smart repair

[boris77]

I had the joy of getting my bumper tapped after an idiot pulled out in front of me on a roundabout, the astra behind tapped me scratching and chipping the paint on the bumper a bit. He very kindly drove off. 

 

What's the general opinion of "smart" repairs? Waste of money or good cheap(er) fix?

 

Anyone recommend a smart repairer in Suffolk?

 

 

[User0083]

I had the joy of getting my bumper tapped after an idiot pulled out in front of me on a roundabout, the astra behind tapped me scratching and chipping the paint on the bumper a bit. He very kindly drove off.

What's the general opinion of "smart" repairs? Waste of money or good cheap(er) fix?

Anyone recommend a smart repairer in Suffolk?

I've dealt with more minor stuff, but never a cracked bumper, I'd contact someone like SteveD.

How lovely of the person to drive off... Happens more than the person stopping! But there is the MIB, they may be able to help you. They reimbursed me for one incident and aided me with getting police involvement with another.

http://www.uninsured-claims.co.uk/

It may be a wasted phone call and a bit of time, but it could come out a winner!

[WINGNUT]

Did a smart repair course at my last work place a good few years ago! They are a good little fix but only on small repairs ideally and preferably where the job can be lost through body shape i.e corners of bumpers or flash lines too!

 

Nothing beats the real paint shops really but for a quick fix its a damn sight cheaper and you may even be more than happy too!

 

BMW have their own on production line if memory serves me correct so overall if done right should be sound!

 

Dont know anywhere in suffolk but i did my course at Bradleys in Framlingham i think which is east sussex i think

[SteveD]

there a waiste of time , ok if your getting shut of your car bu then your stitching some one up with a **** repair , they may look good for a few weeks but thats it , i do smart repairs for customers when they want them to keep costs down and only where i think its worth it and that all depends on ther panel ,colour ,and more importantly what the customer is expecting to get out of the job long term ,but i use propa materials so they last and do them for the same price as the on the street smart repairers ,but half the time for a few quid extra you can have the whole panel done so its just not worth it really

another thing is the materials they use ,you cannot paint over it again unless you remove all there previous materials first because it reacts with primer or laquer so if you ever need that panel done again your screwed ,so making another job on the same panel more expensive

my view steer clear and have it done right , how can a bloke in a van paint a car outside in the wind ,dust, rain, under a gazeebo etc and it be a good job , you need a booth and propa materials

 

its when you get people in with brand new cars mercs,jags,bmw's etc that have just spent 30k 40 50 60 k + on a car but dont want to pay to have a wing painted and want a smart repair ,it just doesn't add up

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

My business partner has used one in the Altrincham area a lot in the past, swore by him, and indeed the before/after bit looked very impressive. So one morning while he was there to do some work on Stuarts car, I got him to do a small bit on the rear wing on my old silver five series. (An old repair someone had had done that was starting to rust through).

 

Watched him sand, fill and airbrush in the damage. It did indeed look superb. That BMW silver was a right PITA to match and he'd done a spot repair that blended in perfectly. I was really impressed...

 

...for about six or seven weeks, and low and behold starts rusting through again. (I should add, in fairness to the guy, he warned me it would eventually come back and had suggested I booked it in with him to do in his workshop where it would have been done in a booth. But I'd just wanted to try a smart repair for myself, having heard so much about them. I wouldn't have another).

 

In fact last time I needed a smart repair sized mark doing, I took it to Steve to get done properly.

[iain m]

As Steve says ok if you are selling or it's somewhere not noticeable. They threw in a £300 smart repair insurance when I bought a BMW some years ago, they supply a cardboard gauge for measuring and they only pay for very small chips ( no scratches ) bonnet/boot/roof were all excluded. I concluded that smart repairs were not for me.

[boris77]

Thanks all for the info, some really useful info. I gave the bumper a good clean and polish and its not as bad as it initially looked. No cracks just the paint taken off in two spots and the laquer scratched between the two chips. Its on the side of the bumper so shouldn't be too obvious a repair. That said reading Steve's advice I am swaying towards a body shop repair.

guest, unfortunately I didn't get the Astra's reg number. I wouldn't be that fussed about him paying, not worth getting insurance involved. What irked me was the fact he drove off. Same happend to the missus a few years ago. Common decency seems to be long gone.