How much to get rear light cover fixed?

[Xad]

How much should i be looking to pay to get the rear light cover fixed? I was reversing and hit something, and the next thing i know, the light covers broken Its just the top layer, theres some other transparent covers underneath this layer which are the ones that are covering the lights, so they're ok, but just the top rear light cover?

How much?

[NEVETS]

i soppose it depends on which make and model of car ,8y, it may give us an idea then...lmao

[urbsy]

A make of car would be a massive advantage m8.

urbsy

[Xad]

Sorry:|, Nissan Primera - X Reg

[NEVETS]

id say about £20 from salvage yard m8.... shouldnt be much more....

[urbsy]

I'll have a look at work see if i have one m8.

urbsy

[Xad]

I'll have a look at work see if i have one m8.

urbsy

Thanks m8 , keep me updated.

Are they difficult to fix? Or is it a matter of pulling the old one out, and pushing the new one in?

[Q-Buster]

Cost me £20 from a breaker for a Primera '92 a couple of years ago. 'Cept it was Mrs Q-Buster that did the reversing lol

Q-Buster

[Xad]

Heres a pic of the damage:


Are they difficult to fix? Or is it a matter of pulling the old out and pushing the new in and fixing with some glue?

Also, anyone know how to remove the scratches so that they're not noticeable?

[urbsy]

I have checked around me workshop m8 and I don't have one.
A genuine nissan one is £45+vat , but if you have a local ssvg stockist then they are £34+vat (oe).

They are held in by 3 or 4 small nuts that are hidden behind the trims in the boot.

A simple job to do yourself m8 , just be carefull removing the trims as the clips are a bit flimsy.

If you can live with the dent the white marks can be cleaned off using a good cutting compound (farecla G3) , t-cut is too harsh and will scratch the paintwork and dull it.

Make sure you touch in the exposed metal till you get it repaired properly to stem rust appearing.

urbsy

[Xad]

Thanks for trying

I ordered the part today, cost £50 in total from the dealership
I think i'll be able to sort that section of the problem out now, so hopefully that shouldn't give me that much of a problem now.

I have a few questions about fixing the scratches.
First of all, what is a "cutting compound"?
And what do you mean when you say "make sure you touch in the exposed metal"
what does touch in mean?

To get rid of the scratches/scraped paint - will i not need to re-spray the damaged section?

Also, the white marks are more like a silver colour. Its the metal thats showing through i think cause the paints been scraped off, and its slightly rough in that section now. What can i use to smoothen it out? Shall i just sand it with wet & dry? Can i add anything so that it doesn't become uneven? I'm not really sure how to fix this scratch/scrape, so any help will be greatfully appreaciated

- Xad

[urbsy]

A cutting compound is a graded polish like substance that will remove discolouration or light scratches from paintwork.
On the photo the lower part of the damage (2/3rds of it) looked like it would 'polish' off using such a product , but as the damage is as you describe then a cutting compound will be no use m8.

The only option is to repaint the area of damage or touch it in (using a touch up paint of the same colour, halfords etc will have em) to hide the damage till you can get it repaired professionally.

To be honest m8 , I wouldn't consider trying to repaint the car myself with its age.
Using 'home' paint products you will never get the finish and repair standard that a pretty new and quite expensive car requires , but if your willing to give it a go then please let me know and i'll post a bit of a guide.

urbsy

[Xad]

Any kind of guide will be useful m8

I'm going to try and do it myself because i've been quoted over £100 to fix this (the paints been scraped from the bumper aswell)


The bumper's moved a bit aswell

Anyway, any kind of guide for the scratch/scape repair would be appreciated

The worst part of it all is, its not my car - one of my famlily members left it with me cause they went on holiday

[urbsy]

100 quid is very reasonable for a repair of this size m8 , I would seriously consider taking them up on their offer if they have the right facilities to repair it professionally.

If not then here goes.......(all products described are available from good motor factors)

Find where the bumper fixings are bolted to the car at the rear , you will need to reverse the damage to release the pressure on the bumper fixing on the passenger side to get it to fit to the rear quarter panel as it should.
If it cant be done by loosening the bolts and re-aligning then these will need a slight hint of a smack with a large hammer (14lb should be great)

Next step is , take a hot air blower to the bumper corner just behind the rear wheel where it is bent and heat it from a distance to remove excess flex and press it into shape using gloves to shield your hands making sure the bumper doesnt get burned or blistered.

Get some 180ish grit sandpaper (or nearest equivelent) and remove the paint from the damaged area , fill the dented parts using a fine good quailty body filler after hammering into shape using a lightweight body hammer. Rub the filler down using the same grit paper on a rubber block (this will take some time to smooth , but using a smaller grit saves hassle later).
Flat the area round the filler using 1200 wet and dry paper making sure you remove all signs of scratching and leave sufficient space around the repaired area for the primer to settle before touching 'clean' paint, and prime using a good quality primer (use etch primer first on bare metal surfaces).
The bumper will require plastic primer for fresh paint adhesion else it will 'fall off'
Then flat the primer with 1200 paper again making sure that the primer is smooth and flat.

Get a grey scotch cloth and scotch the area around the repair and beyond , dont be afraid to go too far as it can be polished up later.

Clean with spirit wipe.

Mask up the required area to be painted (upto the tailgate edge and half way across the rear wing)

Spirit wipe again and wipe with a 'tack rag' to remove dust particles etc
Get a basecoat and laquer set from your dealers and put the basecoat on in very light coats till its covered. When this is dry put on the laquer , a half coat first then two decent coats and let dry.

Flat lightly with 1500 grit wet and dry (wet) and rub the refinished paintwork using the cutting compound as described in previous post and polish using a good wax polish.

This will in no way get the results that a professional paintshop will achieve , but if your determined to d.i.y then its about the best you will achieve with the products available to you.

urbsy

[Xad]

Thanks m8, just hope i don't damage it further

And also, when i said over £100, what i meant to say was £180 (200 in another place) and that was excluding the part itself :nono

[funkyg]

Oh the irony. I was reading this thread the other day, guess what I did yesterday? Revered into a bollard and broke the rear light cluster on my 1999 Mondeo. Doh! Lucky for me I only hit the lights, didn't touch the bodywork.
Urbs....where's the best (read cheapest!) to get a replacement? Dealer wants 62+VAT for new. **** that! Not fussed about genuine Ford part, just want it replacing. Would I just be as well going to a scrappy?
Cheers!

[urbsy]

You could try a scrappy if they have one as the cheapest option normally m8.

If you can't get one and have to get new then an ssvg part m8 (most decent motor spares places should sell ssvg) will be the best one for the money , they are made origional equipment and are the same as the real thing , but with a saving on ford prices.

The backing of the lamps are only available in one colour now from either ford or non genuine suppliers. They used to be available in either a red colour or black , now only one colour is available (sure its black) , so the one you get new might not match the other side (only noticible when you lift up the boot though), but a point to take into consideration.

urbsy