Model 3, scratches on front bumper: repair or replace?

[quentinp]

Hi,

I accidentally scratched the front bumper of a Tesla M3 with my car.
I am in contact with the owner so I can pay for his repairs once he gets a quote for it.

Here is a picture of the scracth:

https://imgur.com/YUfwGh3

However, I am a bit worried about how much it will cost and if I should use my insurance or not.
Based on my search, fixing a scratch on a Tesla M3 can go anywhere from $800 to $7,000 (!)
Of course, I will pay for any cost involved. But because of this, I am also motivated to help him find the best price for his repair.

First of all, is it cheaper to replace entirely the front bumper or to repair it?
Any recommandations of good Tesla-approved body shops in the Chicago area?

Thank you for your hep,
Quentin

 

[orntar]

It's hard to tell, did it go thru the paint to the plastic?

 

[quentinp]

Yes, it looks like it

 

[orntar]

The cheapest would probably be to purchase a new bumper. They come prepainted as far as I know. Should be under 1000usd, I would think.

Of course, the owner will have to get a quote. You could try as well, for confirmation.

 

[quentinp]

1000usd, including cost of installing it or part only?

 

[orntar]

Total. I heard the bumpers are around 800 to 900.

BUT - I am guessing based on other posts I have seen. It does look fairly minor, but paint work would be more, I would think.

 

[KenC]

that looks like a good shop should be able to repaint that.

 

[B401]

As someone told me, only You will see it! Wear and tear. A good buff and polish will blend it better. Dr. Colorchip

 

[quentinp]

As someone told me, only You will see it! Wear and tear. A good buff and polish will blend it better. Dr. Colorchip

Thank you B401, but this is not my car...
Whatever result the owner will be satisfied with, I will have to go with it.

Naturally, since he is not responsible for the scratch (I am), I understand if he prefers not being able to see it at all. And I would feel very uncomfortable telling him that a quick DIY paint work at <$100 would be good enough...

Now the question is: what is the cheapest way to make it completely go away.
Based on previous comments, looks like Tesla labor cost for painting is huge and it would be better to replace it entirely.
Any idea of the labor cost for a bumper replacement?

 

[jrweiss98020]

I had something similar done to my old Prius (metallic gold paint). Repainting and blending the corner of the bumper at a body shop was half the cost of replacement. When done, I could hardly see the difference.

What is "reasonable" depends on the age of the car. If it's brand-new, he could rightfully demand "perfection." If a year old, the local paint job would be reasonable. If 2+ years old, a kit repair should suffice.

 

[Unclepaul]

When you get the estimate you can offer to pay the repair company in full, but directly, or offer to pay 1/2 to 3/4 in cash to the person. He may choose to pocket the cash and buff it out instead of getting it repaired/replaced.

 

[MLXXXp]

I recently had an encounter with a large boulder and ended up with large scrape in the right corner of my front bumper. There were slight gouges in the plastic.

A few weeks ago, I had the bumper removed, smoothed out, entirely repainted and reinstalled by a Tesla authorized shop here in Toronto, Canada. The total cost including 13% in taxes was $888 CAD, which is about $715 USD.

It was in the shop for 3 days, so you might have to factor in the cost of a rental car. (I didn't need one.)

 

[jjrandorin]

Thank you B401, but this is not my car...
Whatever result the owner will be satisfied with, I will have to go with it.

Naturally, since he is not responsible for the scratch (I am), I understand if he prefers not being able to see it at all. And I would feel very uncomfortable telling him that a quick DIY paint work at <$100 would be good enough...

Now the question is: what is the cheapest way to make it completely go away.
Based on previous comments, looks like Tesla labor cost for painting is huge and it would be better to replace it entirely.
Any idea of the labor cost for a bumper replacement?

if this is "A friend" or even someone you want to have, or continue to have a "good" relationship with, what you should do is get a quote for replacing the bumper from tesla, and get a quote for repair from a tesla certified body shop, and let the owner decide which way they prefer.

That way, THEY make the choice they will be happy with, and if its not 100% perfect (for example, a brand new replacement bumper but it doesnt 100% match, or a repair at a body shop they can still see after the repair), its on them, as you did "exactly what they wanted.

The money becomes somewhat immaterial because its not going to be 1K vs 5k or something, its going to be a difference of a few hundred dollars at most.

Now, if you dont care whether you ever deal with the person again, then go with whatever YOU want instead of whatever THEY want.

 

[quentinp]

I recently had an encounter with a large boulder and ended up with large scrape in the right corner of my front bumper. There were slight gouges in the plastic.

A few weeks ago, I had the bumper removed, smoothed out, entirely repainted and reinstalled by a Tesla authorized shop here in Toronto, Canada. The total cost including 13% in taxes was $888 CAD, which is about $715 USD.

It was in the shop for 3 days, so you might have to factor in the cost of a rental car. (I didn't need one.)

View attachment 726509

Wow, that looks much more serious than what I did to his car.
I would be happy if I can pay less than a thousand dollars, so your message makes me feel hopeful

 

[WattsHappening]

I had something similar happen to our rear bumper. If the damage is just paint and the bumper underneath doesn't need any repair work, your best bet is a mobile auto paint service. The one we used had a state of the art paint mixing system in the van. He came out, spend a couple of hours prepping and painting. In the end, it was as good as new. No way to tell it was re-painted. $300 total cost.

 

[quentinp]

Well, the owner got a first quote and the Tesla body shop requests $1,400 in total.
That includes taking off the bumper, paint job, reinstalling it, and recalibrating the sensors.

Does that seem a fair price?
He said he would get another quote.

I am hesitating in involving my car insurance (property damage liability)

 

[DaylightWT]

You don't have to replace that bumper. The scratch looks like it just took off the paint any paint and auto body place can sand down and respray it.

 

[MLXXXp]

Well, the owner got a first quote and the Tesla body shop requests $1,400 in total.

I took mine to two Tesla authorized shops for estimates. The first quoted $1423 CAD (currently about $1134 USD). As I said previously above, the second quote was $888 CAD (currently about $708 USD) for the same work (and my final cost didn't change from that).

So it's a good idea to get more than one estimate.

 

[MrFusion]

If you have an actual Tesla service center near you they will do the whole thing for about $1000 USD. Brand new factory painted part installed.

 

[MrFusion]