bodywork question...front bumper cover
 

Hey guys, I just bought the '15 NISMO front bumper conversion for my '12 base. I plan on taking it to a body shop for paint, but I was wondering, if I wanted to save a little money and install it myself, would it be better to install it before or after having it painted?

I assume a good shop would remove it to paint it anway, but I'm worried about transporting it separately after paint, because I don't want the paint to crack if it flexed or anything... Or should I just pay the extra bucks to have them completely install it, too?

BTW, it's the OEM version from Z1, not a fiberglass copy...

Thanks.

As long as the shop is competent at both, I'd be tempted to just leave the car with them. It allows them to blend it into your existing fenders better.

Transporting should be fine as long as you aren't too rough with it and the paint shop did a decent job and allows sufficient curing time. A full cure can take 4-8 weeks sometimes, so check with the shop to make sure how long you need to wait to wax and such.

thank you, good point about the blending into the fender!

There are many who did it the way you have it planned. If your paint cracks when the bumper flexes, then you took it to a bad shop. You will not save much by installing it yourself but pick up on knowledge and personal satisfaction. Personally it is better to have it seen and worked on by the shop.

:iagree: there is special additive to make the paint more flexible and a good shop should not have problems matching the paint.

Is it a direct fit without mods? I imagine the labor cost of RR would be around 200 to 300 if it is.

Probably not needed if the paint is still good. It would cost quite a bit more if you throw in the fenders and the hood....

Also keep in mind that the color will be a bit different on the rubber vs metal surface.

What color is your car? A competent shop should be able to spray a test panel and get a great paint match without having to blend into the hood and fenders. You want the shop to install the bumper so you can see it against the other panels to make sure there isn't excessive trash in the paint or orange peel in the clear that would require color sanding and buffing to get out.

I have a gun metallic. When I bought the car, it had a couple scratches on the back bumper and the dealer (I bought used) took it to their body shop to repair them. Turned out they were deeper than thought, and they did an immaculate job of respraying. It looked like nothing ever happened. Maybe I should take it to them... But I'd be scared to death of the price! Haha

well.. you get what you pay for. ;)

remove it and sand it yourself

saves $100s

google painting urethane bumper cover. You don't prep or sand them like a metal or fiberglass panel.

The bumpers are covered in a protective film. You must lightly sand them, we usually do 600 grit wet and make sure to do it very lightly to not burn through the primer they have over the plastic.

If the scratches are really deep you can fill them with body putty and wet sand it smooth with 600 gritt or better and have it resprayed