Vehicle: 2007 Saturn Vue 3.5L. I recently had the front end repaired and the front fenders are separating from the front bumper. I pulled off the wheel well cover on the driver side and I noticed that 2 of the 3 clips are completely broken off. Not sure what’s happening on the passenger side. The front bumper and passenger side fender were brand new. Needless to say, I’ll never take my car to Maaco again. I was excited when I first got it back after being repaired and painted, but every time I’m working on the car I find another screw up. The question I have is there any way to close that gap without having to buy a new bumper?
Yeah, you take it back to Maaco and tell them to fix it properly.
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I have seen new cars with bigger bumper cover gaps than that. Aftermarket bumper covers often aren’t a perfect fit.
I had my doubts about Macco, but that work looks pretty good for discount autobody work.
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To be honest the gap doesn’t look that bad. You notice it because it is your car, but if you did not mention it nobody would know. as far as the broken clips. if it is the side of the clip that is molded to the bumper that are broken, then the whole bumper would need to be replaced. If it is the part of the clip that attaches to the car then sometimes that part of the clip can be replaced. If you are talking about plastic push pins, then you can pick them up in different sizes online or at your local Autoparts store.
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C’mon!
It’s an 18 year old Saturn.
It’s not like those small gaps are going to detract from its innovated styling.
Tester
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You DO realize there are no more new factory replacement parts, right? This is an aftermarket part that fits just OK, not perfect, just OK.
That is likely the best fit you are going to get.
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Well it looking at the drivers side bumper cover wasn’t replaced but where would you find a replacement anyway and if you could find a replacement, would you be willing to pay the price?
Looks like a pretty good “budget fix” to me but I would have spent a couple more bucks to have the bumper dent heated and pushed out.
Let’s face it. They.re too busy to install the clips. It’s hard to get new ones when you don’t know what you’re doing or what matters. I watched Undercover Boss and they emphasize superficial quality control at that particular Maaco where the yard man has to fix fifty foul-ups per day. The guy who removes the leftover masking tape has a checklist but nobody else seems to. If the owner of the car doesn’t find ten things wrong with the job it’s miraculous.
When you get your repairs done by “price point” instead of by some place with a reputation for quality, well that’s what you get.
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How long ago was the repair done? If recent means short, like a few weeks, take it back to MAACO and have them replace the broken clips.
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Some of us would simply take a look and put new fasteners on the bumper. Others will need to hire it done and pay.
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OP, is this something you are capable and willing to do yourself? Do you have the necessary tools? Do you know how to purchase the needed fasteners? If not, it seems like these are your options
- live with it
- take it back to the original repair shop
- take to to a different repair shop.
In any event it shouldn’t be overly expensive to improve the appearance somewhat. If you prefer new-car appearance, that will require some custom fitting & be considerably more expensive, but should be doable.