The front bumper on my M3 had a lousy repair job done to a tear and it failed pretty quickly. I've done a proper fix but I need to repaint it. What's the best source for color matched paint in a rattle can?
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Aug. 7, 2011 11:48 p.m. pigeon Dork
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Aug. 7, 2011 11:51 p.m. DILYSI Dave SuperDork
I think Duplicolor has factory colors.
That said - Dude, it's an M3. Get it sprayed right. Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks.
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Aug. 8, 2011 12:42 a.m. EvanR Reader
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Aug. 8, 2011 2:17 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork
I know when I had the M-sport bumper on my 318ti resprayed.. it was less than $200
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Aug. 8, 2011 7:45 a.m. peter Reader
I think I've heard good things about Tower Paint, but that was before their factory burnt down. Not sure if they still do it or if it's the same quality.
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Aug. 8, 2011 9:22 a.m. pigeon Dork
DILYSI Dave wrote:
I think Duplicolor has factory colors.
That said - Dude, it's an M3. Get it sprayed right. Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks.
mad_machine wrote:
I know when I had the M-sport bumper on my 318ti resprayed.. it was less than $200
I got a quote from a decent shop, but by no means the best in town. $600. I don't need perfect, just passable before my first track day with it in 2 weeks. I'll give paintscratch a try. If it doesn't look good enough then I'll drop the coin to get it done by a pro.
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Aug. 8, 2011 9:23 a.m. Graefin10 Reader
It's not very likely that you'll find a rattle can color that really matches your bumper. There are too many varialbles to list. DILYSI Dave was right if you want an exact match. Even then if you don't take it to a top level shop with a really good reputation you may not get a perfect match. Color matching takes a lot of materials and years of experience and even then you can get your butt kicked some times. You just have to decide how important a "perfect match" is.
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Aug. 8, 2011 9:36 a.m. Taiden HalfDork
John deere blitz black the entire car. Then you can get color matched spray cans over the counter.
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Aug. 8, 2011 9:57 a.m. dj06482 HalfDork
What type is the bumper material? If it's not metal, it might require a flexible agent or adhesion promoter in addition to the paint itself.
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Aug. 8, 2011 10:10 a.m. pigeon Dork
Thanks for the good advice all. Graefin10 -by "color matched" I just need a can mixed in the factory color, which in this case was a non-standard color for the car since it was an Individual order but is still a standard BMW color. I know it will not be a perfect match to the 10 year old factory paint, but it's a spot low on the bumper and just needs to look good from a few feet away. I forgot about a flex agent - thanks dj06482.
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Aug. 8, 2011 10:24 a.m. ditchdigger Dork
Have you tried the parts counter at the BMW dealership?
The best touch up paint I have ever seen or used came from the VW parts counter. I walked in, gave them the color code and 4 days and $19 later a base/clear rattlecan kit was waiting for me. Absolutely perfect match to the 10 year old metallic green on my Jetta.
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Aug. 8, 2011 10:51 a.m. Karl La Follette Dork
Check the bumper scratch guy set up behind the dealership usually has a mobile van and is in front of a taped up bumper MARS comes to mind
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Aug. 8, 2011 10:55 a.m. sachilles Dork
The $600 include pulling the bumper etc. Maybe just remove the bumper yourself and bring it in for paint, and reinstall yourself.
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Aug. 8, 2011 10:57 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork
not sure how hard it is to pull the bumper on the E46.. but the E36 is easy peasy.. an hour if you take your time
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Aug. 8, 2011 11:16 a.m. pigeon Dork
mad_machine wrote:
not sure how hard it is to pull the bumper on the E46.. but the E36 is easy peasy.. an hour if you take your time
The E46 M3 is stupid easy - 6 screws, 2 plastic rivets, disconnect the fog lights and just pull. And yes, the $600 quote included 1 hour to R&R the bumper but there was still 2 hours of paint plus materials in their quote...
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Aug. 8, 2011 11:30 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork
so about the same as the E36
