Best option to get a hood and bumper painted?

So I've been thinking of getting out from under the payment on my Fit, and now I've been offered an incredible deal on an impeccably-maintained '02 Civic Si (EP3/breadvan) from a coworker so that plan is proceeding. The thing is, I'm getting a great deal on the EP3 because it was in a deer collision. Frame is still straight, collision was relatively low-speed so just needed a bumper rebar replacement to be straight again, but the old hood and bumper look like hell. I've found a used replacement hood and bumper, but...the car is black, and the replacements are white.

Normally rattle-canning would be an option, but in my experience making black look good from spray cans is nearly impossible, and I would need a LOT of them. I also do not have the room (or desire) to invest in the proper equipment to spray them myself, so that option is out. As such I'm wondering what the best way to get a hood and bumper painted is. Will Maaco just spray individual parts? What would you guys do? I've always wanted one of these EP3 Si hatches and I can see myself keeping the car for quite a while so I'd like them to look as good as possible.

Mobile refinishing?

I'm in a similar situation with my special lady friend's Civic. I was considering rolling on thinned tractor paint, or rustoleum.. My standards are low, and the car already looks like crap. Low-buck, though

In reply to pointofdeparture:

Why not call a local paint place and ask if they'll do the parts?

Black should match fairly well. I'd ask a local body shop to shoot them. I got the spoiler for the Fiat done for $75. I could bearly buy all the supplies for that price.

I have used the paint match cans from my local Autozone to match large pieces of body work on both my truck and my wife's H2. Both are the same gm black and I got an excelent match of both color and finish. The key is to do the prep properly. I also actually read the directions on the can and followed them to the letter for both the color coat and the clear coat. it is no show car finish but for a road car it was absolutely fine.

If you are going at it your self for dark paints I try and use dark primers. Also modern paints cover much better than the painted of even five years ago.

Another trick for black is most auto paint sold in stores charge a bunch for color matched paint but the also sell generic colors like white black and some reds yellows and blues. To save on paint costs I use the generic as the base coats and then the final is the color match. It can cust your paint cost in half doing this.

The thing is, I would be spending almost $200 in primer and paint using spray cans to get both sides of a hood and a bumper. Those little 8oz Duplicolor matched cans are goddamn expensive! I feel like a pro shop doing it can't cost a whole lot more than that, considering that is half the cost of a Maaco respray.

I intend to call around once I have the car and parts in hand, but I was mostly wondering if anyone had been through this situation and could ballpark a price. There is a Maaco mere blocks from my house so if they can do individual parts that's a huge win.

I've had individual body parts painted at regular body shops without any particular issues. They may want you to leave a detachable part of the car, like a fuel filler door, so they can match the paint to it.

put the parts in your car and go drive to a couple body shops.

They will mostly refuse to give you any sort of idea of price over the phone (which I SORT of understand).

I bet when you are loading up and tell them you are driving directly to get a few more quotes you will instantly get a better offer.

If its proper black, like no glitter or junk, take the parts to a body shop and have them prep and paint. Odds of you doing it as cheaply and as well are not great.

If its a fancy black, take the whole car, or leave it white.

If you read my post you would see ways I told you to save $$$. You should be in to it for lass than $100 if you are smart about what you use for paint and where you get it.

If all you are looking for is an Earl Scribe paint job have a shop run and gun it out the back door. It will look ok for a while but with out proper sanding and a high build primer sealer and a block sanding before the final color coats it is not going to be a good job. The cost of paint is a small part of painting to do it properly the labor is where the cost is.

Why are you painting both sides of the hood and fender? That seems like a wast of paint and the proper prep of these areas is a huge PITA

In reply to dean1484:

I don't care about the bumper, but I do want both sides of the hood painted. This is a NICE CAR that I will be keeping a while so I don't want to see bright white every time I open the hood! I'm significantly less picky about the finish on that side, but I don't want it to be white.

I am also just not a very good painter, I know this board is very DIY-centric but there are some jobs I just know I will be unhappy with if I do them myself, and paint is one of them. Considering that and my lack of work area to handle a large paint project and I would rather pay an extra $100 to have a pro spray it.

The color is Honda Nighthawk Black Pearl which appears to be a straight non-metallic black so at least there's that. Here's a photo of the car from last summer, before the accident. I would really like to be able to make it look like this again:

Ohhhhhh. Pearl. That is a whole different ball game. I see your point. Ya pay to have it done. I thaught it was just black with a clear

Check out automotivetouchup.com ... see if they have a reasonable match for you. I strongly encourage you to use their products so you can let me know if it's any good before I redo my S10's peeling hood

(Kidding, I'm just kidding. Sort of.)

In reply to einy:

I have used their aerosol cans in the past for small touch up jobs and they have been fine. I just don't have the patience to mess around spraying two massive panels that are a different color with $20 aerosols.

I hear you ... I have a whole hood to strip and repaint, and seems like local bodyshops have little interest in just doing a one panel respray for less than $500, even if I do the prep work.

If it's a nice car with a pearl paint job, you have no options. Call a shop. As Stuart said, they'll probably ask for a good sample part. But they won't bat an eye at someone lugging in a few disconnected parts. Heck, it means no masking which is less work for them. Don't go to Maaco, go to a real shop that's proud of their work instead of the cheapest place in town. You'll forget that you paid an extra couple of hundred bucks in five years, but you'll be angry at a crap job much longer.

Been there, done that. Replacement fender, bumper cover and hood after a deer hit. Forgotten the price but IIRC it was under $500.

Via www.car-parts.com can you find the proper color parts from a quality junkyard?

May not be a perfect match but a genuine factory finish and color.

Sure enough, the site leads to this place in Wisc that has a '02 BLACK front bumper for $165 and hood for $95.

In reply to John Welsh :

I'm hoping those are actually for a hatchback and not a coupe/sedan. Lots of places seem to have EP3 parts listed incorrectly, they are the only Civic generation where hatch stuff is incompatible with other body styles

In reply to pointofdeparture:

All the parts available for this EP3 with 197k miles.

Vin: SHHEP33522U302659 Link

Vin starting with S means origin of England.

In reply to John Welsh :

Yusss! As long as that stuff is still on inventory in a couple weeks you just saved me a lot of work

Great!

I hope to inspect this tomorrow, Prius

And then buy these replacement panels
Link
$75 front fender.
$175 front door.
$150 rear door (maybe not needed.)

I'll leave the scratch in the front bumper and leave the dent in the rear quarter and call it good enough for my needs.