Razor1973

Bought the car like this and have no idea if there's something I can do myself without having to take the car to a body shop and pay for them to polish and repaint my bumper.

Thanks in advance.

By the way, I also have two other questions I've posted in different threads here and here.

tonyb635

Sorry to tell you, but sanding and buffing won't help you much at all on that one. It would need to be sanded, primed and re-sprayed. Of course you could get a rattle can of similar color and give that a shot but it would not look very nice.

jeremyp

If that were my car and money was an issue, I'd bring it to a bumper guy and get a quote on a spot paint and blend. If that was too much $$$ then I'd go buy a spray can of matching paint and some clear and then do it myself. Do a search on youtube for some decent instructions and you can do it on the cheap. Just don't expect a top notch job. No matter what, it'll still look way better than it does now. And forget about having that buffed out...

paran

Repainting any vehicle is a last gasp, last resort, effort. It will NEVER be better than new.

"IF" that is OEM-BMW paint on that bumper (and not CARMAX or other such crap), bring it to a shop and have them buff it out as far as they can.

It will NOT be 100%; but I think it will be better than painting over OEM-BMW paint. Keep your OEM paint at all costs.

I'm not seeing "primer or bare plastic" so you have a chance at getting very good/excellent results.

KyleB

There is not a car manufacturer on the face of the earth, BMW included, that manufactures its own paint. They get it from Spies-Hecker, or RM, or BASF, or Standox, or any of the other automotive finish manufacturers.

OP, that bumper needs to be painted. Those scratches are through the clear and base coats.

Razor1973

I guess I'll drop by a reputable body shop and see what they have to say and what they'll charge me to leave the bumper as new, whatever that takes.

Speaking of, and I realized this isn't completely related to the OP... After 4+ years in the FL sun (and, apparently no garage), the black on my car is very different from what it is on a new car. So much that I wash it and neither the hood nor the trunk even shine. They're matte and marked. Is repainting the whole car the only way to restore the color or at least get it as close as possible?

Thank you again!

ImTooLegendary

A professional detailing/buffering job might be a nice restoration effort, however I'm sure you're aware that it wouldn't be a permanent solution.

Albeit that sure beats shelling out well over a couple thousand for a completely new paint job!


My car has always been within Los Angeles, and although it's Titanium Silver, the paint job looks absolutely flawless and still pops (07' model). Especially after detailing/buffering.

ASpec818

that damage is too deep into the paint for it to buff/sand out

Razor1973

This is what my hood looks like, even after a thorough clean.

Black Thunder

Try compounding and waxing afterwards. Maybe use an orbital buffer to do it. Test it out on the bumper first to see if it will help before taking it to the rest of the car. I have an old 2000 Tacoma that I did that too and the paint still looks like new.