AGGGHHH scraped my new Prius' fender!! Advice please!

Fix it right. You'll know the scrape is there, and it will totally distract you from the enjoyment of your new car.

If you keep the car for five years, it's $2 a week.

You won't do it again. You'll be much more careful. You've learned your lesson.

Enjoy the car.

 

Honestly?

While I know the pain of that first scratch, for me it would depend on how visible it was. If it truly was mostly underneath the car? I'd just touch it up. The fender is plastic so there's no danger of rust. If it isn't scraped all the way through, everything is still protected.

Of course without pictures, I can't really tell how "bad" this is.

How much is the "Friend of The Family" that owns the body shop going to charge you to touch it up?

A lot would depend on how much damage was visible.

On a vehicle that is really being used? Pristine is a condition that simply doesn't last too long.

So far I've been lucky enough that I have created any scrapes that are visible. But it is near impossible, even with the greatest of care to not eventually go down a driveway that is too steep, a speed bump or pull into a curb that doesn't "scrape" the bottom of the car. I'm pretty sure that if I looked UNDER the front of my front bumper I'd see scrapes.

It's hard to offer a definitive opinion without seeing a picture of how it looks visibly.

So I guess my advice is just take some time. If it's cheap enough, perhaps let the "Family Friend" touch it up. You can always STILL decide to have it repainted later. If you live with the scrape a while, the "horror" of it being the first scrape or first visible damage will dissipate, and then you can make a decision based perhaps more realistically on whether you actually need....or want to invest into repairing what sounds like very minor cosmetic damage.

Don't want to scare you, but having the whole bumper repainted isn't without it's risks. Depending on the quality of the body shop work, they have to try to match the shade/color exactly. Have read a thread or two where people have had a bumper repainted and not been happy with the color match.

There is a chance that the $500 solution could put you on a slippery slope of continued pain and angst.

If you DO decide to throw the money at it? Make sure it's a body shop you trust, that offers a warranty on their work.

 

Without seeing your damage it sounds exactly what I did to my 2014 Avalon Hybrid XLE Touring with a MSRP of $38,000. When the car was about 2 months old I was in the process of making a U turn to park against the curb. I scraped the extreme bottom of the bumper about 3 or 4 inches. Two body shops quoted me $550.00 to have it fixed. Both shops recommended that I touch it up and leave it alone. I did that and it is the logical thing to do. They are new cars and we don't like it and we get emotional about it. Just touch it up and let a few months go by and if you don't get over it then you can have it fixed. I can assure you that I am very particular about my cars and I understand exactly how you feel. Now I see the pics you posted. I would not be concerned about how it looks under the bumper, only how it looks when you look straight at it, at the touch up job you do to it.

 

You are absolutely correct. Two body shops told me exactly what you said and both shops told me to touch up my Avalon and not have it repaired. After about 6 months have passed the emotion of the scrape to my car has subsided and the touch up was the correct thing to do. Thank you for your wise comments

 

touch it up, you'll never notice it, and after a few months, you won't think about it. and if you do scrape it again, you'll be back to thank me.

 

Oh My God! That is hideous!

Nah...just kidding....

I'll stick to my advice above and just say, if it was me, and I'm pretty demanding, I'd just touch it up. That's nearly exactly the reason they sell touch up paint. If you think the guy with the body shop that would touch it up, can do a better job and it doesn't cost too much, let him do it.

But that's a battle scar of automotive life, I personally wouldn't invest $500, and bumper removal to get that minimal amount of visible damage repaired.

I would however touch it up.

 

Take the majority of the advice on this thread and just touch it up. It will happen again no matter how careful you are whether it's your fault or not.

I felt the same way when my wheels slightly touched a curb and got a curb rash. It was minor, small enough you won't notice it unless you knew exactly where it was. It was gonna cost at least $100. Even the repair specialist suggested that I touch it up and save my money. It's hard for a few days but afer a week or so, you forget about it and it's not such a big deal.

At the end of the day, you'll be glad that you saved your money.

 

It's not that bad; I wouldn't do anything with it. At most, I'd just get a $5 bottle of touchup paint. That won't be the last time damage occurs to your vehicle, so you'll always be spending $500 to repair the latest mishap.

That's among the reasons I don't buy a new car. A used car already has those little imperfections, and it doesn't hurt so much when you add to them.

I certainly don't have a Prius as a status symbol. It's an ok looking car, but mostly it's an appliance to me. Efficient travel is it's purpose, and appearance doesn't affect it's purpose.

 

This may sound cold, but it had to happen sooner or later. Touch it up and don't tell anyone. Most people won't notice, and for those who do. "f*** em if they can't take a joke".

 

That's not a fender. It's a bumper cover. I've had mixed results with touch up paint. I'd touch it up myself and save the money. Professionally repaint or replace the bumper cover when someone hits it and it's on their dime. White painted plastic will look better than black plastic any day.

 

The first scratch is always the hardest! I'm sorry to hear. I'd have someone try to professionally smooth it out and touch it up, and if you're still not satisfied, then have it repaired. It's your car, you do what you want.

If it were me, I'd have it fixed since the car is so new.

 

Glad you got it fixed for so little. I would have never paid $500 to get that fixed. I bought mine with a big dent in the front bumper and have already bottomed out the front bumper a couple times as well. Also have another dent in my rear bumper from the girlfriend backing out into a trailer hitch. I honestly don't care about any of them as it's just a car. It gets me from point A to point B and that's all I really care about. I'd rather pour the money into preventative maintenance instead.