bottoming out issues - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

okay, so I like to drive my car strong and hard at times, but I also have bottomed out in my Boxster, which of course causes scrapings on the bottom front nose. I'm sure some people out there have experienced the same thing. I thought about getting it repaired but the notice is negligible, as it is unseen unless I submitted it to a car show. I was wondering how much this usually costs to fix? As dedicated readers will notice, I'm really trying to shape up my '01 Boxster for the summer (given new top and reseaching one ding issue on the hood) and I would like information that may guide me through this process...for example, is Maaco all it's cracked up to be for otherwise unnoticed "damage?" Thanks as always!

Definitely ask the local Porsche, and higher end vehicle dealerships who they recommend. You'll likely pay $400-$500 for it to be done right. I may be wrong.

Is all you want a repaint? To get rid of the scratches, I'd think you'd need an entire new bumper cover for that. That cost plus repaint could be in the $1000 price range. Perhaps some touch up paint would hold you over (unless you actually plan on putting the car in a show). I'd hold off on bumper repair for when you really mess it up, noticeably.

Yeah, I concur with Jeph. What are you going to do for the scratches? If you fill them in with body filler it's just going to crack and fall out when the plastic bumper flexes again. Plastic is hard to repair. You're basically looking at replacing the bumper cover as the best option. Personally I wouldn't worry about it. If it's a little scratched then you won't cringe so much the next time you scrape on something...

There are actual companies that just repair plastic bumpers without replacing the bumper. I never tried it, but I heard it's decent. But IMHO, if you want a good job repaired, you have to replace the whole bumper and get a good paint shop. But then you get into a second problem, plastic bumpers are VERY hard to match the color of the body. Simply because you're painting on two different types of material. Plus the sun ages the paint a little on the original work. That is why some people even go as far and paint the whole car again when they get in an accident, off course the insurance company never pays for that.

Teacher, Don't take your Boxster to Maaco ! Trust me, they are cheap for a reason. I recently repaired some rust spots on the doors of my Mercedes, and took it to Maaco to repaint the spots. All I can say is, I got what I paid for If you need to repaint a old beater, Maaco's not bad. If you want to repaint a car you care about, this is not the place to go… Nick

only that? I am impressed, because I want my car to be perfect now that I am getting the new top

thanks for the info

thanks, so the best thing is to hold out until I sell it, which I don't think I will do considering all the maintenance I've done thus far

You guys always steer me right in the way of concerns that I have for my car, and I do appreciate everyone's advice. I think I'll wait on the front nose issue because in actuality I put so much $ over the years and I have had good quality service for my car...think about it, a 2001 Boxster with 55K on the odometer, that has to be good! And here's the thing, you might have heard it: "You can trade your Boxster because we have a demand on used Boxsters and our inventory is stock-piled...and on and on! No, I'm happy with my car, thank you, p.s. I would never buy a brand new Porsche. I am happy to pay off my loan one year in advance =) Bill

+1 on staying as far away from Maaco as possible. The reason they're cheap is because they cut BIG corners on the prep work. They spend little time sanding the existing surface. The paint sticks but in a few short years big chucks of paint are falling off because of the lack of proper sanding / prep. Plus I don't think they're big on doing spot repairs - they want to paint your whole car and price it to entice you to do that. I think the reason is they don't want to mix their paint to exact specs for your car (remember the line in their ads about choosing from over 2xx of their Embassidor colors?). If they paint the whole car, the color can be slightly off but who knows? If you require a spot repair, they have to be more exact with the color and they don't want to be. When people ask me where to take a car to be repaired, I always steer them to a collision repair shop rather than the dealer. Think about the revenue producing areas of a dealership. I bet they are: 1. New car sales 2. Used car sales 3. Service 4. Body shop Chances are the monies divvied out to run these cost centers probably fall in line with the amt of revenue they generate. So the dealership's body shop is sucking hind tit. Think they'll have the best technicians? In general, the collision repair shop will be better than a dealer's body shop and they have to be because that's how they make a living. Even if you decide not to fix your bumper cover, do your homework now. Ask around and see who your friends recommend. Contact your Porsche club and ask them. Check them out in person and see what their shop looks like. It's better to have an idea now who you'd take your car to than to have to make a decision in 30 sec when the tow truck driver asks you where to take your beloved Boxster.

Thanks all, for you information, as always, I don't think I'll do body work on the front bumper issue, as per advice, again maybe if I ever resell my car, which is unlikely in the short term I'll always value your advice, and thanks!

Well I know a place that does really good work, and I don't think I'd need a replacement, but I'm scoping things out. Thanks

p.s. nice car!