Rear-ended today with minor rear bumper damage...

[ploo]

Unfortunately, I was rear-ended this morning at approximately 5-10 mph while I was stopped at a stop sign. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the girl who hit me is insured.

The problem is, I recently moved to a smaller town where the nearest Certified Collision Repair center is 300+ miles away. The estimate from the best-regarded shop in town is ~$550, they do not think the bumper needs replacement. However, they only use Sherwin-Williams paint. While they have a lifetime warranty, it is only honored locally, and I do not plan on staying here for more than another 2 years.

Does anyone have any experience or expertise with Sherwin-Williams automotive paint? I don't know the specific formulations they use, but can find out. My major concern is that I plan on keeping this car forever, and I don't want the paint to age/discolor differently throughout the life of the car. Sometimes, these issues present 5-10 years later down the line, and it would really piss me off and offend my OCD.

Appreciate any input from your collective wisdom. Pics to follow. There is a small dent in the bumper crease just above the right-sided exhaust tips, but the guy at the shop felt it could be repaired without replacement. If you disagree, please let me know!

[1MOREMOD]

doesnt look to bad considering. i dont have experience with sherwin williams paint but getting a lifetime guaruntee is very nice. i had the hood of my GMC truck painted after i wrecked it when new. went back because it had faded and had it repainted almost 10 yrs later at no cost.

[Vic311]

That sucks..you can get it cleaned up using a cleaner wax but you will still see those dents and waves.

[Ashley Schaeffer BMW]

Kinda makes me glad my whole bumper is getting replaced. I got rear ended last month. I hope she was at least hot.... the girl who hit me.... not so much

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Looks like a hairline crack in the bumper ... Hard to see in the photograph.

The body shop will have a better idea.

One of my M3's got rear ended ... Final cost to fix it was slightly over $3K ... Bumper had a hairline crack and the support (below the bumper that holds the bumper) was broken from the rear end impact. Then there is labour ant the paint plus taxes ... It adds up quick.

Good luck with the repair.

[mlhj83]

If it's definitely only the bumper skin that's damaged, then I would just have it done locally. It's only the bumper skin that being repainted and not other parts of the car. If done properly, it'll be almost impossible to tell what paint has been used unless one were to conduct some sort of chemical analysis - what I'm saying is BMW will have a hard time saying that they will not honour paint warranty on the bumper should there be any issues in the future, if the repair was done properly of course.

Your time and fuel to get to the nearest BMW bodyshop will probably not be worth it for just a bumper skin repaint.

On the other hand, if there's more damage then it'll be worth taking it somewhere BMW approved.

[ploo]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

doesnt look to bad considering. i dont have experience with sherwin williams paint but getting a lifetime guaruntee is very nice. i had the hood of my GMC truck painted after i wrecked it when new. went back because it had faded and had it repainted almost 10 yrs later at no cost.

I agree, thankfully the damage was no worse. The lifetime guarantee is not worth much to me, however, as I will be moving from this area permanently in about a year and a half, and the shop is not a chain. I may end up settling down in a few years within a radius of approximately 600 miles, so it's conceivable that I could return here in several years (and assuming they would still be in business) if the paint aged differently, but obviously I'd rather try to avoid that issue altogether. Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by Vic311

That sucks..you can get it cleaned up using a cleaner wax but you will still see those dents and waves.

Thanks, but unfortunately that won't be acceptable to me, and since I was 100% not at fault, I believe my car should be restored to its previous condition fairly.

Originally Posted by JAM3S

Kinda makes me glad my whole bumper is getting replaced. I got rear ended last month. I hope she was at least hot.... the girl who hit me.... not so much

Sorry to hear about your accident, she was nice, albeit clueless. At least she was honest to the police officer, but nothing made this worth it!

Originally Posted by M3RD

Looks like a hairline crack in the bumper ... Hard to see in the photograph.

The body shop will have a better idea.

One of my M3's got rear ended ... Final cost to fix it was slightly over $3K ... Bumper had a hairline crack and the support (below the bumper that holds the bumper) was broken from the rear end impact. Then there is labour ant the paint plus taxes ... It adds up quick.

Good luck with the repair.

Unfortunately, I was only able to get to the shop right before closing today, on Friday evening (they are closed on the weekends). The guy didn't seem to think it needed replacing, but I'm not that confident in him, as he didn't seem to look that closely. I'm sure when the bumper comes off, they would be able to tell if structural damage required replacing the entire component.

However, what's most deflating, is that he was rather dismissive of my concern about how the paint would age. "We can order that paint color through Sherwin-Williams, you don't have to use BMW paint," or something along those lines. I am not an idiot, and I never requested OEM paint, but I feel my concern is legitimate. Anyway, I was extremely polite and decided to do my own research before deciding. My ultimate desire is for a top quality, long-lasting repair, and I may have to bring the car back to Dallas to find a shop that I trust, at considerable personal inconvenience. Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by mlhj83

If it's definitely only the bumper skin that's damaged, then I would just have it done locally. It's only the bumper skin that being repainted and not other parts of the car. If done properly, it'll be almost impossible to tell what paint has been used unless one were to conduct some sort of chemical analysis - what I'm saying is BMW will have a hard time saying that they will not honour paint warranty on the bumper should there be any issues in the future, if the repair was done properly of course.

Your time and fuel to get to the nearest BMW bodyshop will probably not be worth it for just a bumper skin repaint.

On the other hand, if there's more damage then it'll be worth taking it somewhere BMW approved.

The problem is, I don't know how to tell if there's more damage until the bumper is taken down. I know I'm OCD, and you're probably right about the paint, but my understanding was that you can always tell a panel that has been repainted, because the paint thickness will be different than the rest of the car. However, that doesn't concern me; my only goal is to have the color bumper stay consistent with the rest of the car as it ages, since I am going to keep the car forever. Thanks for the reply.

[llis]

Get it done right. Otherwise any imperfection will be like a needle every time you see it. Paint is very hard to match.

[KIS]

Go to a first rate body shop to have it done right. OCD does strange things to perception. If you opt for convenience you will forever be looking at the bumper trying to find a problem, and will obsess about it. In the long run a 600 mile drive is a minor inconvenience. I've been rear ended 3 times in 2 years in my M so I understand your dismay. Good luck.

[thekurgan]

I'd want a new bumper, there will be impression marks left after a detail. Plus, damn dude, clean those exhaust tips

[mlhj83]

Originally Posted by ploo

I agree, thankfully the damage was no worse. The lifetime guarantee is not worth much to me, however, as I will be moving from this area permanently in about a year and a half, and the shop is not a chain. I may end up settling down in a few years within a radius of approximately 600 miles, so it's conceivable that I could return here in several years (and assuming they would still be in business) if the paint aged differently, but obviously I'd rather try to avoid that issue altogether. Thanks for the reply.

Thanks, but unfortunately that won't be acceptable to me, and since I was 100% not at fault, I believe my car should be restored to its previous condition fairly.

Sorry to hear about your accident, she was nice, albeit clueless. At least she was honest to the police officer, but nothing made this worth it!

Unfortunately, I was only able to get to the shop right before closing today, on Friday evening (they are closed on the weekends). The guy didn't seem to think it needed replacing, but I'm not that confident in him, as he didn't seem to look that closely. I'm sure when the bumper comes off, they would be able to tell if structural damage required replacing the entire component.

However, what's most deflating, is that he was rather dismissive of my concern about how the paint would age. "We can order that paint color through Sherwin-Williams, you don't have to use BMW paint," or something along those lines. I am not an idiot, and I never requested OEM paint, but I feel my concern is legitimate. Anyway, I was extremely polite and decided to do my own research before deciding. My ultimate desire is for a top quality, long-lasting repair, and I may have to bring the car back to Dallas to find a shop that I trust, at considerable personal inconvenience. Thanks for the reply.

The problem is, I don't know how to tell if there's more damage until the bumper is taken down. I know I'm OCD, and you're probably right about the paint, but my understanding was that you can always tell a panel that has been repainted, because the paint thickness will be different than the rest of the car. However, that doesn't concern me; my only goal is to have the color bumper stay consistent with the rest of the car as it ages, since I am going to keep the car forever. Thanks for the reply.

Paint thickness can vary from panel to panel, even straight from the factory. If the repaint is done properly and is a very close match to the rest of the car, it'll be impossible to tell with the naked eye.

But, I would first make sure that there isn't any other damage, if this can't be determined locally, then I would make the long journey, or have it professionally transported.

[WingZeroX5]

Wont ur insurance company cut u a check for the amount and u can have it done wherever? Then when u move u can find a better shop

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

I urge you to have BMW tell you (one of the major dealerships in your area or nearby city) where they have the cars worked on as far as body work is concerned. The paint is important. Know that BMW has approved body shops they use, here in Canada the shops used by BMW have BMW certified technicians working at the body shop. Have it done right so you have no regrets later on.

Good Luck

[ploo]

Thanks for the replies, I am leaning towards making the trip back to a shop I know and trust. Appreciate all the insightful comments.

Still holding out on the off chance that someone has expertise with Sherwin-Williams automotive paint? Anyone?

[JJunkins]

Man, hit it with some fingernail polish remover then wax it. You'll be fine. The same thing happened to my wife in her 335. Here's a before and after with nothing but fingernail polish remover and some Sonax Nano wax (correction, not Sonax, just some crappy wax I had in her trunk). I hate the inability to rotate images...