Hey guys, I'm a new 2013 fit owner. Went out a pretty steep driveway and scrapped the front bumper pretty bad as a result... Any idea what I can do? My only option would be to completely replace the front bumper? Body shop? Any recommendations would be great.

 

I would try a body shop. I learned early the front bumper is easy to damage on small dips going into parking lots. Mine is all on the bottom and doesn't show unless you look under the car.

Clifton

 

I'm impressed that you were able to scrape a stock height Fit.

 

Looks like a nice big reason to get the mugen lip to cover it!

PS: You might just scrape that more though.

 

Take some compound and compound out the white that is there. Then some touch-up paint on the big spots. Then forget it LOL.

Now you look at it every time you go to the car because it bugs you. But down there will probably get more scrapes as the years pass and and in a bodyshop that is probably a several hundred dollar fix.

Is it worth that to you to have it done then in a couple months do it again?

 

Sucks man. I know that feeling all to well.

 

I have scraped same corner twice.

I little sandpaper, primer and matching can of spray paint.

Maybe after the third time will have pros do it.

Before



After

 

It's easy on the streets around here. Many parking lots have enough entrance dip to cause the front of the Fit at bottom at very low speed. The Fit is bad because it has more overhang in front than many other cars. My car is stock.

Clifton

 

I agree with loudbang. It sucks and I have had the exact same thing happen to me, but if you pay a bodyshop to fix it to new, chances are it will happen again and you'll be back to where you started. I just consider it one of the prices to pay of having a nice daily driver car.

 

Hey not a bad job Black3sr. Better then spending a few hundred bucks for something that might get messed up again.

 

All the above replies are great! Here's my recommendation :

-if you to a bodyshop, you are probably looking at at least 200$ for a sanding and paint match and blend. As all others have mentioned, you will probably end up scraping again so I don't think its worth it.

-I'm in the same boat and my front lip is starting to get all scuffed up and has many rock chips. I recommend waiting a few years until the lip gets rather unsightly and the just redo the whole part. Dunno if it's two different parts for you. I drive a GD so my car has a front fascia and a separate lip (valence). My local bodyshop guy said if I sanded the lip myself, he would paint it for 150$

1)-I recommend first trying to clean the area, then maybe use a claybar kit if you have it. Like that you can remove some of the dirt and concrete that seems to be stuck in there.

2) go to a razor shop and get an old school razor blade and use it to cut off any protruding pieces of paint or rolled up pieces of plastic. I find that the uneven surface of a scrape is what makes a touch up stand out the most (in a bad way). You could even try some light wet sanding with 600 grit. Fold the sand paper around a credit card to get real precice because any paint that you scuff with the sand paper will become hazy and unsightly so you want to keep your sanding as localized as possible

3) use some touch up paint. I'd apply 2 or 3 thin coats. Apply on a warm or hot day and a time when humidity is not too high (ie it's not raining). The paint will always look like it's the wrong color until it completely dries so don't worry.

4) if you want the touch up to have max durability, you can use a clear coat. I'd say this is optional but in harsh weather, the base color will probably wear off over time. If you use clear coat in a can, be sure to mask off the region really well. My technique is to use masking tape all around the area and I cut a hole in a piece of cardboard. Then I spray through the hole; this prevents overspray without having to go all out covering large areas with plastic or newspaper.

When doing touch ups, I like to have paint thinner and a shop towel near by so I can correct any mistakes or pickup paint stains on a part I don't want painted.

A good touch up job will be barely visible unless you are basically looking at the car on your knees! You can do it and you'll probably have to so it again so try and get better at it! You can also go to the dollar store and pickup very fine paintbrushes to help with the job. Also, for small chips, a toothpick can be nice to apply a little dot of paint. If you don't buy the Honda touch up paint, the color code for your vehicle is located in the driver's side door jamb around where the sticker with the tire pressures is located.

 

The second time I did not even sand a lot or prime. Just a swipe with sandpaper and a shot of finish coat of Taffy white. Standing in front 10 feet away you would never know.