[MoMonay]

Hi,

I am an idiot and recently damaged my 2021 BMW X4 xDrive45e's front and back bumper in my garage. Garage space is tight and I had just moved into this building, so I made a couple bumps on my bumper.

I'm looking for advice on what's the best approach to fixing the bumper and whether DIY is easy enough.

Note that I know absolutely nothing about cars and am not super handy

Here's some images of the damage

Front Bumper



Back Bumper






I got a cursory estimate from an autobody shop and they said that the front bumper paint fix is ~300 to 400. Front bumper seems relatively easy to fix maybe?

For the back bumper they wouldn't know but they said that it's probable that the white piece needs to be replaced. That seems super off to me, BUT the damage to the white part seems like a piece of the covering was ripped off so it's not just paint here, there's some kind of vinyl? covering? Note on the back bumper as well the first image makes it seems like there's a dent, but there's no dent it's just the paint is scratched to warp the reflection.

What other options do I have in terms of getting this fixed? I'm willing to try DIY, but don't want to jump into it without any good recommendations on tutorials.

[Blueboxer]

Without previous detailing/paint correction experience I would suggest going the paint and body shop route. If not you would need a rotary or higher end orbital with three stages of pads and polish, possibly some wet sanding blocks to minimize it, but you can’t replace paint that isn’t there anymore and would probably not be happy with the results.

[Chas8283]

Agree. This is a body shop job. Get recommendations from friends and family for good shops in your area, take it to a few for estimates, and choose the one you feel most comfortable with.

I know you said there are no dents but the rear seems a bit deformed. Just a heads up if some of the shops note this.

And when you have it in getting work, have them touch up the black surrounds for your exhausts. I see the paint is flaking off. It is a known early issue. Some dealers were willing to replace. I just used a scotchbrite pad, masked off, and hit with high heat paint on the '19 we had and it never had an issue again. Should be a very easy thing for the body shop to do when they're working on the bumpers.

[Chas8283]

I just checked your profile. If you're in NYC that totally explains the tight garage. I get it. Our ramp in Hell's Kitchen is ridiculously tight.

I definitely recommend Gotham City Collision in LIC. They worked on our 3 series we had a while back and it was flawless. I would use them again without hesitation.

[P1]

Considering where you have to park, my suggestion is to buy some polish and try to remove as much paint transfer as possible with a clean microfiber.

But I wouldn't take this to a body shop. Chances are it'll happen again sooner or later.

[MoMonay]

Thank you all for the advice. I think the front bumper might be removable but you're right about the back that there's paint fully pulled off...

EDIT:
Actually do yall think this would get worse with wear over a longer period of time? Was thinking of probably not fixing it now but maybe fixing it a few years down the line if it accumulates a few more dings...

[chefwong]

That would drive be cra-zeee .....enough as such. I could not wait for a few more dings. Or maybe you might end up dingless from this learning experience.

It's plastic so no, it should not get marginally worse over time. Only thing that might is just the surrounding immediate areas where the clear/paint because it's micro fractured and it may just get worse due to movement over time.