[acerboo]

as above, have new m sport kit being painted, bmw quoted £900 including fitting front bumper, a local shop has quoted £630 for same job, which seems about right as bmw would be taking a cut out of it which is fair enough. im not being tight but the local firm is 1 mile from home and much more convenient. my only doubt is that they will probably not use the same paint manufacturer as the bmw paintshop and as painting plastic bumpers will there be a difference in the colour. the local shop has done jobs for me before and have been 100% satisfied, what do you think?

[bmwak]

There are quite a lot of independant bodyshops that take pride in doing a good job and some can even do a better than factory finish. I would ask for them to show you some of their work. If it looks perfect then I wouldn't worry about using them. There is always going to be a ever so slight difference between plastic and metal finishes - even on factory finishes.

BMW dealers also outsource their paintwork jobs to so-called 'approved bodyshops' so is just as good usually - I've actually seen some shocking work from one dealers 'approved' bodyshop.

I beleive Glasurit is OEM paint and many reputable bodyshops use this.

[davyk31]

I would go local and discuss with them your concerns about paint etc. Generally the best body shops are the smaller ones rather than those attached to a BMW dealership. Given they have worked for you before then you know their work and they are nearby if you want say a bumper adjusted a bit if the fit isn't exactly as you wish.

[gIzzE]

They will use the proper paint.
I know when I got the kit fitted on our A6 avant a couple of years back the bodyshop pulled out a chart and went through it with me, there were around a dozen shades of the silver with the same name, from the 4 different suppliers that Audi had used over the manufacturer period.
He then also said that because it was plastic it may come out a smidge darker, so maybe we should go a smidge lighter, we did and it was perfect. It actually looked far better than the factory match on another Audi that was next to mine when I collected.

[jjbirch530d]

i had a dent in my rear bumper and they plastic weld it and respray the whole bumper for 180 all in that was a local bmw and other makes approved bodyshop,i know if i went down bmw route i would be looking at 500 plus, and i shop around and see there spray booths

[rsmallwo]

Originally Posted by acerboo

as above, have new m sport kit being painted, bmw quoted £900 including fitting front bumper, a local shop has quoted £630 for same job, which seems about right as bmw would be taking a cut out of it which is fair enough. im not being tight but the local firm is 1 mile from home and much more convenient. my only doubt is that they will probably not use the same paint manufacturer as the bmw paintshop and as painting plastic bumpers will there be a difference in the colour. the local shop has done jobs for me before and have been 100% satisfied, what do you think?

I have done the exact same thing and I had a semi local indi do this for me and it was excellent. Had a few little issues but the overall quality was excellent. I would reccommmend you get the bonnet done aswell. I scrimped on mine and just had chips filled in but when you get this new kit all painted to 100% the bonnet then stands out abit with its peppered/used look.

How olds your car? if its brand new then the bonnet won't need doing. How much did the kit set you back? I got mine thorugh Anneka @ Sytner with 15% discount, still £900 :-0

[rsmallwo]

Oh, don't forget to tell the bodyshop that they will need to cut down the new undertray for it to fit correctly. My guy had quite alot of frustration over this thinking it shouldn't need trimming down. You can't see any of the trimming down from outside the car.

[davyk31]

His car is brand new so shouldn't be any need to spray the bonnet.

[Chris100]

I have to agree with what has been said about the independants thus far, my experience has been similar. I don't know what the "BMW approved" bodyshops in England are like but the ones in NI are terrible, I would always prefer a trusted independant bodyshop to do any work on my car above a a supposed "BMW approved" outfit.

IMO "BMW Approved" just means that they are big enough on scale to operate within the insurance companies for accident repair etc.

[acerboo]

thanks for the comments and as a result i will go with the local garage, the car is new so only the bumpers need painting, i got the kit for £1200 including the carbon performance front splitter so i think its a good price, will post some pics once its done.

[Initial M]

This is a common asked question, i spent four years working for a bodyshop. A lot of people feel the paying more money at the dealership means you get a better job, well that is not the case. If you go to a good bodyshop you will be saving a lot of money and the standard of the job will be at the same level as the dealership.

[hey joe]

Anyone recommend a good (indy) bodyshop in North Hants ? Son has recently backed his Fiat into pillar in mult-storey and put scratch on rear bumper. He's sure the pillar moved into his way as he was parking !!