[zstansel]

Hello all,
Yesterday while filling up on gas I noticed someone clipped my rear bumper pretty good. Damage is cosmetic only, body lines do not appear to have shifted. No helpful security footage. I bought a color match pen from amazon. My question(s) to the community are:
Are these gouges too wide to properly fill with a pen? They are about 2-3" long and maybe 0.5" wide. I know this method will be noticeable up close, but am willing to try until I determine long-term resolution.

Anyone doctored something similar? Other methods/tips?

I plan to get quotes from ford for a bumper replacement and quotes from local body shops for a touch up repair. I've had the car 10 days :| people suck.

I will also post whatever estimates I receive to give folks a ballpark for similar instances.

 

[NoXiDe]

I'm sorry our fellow Georgians are not all able to own to their mistakes and didn't leave you their insurance information. I believe this would be considered comprehensive if you decide to file a claim through insurance? I'm paying a bit more upfront but I have mine set to $50 deductible in events something like this happens. You can try the pen but you'll know it's there and probably will look like a band-aid more than anything. Give it a try, if it makes you happy then you're good if it does not then you know your next step. My suggestion moving forward though to prevent events like this or the events you can at least try to prevent would be to park the car as far away as you can when visiting retail stores. If you can't because sometimes the farthest spots are already occupied too then look for the side where you only have one car next to you and park the car as close as you can against the cement wall which helps when the car next to you tries to open the door all the way it won't reach your side.

Best of luck! When you're in the Atlanta area just let me know. Would love to see her in White!

 

[DCShelby]

Don't try and fix yourself it if you want to claim the insurance. Get the estimate first. I'm guessing some bondo and a bumper respray.

 

[HotLap]

I've had pretty good luck in the past with OEM touch up paint and 1500/2000 grit wet sandpaper. Here's what I do, lightly wet sand the edges of the scuff with 1500 then clean with ISO alcohol and start applying touch up paint in THIN layers over time. Be patient it takes awhile (and multiple coats) to build up to the level of the surrounding paint. You need to let each layer dry completely. Once that's accomplished - lightly wet sand starting with the 1500 grit then move to the 2000 grit. Then use a polishing compound and you should be good to go. It takes time this is not a repair you can do in one day. Must let the paint dry completely between (thin coats) and the bare bumper fascia needs to be clean as paint won't adhere as well. I did this repair on my RR bumper a few years back and worked pretty well. You're fortunate your color is non-metallic, much easier to work with non-metallic touch up paint...

I figured the bumper fascia would need to be repainted anyway, may as well get some experience...

PS. If you do take it to a Body Shop, contact your Ford dealer first for the TB re that rear bumper fascia gap. They will inspect then order the parts (completely upgraded with additional braces). They will send it to a body shop who remove the entire fascia and install all new bracing parts then reinstall. Perhaps the body shop would charge you less to repaint as it will already be off the car? Just a thought, Rob "16Snake" here had his done under the updated TB procedures and it came out great!!

 

[zstansel]

Thanks for that feedback! My first quote came in just over $700. They were wanting to remove the bumper in order to complete the repair. 2.5 hours to remove and reinstall. Oof. I'm taking it by a local Ford with a body shop Friday for a quote and will bring up the TB on the fascia gap. You have a great point. Remove 2.5 hours labor and that $700 will look much better. Otherwise I'm taking your advice and will post finished result photos.

 

[Stang 350R]

Sounds like you may have a good plan already, but if you’re looking to keep the project less extensive, you could try Colors on Parade, or something similar, depending on what’s available in your area. As Hotlap has already mentioned, you’re fortunate it is white; you should be able to get pretty good results with several different methods.

 

[zstansel]

Hello folks. Just an update that might be informational to future members dealing with similar damage. Ford quoted $1200 for the repair. They want to remove the bumper and stripes to clear coat the entire thing. The other option they gave was to tape off the bumper at the stripe, repair the damage, and clear coat up to the tape. This would of course result in a faint line at the stripe where the clear coat ends. That option is $550. Going with hotlap's idea in a weekend or two.