My bumper paint is chipping, cleanest way to do this myself...

[getfreshcrue]

Hey guys the paint on my front bumper is chipping each time i wash the car each time i check the paint has chipped more and more, result of a cheap paint job probably. What is the best way for me to repaint the bumper? If i take the bumper and the paint to a paint shop will they really charge 150+? Anyways if i can do it myself I'll do it just tell me how.

[RedSiBaron]

That could just be oem paint, honda did some thin paint on our car to keep weight down, this same thing is ahppening on my hood...

As for what you should do, 150 is dirt cheap, id just pay it, just the nature of your question asking how to do it indicates you have no idea what you're doing. To make paint work look good, you need to have some experience prepping and painting...also since you probably have no experience, you probably have no supplies, which at the end of the day, depending on how well you want to do it, you could easily spend that 150+ on supplies...

If you did want to do it yourself, id block sand and free sand the area (depending on the surface) with some 220 grit...go past the area until you are sure the paint wont pull. Then wetsand with 320. If you really want wetsand to 400 grit. Try not to burn through the oem paint or primer, they will make for a stronger adhesion base. After you do that, you'll have to get paint and primer and clear for the sanded area. You'll probably have to go with an alternate color to your straight color because of fading, but try to match the color, it wont be perfect though. Go ahead and shoot primer, wetsand again up to your desired grit. Now clean the bumper of all dust and wetsanding residue, and with wax and grease remover right before you shoot it with color. From here I wouldn't touch the bumper with your bare hands, the oils in your skin can screw up the paint. Now make sure you're painting in a fairly dust free environment, if you have to shoot the bumper in the garage, setup drop tarps and wet the floor to catch dust and overspray.

Now obviously you should have removed your bumper, removed bumper lights, and should have masked off your grill so you don't get overspray on anything.

When you shoot color, you are going to want to shoot the repaired area and flare your spray at the end of each pass, and try to blend the color to the other...once that's done you'll want to shoot clear. The problem with shooting your whole bumper is it wont match well...if you blend the difference in new vs old paint is less apparent.

There's a lot of details missing here...honestly if you don't know how to do paint, id suggest finding someone to teach you so you learn or pay to have it done.

[getfreshcrue]

Wow really 150 is cheap :/ I might as well throw in my rear bumper too then

[getfreshcrue]

I got the 60mm skunk2 exhaust system and the obx race header btw car sounds beautiful, where could I find an exhaust shield?

[hondafrk]

Same problem here.... I have a local paint shop that I've done quite a few favors for and they have always treated me well. I just got a quote on my front and rear bumpers and my hood. They quoted me 200 for the whole deal! I even asked for a quote on repainting the entire car, they will do a complete color change from NHBP to white for 950!! Its good to have friends!!! They do great work too. I had my wifes Harley painted there, Brought em the Tank and fenders and 170 bucks later, she had a new custom Hot pink and black Nightster paint scheme!

150 is damn cheap to repaint the bumper, Just make sure you let them know that you want a GOOD job done on it though. Most shops will give you a cheap quote just to spray it, but they won't generally care how it turns out. Just tell them that you'd be willing to pay a little more for a Great job rather than 150 for a decent job. Who knows, they might just take extra care if you ask them to.

[G-MaC!]

My clear coat on my front bumper is peeling, so not cool. I would just pay it, that is not that bad.

[sonofdante10]

i actually repaint my bumper couple weeks ago. if you goin to buy the tools and materials it would cost you more than 150.

things you need.

1 paint gun. about $15 on harbor frights
2 air compressor
3 primer (white primer if youre painting your bumper light color black or gray primer if its dark)
4 base paint you might want to go to paint and body shop store to get a paint that match your car
5 clear coat i got mine from auto shop ready to spray but i dont recommend it.
6. get a acetone or reducer or both


1. take off the bumper
2. sand it till clear coat is gone
3. spray primer
4 spray the base coat 3 to 4 coat wait at least 15 to 20 mins per coat
5 spray clear coat 3 to 4 coat wait at least 15 to 20 mins per coat then voila!!

just take your time and watch videos on youtube took me 2 days to finish my front bumper. but i was on and off on painting coz of work.

[whatsvtec]

Looks good man! Nice small write-up. My only suggestion would be to make sure everything is prepped right and cleaned properly before spraying paint. Pay attention to flash times and re-coat times. Definitely pay attention to the amount of time you need to wait before waxing as well.

[joshuafr]

sonofdante- How do you think this would work with that aerosol color matched paint from a site like www.automotivetouchup.com?
Im a little bit skeptical of using a gun as someone with zero painting experience.

[whatsvtec]

You should be able to go to your local paint shop and have them color match your car exactly and mix paint for a spray can. It will match better than anything that is sold as "touch up"

[ep3k20]

I've noted in a previous thread about this but, dupli color actually makes paint for our cars (its called perfect match) and I can attest to it, it matches pretty spot on. As long as you sand your bumper down really well, and apply the primer and base accordingly, after clear it looks awesome. i have even wet sanded and buffed their clear they sell and it looks like a mirror. Can't hurt it will cost you prob fifty to do.

[sleepy ep3]

iPhone screw up. Please read above

[sleepy ep3]

Dude, just shop around and find a shop worth trusting to paint it for $150-200 bucks. I'm all for doing shit yourself, but if you don't know what your doing, and can get a professional painter that does it all day, every day to paint it for a good price, do it. The real auto paint is a much higher quality anyway, and more durable.

[Waldo129]

Same boat brother. My paint is chipping in exactly the same spot as yours, except my spot is a little longer. And not to mention all the rock chipps... :/