I took this car to three local auto body shops and got the following estimates:

1. Shop #1: $625, and about 75-77% of that is the labor charge
2. Shop #2: $850
3. Shop #3: $591, and that is at a discounted labor rate since I—not insurance—is paying for it.

For all three shops, the bumper is to be pulled off, then worked on, and put back on.

Shop #1 said it could do it in 2 days, the others need 3 days.

A friend of mine—you know we all have friends like these—says to me:

Hey! Why are you paying a shop all that money to do this?! Do it yourself, and if it comes out bad, you can still take it to the shop.

So I ask you do-it-yourselfers out there: can I do it? After all the shops said they needed to pull the bumper off, and there is no way I am going to do that!

These images below show the bumper at wide angle and close up. In one of the close-ups, I indicate three areas that can be seen by eye that may not show up in the image itself. Scroll down further to see the explanation.

Area 1 Not seen in the image very well, the paint on the top side of the rear bumper has the look of a jigsaw puzzle or that of what happens when mud dries and forms polygonal cracks.

Area 2 Easily seen is that paint has fallen off the crease from the top side to the back surface of the bumper. A gray surface or undercoat (a primer?) is seen.

Area 3 If you look carefully, you can see a gray streak as if the bumper has been rubbed.

Okay, my question is, can I do this myself with say the materials I buy from an online shop like Paint Scratch Automotive Touch-Up Paint?

If so, then please send me an email here.