hi
I just got an 05 G35x for a good price recently but the exterior is in bad condition.

the front left fender has a dent by the corner lamp that needs to be bumped out and repainted, and the front and back bumpers almost look like they need to be replaced. The back bumper has a 2 to 3 in hole in it which looks like it can be filled with some caulk and painted over.

also I think it's a good idea at this point to repaint the sides too because you can see some scratches.
the point is I'm planning to own this car for years down the road and I want to restore the paint so it's not embarrassing to drive in.

my question is should I just take it to a maaco and ask them to fix the car up or should I take it step by step, get new fender/bumpers etc.
the car also has a lot of chips on the hood which i would like to fix which is another reason I'm leaning towards maaco

a third option would be to take in to an infiniti approved body shop that has done work for me in the past which turned out looking good on a brilliant silver.

any ideas? thanks.

edit: here are some pics
it's dirty I know

 

A lot of that can be buffed out with a good detail. The chunks of paint missing however will need to be fixed by a body shop of some sort. I would stay away from Maaco. Infiniti paint is iffy to get right and they will botch the crap out of it most likely.

Go to an Infiniti approved body shop and take your time with the repairs. You will thank me for this advice haha

 

thanks for the advice.

so should I be looking at getting a replacement for the rear bumper?
and if so, is there any good looking aftermarket ones that don't require any modding?
or is aftermarket rear bumpers only for 03/04?

 

There really arent any aftermarket rear bumpers for either years. Just lip kits.

 

Finally got my car fixed up.
Reconditioned front bumper, hood, front left fender, and a new rear bumper.

Here's some pics:

 

Looks loads better man.

 

Much better. Time to restore those headlights. Enjoy your ride!

 

Thanks

I tried restoring the headlights with the meguiars kit but they didn't turn out too great.
I'm gonna try to sand them down a bit next time, maybe they'll turn out better

 

I think 3M has a really good headlight restoration kit. I haven't used because I just use my DA polisher, but yeah try sanding down with 2000 grit sandpaper first and then using PlastiX after.


Your car looks good btw! Glad you didn't end up going to Maaco haha

 

^I've used the 3M kit, and it works very well. I typically use my DA polisher, but for really bad headlights, I use the 3M kit.

 

much much better!

 

+ another 1 for the 3M kit.

Car looks way better. Congrats

 

well I have some plastX left over so I think I'm gonna give it another shot today.
I found a diy on here that should be helpful with the sanding

and thanks, I'm really happy with the results
plus the paint comes with a lifetime warranty which is a lot more than maaco could offer

I guess if meguiars doesn't do the trick this time around I'll have to give the 3M kit a try

thanks for the compliments everyone!

 

So I tried cleaning the headlights again but this time I took the car to wash a couple mins after I was done so I think all the plastX washed off and they look a little scratched up from the sanding. not sure if I should just buy the 3M kit at this point.

 

I really hope you didn't take it to a drive through car wash.. Shoot 90% of car washes are bad on Infiniti paint!!!

Wash yourself with correct methods and towels or your car will be so badly swirled and look like it did in first pictures! Car washes are really doing more harm than good for your car!