Jaws1

My new to me 997 has a small scuff (1" x 1") on the rear bumper which the previous owner attempted to repair with touch-up paint. It is quite noticeable to me and it will bother me if I leave as is, but the question remains should I have the bumper cover repainted or leave it? It will be a complete RR of the bumper cover and a complete respray to Porsche standards. All it will cost me is a good bottle of 18 yo scotch. As long as I properly document the repair, I can't see a negative to getting this done. Thoughts?

FZP

Cosmetic stuff like that isn't a biggie, most cars will pass through the paint shop to get stonechips and minor scratches repaired prior to going back onto Porsches forecourt when traded in.
Get it fixed and you won't be drawn to the blemish everytime you look at it.

tomc_mets

If it bothers you, repaint it. You don't want to have some blemish detract from your driving experience when you want to be enjoying your great car...T

TommyV44

If it bothered me I'd paint it!

Tom

Bruce In Philly

I think there is a bit of a myth about painting Porsche parts..... that somehow it is tougher or the paint is special. It is not. Painting a Porsche bumper is no different than others. If anything it is easier due to lack of special curves. Quality of the work is solely due to the skill of the craftsperson and not due to some Porsche special formula.

If a shop looks and goes "ooo it is a Porsche"... you are about to be ripped off.

If it bugs you, get it painted. If you like to DIY, you may want to take a buffer and some easy compound like McGuires Ultimate Compound (pretty hard to screw this up with this great product) and just buff the chit out of the touched up area. You may get it to your standards and save yourself some money. If you do damage (you won't), then get it painted anyway.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Jaws1

As mentioned, there's no reason for me to DIY the repair as it's essentially free.

Thanks for all the replies.

996AE

My brother just bought a new BMW R1200 GS Adventure. Its a 25k plus adventure bike made to run on and off road. You will drop it in the dirt. Its just a matter on time.

Dealership sales guy said with a straight face one guy kicked his bike over in the parking lot just to get the new bike first scratch out of the way.

I get it.

That said my 10k mi 997 is perfect except for a small imperfection on one of the rear bumperettes. It drives me nuts.

Petza914

Depending on the color of your car, I'd have it fixed. I say depending, because some Porsche colors are a bit challenging to match perfectly, and it's primarily the metallics - Basalt black, GT Silver (which has some black in it), Meteor Gray, etc.

gtvr6

Honestly, if you can have it repaired for free (an 18 yr old bottle of scotch isn't exactly free but much cheaper than paying for the full job) I see no reason not to have it done.

shekmark

You have to fix it. I had a dent in my Denali rear bumper. Cost $750 to have the entire bumper removed and painted. Well worth it . I hated seeing the dent.

BER

I had a very similar blemish on the rear bumper of my Boxster. Every time I walked past the rear of the car, my eyes were drawn to that damn blemish!

Finally, after a year of looking at it, I took it to a local body shop and for a couple hundred bucks, my eyesore was GONE.

Fix it. You will be at peace with yourself.

82_930

All it would cost you is a decent bottle of 18yo scotch?

Paint it and don't document it, for what? So somebody can haggle with you that the car had paint work?