Hey y'all...

well, stupid me hit the pole to a chain link fence, so needless to say my bumper needs to be replaced.

I've been to a couple of body shops, and the estimates seem to go from $600 (paint new bumper and install) to $1100 at the dealer (includes "blending" [i don't know the actual term] by repainting the fenders et al.)

Preferably, I'd like to just buy the bumper, have it painted, and install it myself. I assume this'll probably cost about $400 and change (haven't priced it out yet).

Question is, do I need this "blending"? My paint has been kept in very good condition (It's azure pearl) and there's always a good coat of wax on it. Is the blending neccessary on a car this new? I'm sure everytime you slap on a new body part on it may be slightly off color-wise, but I have a feeling the shops are just trying to make more $$ off me on something that's not necessary.

Let me know what y'all think--especially those that have worked in this business.
I can prolly install the bumper myself, so I don't want to pay someone labor for that...

thanks...

 

Blending is the only guarentee that the paint will match between the new piece and the rest of the body... Every paint mix isn't EXACTLY the same and isn't sprayed the same, so you may be able to actually see the difference... which wouldn't be the best thing.

Blending is a pretty normal part of the business... and will yield the best results.

 

I agree. If you want it to match you should really take it to a shop and let them blend it.

 

i jus replaced my rear bumper myself last week. i got hit a few weeks earlier by a truck but only the bumper cover needed to be replaced. so i got a new one and got it painted by toyota for a couple hundred. put it on myself and costed me only $400 all said and done. u dont need blending unless your fender got hit too.

 

Every time I look at my FM tC in the sun - I realize that if someone ever hits it, getting that beautiful paint to match will be damn near impossible.
That was the only hesitation I had in picking that color...just keeping my fingers crossed now.

Scott

 

^^ They're talking about blending in case the new bumper has a slightly different shade than the old fenders. They would blend the fenders so the difference would not be noticable. But there's no way to know beforehand if you're going to need it.

 

Would you think it's really all that necessary when the paint is this new and well taken care of? The difference in price between blending and not blending is about $500!

Similar to TRDtC480, I'll probably do the install myself. Was it difficult all?

 

i didn't go with the blending so now my bumper /w front lip is a bit darker than my fenders. I kept the old cap for the tow thing so you can tell easily lol.