I finally scored a front bumper cover for my mom's '03 Explorer Sport Trac (to replace the one shattered in a snowdrift incident), but it doesn't match and needs a little bit of filler work. Paint shops are quoting almost $200 just to shoot the bumper cover, and they can't guarantee it will match (kinda figured as much). What is a good place to get the paint mixed up to do it myself? Better yet, would any place carry OE Ford paint (code L2) already mixed to cut the guesswork? Can I get this stuff put into a spray can?
Open to any suggestions.

 

Most paint supply companies can mix the paint to the specs needed and many are able to put the paint in a rattle can for you, it's just a little pricey that way.

 

IMO, $200 for small repair, prep and paint is QUITE reasonable. Paint is no where near as cheap as it used to be. Consider, you have base coat, clear coat, primer, thinner, sandpaper, filler ...... an easy $75-80 in materials. R&R the cover, at least an hour @ what, $90-100 an hour.

As far as matching, they can use a spectrophotometer and variance chips to obtain a closer match than you ever will. They can also blend it into the front edge of the fender. The truck is 7 years old, OE purchased paint won't even match (not that there IS OEM paint)
http://www.autobodysupply.net/Articles.asp?ID=140

Spend the $200 ............ it's for your Mom!

 

I agree with the above. If you don't have the HVLP guns and experience with modern paint, you'll probably end up making the bumper cover look worse and end up paying the $200 to have it done professionally anyway. It's tough to get decent clear coat in a rattle can, and decent clear coat will run probably $40 by the time you get a quart of it, reducer, and the activator. If you get the basecoat in a rattle can and it doesn't match well you'll have no good way of feathering it in to make it appear to match. The rattle cans typically use a universal reducer in them that doesn't work as well as a dedicated reducer for the paint used. The flexible filler for these bumper covers will run probably $30-$40, regular body filler won't work. Also, as mentioned above, there are often tricks to getting the bumper covers off of the vehicle. If you damage it further removing it you'll be out even more money, or if you try to paint it on the vehicle you'll likely end up with overspray on the other panels, clearcoat overspray goes EVERYWHERE and sneaks in to any area that is not completely sealed off.

I've painted a few bumper covers, side mirrors, and performed a few panel repairs. I already have the tools to do it mostly correctly. For the work involved (and likely frustration) if a professional told me they would do a bumper cover for $200 including prep and paint and I'd seen good work come out of their shop, I'd have them do it. It's almost worth that just to not have to clean up the sprayers afterwards.

-Rod

 

The thing is, that cost is just to shoot the cover off the vehicle, no blending, no mention of filler work either.

 

Like NCRanchero and Shorod said, Materiels are at least 40% of the cost of the job and the painter doesn't just squirt the paint on. The preparation is the most important part of the job and that takes time, patience and skill. If you are not really willing to pay for the quality of job your mom deserves go and buy a matching bumper.

 

I'M not paying for this whole thing, SHE is. Her truck. Hence why I am trying to come up with the most cost effective solution possible.
I've been looking for two years for a used bumper for one of these things, this is the first one that I've seen. Heard a guy at the pick a part say the same thing. So just 'finding' a matching bumper is out of the question.

I guess I'll look more into some better local body shops then.

 

Look for ..
1.ICAR certfied
2.Has lazer equip (for determining pait fade, etc.)
3.Mixes their own paint.- prefer name brand such as PPG.

 

Try LKQ.com for a matching bumper cover.