Bumper repair at side markers - ideas?

Hey friends, I just pulled my new-to-me 2006 CS bumper cover off to remove an ecosystem worth of leaves and bugs from the radiators when I noticed damage on the bumper cover at the left (drivers) side side marker. There is a previous repair that looks like epoxy that has failed. Didn't think to take a photo before buttoning things up, but have these to share... I shared these photos with my local Porsche certified auto body shop and they said the only thing they would do is a full replace and repaint of the bumper cover. What thoughts might you guys have on an 80-90% and 5% of the cost solution??

In this case the shop is right because any repair to that cover can re-crack in that same area. A repair of integrity will require removal and fortification from behind perhaps with glass mat and once that's off I wouldn't put it back on. Additionally the repair from the back may fail again too. Now, having said all of that? If you are not a perfectionist, remove the side marker and remove the inner fender splash shield and you might be able to mate the seam together with a repair from that side with all parts in place. If you can render a repair that holds the cover in the correct geometry from the reverse, a simple brush touch to that area and you will have your 80% repair. Myself I'd find an independent shop to shoot a bumper cover loose and swap it, that should save you a lot on any dealer quote and give you the proper and best repair. Spraying a bumper cover loose is a piece of cake compared to mounted, see what they'll do for cash. Lastly, if you want to it's a great time to add screens from behind.

Thanks for those thoughts, Boris - I have no issues removing it again to try and attempt a fix. My thinking is Dremel out the old epoxy and attempt a plastic weld in that area, potentially with some steel mesh.

I had an incident where I had a small hole, about 2 inches by 1 1/2 inch, punched into my bumper cover. I had originally planned to complete the repair myself and purchased a kit from Amazon . There are several informative videos on YouTube covering this type of repair, and it opened my eyes to the new techniques and technology when performing repairs in plastics. However, as I had just moved into a new house and had a million things to do first, I took the bumper cover to a local body shop and had them repair the damage and repaint the entire cover. The cost was $900 USD, but at least $100-150 USD labor was because the bumper had PPF applied by a previous owner and having been on the vehicle for 15 years, it took them hours to remove the old PPF. It came out great and I reinstalled the cover and am quite happy with the results. Of course the shop would much rather quote you for the new bumper cover and paint job, most likely $2,000-3,000, conservatively. Much luck with your repair. This is the repair kit I purchased from Amazon in anticipation of DIY’ing it.

Thanks for sharing, Chuck! I figure I don't have anything to lose at this point in attempting a repair on my own. I don't need perfect results for now - I can replace the whole thing in the coming months/years. Still feeling the purchase on my wallet at the moment!

My thoughts exactly. Can’t hurt to try; can only help your wallet. But you will not regret your purchase. Previously owned a 911 Carrera , which had been my dream car for many years, and it definitely delivered on the smiles per miles factor, but since buying my current 2008 Boxster I am totally convinced this is one of the most balanced, enjoyable to drive, eye-pleasing sports cars on the road. Already thinking of which model to aspire to next , 981 or 718 . Enjoy your ride, stay safe.

And the quote is in for a new front bumper cover and paint for it.... $2,900 CAD. 7.5 hours labour, around $300 for paint and supplies and nearly $1,700 for the bumper. Ouch. Definitely looking forward to attempting the plastic weld repair first.

Wow! As I expected. I say, go for it. If you don’t like the final results, then you can go to Plan B and get the new one. I watched several videos on YouTube on the procedure and it doesn’t seem like rocket science, just patience and perseverance will prevail. Good luck, keep us updated on your project.

I'll be sure to document and update the process. Fortunately I have cracks in a fender liner as well that I already have a replacement for so I can practice on the cracked piece before tackling the bumper.

So after purchasing a couple of plastic welders (the staple version and the soldering iron version, I attempted the fix on my bumper. Mixed results but good enough for now. I ground out the old epoxy repair that had failed and did my best to scuff up the surface. I added a couple staples as I could - the angles made things really difficult for that, and then I added some steel mesh and melted additional PP into the crack area. Not a permanent fix but good enough till I feel like replacing the bumper altogether. The old epoxy... Exterior view of the crack... no real change before / after here although I did throw some touch up paint over the black areas of the crack just so it's a bit less visible (not pictured). Cleaning out the old epoxy... And the final repair. In retrospect, adding the steel mesh plus the staples was a mistake as the mesh wouldn't melt in all the way in the spots where I had to trim the staples...

I have used fiberglas mesh and epoxy to fix damage like that with good success

I thought I'd update this thread... The repairs I had made didn't do a very good job. I was at a euro car event and the guy parked next to me in an Audi A8L TDI hit me while leaving the parking lot, causing some additional bumper damage. Not enough to replace the whole cover, but enough for me to want to pay the difference of about $1k to have the whole bumper cover replaced. So I did that at the end of last summer. Crack fixed. lol.