2017~2024 Machine Gray Paint Bumper Repaint? Or Leave be?

S

starfish

Taking my 2018 Machine Grey CX-5 GT in next week to fix a few things after a sideswipe. The damage is minor but Im worried about the auto body's skill in repainting the bumper to match the rest of the car as I've read its hard to get right with this "special effect" color. Is it best to just leave the bumper scratched? or repaint the bumper? If I don't repaint will this come back and bite me later (cracking, flaking etc) as I noticed some spider lines in the paint from the plastic/flex/impact. Im replacing the wheelhouse molding, which should match ok as Im guessing it comes in black by default. I plan on keeping this car for 10 years.

Any advice would be appreciated.

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If your dealership has a body shop in house, I'd speak to them first and see some of their work. Being in a dealership, they may have more experience painting that color and likely to get good results.

The last pic shows the paint has cracked and buffing will not be able to repair that.

Have heard Machine Grey although being a tri-coat, is easier to match than the bright Crystal Soul Red as it starts with a black base coat.

A good painter will be able to paint and blend the repair.

Take a look at this video. (hard to hear the guy speaking though)
 
I had similar scuffs in my paint on both sides of my machine grey CX-9 (both due to separate hit and run incidents). One side looked exactly like yours, minus the cracks. The car was repainted by a non-Mazda dealership body shop and it looks like a perfect match. The key is finding a shop that has experience in shooting machine grey metallic, ideally with photos of their finished work.

Damage:

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Paint work completed:

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i would go with the repaint,
and if it looks good to the eye, go and get the front end wrapped with clear bra 3M.
 
I keep vehicles for 15 years or so if I can...so I'd just take the insurance money. A scratch/dent won't mean a thing in 10 years.

As an aside, I had a manager that always scratched his brand new car on purpose. That was a "mark of protection" to ward off future problems. Crazy bastard.
 
negusm said:
I keep vehicles for 15 years or so if I can...so I'd just take the insurance money. A scratch/dent won't mean a thing in 10 years.
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True, but you'll also have to live with seeing it for 10 years. No thanks. On top of that, people will pay more for a car that appears to be in better condition than one that isn't. You can do the repair right before you put it up for sale if you want, or you can repair it now and not live with the damage you'll see every time you wash the car.
 
sm1ke said:
True, but you'll also have to live with seeing it for 10 years. No thanks. On top of that, people will pay more for a car that appears to be in better condition than one that isn't. You can do the repair right before you put it up for sale if you want, or you can repair it now and not live with the damage you'll see every time you wash the car.
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i like to think your car is a reflection of how you take care of yourself...
 
sm1ke said:
True, but you'll also have to live with seeing it for 10 years. No thanks. On top of that, people will pay more for a car that appears to be in better condition than one that isn't. You can do the repair right before you put it up for sale if you want, or you can repair it now and not live with the damage you'll see every time you wash the car.
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Sure, you have to be happy with it. But as for people paying more in 10 years? That's not true. A scratch or scuff or 5 literally won't matter.
 
negusm said:
Sure, you have to be happy with it. But as for people paying more in 10 years? That's not true. A scratch or scuff or 5 literally won't matter.
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I'd have to disagree with you on this. It might not matter to you personally, but to practically everyone else (including KBB and other such resources), the car's overall condition, including the condition of the paint, is factored into the value of the car. I mean, if I'm shopping for a soul red 2016 CX-5, and I find two similarly priced cars with similar mileage and maintenance records, I'm going to buy the one that presents the best.
 
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