My dirty little secret...

[particlewave]

Ah, a non-believer

I'm too much of a perfectionist to ever settle for a bad job and would get it as close as most shops would(not completely inexperienced), but I fully understand your points. I had plans to remove the cover and construct a small clean room for the job, but if I could find someone to do it for $300-400, I would probably do that.

My estimates have ranged between $800-1200

[Swhitcomb]

There's no way that's going to be $300-400. My repair was about $100 just in material. Took my friend about 8 hours total. Most good body shops are $85-$100 an hour. The $1000-$1200 sounds much more accurate.

It can be done without a specialized booth. It's a small area.

[scottvd]

Originally Posted by particlewave

Ah, a non-believer

I'm too much of a perfectionist to ever settle for a bad job and would get it as close as most shops would(not completely inexperienced), but I fully understand your points. I had plans to remove the cover and construct a small clean room for the job, but if I could find someone to do it for $300-400, I would probably do that.

My estimates have ranged between $800-1200

Have you considered doing some of the prep work yourself and having a shop do the final spraying? Or maybe looking for someone on (gasp) Craigslist? There's some really good talent out there but a lot of jokers as well. Best wishes!

LOL, just read this:

Most body repair costs are for prep work before painting. Bondo, block sanding over and over again takes a lot of time but it's something you can do. I would do the prep work myself and then take the bumper to a paint shop and have them shoot it.