Hey all!
The recent car I bought came with a big ol’ rock chip out of the front plastic bumper. That’s all good and fine, I can fix that,
BUT...
I noticed that the paint around the chip has spiderweb-like cracks running from it. It’s a pretty decent sized area (see picture), so I’m not sure what the best move is. I’ve considered clear epoxy, clear silicone sealant, and I dread the thought of sanding the whole area, priming, painting, and resealing it (much less the cost of a new plastic bumper).
I know I can live with it, but I particularly love this car. Thoughts?
Can you please share the link to an imgur image?
Yup, agree that it’ll need to resprayed. Just had to do that 2 months ago, for both front & rear bumpers, because the paint looked like an intricate spider web..
Here's an imgur link: https://imgur.com/dw4dUuJ
Shoot, if that's the case them I'm really bummed. The paint is factory original, so that's why I'm a bit confused. None of the previous owners ever had it resprayed. It's a Lexus too (2011 GS 350), so that's why I'm surprised! It probably was never waxed or taken care of though.
At this point, do you think it would be cheaper to just buy a plastic OEM replacement bumper in the same factory color, or respray the existing plastic bumper? There is no damage to the bumper itself, just the paint.
Damn, that’s chipped paint.. if you don’t wanna respray it, look for a similar bumper in junkyards.. Although respraying might work out cheaper. Is that the only paint blemish on the whole car?
Thankfully, that's the only massive one. There's a small scratch on one of the doors that is down to the metal, but it's small enough where I plan on sanding that one down, priming and painting it with a paint pen, and sealing it. I'm glad that the only major blemish is on the plastic bumper!
I'll definitely keep an eye out for a bumper at junkyards then. I can live with it, I just love the car and would like I to be as nice as possible : )
If the paint is cracking means crappy paint job. needs respray.
