Scratched? MORE LIKE SCRAPED!!!

[Buckethead]

Well, last night was not a good night.

Went to a friend's house to chill, and when I was leaving I was backing out of the narrow driveway and scraped the hell out of the rear driverside bumper on one of those lights they use to "light" driveways with. :mad:


It scraped just before the line that seperates the right rear passenger door and bumper. The scrapes appear to be between 6-10 inches, and are multiple.



How should I go about getting it fixed? Do I eat it and pay the insurance deductable? Do I go somewhere that will charge me less?


I'll be right back with pics...


-buckethead

[ChinoCharles]

How do you fix it?

Naristo rear bumper.

[Buckethead]

Hey Chino! Good to see you on here...



Well here are the pics. Not as bad as I initially thought. They are deep at the front, but get lighter towards the ends. I'm thinking that the ones at the ends can be buffed out, but no way on the front scrapes. The front ones are really dug in deep.


Options?

Worst case scenario I pay for it with the insurance deductable. I want a best case scenario that doesn't involve the insurance company. Less than 500$ would be ideal.

Lay it on me brothers!


http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/cheez_avenger/scrape4.jpg


http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/cheez_avenger/scrape3.jpg


http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/cheez_avenger/scrape2.jpg


http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/cheez_avenger/scrape1.jpg

[ChinoCharles]

Dude, are you really Buckethead? :laugh: Can I have your autograph? :wink:

For the short term, just by looking at that I can tell you that some of it will buff out.

Once you buff out what you can, you'll need to reasses it. It looks like the scratches are pretty deep. Also, it appears that the plastic isn't damaged. Is this correct?

FWIW, I had a very similar scratch on my car. I asked for a cash quote as I too was trying to avoid dealing with an insurance claim, and I got quoted $1500. Ouch. Needless to say I buffed the crap out and had a friend spray the car in his shop just so it was less noticable. It cost a few hundred out the door. Isn't perfect, but it is fine for now. I don't plan on selling it anytime soon and I've already braced myself for the fact that this paint job is done for. Its a good excuse to get it resprayed one day.

One more thing to consider... the metallic paints on our cars are EXTREMELY hard to match. Trust me on this... I had a can of what was supposed to be meteorite metallic paint sent to me from a "reputable" online source, and it wasn't even remotely close. Even the second try at getting a paint match yielded something that was just a hair off. In short, it'll take a miracle for you to get out of this with a perfect looking car while cutting corners. Body shops do good work and charge good money accordingly.

If I were you, I'd buff it out, grab a couple touch-up pens and go to town. Don't worry about your car being less-than-perfect. The paint jobs coming with these cars... they're shit. We know this now. The stock paint is extremely thin and scratches like nothing. You will scratch your car again, so why go crazy trying to fix this one? Do the best you can for the least amount of money you can and start saving for a decent paint job down the road.

[Buckethead]

Dude, are you really Buckethead? :laugh: Can I have your autograph? :wink:

For the short term, just by looking at that I can tell you that some of it will buff out.

Once you buff out what you can, you'll need to reasses it. It looks like the scratches are pretty deep. Also, it appears that the plastic isn't damaged. Is this correct?

FWIW, I had a very similar scratch on my car. I asked for a cash quote as I too was trying to avoid dealing with an insurance claim, and I got quoted $1500. Ouch. Needless to say I buffed the crap out and had a friend spray the car in his shop just so it was less noticable. It cost a few hundred out the door. Isn't perfect, but it is fine for now. I don't plan on selling it anytime soon and I've already braced myself for the fact that this paint job is done for. Its a good excuse to get it resprayed one day.

One more thing to consider... the metallic paints on our cars are EXTREMELY hard to match. Trust me on this... I had a can of what was supposed to be meteorite metallic paint sent to me from a "reputable" online source, and it wasn't even remotely close. Even the second try at getting a paint match yielded something that was just a hair off. In short, it'll take a miracle for you to get out of this with a perfect looking car while cutting corners. Body shops do good work and charge good money accordingly.

If I were you, I'd buff it out, grab a couple touch-up pens and go to town. Don't worry about your car being less-than-perfect. The paint jobs coming with these cars... they're shit. We know this now. The stock paint is extremely thin and scratches like nothing. You will scratch your car again, so why go crazy trying to fix this one? Do the best you can for the least amount of money you can and start saving for a decent paint job down the road.


No damage to the plastic... just a couple of areas with DEEP scratches.

Thanks bro! I needed to hear that. Now if I can find someone with a buffer! :redface:

The pens I can get from the dealership, no problem.


I didn't know the paint jobs were shit. I haven't logged on for a few months.




As for me being Buckethead..........

[ChinoCharles]

If you were Buckethead, you'd be driving a Ferarri and you could pay for your body work in cocaine. I know better.

Yeah dude, paint is bad. My car is starting to look like a Picasso. I gave up. Sometimes I go plowing into snowbanks for fun!

WEEE!!!! :iono:

[Buckethead]

If you were Buckethead, you'd be driving a Ferarri and you could pay for your body work in cocaine. I know better.

Yeah dude, paint is bad. My car is starting to look like a Picasso. I gave up. Sometimes I go plowing into snowbanks for fun!

WEEE!!!! :iono:



LMFAO!!!

What gave it away? Oh yeah... THE YARIS!!!! :biggrin:

[brickhardmeat]

I did something similar to my old Golf, it wasn't quite the size of that though. It was along the edge of the fender and took off some clear coat and left a lot of black paint. I hit the gate driving into my apartments, scraped it. Anyway after totally freaking out I used some Scratch X and a ton of elbow grease and then a thick coat of polish. You coudn't find the scrape unless you got down low and right on it. The stuff really worked well. The car was silver though not black. Good luck!

[Spades]

Wow...no way to fix that correctly without paint. Go around to bodyshops and ask what they would charge to paint a prepped bumper off the car...the quote should be around 150-300 US dollars with paint. If you can afford that, remove the bumper from the car (fairly simple to do, just start removing screws from the fenderwells and underneath the car), then use very light sandpaper and start sanding those scratches.

I would start off with nothing rougher than 800 grit, and I would hand sand it, otherwise you will eat through the paint too fast and scratch up the plastic. After you sand through the scratches, get some 1000 grit and start sanding the area you smoothed out. Then rough up the rest of the clear coat with the 1000 grit.

Then, buy a couple rattlecans of primer, and shoot the entire rear bumper in primer. you may have to sand off the primer a few times with 800 grit to get the area you had to take most of the paint off to remove the scratches to blend in with the areas that have clear coat...you dont want a line where it goes from no paint to paint...but use the primer to blend with...its easier than stripping the paint off the whole bumper.

After there are no lines visible in the primered bumper, take it to a shop and have them paint it.

[Razr]

Agreed, there's no way that'll be a paintless fix.

[hystria]

If I were you, I'd buff it out, grab a couple touch-up pens and go to town. Don't worry about your car being less-than-perfect. The paint jobs coming with these cars... they're shit. We know this now. The stock paint is extremely thin and scratches like nothing. You will scratch your car again, so why go crazy trying to fix this one? Do the best you can for the least amount of money you can and start saving for a decent paint job down the road.

100% agree
one or two touch-up pens on sunday morning and it's gonna be good till the next time (hopefully not). don't waist your money with painted bumpers, those will scratch anyway again

[Black Yaris]

As a former bodyman I agree this is NOT a paintless repair, but I am sure it will be an inexpesive repair... what I would do is
1. buff out what you can to make it look a lil bit better
2. take it to a few body shops that you KNOW are good for estimates
3. if the estimates is higher than your deductable go to step 4, if lower go to step 5
4. make ins claim and submit estimates, you know the drill
5. go to the bodyshop you trust that can get you done the fastest & make sure they honor the lifetime paint warranty same as if it were and Ins job
6. Don't run into driveway marker lights anymore :-P

[uncleyaris]

If Cali is anything like here in Toronto, pay out of pocket cause renewal time, you may as well bend over cause they will give it to you hard!!

[Buckethead]

If Cali is anything like here in Toronto, pay out of pocket cause renewal time, you may as well bend over cause they will give it to you hard!!



Yup, that's what I hear. I don't have a flawless driving record either. Well, after this November it will be flawless again; but still.


Like Chino said, the paint jobs are shit, I'll just wait and get a better one later down the road. I'm getting the paint pens in the meantime.

Cheers!

-Buckethead

[Buckethead]

UPDATE!


Just dropped the Yaris off at the dealership for my oil change.


I asked the guy how much it would cost to have the bumper repaired.

He said 295$ That's actually pretty fucking cheap! That's also with tax included (295 flat)


I'll be getting that repaired in about 1 1/2 weeks time.

These guys have a paint body shop on the premises. I guess most dealerships do, right?



As a contigency plan, when I go back to the dealership to pick the car up I will ask him to give me that estimate in writing so we don't have any problems when I drop it off for repair.


So far, so good!



-Buckethead


:headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

[yrsdrgn]

UPDATE!


Just dropped the Yaris off at the dealership for my oil change.


I asked the guy how much it would cost to have the bumper repaired.

He said 295$ That's actually pretty fucking cheap! That's also with tax included (295 flat)


I'll be getting that repaired in about 1 1/2 weeks time.

These guys have a paint body shop on the premises. I guess most dealerships do, right?



As a contigency plan, when I go back to the dealership to pick the car up I will ask him to give me that estimate in writing so we don't have any problems when I drop it off for repair.


So far, so good!



-Buckethead


:headbang: :headbang: :headbang:



which dealership is this? I wouldn't mind checking out the dealership if their painting is cheap hehe

[Buckethead]

which dealership is this? I wouldn't mind checking out the dealership if their painting is cheap hehe



My dealership is "Wondries Toyota". It's in the city of Alhambra which is a suburb of Los Angeles.



-Buckethead

[Bretsuaz]

My moms 07 Camry had the same type of damage in same area, except on passenger side. The bumper cover was replaced, and was painted for less than 500.00. They did a good job, you cant even tell. I was concerned because these plastic bumpers never match the rest of the car. The good thing though, like yours, the damage didnt get into the metal!

[alynch]

Thanks for the OP and the comments on this one... Yesterday, I noticed my 1 month-old Bayou Blue LB had some nasty scrapes on the front plastic piece by the tire. (I guess I should call it a bumper, but its such a large piece...) Looks like someone scraped it in a parking lot.

Side note: I'd always thought those guys who drove new cars, and parked in the back of an empty parking lot were a**holes- until now.

I was about to post a pic, and ask impressions, but then I found this thread... Pretty much similar damage.


And here I was last night, thinking I should probably just buy a new assembly in the factory color. I'm a new-car n00b, and prior to this car, I'd never worried about cosmetics.

I'll at least try to buff it out first, then hit it with some Scratch X.

Thanks!

-Adam