QuestionQUESTION: I just bought a used Volvo S60R with 7200 miles on it. After driving it for a few days, I noticed that the front bumper was too low and was getting badly scraped from the dip at the parking lot at my work. I took it to a mechanic and he is going to polish, buff and repaint the bumper and put some sort of support to protect the paint. My question is does it lower the value of the car? I just didn't want to drive around in a car that was almost new with so many ugly scratches on the bumper. He did promise to find the factory code of the paint to match it perfectly. From the dealer, I found out that because of the low design it is very common for these cars to have scratches. Please advise if I did the right thing or not.
ANSWER: Hi Rajib,
If your technician does a good job it should not lower the value of the car. Actually to leave the scratches on the bumper would lower the value more than a re-painted bumper. I think you have made the right decision by having it repaired. I hope this helps ease your mind.
Gary
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QUESTION: Hi Gary,
Once again thank you for your prompt and helpful answer. Just out of curiosity, as an expert, do you believe in keeping the original bumper with the repainting or getting a new bumper from Volvo (I won't trust me:-)? I was just curious about which one is preferable to retain the value of the car.
ANSWER: Hi Rajib,
If done correctly using the bumper you have now will be fine. It shouldn't affect the value any at all.
Gary
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QUESTION: Hi Gary,
Sorry to keep pestering you but my question was a different one. Actually my mechanic fixed it well so I have no problem there. My question was, as a car expert what is your preference, keeping the original bumper with repainting or getting factory one? Which one would you (Gary as an expert) would prefer? Please keep in mind, I am asking you this just out of curiosity. This is the first time I have owned a Volvo after years of graduate school so you can tell why my novice and green excitement is getting the best of me:-) I appreciate all your help. I hope I am not putting your patience to the test!
AnswerHi Rajib,
Sorry about the delay in answering. We had an ice storm that forced me to leave work early thursday and I wasn't able to return until today. To answer your question I would rather keep the original if the repair is small. If the repair was say more than 25% of the bumper I would go for the new factory. The reason in keeping the old would be the paint on the undamaged side can be blended into easier than repainting and rematching the whole bumper. Sometimes bumpers can be tricky to match.
Gary
