[asus389]

Hey all,

I walked out to my car today and noticed this bizarre looking scratch/thing on my rear bumper. I can't tell if the paint was scratched, dented, or some weird melting action. Has anyone seen something like this? Can something like this be corrected, or will I have to *shudder* respray the bumper?

This car is a 2006 325i Metallic Black paint.



thoughts?

thanks

A

[IRL-MN]

Looks to me like some light impact damage. The plastic bumper material deformed a little, causing the paint to crack. Unfortunately, I don't think much can be done with this other than a re-paint.

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by IRL-MN

Looks to me like some light impact damage. The plastic bumper material deformed a little, causing the paint to crack. Unfortunately, I don't think much can be done with this other than a re-paint.

My thoughts exactly, looks like someone tapped your bumper and caused stress marks in the paint.

[bob.g]

yep i bought my car used (privately) and got one of those too :/

[d00t]

It's bondo cracking underneath

[Rylan V]

I agree with d00t. Your bumper has been repaired before. This is why you should never use bondo on a bumper. There is a special type of plastic repair mud that should be used on bumpers, I think it is called Fusor. Bondo cannot flex with the rest of the panel like Fusor can. You will need to take it to a reputable body shop to have it repaired properly. Check out http://www.autobodyalliance.com to find a reputable collision center in your area.

[asus389]

What now? This is a CPO car that supposedly had never been in an accident - well at least according to carfax and the dealer who sold it to me. You guys are saying this likely isn't a new impact? (Which makes sense, I don't recall anyone hitting it - but you know... parking lot dings happen when you aren't there). Thats pretty interesting. How do you tell the difference?

[d00t]

Originally Posted by asus389

What now? This is a CPO car that supposedly had never been in an accident - well at least according to carfax and the dealer who sold it to me. You guys are saying this likely isn't a new impact? (Which makes sense, I don't recall anyone hitting it - but you know... parking lot dings happen when you aren't there). Thats pretty interesting. How do you tell the difference?

Just because it doesn't show up on carfax doesn't mean anything. Carfax only goes through a database to show whether it was claimed on insurance. If they paid out of pocket, there's no way of knowing. And also, don't ever trust a dealership. This is why it's VERY important to get a proper PPI before any vehicle is bought.

I've been on two now for a client--he almost bought a Maserati GranSport GT but after I inspected, and measured the paint. It had been repainted in several areas, even though it had a clean carfax.

It's not necessarily a new impact, but over time, if the bondo isn't prepped properly, it will crack due to weather, among other things. It was just shotty job that's all.

[asus389]

Good to know... thanks.

A

[JayKay335i]

Agree with whats said above. It certainly doesn't look like factory paint based on the way its cracking. Time to respray, or upgrade bumpers.