So has anybody ever had their bonnet resprayed? I have accumulated a good number of rock chips and they bother me. Most people probably do not notice most of them. A handful are larger the rest are small.

Anyways are there any problems with a respray on the hood? If done properly by a high end shop will it last just as well as factory?

Can I put a clear bra over it after words? I only have to respray the hood as I have a brand new spare bumper that I picked up really really cheap.


Thanks,
K

 

Answers below.

 

The only problem is that you probably won't just paint the bonnet. You'll want to have the paint blended into adjacent panels because the new paint won't be an exact match to the paint that's been on the car for years. Based on my experience with a MINI, that means blending it all the way back to the doors. To do it right there are many trim pieces that should be removed, which leads more labor time than you'd expect.

I had my bumper refinished and hood replaced at a BMW dealer, so costs are extraordinarily high, but I'd guess you'd be looking at up to a couple grand for a high quality bumper and hood respray.

 

Well here is my bonnet respray.

The whole bonnet was scuffed and parts of the front end were sealed. I also had the logo shaved which required welding the holes closed.


Primed


Bumper was also primed




Painted--still wet!




After the paint has dried for a day, the orange peel is colorsanded and buffed with compound


Paint is now polished


Now it looks perfect!

 

wow... if you can do that in your shop who needs PDR!

 

I had an unfortunate incident involving some shelving and my Lewis' bonnet that resulted in his bonnet getting re-sprayed earlier this summer. I had the work done at a high-end body shop and it looks perfect. After a few weeks of careful driving I had a clear bra put on, too. Still looks good as new! (except for the few rocks chips I picked up between the body shop and clear bra guy's house)

Oh yeah - total cost to my insurance was ~$650 including new graphics for the bonnet ($100; they come as a set).

 

I had owned my Mini for 2 years when I was in an accident resulting in sheet metal damage to the entire driver's side. Durring the two years I've owned it I picked up an unbelievable number of chips on the bonnet. So, while in the body shop I had them respray the bonnet too. Looks great now. I left it in my driveway except for short arround town drives for 90 days after I got it back from the body shop to allow the paint to fully cure. Then I got a clear bra installed. Accident damage fixed and the bonnet looks as good as new. Hopefully it will stay that way now too.

 

One of the owners in our local club had her bonnet and front bumper repainted by a Mercedes-Benz body shop for about $1300, including stripe removal/replacement. The result looked like a factory paint job.