I realize this is yet another situation where I'm gonna come across as an ***, but what the hey.

You're being extremely ****. It's a scratch, on the bumper. Trust me it is the first of many as you'll undoubtedly get rock chips and have the odd coke can or beer bottle kicked up from the highway and hurled at the hood and/or windshield. Embrace the scratch. Your car is now personalized. Unless you're taking your cars to shows or something and competing I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who would even notice it. The fact that you are contemplating insurance and/or paying a professional to touch it up is kind of ridiculous. I know you love you car, I do do do understand that, but it's a car, intended to be driven on a road, not indoors on carpet or a stainless steel track. **** happens. We still love your car and you should too. Forget about it.

$500??? JESUS! Get a touch up pen from wal-mart! They're like $4. Give the $496 to charity, get a touch up pen and forget about the bumper.

 

Having just experienced a rear bumper brush up myself, I've decided to fork over the $500. Yes it pisses me off, and I suppose I could try to first "touch it up" myself to see how it turns out. In the end, I'll end up getting it fixed. I mean, if you don't care how your car looks, why did you buy a $35K sports car? Performance? If performance was all you were looking for, you could/should have bought a 5 year old BMW or even a 2003 G35. You bought a brand new Infiniti because it looks AND performs great. Why not keep it that way?

People spend thousands of dollars on aesthetic car modifications that provide little or no performance enhancement. Chrome/Alloy rims, window tint, clear bras, chrome exhaust tips, dash kits, lighting, clear corners....The list goes on and on. If you demand that your car stays tip-top, then get it fixed. If not, save yourself a ton of dough on your next ride and buy used. That's my .02c anyway.

 

Well said!!

 

Touchup paint on that will fix it for less than $20. You will never notice it again.

 

touch up paint done properly you mean... leveling it off and polishing is the only way to go for that small damage... i'm slowly perfecting my technique... on other cars of course... before i start working on my hood and roof paint chips. friggin rocks kicked up by big rigs.

 

"Not spending $500 on what equates to a rock chip" is NOT the same as
"don't care how your car looks" - We're not talking about driving around with a trashbag for a window. I'm talking about putting off spending that much money on something so very trivial. Sheet, wait until there are 2 more just like it on the bumper and pay the same $500 to get them all fixed at once. But for this one thing? Crazy.

 

LOL... No-one is being an a$$ and no I'm not ****. I have decided to fix the place myself with touch-up primer, paint, and clear-coat. As a fact, the primer is on there drying right now.

For one (some will call me crazy and others not) I would not accept the $500 from her for the repairs and then fix it myself for $20. I believe in honesty and believe that if I did, one day it would come back and bite me in the a$$. I will be asking her to pay for the materials I had to purchase as well as some d*mn good polish including the ZFX additive and Z2 Pro since I'll want to polish the bumper (and the rest of the car) in a month or so after this touchup has had plenty of time to dry and cure. I think that if fair. I'll purchase the other necessary products myself.

So far, the touchup work is going good. The primer that I'm using is also considered a filler so the touchup paint should go on right over, very smooth, without showing the indention. We'll see I guess, and I'll post some new pics when I'm done. Wish me luck!

 

I understand your point and I do care about my car (more than most), but after talking to some others members that have had DG bumpers repainted and can see that it was repainted, I'M NOT TAKING THAT RISK for a small scratch that you have to get on your knees to see.

If the damage were "above" the license plate and more visible, I would without a doubt have it repainted. This scratch is less than 1 inch from the bottom edge of the bumper... Not worth the risk for the paint to not match or for the bumper alignment to get "off".

 

Yeah I certainly wasn't trying to be an *** but I think you're making the right move... Let us know how the touch up project goes and maybe take some pics along the way, review the products you use etc... That sort of info will be very useful for most. Good luck!

 

My personal opinion, a little late to the fray, but I just saw the thread, is more in line with Doogie and with what you are doing. The damage is hard to see and if you drive your car, there will be more! (unfortunately). Your choice seems more fair to the other driver too. Good luck with the repair. You certainly do care about your car.

Doogie's image of a trashbag window made me laugh (or cry).

 

I wasn't trying to be an **** either. My brush up was far worse. Three 4-10" scratches directly in line with the license plate. It looks like someone took a sand paper paint brush and swiped a foot long scrape. It's too big & ugly to touch up.