Whiggy

When I bought my car it was dirty as it was just traded in that weekend and the dealer had not prepared it for sale. The front of the hood and the bumper was covered in what I thought at the time were lovebug splats. I thought that was nothing a good wash/polish/wax wouldn't take care of.

Boy, was I wrong!!! It turns out some of it was lovebugs, but most is damaged paint. In fact the paint chips are in a shape of drops of some liquid splattered on the hood and the bumper. It looks as if the previous owner drove through a puddle of some kind of acid that ate the paint. WTF?

Anyways, I bought touch up paint and applied it carefully with a toothpick so I don't create the bumps of paint all over the hood. It now looks about 8% better than before. It was a PITA to do too as there are hundreds of tiny spots. The car is black and the spots are light gray, so you can imagine what that looks like.
I will try touching up again just to see if the second coat will make it any better but I highly doubt it.

What I am contemplating is getting a "car bra", i.e., something like this http://www.autoanything.com/car-bras...0A1776394.aspx just to cover the ugliness. I am thinking it may look OK on a black car.

Does anyone here have a car bra? Pics? Anyone have any suggestions other than repainting the hood and the bumper?

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

Sweet ride ... I didn't know your new max was a vacuum cleaner.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....leView&count=0

lowincash

iTrader: (2)

i highly suggest you just use the money and repaint the hood and bumper...it may cost more but looks a lot better than having a bra on. a while back i had a huge dent on my driver side front bumper and i was thinking of just getting a bra to cover it up...but then i saw my neighbor's car (same maxima as mine) with a bra on and it looked nasty lol. maybe because the car was white but not be so noticeable on black cars =/ but ya i don't think you should get a bra and just repaint it

whazzzzuup

iTrader: (22)

I really think a bra will trap unwanted contaminants rather than do good. Yes, it will protect from rock chips and the like, but it will cause the paint to fade unevenly over time. I think you should just repaint the bumper and hood at a reputable shop. Nissan paint sucks btw. I got my bumper repainted due to an accident, and the paint has only 3 chips on it. It's been more than 2 years.

EDIT: lowincash beat me to it!

Whiggy

I know; repainting is the way to go. Getting a bra would be a temporary solution.
Does anyone know approximately how much it costs to repaint hood and bumper?

GigEmAgs07

i have a bra that i put on when travelling to and from school. That's when the car gets beat up on the front end. I like havin it solely for that reason.

whazzzzuup

iTrader: (22)

My cousin got his 2k2 conversion on his 2000 painted for $300, tax included. That was for the hood and bumper. It's been a year, and still no chips.

rmd0311

iTrader: (4)

Yeah., as long as is just some sanding and painting is actually CHEAP. Go to a reputable shop and repaint instead. Bra's are FUGLY and will do more damage than already DONE.

If you decide on the BRA... I would go OEM, a Nissan one from Courtesy is only $98 bucks.
http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchan...de=999N1-00006

lowincash

iTrader: (2)

oh dang i just realized the new paint on my bumper is a lot better than the original. i have not had any chips yet lol

MaxBoost925

iTrader: (33)

whazzzzuup, what rims are those on your cousin's maxima?

RodzMax2002

I agree with that i have a bra too, it helps out with debris on the roadway going too and from work. i take it off every once in awhile, but when i do take it off it always seems like i will always see pickup truck on the interstate with rocks falling off of it.

mist max2000

iTrader: (16)

check the pics,.. i dont have it on my car now though,.. had it on for a month and i got sick of it

VaporHead

Can these paint shops match 5 yr old AX5 Merlot good? My hood and bumper look like they went through downtown Baghdad.

maxspeed96CT

iTrader: (9)

Ya don't waste money on a bra, just leave it how it is for now if you don't have money to get it painted.

makdaddy386

+1 .... I have the same problem. The teardrop like blems you have are actually love bugs that were on the car at one point. The acid in the love bugs will actually eat your paint if you don't clean them off. My previous owner left them on the car for a while apparently and my Grey Lustre is hidious when the sun shows these blemishes. I'm saving for paint....have been for quite some time now

-Kevin

lowincash

iTrader: (2)

if you want to protect the paint get a clear bra i plan on doing it one day just haven't gotten around to it hah

Derrick2k2SE

iTrader: (3)

They won't install Clear bra over any chips in the paint. At least they shouldn't. The dealership I worked for sold alot of those with the new cars. The company who installed them wouldn't touch it if the car had even one chip because the material would turn white around the chip.

Orgullo

iTrader: (47)

Look to pay about 3 - 5 hundred on the front bumper and hood. If you get quality paint. They'll probably do a blend job depending on how high it goes up the hood. But, for that cost you could probably get them to go ahead and spray out the whole hood. Is there any problems on the fenders?

Advice: Shop around for the best deal. Bring up what other shops qouted you and see if they'll beat it.

some_dude

In case you are thinking about the clear bra idea, get it professionally installed. I tried installing one I bought on eBay and it was unacceptable; didn't fit, wasn't clear, didn't lay flat.

xtremetinting FTL!!!!!!!

Whiggy

Fenders are OK. It's just the front of the bumper and the front of the hood.
Do you know of a reputable local paint shop?

Orgullo

iTrader: (47)

Damn... I just noticed that you were local to me. Go to DCA Custom Autobody on Atlantic Blvd. It is right past the 9A bridge coming from Pepboys going towards the mall. On the left hand side. It is right next to Velocity Trends. If you want man I'll meet you somewhere local and take you up there. I got my car completely repainted there. Great work at a good price. PM me if you need to.

Murphy5156

I've had the bra on the front of my Max for so long now that I'm afraid to EVER take it off for fear the paint under it is not faded to match the rest of the hood. Oh well, at least I like the way it looks with the bra on.

Zero Deuce SE

I used black bras for 22 years without any problems. I recently installed clear bras on my truck and my Max. They cost more but look better than black bras. They shine just like your clearcoat and you maintain them just like you do paint. I installed them myself because I wasn't willing to pay some joker $700 to do it for me. Both vehicles in my sig are wearing clear bras by VentureShield.

flxsunxchick

iTrader: (2)

I encountered the same problem when I first bought my car...she had a black bra on her, and I didn't see any bad paint chips, but when I got brave enough to take it off, not only were there a handful of chips, but the paint was off and it looked like my car had been crying, (there were tracks of discolored nastiness running down the front corner of the bumper next to the fog lamps). If I were ever to take a long trip, I'd put the bra on for that, but for now I'm saving for a new paint job, among other things.

Good luck!