A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Hello everyone,
I picked up my '04 Z just 2 weeks ago, and have to say that I love it...I've been reading this forum for a bit and thought I'd introduce myself. (Hi!)
I also came for some advice, too. My parked car got rear-ended as part of a larger accident, and I want to make sure it gets back to as-close-to-new-as-possible condition. It's relatively minor damage to the left rear corner of the bumper cover, but I'm considering replacing the whole cover since the aluminum inner bumper popped through it in one spot.
The thought of repairing the cover and getting paint blended in along the sides of the car seems like adding insult to injury. The dealership promises that a new bumper cover that they paint will match perfectly w/o blending, but the insurance adjuster says no way...any "after-market" paint job on plastic might look great, but the paint never adheres to the plastic for very long, claiming that the factory must do something special to make the paint stick. (?)
So, what would you do? Does anybody know where I can get a straight-from-the-factory rear fascia in Daytona Blue? Or, do you have a DB rear fascia you'd like to sell after putting on that snazzy new body kit?
Thanks for any advice!
-Tom
'04 350Z Base - Daytona Blue
A:
the real damge id hidden under the plastic bumper. make sure you have a Nissan body repair inspect underneath.
A:
That's definitely a good point. My insurance adjuster assures me that he is leaving the quote "open-ended", in case the repair shop (associated w/ my Nissan dealer) finds some hidden damage. He gave up on trying to see underneath there. :)
I looked and it appears to be the main bumper bracket has been bent just slightly...it truly was very minor damage, but it makes a 2wk old car look like crap.
'04 350Z Base - Daytona Blue
A:
Don't Fret over it too much. Bumpers can be repaired quite easily according to the extent of the damage, if the repairman has proper training and tools.
As far as the paint goes. I have yet to see the bumpers on the 350Z's be a perfect paint match anyway. I can easily see shade differences on my Silverstone and other cars I see around. Bumpers are painted seperatly from the car and then installed even at the factory.
When the shop paints it they will use what is called "flex additive". This is added to paint when it is used on bumpers and mouldings to make it more elastic and prevent cracking. If the bumper is prepared properly before paint you will have no problems with adhering. Also the shop will usually spray a test panel to check the paint match before painting the bumper completely.
Good Luck..
A:
i've had patches near the rear hatch repainted after a hate crime on my Z. can you see any work done? i also think le mans is a particularly sparkly paint, so the fact that it's invisible is a big plus. this was done by a collision place associated with the dealer and my insurance agent. everybody said beware, but with the exception of a new rattle in the back of the hatch which is simply a broken plastic snap thingy, the body work on the car is better than satisfactory.
how bout posting some pics, aramis.
2003 350Z LeMans Sunset Track with Nav
No mods
A:
I just had my front and rear bumper done about a month ago and I cant tell the diff either. JUst like Newbie i went through a body shop that Allstate owns. It was the cleanest shop ive ever seen, and they did great. I cant tell that there was ever any damage. Keep us posted
'04 chrome silver
84 T..........work in progress
A:
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll be stopping in to the dealer's collision shop this week to see what they think, and get their opinion on State Farm's estimate. I'll let you know how it goes. I know they are a huge, very clean facility so I'm pretty optimistic now.
350ZNewbie, that is an amazing job they did. I'm a lot less worried now...I must have chosen a really bad shop when I had work done on my Celica in the past. Knowing how tricky it can be to match a metallic color, that looks like a top notch job.
My bumper damage really is very minor...but it makes a 2 week old car look like crap. I think I'll decide to go the route of getting this bumper cover repainted, as long as they can pop it back out and repair the small cut in it.
Thanks again!
-Tom
'04 350Z Base - Daytona Blue
A:
same thing happened to me 2 weeks ago, he paid me in full, not much damage
good luck !
Lil liZ: 03 Touring, Black/Burnt Orange, no nav, manual
A:
I've had several scrapes since I bought my 2004 DB Touring Z in January. I've used the local dealership where I bought it at with great results each time. You cannot tell that anything ever happened to it. If done properly you won't be able to tell. It also helped the second time that most of the scrape was on the clear bra pieces around the wheel well.
Good luck!