kayger12
12-21-2013, 06:06 AM
When I bought my car back in November of 2010, she was essentially perfect except for one issue-- the rear bumper cover had two small imperfections that appeared to be from a very light tap from another car. The two small imperfections were at the same height and distanced so as to appear to be from the license plate bolts of the offending vehicle. They were located right of center slightly above the tow hook cover.
The marks were very small, but they cut into the bumper cover slightly. From more than a few feet away you wouldn't notice them. Here's a pic from a couple of days after I brought her home. I tried blowing it up to show you and even zooming way in you can't see them.
http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff401/Kayger12/IMG_4644_edited-2_zps00df5204.jpg
A year or so after I had her, I decided to take care of the front bumper which had been scraped up down by the splitters from some ground and parking block contact. I thought about doing the rear bumper at that time, but the marks were so imperceptible that I decided not to spend the money. The front bumper cover got a $400 makeover and I was happy with her.
A few months ago when I was giving her her pre-winter detailing, I was thinking about how great she looks for an 8.5 year old car. And then I got to that rear bumper cover.
Yes, the marks were small. No, you couldn't see them from more than a few feet away. No, most people would never notice them. But... I knew they were there. And frankly, it bugged me.
So, with Christmas cheer on my mind, I took 'ol Jersey to the local body shop. The shop has a very good reputation and my brother-in-law is friends with the owner, so I was comfortable that she'd be well cared for.
I got an estimate of $590 to remove the bumper cover, repair the marks, and repaint the area.
Two weeks later it was appointment day and I dropped her off. I hate dropping my car off. I hate having my car out of my sight. I hate my car not sleeping in her garage. I took a deep breath and handed over the keys, assured by the shop manager that he recognized how well cared for the ZHP was and that he would make sure she was treated appropriately while in their possession.
Three hours after I left the shop my phone rings. It's the shop manager. Shit.
I answer by saying- "It's never good to get a call 3 hours after drop off, Chris."
My somewhat irrational fear was that somebody had damaged something. You know, because I'm neurotic and have nightmares about people crashing into my car.
Chris starts off by saying, "Did this bumper have work done to it before?"
I told him that she was originally a New York City car, and that while she had a clean carfax, I wouldn't be surprised if she had had a bumper respray at some point.
He informed me that when they started to strip the paint, it was peeling off in large pieces-- never a good sign. He also couldn't quite figure out what the shop/person who had done the previous work had used underneath the paint to cause it to peel like that. It wasn't a typical primer.
He said he could go ahead with the repair and would do his best to blend it in, but that he was afraid that it would not last/look good as it began to weather/wear, and was concerned that it might be noticeable in as soon as a few months. He said it might turn out to be fine, but that he couldn't warranty the work.
The alternative, lucky me, was to go with a new bumper cover.
It maybe should've taken more contemplation on my part but at this point in my life I just want things done right. If I was planning on unloading her sometime soon I could've rolled the dice, but as you guys/girls know I have no intention of ever selling this car.
I told him to just go ahead with the new bumper. The next question was aftermarket or OEM. Again, at this point I want her as perfect as I can get her, so I opted for the OEM bumper.
New revised estimate for the job: $1,100.
I know-- cool story, bro. Well, we're not there yet, so go get another cup of coffee.
I'll wait.
So two days later I get the call I've been waiting for. Chris is calling me to tell me I can come pick her up. I have warm thoughts since I've been spending the last 4 days staring at the empty stall in my garage like a loyal dog waiting for its owner to come home.
"Hi, Chris. Good to go?"
Ah, no...
Chris tells me that the cover was back on the car, but he wasn't happy with it.
"BMW paint can drive you crazy sometimes. Sparkling Graphite Metallic is a tough color. It's deep grey in low light, gets some silver in more light, and shows hints of purple in direct light."
The fact that he had noticed and was discussing the nuances of my paint color made me feel kind of warm and fuzzy.
"We mixed SGM, sprayed it, cleared it, baked it-- everything by the numbers-- but I don't like it. It's 95% matched, but in bright, direct light there's something that's just a little off. I don't want to give it back to you like this. Maybe most people wouldn't notice but I believe you would, and after all this I want to make sure you're 100% satisfied."
He goes on to tell me that the rep for the paint supplier will be down the next day for a consult so they can figure out why it's not perfect. Once they get that squared away, they want to strip it and repaint it. He apologizes for the delay. I assure him that I'd much rather have it perfect and appreciate him working to get it there.
Two days later I got the final call. She was done. I drove down and met with Chris. The bumper looked great. My CF diffuser had been well cared for and was reinstalled perfectly. She looked damn near perfect.
Chris again apologized for the delay and offered up this funny apology that only those of us that keep a neurotically spotless interior could appreciate: "We treated her with kid gloves. I mean that. I can see how you take care of her. So I just want to apologize ahead of time for the two pieces of dust that probably got in the car while we had her-- because I know you'll find them." :rofl
So that's the saga. She's now pretty damn perfect-- which means I'll probably get rear-ended or t-boned in the next couple of months. But for now, I'm feeling pretty Zen about the whole thing. There is literally nothing left on her cosmetically to bother me.
Well, there are those scrapes on the bottom of the front splitters again...
The marks were very small, but they cut into the bumper cover slightly. From more than a few feet away you wouldn't notice them. Here's a pic from a couple of days after I brought her home. I tried blowing it up to show you and even zooming way in you can't see them.
http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff401/Kayger12/IMG_4644_edited-2_zps00df5204.jpg
A year or so after I had her, I decided to take care of the front bumper which had been scraped up down by the splitters from some ground and parking block contact. I thought about doing the rear bumper at that time, but the marks were so imperceptible that I decided not to spend the money. The front bumper cover got a $400 makeover and I was happy with her.
A few months ago when I was giving her her pre-winter detailing, I was thinking about how great she looks for an 8.5 year old car. And then I got to that rear bumper cover.
Yes, the marks were small. No, you couldn't see them from more than a few feet away. No, most people would never notice them. But... I knew they were there. And frankly, it bugged me.
So, with Christmas cheer on my mind, I took 'ol Jersey to the local body shop. The shop has a very good reputation and my brother-in-law is friends with the owner, so I was comfortable that she'd be well cared for.
I got an estimate of $590 to remove the bumper cover, repair the marks, and repaint the area.
Two weeks later it was appointment day and I dropped her off. I hate dropping my car off. I hate having my car out of my sight. I hate my car not sleeping in her garage. I took a deep breath and handed over the keys, assured by the shop manager that he recognized how well cared for the ZHP was and that he would make sure she was treated appropriately while in their possession.
Three hours after I left the shop my phone rings. It's the shop manager. Shit.
I answer by saying- "It's never good to get a call 3 hours after drop off, Chris."
My somewhat irrational fear was that somebody had damaged something. You know, because I'm neurotic and have nightmares about people crashing into my car.
Chris starts off by saying, "Did this bumper have work done to it before?"
I told him that she was originally a New York City car, and that while she had a clean carfax, I wouldn't be surprised if she had had a bumper respray at some point.
He informed me that when they started to strip the paint, it was peeling off in large pieces-- never a good sign. He also couldn't quite figure out what the shop/person who had done the previous work had used underneath the paint to cause it to peel like that. It wasn't a typical primer.
He said he could go ahead with the repair and would do his best to blend it in, but that he was afraid that it would not last/look good as it began to weather/wear, and was concerned that it might be noticeable in as soon as a few months. He said it might turn out to be fine, but that he couldn't warranty the work.
The alternative, lucky me, was to go with a new bumper cover.
It maybe should've taken more contemplation on my part but at this point in my life I just want things done right. If I was planning on unloading her sometime soon I could've rolled the dice, but as you guys/girls know I have no intention of ever selling this car.
I told him to just go ahead with the new bumper. The next question was aftermarket or OEM. Again, at this point I want her as perfect as I can get her, so I opted for the OEM bumper.
New revised estimate for the job: $1,100.
I know-- cool story, bro. Well, we're not there yet, so go get another cup of coffee.
I'll wait.
So two days later I get the call I've been waiting for. Chris is calling me to tell me I can come pick her up. I have warm thoughts since I've been spending the last 4 days staring at the empty stall in my garage like a loyal dog waiting for its owner to come home.
"Hi, Chris. Good to go?"
Ah, no...
Chris tells me that the cover was back on the car, but he wasn't happy with it.
"BMW paint can drive you crazy sometimes. Sparkling Graphite Metallic is a tough color. It's deep grey in low light, gets some silver in more light, and shows hints of purple in direct light."
The fact that he had noticed and was discussing the nuances of my paint color made me feel kind of warm and fuzzy.
"We mixed SGM, sprayed it, cleared it, baked it-- everything by the numbers-- but I don't like it. It's 95% matched, but in bright, direct light there's something that's just a little off. I don't want to give it back to you like this. Maybe most people wouldn't notice but I believe you would, and after all this I want to make sure you're 100% satisfied."
He goes on to tell me that the rep for the paint supplier will be down the next day for a consult so they can figure out why it's not perfect. Once they get that squared away, they want to strip it and repaint it. He apologizes for the delay. I assure him that I'd much rather have it perfect and appreciate him working to get it there.
Two days later I got the final call. She was done. I drove down and met with Chris. The bumper looked great. My CF diffuser had been well cared for and was reinstalled perfectly. She looked damn near perfect.
Chris again apologized for the delay and offered up this funny apology that only those of us that keep a neurotically spotless interior could appreciate: "We treated her with kid gloves. I mean that. I can see how you take care of her. So I just want to apologize ahead of time for the two pieces of dust that probably got in the car while we had her-- because I know you'll find them." :rofl
So that's the saga. She's now pretty damn perfect-- which means I'll probably get rear-ended or t-boned in the next couple of months. But for now, I'm feeling pretty Zen about the whole thing. There is literally nothing left on her cosmetically to bother me.
Well, there are those scrapes on the bottom of the front splitters again...