I asked for a quote from Bumper Plug on painted parts. I did not like the timing, deposits, price, or the communication. I told the guy that I am going to get them done somewhere else because it is a better quality job, closer and cost 1/3 of what he is charging. He sends me a nasty email, what I consider nasty....

"I wish you all the best with it.

With our proprietary 14-stage process, it takes more time and material than
any other shop is willing to use on the parts. That is why we've been at
this so long - people recognize that you cannot achieve this sort of quality
and perfection for cheap. Some other shops will say they can do it, but the
reality is, they do a quick and cheap spray job that looks nothing like the
real deal. The amount of time we spend in prep alone is triple what some
shops would do for the whole job. That is what drives the price.

But cheap is good if you're happy with it!"

To which I reply by saying:

"Really “cheap”, I don’t think so its OEM by the actual Porsche
Manufacturers, which can do a better job than any third party painters, so
before insulting me by going somewhere else make sure you have your facts
straight. I’ll be sure to let forum members know as well, and you can
keep your insults to yourself.

Cheap, its warrantied for life from Porsche, and I have no core charges
and will take a week total.

So thanks for your knockoffs"

I do not like the disrespect of this sponsor. I just wanted to let others know in case they use Bumper Plugs in the future.

I think you're very much in the minority with your feelings on this company. I have only read very positive reviews, all their customers seem happy. I'm not sure what you don't like about his email, I don't see anything out of line.

In all honesty it sounds like you just wanted to antagonize him in the first place.

Bumperplugs does great work and is usually half the price for the same piece ordered from the factory. The factory pieces are nice, but Bumperplugs does as good or even a better job. Just because it's from the "factory" doesn't mean it's the best. Have you ever seen a true show car painted at an auto factory?......it just isn't done because only third parties would take the time and effort to make it perfect.

Good luck with wherever you get them done!

Well, I think if you suggested in your email that the other estimate you obtained was for a "better quality job", without actually seeing or knowing the quality of Bumper Plugs service, then that probably triggered the response you got.

I agree with friedman-japan, their rep for quality seems to be pretty good with most customers here (and I don't know where it's written that an aftermarket paint company can't do a better job than the factory or a dealers shop).

I would characterize their email response to you as more defensive than "nasty".

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"Nasty?" Wouldnt you feel the same way if someone said what you were doing was "cheap?" I take offense because what I do on my car is top quality. Why would I pay 3x for a service that is virtually the same. Not only that, the dealer would install everything for me. I trust a warranty from a dealer than anyone online. It is much easier getting the work done through a dealer. But then again, I could be wrong but if you want something done right, you have to get multiple quotes. I never said that an aftermarket paint company cant do it better...but why again why pay 3x the money for the same service, send my parts, pay for a deposit?

Thanks for posting Matt.

To clarify for everyone and provide facts, you asked me to quote pricing on the items in your email list. I provided the list pricing, AND a package price with discount for doing it all at one time, and I replied to your message/request within 24 hours of receiving it.

I do not understand your comment about 'the communication' as it was concise, clear and as fast as possible (the first reply).

A day or so later you replied to me: "Thanks for the interest man but I found everything for a 1/3 of the price that you quoted me." THAT IS ALL YOU SAID, nothing about 'better quality' or 'closer' as you state above. Convenience, if that is a factor, should always be considered, as should price and quality.

Your slam of 'knockoffs' is pure BS. We use ONLY factory OEM parts straight from Porsche AG, we do NOT make knock off parts, and we guarantee our work. Ask anyone with our painted parts and they will surely back this up. Not that we have to go back on too many things and make repairs, as our process is time-tested, well-proven, and we have hundreds of thousands of worldwide Porsche (and other) customers who are as picky as you and I are about the things we put in our cars.

Another fact: I never slammed what you were doing or what you were getting. I was simply pointing out why you can breeze by other 'shops' who will often quote something they don't do often, and figure they can do it on the fly and get it done, maybe even look good in the end, and charge very little.

Our team has over 30 years of plastic and rubber painting experience. It's all we do. We are not Joe's Body and Paint down the street. We are a specialty shop, and our expertise means we've done this over and over and over, so we know the pitfalls of short-cuts, often found at shops that underquote.

In your last note today, you mentioned all of these were factory oem parts. Hmmm...a factory rear console is $730. Ours is $379. OK, there is a core to deal with, but you still come out spending more for the 'factory' piece (which is exactly what we use to start with), and if you read our testmonials page, you will read plenty about our work and what our customers think, INCLUDING dealers, who have a chance to compare our parts to factory painted options they see all the time.

My comment about 'cheap' was pure and clean, not insulting. If you can find equal quality for cheap, I commend you for doing so. But I also caution many customers as we have seen the 'cheap' results when they get sent to us for refinishing. It's startling. But this does not mean your cheap stuff is going to be trash, I never said it, and never will, because I have nothing to compare, and have no knowledge of your shop.

But rest assured, the Porsche community knows our quality quite well. Sure, there are plenty of choices for many things we put on our cars, and for buying the cars to start with! Just be armed with enough information and be sure you are getting what you expect. The 'factory' does not paint plastic all day, every day. We do. They make great cars, and they provide plenty of enjoyment of all of us. Make sure you get what you're paying for.

And like I said, best of luck with it. I hope it meets or exceeds your expectations. I know our stuff does.

Thanks.

I wish I'd seen this thread before Eric's response above, but I'll have my go anyway.

The original post seems to place the nastiness on the unintended side. There are a good number of sponsors here that have excellent product and service reputations over several decades of operation. Bumper Plugs is certainly one of these.

We certainly appreciate hearing about shoddy goods and services, but I doubt that the original post will have it's intended effect in this case.

Perhaps the dealer is coordinating this, but the dealer is not doing the work as far as the painting is concerned - the painting, I'm sure is being farmed-out to a local body shop. Maybe this is being guaranteed by the dealer, but be assured, this is not a "factory" job.... and it not guaranteed by Porsche Cars NA.

Bumperplugs is known throughout the Porsche community as purveyors of top-quality work at good prices...

As I read it, Eric was just pointing out the facts - your e-mail was the "nasty" one.

Please calm down...

Good luck with your project.

brad

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