Long story made short, but my rear bumper had to get touched up due to a scuff. I took it to a shop that I had used numerous times without any issues. They repainted the scuff and blended it in, and advised that the entire bumper should get re-clearcoated so things would look consistent (he was worried that as the paint ages, the OEM clearcoat would look different from his).
Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that this shop's work has gone way down hill. I got the car back and the clearcoat had fish eyes, dust, two runs, and inconsistent coverage. It looks like a combination of contamination and poor finishing. I went back twice to have them try and fix it, but it still looks bad. At this point, I do not want them touching the car ever again.
I visited four local shops that all came recommended from fellow Corvette Forum members and received very different answers and quotes on how to fix it. I've received a range of answers from just sanding and respraying clearcoat all the way to replacing the entire bumper cover. I am very skeptical of any mention of fresh paint since matching will always be a gamble.
Can anyone shed some light on whether or not any of these guys are taking me for a ride? I just want this fixed so the bumper looks like it wasn't shoddily painted.
Shop 1: Ferrari-certified, considered the best in the area
-skeptical of being able to simply fix the clearcoat
-hard for them to tell what's involved because "we don't know what this other guy did"
-strong possibility of having to repaint the whole bumper
-works on time & materials so estimation is very rough
-ballparked price of $1500, could end up going much higher
Shop 2: reputable shop that has worked on lots of Corvettes, owner has had several himself
-has worked on C7s
-said they'd just sand the clearcoat and respray it, no need to touch perfectly good paint
-works on book time plus the extra prep work needed
-quoted price of $1350
Shop 3: well-regarded shop that turns out Concours cars
-has never worked on a C7, but has worked on older Corvettes
-would try a quick-fix of wet sanding and filling in the fish eyes
-advised that if the quick fix didn't work, it would turn into a very involved job
-won't guarantee the work since it's "not his paint"
-quoted price of $1850
Shop 4: large Corvette shop with award-winning show car paint work
-doesn't like working on anything with fisheye since it can be tough to know if the original contaminant is gone (might lead to redoing it multiple times)
-advised that replacing the bumper cover and starting fresh might just be the best bet
-was upfront about this being a pricey job since they work on time & materials
-quoted price of $2600 if they have to replace the bumper cover
Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that this shop's work has gone way down hill. I got the car back and the clearcoat had fish eyes, dust, two runs, and inconsistent coverage. It looks like a combination of contamination and poor finishing. I went back twice to have them try and fix it, but it still looks bad. At this point, I do not want them touching the car ever again.
I visited four local shops that all came recommended from fellow Corvette Forum members and received very different answers and quotes on how to fix it. I've received a range of answers from just sanding and respraying clearcoat all the way to replacing the entire bumper cover. I am very skeptical of any mention of fresh paint since matching will always be a gamble.
Can anyone shed some light on whether or not any of these guys are taking me for a ride? I just want this fixed so the bumper looks like it wasn't shoddily painted.
Shop 1: Ferrari-certified, considered the best in the area
-skeptical of being able to simply fix the clearcoat
-hard for them to tell what's involved because "we don't know what this other guy did"
-strong possibility of having to repaint the whole bumper
-works on time & materials so estimation is very rough
-ballparked price of $1500, could end up going much higher
Shop 2: reputable shop that has worked on lots of Corvettes, owner has had several himself
-has worked on C7s
-said they'd just sand the clearcoat and respray it, no need to touch perfectly good paint
-works on book time plus the extra prep work needed
-quoted price of $1350
Shop 3: well-regarded shop that turns out Concours cars
-has never worked on a C7, but has worked on older Corvettes
-would try a quick-fix of wet sanding and filling in the fish eyes
-advised that if the quick fix didn't work, it would turn into a very involved job
-won't guarantee the work since it's "not his paint"
-quoted price of $1850
Shop 4: large Corvette shop with award-winning show car paint work
-doesn't like working on anything with fisheye since it can be tough to know if the original contaminant is gone (might lead to redoing it multiple times)
-advised that replacing the bumper cover and starting fresh might just be the best bet
-was upfront about this being a pricey job since they work on time & materials
-quoted price of $2600 if they have to replace the bumper cover