Hi all,
Its my first time here, so sorry in advance if this is not the right place to be posting this.

While driving on the highway, a package that had fallen from a truck hit and damaged my front bumper.
I tried avoiding it, but it still managed to damage part of the bumper ( rush hour with an 18 wheeler next to me

I am currently trying to find a fix as the look of the car is ruined and it has been irritating me the past couple of days.

I've tried contacting one of the body shops in my area, and the guy asked for $650 ( too much for me at the moment)

I've thought of searching for other garages or buying a used oem bumper ( if cheaper).
Does any one know of any body shops in the Los Angeles Area ( or anywhere nearby) that would be able to fix it for cheaper?
Would it be cheaper to buy an OEM bumper from a vehicle part out?
Do you guys suggest buying a bumper on ebay or should i avoid it?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated

 

Welcome Saad!

A new primered front fascia can be had for about $150 with free shipping (Prime) on Amazon. Then shop it to reputable repair shops in your area for painting. Do the removal and reinstall yourself with a friend or two (the removal/install is in section EXT of the service manual, page 13-14. You ought to be able to get it finished for about half of the estimate you received (plus a case of good beer for your friends ).

 

+1 on what neal said...bumper removal is also detailed in DIY sections on here and there are several youtube videos on it too...it take about 20 minutes to get it off...if you want to leave it to a body shop I'd shop around a bit $650.00 is jsut really high, that not even the sport bumper....you should be able to get it done (parts and labour if its just the bumper and not the trim too...price goes up if you need the trim pieces) for about half of that.

 

That honeycomb section surrounding the fog lights is actually part of the bumper on the non-sport, and simply painted black (or maybe un-painted.) On the sport bumper, it's a completely separate trim piece. I know that seems nuts, but it's true.

That means the only trim pieces are the fog rings and the upper & lower grilles.

 

I say go mAd tYtE jDm drifter style and own the damage! remove bumper per DIY, put on a stand to hold the dented part facing down. fill the back space with boiling water. Let sit for 10min and massage the dent back out.

 

i had the same issue. buy an unpainted bumper on ebay or amazon, doesnt matter if its primed, the shop you take it will still want to prime it themselves. i had it painted for about 240$ with a special they had, and bumper cost

 

Um, how come the trucks insurance isn't paying for this? The box had to have had a shipping label that showed what shipper was hauling it. A photo of the box, and your damage and a call to that shipper should be all thats needed.

Anyway, for any non oem part, its always best to fit it first, while still in primer. Make sure there aren't any tweaks needed, holes needing to be enlarged or whatever. It sucks to have to massage painted parts. Get it to fit first in primer, making any alterations needed, then take it off again for paint. Then when you put it back on you know it fits.