Experience with remanufactured bumper covers
09-14-11 | 11:22 PM
#1
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Easton, MD
Experience with remanufactured bumper covers
I'm getting some bodywork done on my car. Front and rear bumpers are original from 1994 and are in pretty bad shape. Starting with new OEM bumper covers is lots of money. Several places sell "remanufactured" OEM bumper covers that are primed and ready for paint and I can get front and rear for about $600. Anybody with experience with using such a product?
Thanks,
Justin Wade
Thanks,
Justin Wade
09-15-11 | 09:30 AM
#3
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 111
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From: nh
Working in a body shop I see many of these covers come in. We are stuck dealing with Keystone and there quality sucks. While it is an OEM bumper you gotta really go over these things when you get it.
First find the point of repair. Try bending the bumper a little bit around the repair. Often if it was a split or tear repair they do a shitty job and it just splits open again. Next, check all the retaining tabs. When the bumpers are removed from wrecked cars they often just rip them off and tear the tabs. The reman facility will half *** a fix of these often the holes are partially filled in or just very weak tabs that will eventually break again. Finally go over the surface of the bumper, check the body lines and check the primer for defects. They may have been significant dmg to the front of the bumper where they needed to fill and then sand to make a new body line. I have seen ones that the body line is completely wrong. If the bumper was originally gouged sometimes they will just use a really thick primer to try and fill in the gouge.
Buyer be ware. Some of the covers come in perfect but 85% are junk. That is my experiance at least.
First find the point of repair. Try bending the bumper a little bit around the repair. Often if it was a split or tear repair they do a shitty job and it just splits open again. Next, check all the retaining tabs. When the bumpers are removed from wrecked cars they often just rip them off and tear the tabs. The reman facility will half *** a fix of these often the holes are partially filled in or just very weak tabs that will eventually break again. Finally go over the surface of the bumper, check the body lines and check the primer for defects. They may have been significant dmg to the front of the bumper where they needed to fill and then sand to make a new body line. I have seen ones that the body line is completely wrong. If the bumper was originally gouged sometimes they will just use a really thick primer to try and fill in the gouge.
Buyer be ware. Some of the covers come in perfect but 85% are junk. That is my experiance at least.
09-15-11 | 10:13 AM
#4
Thread Starter
Full Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 212
Likes: 0
From: Easton, MD
Working in a body shop I see many of these covers come in. We are stuck dealing with Keystone and there quality sucks. While it is an OEM bumper you gotta really go over these things when you get it.
First find the point of repair. Try bending the bumper a little bit around the repair. Often if it was a split or tear repair they do a shitty job and it just splits open again. Next, check all the retaining tabs. When the bumpers are removed from wrecked cars they often just rip them off and tear the tabs. The reman facility will half *** a fix of these often the holes are partially filled in or just very weak tabs that will eventually break again. Finally go over the surface of the bumper, check the body lines and check the primer for defects. They may have been significant dmg to the front of the bumper where they needed to fill and then sand to make a new body line. I have seen ones that the body line is completely wrong. If the bumper was originally gouged sometimes they will just use a really thick primer to try and fill in the gouge.
Buyer be ware. Some of the covers come in perfect but 85% are junk. That is my experiance at least.
First find the point of repair. Try bending the bumper a little bit around the repair. Often if it was a split or tear repair they do a shitty job and it just splits open again. Next, check all the retaining tabs. When the bumpers are removed from wrecked cars they often just rip them off and tear the tabs. The reman facility will half *** a fix of these often the holes are partially filled in or just very weak tabs that will eventually break again. Finally go over the surface of the bumper, check the body lines and check the primer for defects. They may have been significant dmg to the front of the bumper where they needed to fill and then sand to make a new body line. I have seen ones that the body line is completely wrong. If the bumper was originally gouged sometimes they will just use a really thick primer to try and fill in the gouge.
Buyer be ware. Some of the covers come in perfect but 85% are junk. That is my experiance at least.
Thanks,
Justin Wade
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