Paint Question

[RobbL]

I managed to put two gashes in my bumper as you can see from the attached photo. One is towards the top and the second, towards the bottom. Can I get a good result from using a local, mobile dent guy? Do they need to get "special" paint only available from Tesla? Can I get that ahead of time myself? I live in Oakland, CA. Any recommendations for getting this taken care of?

 

[jkoya]

Is there a reason you don't want it fixed by a Tesla approved shop ? I believe Weatherford BMW in Berkeley is a Tesla approved body shop.

With that being said, I saw impressive work by a mobile bumper repair tech. He custom blended his paint and feathered into the existing bumper. This was at a car show. However, the paint color was not a multi coat paint like your Pearl White Multi-Coat.

Good luck and post your follow ups.

 

[tomas]

A good paint person can procure the correct paint color. I’ve purchased paint for my brown S on the internet as well. Exact match. Now applying it so it isn’t obvious is the skill. Given where your nick is, it should be easier. Not a super obvious part of the car. Look for a body shop with great reputation and references. It’s a plastic fender. The skills are not Tesla unique.

 

[RobbL]

I went to a Tesla approved body shop for a quote and they said $2500. I then checked with two local body shops who each only have 5 star Yelp reviews. One quoted $700 and the other $800. Each will use computerized color matching. Based on Tomas' comments above, it seems like he would be comfortable with one of the local body shops. His logic makes sense to me. Do other people agree?

 

[jkoya]

Wow - that's quite the difference. Was the Tesla approved body shop at a car dealer (ex. BMW dealer) ?

 

[RobbL]

Not a dealer. Brooks Motor Cars in Oakland.

 

[woodguyatl]

I went to a Tesla approved body shop for a quote and they said $2500. I then checked with two local body shops who each only have 5 star Yelp reviews. One quoted $700 and the other $800. Each will use computerized color matching. Based on Tomas' comments above, it seems like he would be comfortable with one of the local body shops. His logic makes sense to me. Do other people agree?

$700 would be about $150 too high for here in GA but may be perfectly reasonably in CA. They will be pulling and repainting the bumper for that price I assume. In my case the rear bumper is now the best looking paint on the entire car.

 

[Skmetallica]

$2500 is highway robbery. I live in CA and I’ve had much worse fixed for less than the $800 you were quoted. I would shop around some more. Dent guy can’t help because paint is damaged so you’ll have to stick to bodyshops.

 

[jkoya]

I went to a Tesla approved body shop for a quote and they said $2500.

I wonder if they are jacking up the price for Tesla repairs because they are Tesla approved ? That $2500 price is quite the outlier compared to the other two.

 

[RobbL]

I went to meet with the two shops that had quoted $700 and $800 on the phone based on a photo. Neither changed their quote based on the actual car. The $700 guy said he would not remove the bumper. He would paint the affected area in two coats, and then blend in with rest of the bumper. Only the clear coat would cover the whole bumper. His reason for not removing the bumper was "the sensors." He would need the car two full days. The $800 guy will remove the bumper and paint the whole thing. I asked about the sensors, and he said that was not a problem. He has dealt with a lot of Tesla's. He will need the car four days. Both, without prompting, pointed out that the current bumper does not exactly match the hood. The hood is a bit whiter. Clearly, they were trying to avoid complaints when the job is done.

Which option would you choose?

 

[jkoya]

The $800 guy will remove the bumper and paint the whole thing.

If the $800 guy is going to repaint the whole bumper, will he color match it with the hood and fenders ? So...the whole front end will be the same color of white ?? I have noticed on some white cars there is a color difference between the bumpers and the rest of the car.

 

[RobbL]

I went with the $800 guy, as it made sense to remove the bumper. He told me that two clips were broken and they had to weld the parts. By not being authorized he doesn't have access to parts like clips. They can now match paint perfectly without having access to "Tesla" paint. But independent stations don't have access to parts. In any case, he did a great job and the car looks like new. So far, no rattles or buzzes, and sensors all appear to be working as before, as is autopilot. (I'm hoping that writing that last sentence does not attract the attention of the gods who are always watching for such statements.) I did check with a second Tesla authorized place, Weatherford BMW, and they quoted $2450. So if you just need dent removal or paint, it seems like you can save a lot of money. But if you need parts replaced, you may not have a choice.