Hello to all,

I just picked up my 2005 RX-8 last night and like a true numbskull I tried to fit the car into a tight parking space in a parking garage to protect it from being hit. Well, I ended up scarping the front right area of the fascia pretty well. I took a close look at it a few minutes ago and except for a very small crack near the right headlight, most of the damage is just scrapes and scuffs. Can this be repaired without having to purchase the entire fascia piece?

Regards,

David in Ohio

Im sure it could, but its a matter of which would be cheaper.

Hello, and thanks for the quick response. Have a "ballpark" figure on how much the front fascia (bumper) might cost?

Regards,

David in Ohio

Sorry to hear that... But Welcome!! :p

Thanks for the welcome...Yes, only I could damage a just bought car in less than 24 hours.

David in Ohio

Thanks for the welcome...Yes, only I could damage a just bought car in less than 24 hours.

David in Ohio


Trust me... from the stories you'll read here... there are many others... lol

You're not alone.

I keep telling my wife that, and she doesn't believe me. :) :)

Tell her i did 16k in damage after 2 months of having my 8.... if you have a body shop do it, youre lookin at about 1200 out the door with a new front bumper cover.

Ugh...I sure hope it doesn't cost me that, or I'm going to stick my head in a deep fryer :)

David

front bumpers OEM painted are at most 450 and you should be able to do it yourself to swap.

I keep telling my wife that, and she doesn't believe me. :) :)


Perfect example: ;)

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=142188&page=2

crack the bumper there is no repair that will hold.....you can fake it but the crack will come back under minimal stress.......best to replace it....metton is like poly u or plastic.....cant fix it

^I can fix it. I do this for work. There is a special epoxy made by valvoline. Its called Plio Grip. It is unbelievable. It can be used on ANY type of plastic. They make if for body panels as well. When done properly it will never crack again in that spot.

http://www.pliogripbyvalvoline.com/

Much thanks to all for all the feedback.

I inspected very closely last night. There's a very small crack near the right front headlight and one underneath where the bumper opens for the fog lights. I had to stop by the dealership and he mentioned that he knows someone who can sand down the scratches and blend them back in if I could live with the cracks. He gave me a price of $300.

Is it really possible to repair these scuffs and scratches the way he describes?

David

front bumpers OEM painted are at most 450 and you should be able to do it yourself to swap.

Even for a weekend mechanic. Know what's involved in removing it and installing it?

Regards,

David

i had my front bumper cracked as well near the headlight. Even when it was fixed i could still tell that part of the bumper was damaged. so then i just bought a mazdaspeed front bumper. small imperfections seem to pop out on a rx8

I located the Mazdaspeed page...The "Front Air Dam" is the "front bumper" and replaces everything from the base of the headlights down?

Its the front bumper cover, replaces everything except the corners and headlights..

Please forgive my stupidity on this next question...but, the "corners" are...?

The corner lights on the side of the bumper, they are amber in color (or clear depending on where you live)

Ah, okay...I knew that was a stupid question, but thanks for your patience.

I think I've decided to just go ahead and purchase the front air dam. I just don't think I'm going to be satisfied with touch-ups...

David

Did you get factory? or MazdaSpeed?

Oh, I thought the Mazdaspeed one was the factory one--come to think of it, that means I'm not sure which one is currently on the car. What's the difference between the two?

i work in a bodyshop and i do repairs on eurethane bumpers all the time, you would be amazed what all can be repaired if its done properly.

The first one is factory (run you about a couple hundred)
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd54/greenblurr93/Car/100_0100.jpg

This is MazdaSpeed (anywhere from 1100-1500$)

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd54/greenblurr93/Car/101_0272.jpg

Okay, then I have the factory front. Any good online places to purchase the OEM front bumper?

http://accessories.mazdausa.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=11601&storeId=10051&categoryId=162050&parent_category_rn=162040&yearSelected=2008&modelSelected=RX8&modelName=2008+RX-8#162053

Is this the OEM front bumber?

David

I really hope you haven't purchased the front air dam yet, because that is NOT the front bumper. If you look at the first of the two pictures above, the front air dam is just the extra piece that you see attached to the lower part of the OEM front bumper.

EDIT: oh, and that link you provided above is the front air dam... which, again, is NOT a whole bumper.

No, I haven't ordered anything yet...Is there an online website you recommend for purchasing the OEM front bumper?

Thanks,

David

I would try giving the guys a call at Rosenthal Mazda (www.finishlineperformance.com).

I didn't see the OEM bumper (or even the Mazdaspeed one) listed in their catalogue, but they have pretty good prices compared to most other vendors, so give them a call and see what they can do.

:icon_tup: yup +1

as vampire said, the front air dam is just a skinny little piece of plastic, its not the entire bumper.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=getJointLocator&siteid=214264&chapter=&sectionids=0,2276&groupid=51817&subgroupid=2278&componentid=47487&make=22&model=Rx%2D8&year=2007&catalogid=2&displayCatalogid=0

its $332, you could probably have it painted for another few hundred. you will save yourself money if you swap the bumpers yourself and just bring it in to get painted. although some shops like to paint the parts off the car.

try putting up a WTB thread in the for sale section. A lot of members here have bodykits and have no use for their front bumper, way cheaper then buying brand new.

already painted too!

but since there are a dozens different shades of of the grays (both tg and ss) the paint will be off just a bit.