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(I posted this in the aesthetics too but figured this post could go here as well)
So I was about to change my fuel filter when I realized I didn't have enough time and while I was jacking down my car, some truck pulls up near my house and says they can repair the bumper I have which is quite F---ed up. Their business revolves around being a mobile bumper/etc repair service. I was given a card and an estimate of $200 and thought of it as a sweet deal considering some shops would charge me around $570 for a new bumper + paint.
My question is: How good of a job do these type of guys do? I mean my bumper has a BAD dent on the side and is split near that area. It's also being supported by twist ties on the right side.
Also.. how strong would the repaired bumper be? I asked them and they said it would be even stronger than before.. ehh
They said that it would look just like the other side and [meaning it would look good (perfect?) again]. So what should I do? Buy a used bumper off of the classifieds for $100 + shipping and get someone to do the tropic green paint job for $xxx or go with these guys for $200? How much would buying a used bumper and getting it painted be? Could I install it myself as well?
-1998.5 Contour SE V6 ATX.
PM me to tell me of a welder that can craft me a modified Y pipe in the Los Angeles area! OR I may be willing to buy a 3 flange modified Y.
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Joined: Dec 2003
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Plastic bumper repairs, when done right will last no problem. However if you pick up a used one that only needs paint and thats not going to cost to much? Either way is ok, depending on what you want to spend. I would go the used one for a hundred bucks, and get it sprayed to match. 
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 888
Veteran CEG\'er
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i would not do business with anyone who pulls up in a truck and hustles business.... i know about plastic/rubber repair and it can be done and is being done, but would never do business with a Gypsy type who pulls up in a truck...
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Originally posted by dbird:
i would not do business with anyone who pulls up in a truck and hustles business.... i know about plastic/rubber repair and it can be done and is being done, but would never do business with a Gypsy type who pulls up in a truck...
They had a business card .. the business has revolves around going to peoples' houses and picking it up and dropping it off... The gypsy appears legit.
-1998.5 Contour SE V6 ATX.
PM me to tell me of a welder that can craft me a modified Y pipe in the Los Angeles area! OR I may be willing to buy a 3 flange modified Y.
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 379
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Posts: 379 |
Originally posted by funkmastermike:
Originally posted by dbird:
i would not do business with anyone who pulls up in a truck and hustles business.... i know about plastic/rubber repair and it can be done and is being done, but would never do business with a Gypsy type who pulls up in a truck...
They had a business card .. the business has revolves around going to peoples' houses and picking it up and dropping it off... The gypsy appears legit.
Any successful scammer will appear legit. If they didn't appear legit, they wouldn't be successful at scamming people.
Now I don't know whether this person who approached you is legitimate or not. However, I could not help being reminded, by your description, of one of the great classic gypsy scams, which goes very much as you've described. In the classic form, they claim to repair either asphalt or roofing. A person in a truck will appear, telling you that they just completed another job in your area, and have some materials left over. They've noticed that your driveway, or your roof, looks like it could benefit from having some sealant applied thereto, and since they have this extra leftover sealant from the job they just completed, that is otherwise going to be wasted, they offer you a really good deal on having it applied to your driveway or your roof.
Of course, their ??sealant? is usually something worthless at best, and possibly harmful. Often, it's something like used motor oil. It makes your driveway look nice when it is freshly applied, but it does nothing to protect your driveway or improve it, and you soon find that it's getting tracked all over the place around and inside your house, making a terrible mess.
Now it is possible that the person approached you is legitimate, but the manner in which this occurred would certainly make me very suspicious. Perhaps what they will do is make some superficial cosmetic repair to your bumper, so that when you get it back it will look nice, and you'll be glad to pay for it, and then in a few days, the repair will fall apart. Perhaps it's just a scam to steal bumpers which they can then repair and sell to someone else.
In either case, they'll take your bumper, or your money, and then when you realize you've been ripped off, you try to contact them using the information on the card, and you'll find that they've disappeared.
Hyster E60XM-33
1996 Mercury Mystique GS, Zetec, ATX
To email me, remove the string HatesSpam from this address:BobHatesSpam@Blaylock.to
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Yeah I asked around and it seems to be a bad idea but $~100 for a used bumper + $200 for a paint job seems damn steep for a factory color. ehh 
-1998.5 Contour SE V6 ATX.
PM me to tell me of a welder that can craft me a modified Y pipe in the Los Angeles area! OR I may be willing to buy a 3 flange modified Y.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 344
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Actually...$200 is on the low side for actually painting the bumper..and then you do have to add the cost of the thing. Just remember ...the aver cost for painting is $300-$350 per panel For quality jobs. And when you consider that you will have close to $100 or better in paint and clear, You do have to pay for the labor also. 
95 V6 5SPD.
Shaved bumpers,antenna,trunk lock and 1/4 extensions
MIDNIGHT RED.
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Joined: Aug 2002
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That'd be the best way to go. $100 for a bumper then $200 for paint? Nice.
I lucked out and paid $150 for a used bumper at the junk yard. And it just happened to be the same color as my car. I had 2 to pick from. I had the nicer of the 2 of course.
1995 Contour LX
238,000 miles
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New CEG\'er
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My friend in the auto body repair business has told me that the proper flexible primer for a plastic bumper costs nearly $100., and that's only the paint primer. If a bumper is painted with regular primer the paint will peel, but that will happen after the work has been paid for!
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Originally posted by trob:
My friend in the auto body repair business has told me that the proper flexible primer for a plastic bumper costs nearly $100., and that's only the paint primer. If a bumper is painted with regular primer the paint will peel, but that will happen after the work has been paid for!
Wow. I'm assuming you meant the cost to the shop is $100? Tis spensive indeed.
-1998.5 Contour SE V6 ATX.
PM me to tell me of a welder that can craft me a modified Y pipe in the Los Angeles area! OR I may be willing to buy a 3 flange modified Y.
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