BMW 3 series bumper respray

mac_daddy

Hi
I reversed into a stationary 161 BMW 3 series a number of weeks back and have just received a quote from the driver of that car for €738 for a respray.  The quote came from the original BMW dealership where the car was bought.  To be honest the damage is barely visible (two small scuffs on the rear bumper) and I think the quote that has come back is extremely excessive.
What is the usual rate for a respray of this nature?
Is it likely that other BMW dealerships could provide a quote that could come in a lot lower than this?
Thanks

Atlantic Dawn

Do you know if it had parking sensors, that would add to the cost considerably. Not a lot you can do really as they are likely to insist on a BMW dealer doing the job on a 161, despite the fact it's probably going to be given to a specialist they have.

TBi

Sounds about right for a new bumper and spray.

You can get it done cheaper but if it was my new car then I'd also want to fix it as new.

mac_daddy

Just to add to what i have above, the other guy's car is on PCP and he "thinks" that it is mandatory for any repairs to go through the dealer that he got the car from.

Mooooo

TBH if you are at fault you don't have a choice in the matter. If not happy let the insurance pay for it but you premium will likely be affected

mac_daddy

TBi wrote: »

Sounds about right for a new bumper and spray.

You can get it done cheaper but if it was my new car then I'd also want to fix it as new.

Yes as would I also, but it really only is a respray, not a new bumper.  Like I said the damage is barely even visible, no damage to the actual bumper, just scuffs.

Gravelly

BMW main dealer with a 161 in for third-party damage = think of a number and double it.

biko

Without seeing the damage - for such a new car, and it being a BMW, it sounds pretty on par.

Talk to your insurer about paying them back in instalments to protect your policy from increasing (which it will probably do anyway as they go up each year anyway).

bazz26

mac_daddy wrote: »

Hi
I reversed into a stationary 161 BMW 3 series a number of weeks back and have just received a quote from the driver of that car for ?738 for a respray. ?The quote came from the original BMW dealership where the car was bought. ?To be honest the damage is barely visible (two small scuffs on the rear bumper) and I think the quote that has come back is extremely excessive.
What is the usual rate for a respray of this nature?
Is it likely that other BMW dealerships could provide a quote that could come in a lot lower than this?
Thanks

Has the other party agreed to get it done somewhere else though? While the price from a main dealer is always going to be expensive for various reasons, the other party is not obliged to get the work done where they don't want it done. And to be fair on a one year old car I'd be fairly fussy where I got body work done also as a poor repair job devalues the car when you go to sell it.

To give you an idea, I had to get the front bumper on my 5 Series repainted last year after a gate scraped the corner of it on a windy day. I went directly to the place where my local main dealer gets most of their work done and it cost me around ?300 and they did a super job.

Ultimately if your not happy with the quote then the only alternative is to let your insurance company deal with it.

Wailin

As bazz said above, just a respray alone should be 3-400 and no more. I got a quote from a main bmw dealer to respray a 5 series front bumper (sensors etc) for 350 a few months ago. They outsource the work anyway (most do). That price you were quoted is the typical rip off you get on insurance jobs and is way too high.

GustavoFring

Quite possibly includes car hire for a couple of days too coupled with their mark up on outsourcing the repair.

Trojan

"Some guy drove into my stationary one year old car, and now wants me to take it to get a cheap respray job. I'd really prefer have the original main dealer handle it. What should I do?"

Also I don't think €600+VAT is excessive for an as-new fix here.

mickdw

Price is to be expected and I don't see how you can argue.
If someone damaged your 1 year old bmw, would you want an as new job or a cheap job?

pajo1981

I had a lad run by my 3 series (4yo at time) and make a right mess of the bumper finish. Got it fixed good as new (full respray) for €350 at non main dealer.

If I'd wanted to be a cúnt I could have went to a main stealer for a quote, but there you go.

biko

If you hit my almost brand new car I would go with a BMW recommend place for respray so car would not risk losing value.

Trojan

Just for context, that car cost approx €45-65k new and is worth something like €36-48k or so right now.

Gravelly

biko wrote: »

If you hit my almost brand new car I would go with a BMW recommend place for respray so car would not risk losing value.

Me too, which is why main dealers, especially "premium brand" main dealers, screw customers on basic repairs. I'd bet that if you sent a Ford and a BMW into their respective main dealers, and the repairs were sub contracted to the same body shop (which in many towns they would) the BMW will always cost considerably more, regardless of what the body shop charges.

Voodoomelon

At the same time, €738 is way over the top for a bumper respray. There was no need mention of a new bumper being required, just two small scuffs, which should be just a paint job. As mentioned above, €300-€400 is the ball park for this.

The dealer is charging a premium for what is just an outsourcing exercise. Exceptionally unlikely that PCP affects where repairs are carried out, the car just needs to be in the best condition it can be if the owner decides to trade it back in.

All that being said, you have no say in the matter, other than to mention to the owner that the dealer will just outsource the work and you would be grateful if they wouldn't mind taking the car there directly themselves. Beyond that, there's not much you can do.

mossy50

if the shoe was on the other foot you would want them to pay, wouldnt you ?

Voodoomelon

Genuinely, 100%, I would not be going to a main dealer for bodywork and I have no doubt I am ten times more fussy than the unfortunate 3 series owner.

Gravelly

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Genuinely, 100%, I would not be going to a main dealer for bodywork and I have no doubt I am ten times more fussy than the unfortunate 3 series owner.

The only reason I would is if I intended to trade the car in at that dealership afterwards - dealers, especially of some brands, can be vindictive and might use the fact that you got the work done elsewhere as a bargaining chip (or as in a case I heard about) if you were trading elsewhere, put it about that the car had a "botched" repair.

Seth Brundle

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Genuinely, 100%, I would not be going to a main dealer for bodywork and I have no doubt I am ten times more fussy than the unfortunate 3 series owner.

I understand and agree with what you're saying but there are people who feel that they would be better off sticking with the main dealer even for things like tyres. They possibly don't realise that the dealer won't actually do the work themselves.