Nismo Front Bumper Licence Plate Aftermath...
 

So, I've been really loving my Nismo. :happydance:

It was orignially a Californa Car, and as such had the stock Front Bumper Licence Plate. :ughdance:

Upon removing the front licence plate "vice" ... I found it left some nice presents for me. :mad:

I've been living with it for up until now, but now its really eating at me. I have to get it fixed.

I want to have you guys take a look and offer any adice for having it fixed, and what I can expect to be done/pay.

Thanks. :tiphat:

Update: Found a body shop down here with some pretty good feedback.

They have told me that filling then blending will leave "clouding" in the paint around the area being corrected - they recomend fully repainting the front bumper.

Anyone think this is going to far?

http://www.the370z.com/members/gawl1...ftermath-1.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/gawl1...ftermath-2.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/gawl1...ftermath-3.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/gawl1...ftermath-4.jpg

^^ I'm think I may have to get the whole thing re-painted.... which I'm scared to mess with ... stories of paint not matching alone scares me away.

are you putting the plate back on?

No. I'm leaving it off. I have no need for it, and the car looks to good without it.

then...take it to a trusted bodyshop and have them fill and blend the bumper...

oppose to repaint the whole bumper...

I remember when the dealer asked if I wanted the plate mounted...

I replied

"I'll pay later in tickets, cause it looks to good to cover up"

good luck op

What exactly do they do when they "fill and blend" - sorry if this is a stupid question. Not alot of experience with body work.

I'm no expert either...

the front bumper is plastic, so hopefully they use a plastic bondo filler...can google that

Once that is done, should be sanding and smoothing in that area...even some heat gun action to undo the bends the brackets caused!

Then paint, painting can go about two different ways from what I've learned....first being just using the paint code specs or actually paint code from a paint supplier....

Normal a low par shop would just strip and paint the whole bumper...a higher shop would try and blend the paint code with something? Not to sure what to darken or lighten the paint to match your other panels that have been weathered already by the elements!

hope that makes sense, and maybe others can chime in!

People have used color matched bumper plugs as an affordable option.

BumperPlugs.com

http://www.reflections-detailing.net...mperplugs2.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...r/03159a97.jpg

They fill in the holes with body filler. Spray the parts of the bumper that need paint and blend in the new paint with the old paint.

1. bumper plugs look terrible, especially on such a nice car (I know, my wife has them on her IS-F...looks cheap as f***)

2. Nissan paint on the bumper doesnt match anyway, might as well get the whole thing repainted, should cost just a couple hundred, which will include the small amount of time it takes to fill and sand those holes.

Okay. I'm going to go with a "Fill and Blend" as it's what's everyone seems to sujest - what should I look to pay. I want to have a ball park number when shopping around at Body Shops.

Should I even consider a Nissan Dealer?

I understand some states require a front plate but how the hell do you drill holes into the bumper of a 40k+?!?!?!?!?!

Update: Found a body shop down here with some pretty good feedback.

They have told me that filling then blending will leave "clouding" in the paint around the area being corrected - they recomend fully repainting the front bumper.

Anyone think this is going to far?

what an easy way to ruin a car

Fill and blend will not look perfect, you need to take the paint off, prep the surface, and correct the waves caused by the plate. Those waves, dimples, and holes are not good, and can not be fixed "professionally" with some bondo and spray paint. You need to fill in the holes and smooth the entire surface of the unpainted bumper. That is if you want it to be done right. Repainting and refinishing should probably run you somewhere around 1k (this is just an estimate, everyplace varies). They also may want to blend other panels around the front bumper, but nissan itself does a poor job of this...I also think the car is a magnetic black like mine. Honestly nissan parts are blended like crap from the factory so you can probably get away with just painting the front bumper and going with no blending.
I would trust what they are saying, taking paint off and then fixing the damage, followed by a repainting IS the best way to get a perfect result.

You bumped a 4 year old post for that?