Car owners face mismatched bumper colors after repair
11 posts across 2 communities in the last 30 days; 91% from r/Autobody.
“Okay so I bought the car already mismatching colors on the front bumper (second pic) which had the oem trd lip. It had a hole in it so I took it off, I plan on buying a new one but I just bought a new front bumper and had a shop repaint it, but it seems like everyone keeps…”
“I'm looking at the colors and I can't see the difference in these photos I'm sorry but good I can see what I would expect in coloring, the only real concerning piece is the second photo that you have. Which would offset on the other side but for the most part it looks good. But…”
“I don't think that bumper matched before the accident. [re: 4 runnner paint. Is this acceptable ?]”
Several users report issues with the color matching of newly repaired bumpers, noting differences in shade and visible gaps. One user mentions insurance companies pushing customers to 'network shops' which may cut corners on quality. Another highlights potential responsibility for price differences due to non-OEM parts.
SOURCES (20)
“I don't think that bumper matched before the accident. [re: 4 runnner paint. Is this acceptable ?]”
“It wasn’t a perfect match before the repair either. I would say either one side of the bumper has yellowed a little more than the other side. Or the new paint on the repaired side is simply clean and brighter, giving the bumper on that side a darker or yellowed look. Didn’t you post this a week or so ago? Without blending into the bumper, you’re not going to perfect match. This doesn’t look bad. Post pics in the same light, from a straight on view. In my opinion, no repair of metallic paints…esp”
“Acceptable? Depends. Was it cash ticket and discussion was made about butting colors? Was it insurance and they didnt pay for a spray out or blend, then yes its acceptable. Were they suppose to blend, if so,then no its not acceptable. Pictures are hard to judge. The color is off but I didnt see it before to see how far off or how well it matched from Oem. At the end of the day, if it bothers you, take it back to the shop and have a discussion of which way to go to make you happy. [re: Acceptable”
“Its matte, not texture [re: Body shop said they’re “unable to get perfect color match on bumper”]”
“Long story short, I had a scratch on the bumper, they repainted and polished one side but the other side was untouched which is fine. Now they’re differently colored. What would you do? submitted by /u/dzerti [link] [comments]”
“Is insurance paying to blend fenders on bumper jobs cause if so I’d like to know who?”
“Hit a deer & cracked my bumper decided to have it replaced. Found a collision center, went & gave them a deposit. They took my VIN # & painted the new bumper. I dropped my car off this morning & when i called to check in they said they did not like the paint match. So now it’s staying longer probably until Tuesday.. is this something that can be corrected? Or should i expect the 2 paints to never match again? I love my baby… & im super frustrated. submitted by /u/”
“Had a pretty bad fender bender and had to get rear bumper replaced - other person's insurance paid for this. This does not look flush to me and just looking for opinions before I take it back to the shop. The repairs took a month. The trunk also has some give when it is latched. This is my first auto body repair but was definitely expecting it to look better? submitted by /u/RealBoomBap [link] [comments]”
“Okay so I bought the car already mismatching colors on the front bumper (second pic) which had the oem trd lip. It had a hole in it so I took it off, I plan on buying a new one but I just bought a new front bumper and had a shop repaint it, but it seems like everyone keeps getting the paint wrong. I’m getting tired of having to keep buying parts should I just resell the car or keep trying . For more context my PCS collision system,Headlight system are both on and one more I just forgot what it w”
“If it’s an insurance claim and they sent you to a network shop you can complain to the insurance company and they will have to redo it. Hold off on taking the survey until they make it right. That’s a nice car and I wouldn’t let it slide, it will cut your resale value down the road.”
“Bought a new 26 Elantra N back in July. I had noticed that the paint on the corners of the front bumper that met with the fenders was raising off the bumper. Dealer had this sent to their collision repair place. I believe they redid the areas I marked in red since that’s one panel piece to the bumper assembly. I know it’ll never perfectly match the OE paint and the difference in plastic versus metal panels, but I’m just trying to ease my mind on this lol. submitted by /u/iHerpderpes”
“I had an accident back in March when a guy hit the rear driver's side bumper cover of my car in a parking lot; I tried to have it fixed at a shop I know well, but it was a bad paint job that didn't even match 35%. Do you guys have any recommendations for a shop that can color-match this paint job around North Jersey? Thank you submitted by /u/RarelyBold [link] [comments]”
“Blame your insurance company not the shop. They make them use cheaper parts to keep their profits high. The masking job is pretty rough, colour wise it's actually not bad considering by the looks either side of your car are different colours or they have a tech who is inconsistent in putting colour on. I'd take it back and demand OEM parts since that's actually what you pay for in your insurance deals.”
“Sorry to see... this is an insurance claim as it will require a repaint of all the cut up panels plus blending, so pretty much a full respray. Your insurance can probably recover your deductible from the shop who caused the damage through subrogation.”
“Wanna trade? I have to get my bumper replaced a second time because of the fit. Your gaps are fine trustttt”
“You may be responsible for the price difference, your insurance policy probably doesn't have an OEM clause. They definitely won't blend the side panels.”
“Insurance companies sure like throwing the word "network shop" around to persuade you to take it to one of their shops they work with. It's just a fancy way of saying that the shops that work for them, literally work for them, the insurance regulates everything and the shop is paid at a discounted rate vs a shop who is not in their network, and entitled to be paid fairly as far as rates go. Network shops can be even worse--cutting corners to save some gross income. As long as you t”
“I'm looking at the colors and I can't see the difference in these photos I'm sorry but good I can see what I would expect in coloring, the only real concerning piece is the second photo that you have. Which would offset on the other side but for the most part it looks good. But also I'm just looking at photos and I'm not touching it myself so I do understand that there's like that Gap in understanding. But the coloring for being a bumper looks correct from my house and I&”
“I was involved in a very minor rear end collision and went to a local shop based on reviews and a recommendation. However, this work i got done is so bad. Bad paint match, weird gaps, and my blind spot monitors are not working properly. I asked them before the repair if they worked with the insurance and the said YES. turns out something must have gotten lost in translation because they are not an in network shop. Im stuck with this bad repair. Im devastated and dont want them touching my car ag”