Repainting vs replacing front bumper

[ak2pacalypse]

Hi,

Someone backed into my front bumper while my model 3 was parked and scratched up the middle of the front bumper. I took it to a certified tesla body shop and they recommended that I replace the entire bumper rather than just sanding and repainting. They explained to me that because the model 3 has a sensor underneath the middle of the front bumper, after they repaint it they cannot gaurantee that the chemical composition of the new paint wont interfere with the sensor.

Has anyone been told this before? It seems a little odd because people put wraps and clearbras on their bumpers all the time without any issues. I mentioned this to the body shop and they said " the films are micrometers thin, paint is much thicker." They are insisting that replacing the bumper is what Tesla recommends and it wouldn't be safe to simply repair/sand and repaint the bumper.

I was quoted 1600 to replace the bumper. Another body shop quoted me 750 to just repair and repaint the bumper. I will be paying out of pocket so this is a significant difference.

Currently, I am not experiencing any issues with the front proximity sensors.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Richtig]

I have a bumper from my Model 3 - I would sell it for $100 - perfect condition but 1 small paint chip (less than a dime)

 

[hudsoncat]

My local Tesla service center repainted my bumper in February after someone backed into it. They did not mention any concerns with repainting, nor have I noticed any change in the car since the repair.

 

[HaroldC]

Unfortunately, it sounds like the bodyshop is trying to up sell you the more expensive repair to make more profit for themselves. Based on your photo, it looks like the damage is just to the paint and not the actual bumper. That's an easy respray job that is only going to add a 4-5 mils (thousandths of an inch) of paint, at most. The shop is clearly lying when they claim that paint is thicker than film, which is usually around 8 mils. Stay clear!

 

[bpobill]

The body shop is lying to you. Ppf is thicker than paint, by a lot. Run don’t walk away from them.

 

[ak2pacalypse]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I think I will go with another body shop and just repaint the bumper.

 

[tilliegilbert]

I got the same reasoning from City Collision and I am quite livid. Thanks for the heads up!