I have not been successful in finding any information on the replacement of the rear bumper cover on a 2012 Honda Accord SE. I will be doing the work myself except for the painting. So, I am trying to determine the following:

1. Which aftermarket cover is recommended?
2. Who is the best pre-painted vendor? Cost?
3. Would it be best to order cover and then go to local body shop for painting? Cost?

This is not an expensive repair, so the savings will be limited. I am doing this because I have nothing better to do at this time. If anyone has any input, please let me know. If not, then I will update as I find out information.

 

A few comments:

• I never recommend aftermarket parts, especially bumper covers. Why? They almost never seem to fit, and when they do, the seem to either wrinkle or warp after only a few years. I suppose there may actually be a few good vendors out there, but I've yet to see one I was satisfied with.
• I just checked BernardiParts.com and see they sell the rear bumper "face" for $315.10; not too bad given this is guaranteed to be an OEM part.
• To the best of my knowledge, the only way to get a prepainted bumper skin is to buy a used part from a junk yard; if you buy new, you're going to have to get it painted.
• Side note, not all body shops prepare the paint for flexible bumper covers correctly. I've seen lots which were improperly prepared resulting in paint cracking, shipping, or peeling. Do yourself a favor if you buy a new skin and choose a high quality paint shop.

 

Thanks for the input. All good to consider. Regarding the pre-painted bumper skin - it appears there are vendors from which you purchase the skin, they paint and ship to you.

 

Ahhh, different paradigm. Given paint has a tendency to fade over time, I'm thinking your best bet would be to either find a used bumper skin in the same color as your car, or buy a new skin and have a good body shop paint it; the paint should be a pretty close match either way.