I recently had to get my rear bumper repaired and repainted due to a minor fender-bender. The body shop matched the color perfectly, but I noticed that the paint texture on most of the bumper did not match the smooth original paint on the rest of the car (pics below). The body shop guy said he could fix it with a power-buffer, no sweat. Is he blowing smoke up my ass? Can the texture of the paint be fixed as he says, or do I need to insist they repaint the bumper?


Note: in the bottom picture, that's a reflection of the wheel of the car parked next to me, if that helps demonstrate the uneven paint texture.

 

Wow you're a perfectionist. My experience is that there's no way for a power buffer to buff back orange peel on. So the answer is no, you will not retain the peel if you buffed it. One more thing, orange peel is not the best paint finish! If you insist, I suggest you get it repainted.

 

I agree with wantone... that's a bad paint job from the start.

 

1500-2000 grit sandpaper is very effective at removing the orange peel, but you'll just be sanding everything down to match the low spots. And, of curse, there's no clear coat left at that point. And, of course, the paint is probably pretty thin to begin with. And, you get the idea.....

The buffer suggestions sounds a little weak. You can let them 'try', but I'd try to get it repainted when you're not impressed with their results..

 

The only way that could fly is if he did not color sand yet. I would not be satisfied with that. You should ask him to re-do the paint job. If you went through insurance to repair your vehicle then tell him to do it right. If not then report it to your agency cause you have the right to choose the work and the quality and in this case I wouldn't let it slide.

 

I'm no body shop pro but a lot of my friends do there own body work and from what I gather a lot of shops "cheap out" when re-painting a small piece of a car like your bumper for example and don't wet sand and buff the paint (Like how the paint comes stock) which leaves a lot of orange peel and imperfections in the finish. A complete paint job consists of primer, paint, clear coat then wet sand and buff. Sounds like you just told the guy to re-spray your bumper and didn

 

two things...

1. excellent job (hats off) to you on capturing the paint defect with a digital camera.

2. boo to the quality of work on the repaint. a decent shop would not have let that go out like that.

make 'em fix it!

 

Thanks for the input guys. I too am a bit skeptical of their ability to correct the issue by buffing, but I guess I'll let them take a shot at it. It only took them a day to do the plastic repair and the repaint (I was surprised by how quick it was)...perhaps that's the source of the problem.

 

My shop has also done quick work, but the thing is that paint has a dry time and so does primer and clear. Hopefully he just forgot to color sand, but let him know that you want what you expected and that if it is still crap then have him correct it. They slack off too much, but if they do it right the first time then it will save them more time and supplies. Find a better shop next time Tedow, and keep it on good terms with them.

 

Well, for better or worse this repair was paid for by the person who hit me, not through an insurance company. The work was paid for up front by the guilty party, so I don't have a lot of leverage to make the body shop fix the paint. I guess I'll just have to be diplomatic...