Do you guys periodically respray your hoods and bumpers? I have accumulated MANY chips over the past 4 years and while I know these chips will continue to happen, I'd like to get some feedback and opinions. I am not a fan of any clear coat/bra as it reminds me of the plastic on my grandmother's couch.

 

i resprayed my bumper when i bought my used 997. my understanding was that this was not unusual and it's "undetectable" via paintmeter (no idea why this is the case? assume the bumper is not metal?), so the main concern is making sure the paint matches perfectly. even then i made sure to have it documented by a reputable body shop, in case the next owner was concerned about it.

i think getting your hood resprayed will show up on paintmeter, so it's up to you whether you think the next owner will appreciate a nice smooth hood or be suspicious that it's not original paint.

 

Who cares, other than you? Original paint; again, who cares? Obviously when it becomes too offensive any decent body shop can make it look fresh again. I'm one of those guys, like you, who has a Porsche to drive - not just to clean and wax and putt putt to the weekly coffee klatches. Nothing sadder than seeing an ad for a 5 year old 911 with 5,000 miles on it.

 

I have done the front four times over the last 5 years - California roads are always being worked on. I can tell you that, if you plan to sell the car yourself, private buyers have a tendency to check paint thickness and really think you've had a wreck. They're not a trusting group of people.

 

I've done mine. The bumper should never be an issue- they're plastic. The hood and fenders could be. However, a crappy looking car vs. losing a couple k at resale? Re-spray it, and continue to drive it like you stole it.
CATTMAN

 

I agree with group here. If it bothers you respray it. The chips vs the respray from a resale value is probably a moot point. Why not drive it until it becomes classic and new Porsches cost $ 300,000 a piece. That way your well cared for classic will be worth more and you'll have has all that fun driving it all those years.

 

I don't think it would be an issue. As long as you can show the VIN# sticker on the bumper matching the other body panels #'s, you can prove that you weren't in an accident and that it was resprayed for cosmetic reasons. Just make sure you have really high res. photos of the bumper before it gets resprayed as proof.

 

paint it- I would rather buy a used pcar that has been well cared for / maintained than one which has been left to daily abuse / not kept up.

bumper / hood resprays are very common due to chips from typical road debris. only way that does not happen is if it is a garage queen, or if the car was fully wrapped with clearbra.

 

great comments guys... thanks

 

speaking of painting your original bumpers. has anyone just opted to buy a new bumper?....thats what i'm looking for right now maybe to find and oem porsche parts seller, any help would be great if someone can lead me in the right direction. thanks
-jason

 

I'd recommend Venture Shield or 3M. If you have a car that you drive mostly on the weekend and weathering isn't as much of an issue, go with Venture shield. You can have entire panels wrapped (hood, fenders, roof, etc.) and it's very hard to tell it's there.

 

you may be in the wrong part of the country, but try

http://autoatlanta.com/model/ModelSelect.html

 

tejoe. thanks for the link
-jason