Advice needed

[eboose7]

This is a request for advice. I'm considering having some cosmetic work done to the front bumper skin of my '02 TR. There are some small, wavy indentations that I have recently noticed along the top. They are unsightly, and I want to have them repaired. I took the car to a highly recommended body shop for an estimate. The shop says they can repair the dimples, but it will be necessary to repaint the skin. The manager assures me the work will be undetectable when completed. Still, I am concerned about whether the respray will lower the value of the car--do you have any wise, helpful words for me? Oh, yes, I do plan to keep the car forever, so resale is not a concern. Is there anything else I should consider? I will greatly appreciate any advice you can give me.

[4LOWBIRDS+7]

Re: Advice needed

JERRY, READ MY PM BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING.

[Lonestar]

Re: Advice needed

First, look at the shops work before letting them touch you car.

To fix the bumper will require the use of basically special body putty that is flexible. As a result of this then yes, the cover has to be re-sprayed. Not as bad as the cashmere for sure but if you look close you will see that the bumper cover does not exactly match the hood & fenders. This is due to the absolute fact that paint does not dry on the material the bumper is made of like it does on the other materials on the car. Thus a perfect color match my not be possible BUT, it will probably not be any different than it is today – maybe better. Black is the least noticeable color difference from the factory and the easiest to match. Due to the amount of pigment in red and the fact it is not a metallic color TR will not be difficult to color match.

Anyway, the flexible filler in the hands of an expert will correct what you are not liking. The painter, if good, will get the texture and sheen correct and since they will remove the bumper the edges should be nicely finished. However, the shop will not be able to duplicate the drying methods of the factory and thus the finish will not be as robust and durable as the factory finish – this is true even considering how good the paint systems are today. Due to this I would recommend you let the paint cure for 60 to 90 days and then have clear bra material applied to protect the bumper from chips that the factory finish will endure but a re-spray will not. 3M and Expel wants the paint to be good and cured before the material is applied to aid against paint lift if the material is even removed.

As far as anyone knowing… since you would be a “cash” customer the shop will probably not report the work & thus it will never show up on a CarFax type report.

I think all of us deal with some amount of less then perfect front and rear bumper covers. I know my front bumper has dimples on the sides. However, if yours is at a point that you want to do something about it then rest assure a shop experienced at working on these types of bumpers will get it correct, the paint will match at least as good as it does today, and no one will know the work was done. This will be especially true, at least in my opinion, if you have the clear bra material installed.

[NotU]

Re: Advice needed

I had a similar problem with a red 1995 Trans Am,
and took it to a well-known, reputable local body shop that does
excellent work. It probably doesn't hurt that I know the owner.
It turned out terrific and looked as good as new.
I had it 4 years after that and still looked new when I traded it
in for my 2005 Thunderbird.
Good Luck!
Randy Mattson

[eboose7]

Re: Advice needed

Thanks, Lonestar. Your response helped me a great deal. You pointed out one of my major concerns--the issue of durability. I have seen chips on repainted front bumper skins. I have heard, as you indicated, that the factory drying technique cannot be duplicated by a body shop. That is a major consideration for me. Again, I want to express my sincere gratitude for your advice and help.

[eboose7]

Re: Advice needed

Ron, I sent you a PM.

[4LOWBIRDS+7]

Re: Advice needed

JERRY, I GOT IT, YOU ARE WELCOME.

[bgl]

Re: Advice needed

Hi

I am in a similar situation, only worse. My car was in an accident, and has had body panels repainted. Unfortunately, the blacks do not match either in tone or texture. I am told the most difficult color to match is black.

In discussion regarding the anticipated repaint of most of the car, I am told that DuPont gets the paint code for each VIN. Thus, the VIN can be entered, and the paint code should match. So, we are wondering why my repaint does not match. We are also going to try to match the paint using the camera which should also provide a code, but again, black is the most difficult to match.

My thoughts are similar to any earlier reply in that since it is the front, and two panels will not be seen side by side, it should not be noticeable.

It seems to me that many panels do not seem to match exactly, even from the factory. I think this is because of the different texture of the material being painted.

If it bothers you, I think it is worth trying to fix and have a car you are proud of. I am still working on that.

Best of luck,

Bruce

[Lonestar]

Re: Advice needed

Not to hijack this thread but our 02-05 Thunderbirds have at least 3 different materials that make up to outer skin. Each material accepts paint a little differently and you can probably see this most on the cashmere followed by light metallic colors. On a complete repaint the color match could be better then factory because typically the car would not be stripped to bare material but instead sprayed over some amount of the factory finish.

Factory paint on most domestic and Asian cars has some amount of “orange peel”. When a part of a panel is painted or a couple of panels are painted the painter blends onto adjacent panels. Unless the painter spends a lot of time working with his gun to try to duplicate the air mixture that will result in the level of orange peel that matches the factory paint there will be a texture mismatch. In collision work there is no time built into the job to allow this so the repainted areas are usually better then factory in regards to orange peel. Additionally, the repainted area is typically rubbed out and that contributes to the finish being slicker than the factory finish. If a repaired area has more orange peel than factory then the equipment, material, or painter are lacking.

Lastly, just like us, paint ages and as it does it gets lighter or darker. The newest Thunderbird is now approaching 5 years old and the color has change if ever so slightly. Getting a can today of the correct color code will not match your 5 or more year old paint. The paint has to be tinted to match the color of the car today. Some old pros do that by eye while many painters today use computer color matching machines. Color matching is an art in and of itself.

[steelblue5505]

Re: Advice needed

Lonestar
Look for a PM from me.

[ThunderBubba]

Re: Advice needed

Jerry -- As others have said, check out the work of the body shop you are considering. And I do disagree with Lonestars statement that red is not that hard to match. I have had several paint and body men tell me that red is the absolute hardest color to match. I also have a guy on your side of town that you might talk to about doing the work. He is VERY picky and takes pride in his work.

[eboose7]

Re: Advice needed

I truly appreciate all the suggestions. After carefully considering all of them, I decided to forego the repair. Quite frankly, I was concerned after reading Lonestar's suggestion that the respray would not have the same durability of the factory finish. That's important since it is on the front fascia where it needs to be able to resist chipping. Moreover, I did not like the idea of the 3M paint protection system, because I remember reading here that some TBN members were dissatisfied with the appearance and had problems with removal. Like so much else in life, it is a matter of balancing competing interests. While the dimples bother me, I think it is better to leave the factory finish in place and learn to live with the slight imperfections. Thanks again all.

[5bird7]

Re: Advice needed

Here's another thought for you, Jerry. Years ago when these cars were new, some owners received cars that had the dimples in the side tops of the bumpers. Some found that removing and resetting the bumpers correctly helped quite a bit in removing the dimples as they had not been clipped on properly at the factory.

[4LOWBIRDS+7]

Re: Advice needed

VERY GOOD CHOICE.