well, at least i have no one to blame but myself. i parked in a location next to a high-curb... as i backed out and turned in reverse i scraped the front left edge of the bumper. the scratch goes all the way to the plastic. it's 3 inches high and about 12-14 inches long, but here's what's getting me: you can't see it from straight on looking at the car hood, it's really more on the underside of the bumper. if you look at it from the side you can see it, but it's not on the main visible portion of the bumper. there is no structural bumper damage. i have a quote from the auto body place i've gone to before and it's $600. that's to replace the whole bumper. it seems to me like i could just paint it. the reviews i see of Maaco are horrid. should i still use them? should i paint it myself? do i replace the whole thing? ugh. one nice thing to note... the bumper is only $180 itself, which is an average price. in addition, it's available overnight. so, it's not difficult to find such a part and this prius part, at least, isn't overly expensive. it's too bad bumpers don't come painted. anyway, any and all advice is welcome. please help. thanks. -r
Emotions aside, it would be most practical for you to touch-up the scratch and live with it. I know you love your car, but you do not need to spend $600 or make an insurance claim on this. It is a bumper, and it will have more scratches by year's end. If you cannpt stand to see the scratches, find a body shop to repair it at minimal cost. This is the "practical" viewpoint.
thanks... i'm leaning in that direction. i appreciate your advice, it makes me feel better about such a decision. -r
I agree. Some asshole whacked my MR2's rear bumper pretty good while pulling out of his parking spot at BlockBuster one night. I was able to take some polish and clean out the red paint he so kindly left on my black car, but there was still a slice in my bumper. It didn't look too bad and after a little while I forgot it was there. Well, then last summer a lady ran a red light and hit my front end, and insurance was nice enough to replace the rear bumper at the same time for free Moral of the story - you'll forget about and somehow one day an opportunity will arise out of nowhere for you to have it fixed correctly.
I came out one morning and found two deep scratches on my rear bumper. GRRRRRRR! Anyway, I bought some matching touch-up paint at the dealership and then ordered a scratch repair kit that SeaSalsa was kind enough to tell me about. Here is the link to the kit: I bought touch up paint and the paint repair kit from Brandsport at: http://www.brandsport.com/plik-4503.html Good luck! P.S. I now have another new scratch...time to bust out with the scratch emergency kit!
right on... i'm going to the dealer today to get the paint for $7. i guess i should also get that repair kit and do it all at the same time. -r
hmm... wonder how much it would cost to order a prius part by part? and would it still come overnight? :lol:
i was thinking the exact same thing. my favorite car is an avanti, but have never had one. do you have any more pics/links to your car? -r
you can see more of my car at www.aaronstein.com. scroll down and click on the picture of my toy. also, if you want, and have a broadband connection, i would be glad to send you a zip file with a bunch of avanti pix i have collected...
i just had my bumper replaced and indeed the bumper itself is only $180, plus refinishing/labor, i paid (or person who bumped me paid) $497 (+$40 for the license plate bracket) . and this was done by toyota themselves. (they have their own body shop here in oahu which i didnt know existed), color was matched and looks like brand new. :wink:
yep, i can appreciate why you like that car... i love the design, but my memory of the Avanti is really limited to the time one pulled out in front of me on Route 22 back in NJ. i thought a collision was inevitable, but it accelerated so quickly that we never came anywhere close! surprised the heck out of me, and impressed me, too! zoomy car!
indeed some of them were. there was a supercharged model in the original 63-64 run. ad in the 70's there were some with 400 CID motors, and some 'vette 350's. mine has a GM 305 HO. it's pleasant, but not 'fast'... that would have applied to my 68 firebird 400.
