Author Topic: what's it gonna cost  (Read 2790 times)

soopy

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what's it gonna cost
« on: June 14, 2018, 11:34:27 AM »
I don't have experience owning a car in USA and I'm looking to buy an used one.
One of my prospective sellers has a car that has a few scratches. Though it is not a deal breaker I would like to know what it might take to fix them. 
Can someone look at the picture and give me an ball park estimate of what it might cost to fix this.I live in the Boston area.
Thanks.



terran

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2018, 11:45:49 AM »
Do you actually want to fix it, or do you just want to use the information to negotiate? The bumper cover is plastic, so you don't have to worry about rust or anything. If you can get a good price on the car I wouldn't bother fixing it.

honeybbq

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2018, 12:34:52 PM »
People fix scratches?

Proud Foot

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2018, 12:43:20 PM »
We had the same car and someone scraped up our bumper. College student not paying attention while backing out of the parking lot. She was only using the backup camera. Since her parents wanted things cleared up we got a quote, they gave us cash, and we all signed an agreement that it was taken care of.  Our total quote plus a rental car was around $950.

Lews Therin

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2018, 12:46:16 PM »
I heard that if you leave it alone, it'll fix itself.

You should try that for 5-10 years.


lbmustache

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2018, 01:12:20 PM »
I heard that if you leave it alone, it'll fix itself.

You should try that for 5-10 years.

Hahaha exactly.

I would guess to legitimately buff that out, possibly repaint, it will be a couple hundred. I'd just leave it. Someone else will ding the car or you will scrape against something yourself.

Detailing the car (clay bar and wax) might help to spruce the appearance a bit and minimize the look of the scratches.

NextTime

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2018, 01:19:47 PM »
Several years back, my wife ran our black Alero all the way down the side of the garage frame leaving 3 feet of scratches down the passenger side.

Some buffing compound, a rag, and a little elbow grease removed the garage paint and made it look 95% better. The black paint was scuffed but it wasn't really noticeable unless you looked for it.

soopy

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #8 on: June 14, 2018, 01:55:24 PM »
Do you actually want to fix it, or do you just want to use the information to negotiate? The bumper cover is plastic, so you don't have to worry about rust or anything. If you can get a good price on the car I wouldn't bother fixing it.

I think I would like to fix it.. The car needs new tyres,new front brakes and rotors, some exhaust clamps, cabin air filters, etc. I'll add this to the list when I negotiate the price.

Sibley

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2018, 02:36:40 PM »
Do you actually want to fix it, or do you just want to use the information to negotiate? The bumper cover is plastic, so you don't have to worry about rust or anything. If you can get a good price on the car I wouldn't bother fixing it.

I think I would like to fix it.. The car needs new tyres,new front brakes and rotors, some exhaust clamps, cabin air filters, etc. I'll add this to the list when I negotiate the price.

Wrong answer. Cosmetic only issues like that are silly to fix. Sure, use to negotiate the price, but don't bother to actually fix it. I've got various dents and scratches on my car, works fine. If you don't like that answer - you're on the wrong forum.

ltt

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #10 on: June 14, 2018, 08:59:19 PM »
We have some very similar stuff on our vehicle, but it's up higher and to the left.  Estimate was for around $660.  This is in a smaller town.  I would suggest looking more closely at that area to make sure the bumper is actually attached to the main part of the body and didn't come loose, as that could be extra.  On one of our other vehicles where it had come loose, my husband just put some gorilla/duck tape in matching color of the car to hold it.

affordablehousing

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #11 on: June 15, 2018, 10:30:27 AM »
Cost of a black sharpie = $1. Any more than that is better spent on sushi.

acroy

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #12 on: June 15, 2018, 10:53:13 AM »
I think I would like to fix it.... I'll add this to the list when I negotiate the price.
^^^
that, and then in true Mustachain style, fix it yourself!!
honestly I think it'll buff out. I have had very good results with a cheap DA orbital machine, similar to this, $50 on sale
https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Spec-Action-Random-Orbital-Polisher/dp/B074Z4D47H/ref=sr_1_8_sspa?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1529081044&sr=1-8-spons&keywords=da+orbital+polisher&refinements=p_36%3A1253495011&psc=1

and Meguiars products such as
https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G18116-Clear-Polishing-Compound/dp/B006FUT154/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1529081101&sr=1-2&keywords=mcguires+polishing+compound

and
https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G19216-Ultimate-Polish-oz/dp/B004HCOE8Q

I've had great luck with a 2-step polishing stratagem: 1st coarser polish to remove the scratches etc, 2nd fine polish to restore the gloss/remove swirls. Patience and delicacy is key. there is only so much clearcoat there, be careful.

I've successfully buffed out marks that look a lot like that on several vehicles. it's not perfect, but 90% better. Never notice it unless you know what you're looking for, on a clean car with good lighting.

Negotiate $300 off the car , spend $75 and a few hours on it, and learn a skill as well. Win Win Win.
good luck!!

civil4life

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Re: what's it gonna cost
« Reply #13 on: June 15, 2018, 05:59:01 PM »
The car needs new tyres,new front brakes and rotors, some exhaust clamps, cabin air filters, etc. I'll add this to the list when I negotiate the price.

Although these are more wear and tear issues, I would be concerned whether this owner has properly maintained the vehicle.  Do they have maintenance records?  Have you had your own mechanic look at it?