Should I go for factory painted replacement bumper?

My car needs a new rear bumper

I can both order a primered bumper or a factory painted one, of course the latter costs almost double, and takes 5 weeks, but I would presume it would be a nearer / safer color match of my existing bumper than to have my new bumper painted by a repair shop?

I'm confused, some say factory painted might not Match at all and that it's better to paint I locally......

Originally Posted by bruno787

some say factory painted might not Match at all and that it's better to paint I locally......

That's exactly my thinking. A factory painted bumper will likely not match perfectly with a car that's been driven around a while. The safest bet is to have a local body shop install and paint the replacement bumper, as they will blend-in the colours.

My car though 2 years old is always garaged and has only approx 7000 miles, so I guess the paint hasn't aged much. No, I'm not going to have the rear fenders blended in.

I would just go local - they use the same paint. Have them show you some recent work, then decide.

What color is the car? Some colors straight from factory the bumper shades are a bit off..

Originally Posted by bruno787

My car though 2 years old is always garaged and has only approx 7000 miles, so I guess the paint hasn't aged much. No, I'm not going to have the rear fenders blended in.

Good luck!

With the in he Phils, even garaged, I'd go local for fading. Of corse make sure you have it painted at a BMW dealer.

Talk to your local BMW shop and find out who they recommend. Last year we had a Black Sapphire 5 Series.. and I had the front and rear bumpers painted.. came out perfect..... and black sapphire is difficult to do...

Originally Posted by bruno787

My car needs a new rear bumper

I can both order a primered bumper or a factory painted one, of course the latter costs almost double, and takes 5 weeks, but I would presume it would be a nearer / safer color match of my existing bumper than to have my new bumper painted by a repair shop?

I'm confused, some say factory painted might not Match at all and that it's better to paint I locally......

Go for a local, reputable shop. Call up your local BMW dealer and ask which 3rd party body shop they use. NEVER use a dealer bodyshop. As well call up a Ferrari/Maserati/Lamborghini Dealer near you and ask who they use for auto body repairs. You can find quite a few good shops that will do an EXCELLENT job repairing the damage or replacing/painting your bumper.

I'm in charge of body and paint repairs for a transport company, so I guess I'm gonna play safe and go with the factory painted bumper. My deductible is close to the cost of a primered bumper so a prepainted one would be best (value for money wise)

Since I'm on auto painting, I always see the minutest of paint imperfections from the thickness of paint, spray pattern of metallic flakes down to the texture of the orange peel, I always find fault with any body shop paint repair. Lol.

Maybe if I order a factory painted one, I'll have fewer reasons on faulting it since its painted at the same plant where my old bumper was

I oversee several auto repairs a day but when it comes to my personal car.......it becomes.....Personal.

i had my left rear quarter panel repaired and painted, can't tell it was repainted. I was happily surprised, i expected to be able to see it since i have the metallic gray. i would be more nervous about paint from a factory that you are hoping have not changed their paint in the slightest.
the question I would have is, What happens if you buy the factory painted bumper and it doesn't match. you will go through a lot more pain trying to get that replaced.

Originally Posted by bruno787

I'm in charge of body and paint repairs for a transport company, so I guess I'm gonna play safe and go with the factory painted bumper. My deductible is close to the cost of a primered bumper so a prepainted one would be best (value for money wise)

Since I'm on auto painting, I always see the minutest of paint imperfections from the thickness of paint, spray pattern of metallic flakes down to the texture of the orange peel, I always find fault with any body shop paint repair. Lol.

Maybe if I order a factory painted one, I'll have fewer reasons on faulting it since its painted at the same plant where my old bumper was

I oversee several auto repairs a day but when it comes to my personal car.......it becomes.....Personal.

So, you posted this thread for affirmation then?

Curiously, if as you say you oversee auto repairs, then most certainly you have seen the affects of weather, car detailing, and age on body paint...subtle, but nonetheless. I think you will see a difference...not up close, but standing from a distance you'll see it.

I have a little different take on this. I would always order the factory painted part.

First, no one can ever reproduce a factory paint job. BMW even admits this when they fix cars at their VPC. I have personal experience with this. The technology that the factory uses to paint a car just can't be replicated by a local dealer.

The bumper color is always going to be off a little from the body color because they are different surfaces and therefore reflect the light differently. Thus, even a perfect match will look slightly different in different lighting conditions.

That being said, I don't think you will notice the color difference from the factory even if it is there. I use an incredible body shop where I live and they do a great job in matching colors however I would still go with the factory if I had that opportunity.

Colors from local body shops that "match" factory colors do not come that way. They are mixed. I think this is minimized at the factory. They do it every single day, thousands of times and probably by very sophisticated computers.

Also, local body shops use different clear coats. They claim they are the same as the factory but they are not. Depending on type of clear coat, the amount of clear coat, the angle is was sprayed, etc. even a perfectly matched color can seem off. These problems don't exist with the factory painted bumper.

Given the age of his car and how it has been garaged I am assuming there is little to no fading.

Just my opinion from my experiences. Good luck.

That's what I see everyday, there are so many factors that affect a paint finish from the amount of air in the spray gun to the thickness of the paint coats, to the angle it was sprayed on, down to the ratio of paint materials during application.......I'm gonna gamble with the factory painted one. If it doesn't match, I'll just repaint it. At least I can say I tried.

Goodluck to me!

Originally Posted by bruno787

That's what I see everyday, there are so many factors that affect a paint finish from the amount of air in the spray gun to the thickness of the paint coats, to the angle it was sprayed on, down to the ratio of paint materials during application.......I'm gonna gamble with the factory painted one. If it doesn't match, I'll just repaint it. At least I can say I tried.

Goodluck to me!

Good choice. I think you will be fine.

Any updates, Bruno?

Thanks!

i installed my factory painted bumper last february 2012, its a perfect match, worth every penny even if its twice as much as a primered one

its the first factory painted bumper ordered here in the Philippines, the dealer didnt even know it exists.

Wow; that's awesome! Way to go, B!