

There's a body shop right next to them. :-)

[Aries326]

I've got great news. The body shop is sanding and repainting the bumper! I'm so happy that they're doing the right thing. I'll definitely bring more business to this shop.

[Huz-Z]

Excellent news! We are all human and make mistakes, but what separates the good shops from the bad ones is a willingness to admit to a mistake and make it right.

[RecycledTeen]

Originally Posted by Aries326

I've got great news. The body shop is sanding and repainting the bumper! I'm so happy that they're doing the right thing. I'll definitely bring more business to this shop.

Nice. Next step: Xpel that freakin road rash magnet to protect your investment!

[Aries326]

Here's my baby. Gonna get a clear bra for her this month. Until then, I'm going to make sure I don't scratch the bumper or get any stone chips. Strictly for errands only at this time.