I've gotten a quote for $450 to fix and respray the bumper, which seems cheap, but it's still more than I can afford ATM. A replacement bumper in the same color probably wouldn't be any cheaper either?

Are there any cheaper way to fix or mask the crack? Should I epoxy it to make sure no further cracking takes place?

 

That's nasty. If you check your neighborhood auto parts store I think you will find repair kits for the flexible bumper. That being said, you might want to remove it and just re- enforce from the back until you are able to afford repair.
Take it one step further and you can then fill the damage and use spray paint and clear coat. If it doesn't look good enough, the is no real damage done and save for proper repair. That quote looks pretty reasonable to me.
RJ____________
97 XK8 86K mi

 

just done my x300 bumper............it needs to be removed and then a thick coating of fibrebond [ fibreglass filler ] it will set rock hard then you can fill the front with normal filler or the special stuff in a plastic bumper repair kit and then finish in base coat and clear lacquer.
If you have a little spraying kit use fade out thinners ONLY ROUND THE EDGES OF THE SPRAYED AREA.
Regards Neil

 

The bumper damage will be annoying but how it missed headlamp, foglamp and bumper blade is a miracle.

Graham

 

Actually, the gash was a bit shorter until my animal killing spree the other night, where the headlight exploded into a million pieces.

Any suggestions for good touch up spray paint? Would epoxy alone work ok for a filler? Or what would you use? Automotivetouchup.com has the right color, but I haven't been a 100% happy with their touch up kit.

 

$350 is about the cheapest you are going to find for this fix. The epoxy, nylon mesh netting, filler, primer and paint all must be flexible and designed to be used with urethane bumpers. Otherwise, the repair will develop cracks, the paint flakes and it will soon look about as bad as your bumper does now. Don't cheap out, or you WILL be sorry.

 

There is a franchise here in the U.S. called Colors On Parade. They specialize in plastic bumper repairs for far less money than a typical body shop would charge. We have a Colors On Parade here in Raleigh, and the owner/operator is an absolute wizard and is 100% **** about his repairs looking and feeling perfect. He has repaired two of our bumpers (the front bumper on my wife's long-gone 2000 Lexus SUV, and the rear bumper on our current S-Type) where my wife ran into (Lexus) and backed into (S-Type) trailer hitches (long story - don't get me started). He repaired the punch holes and cracks in both bumpers to the point where they are absolutely perfect in appearance, feel, and paint match - no one would ever know....

If you have a Colors On Parade franchise in your area, you should check it out....

 

No color parade in California as fara s I can tell.

So I'm thinking for a cheap fix, filler (what is filler?) and a bumper repair type flexible epoxy. Then sand and use touch up spray paint.

Nylon mesh $?
Filler $10
Flex epoxy $10
Spray paint $20 (or $30 if getting primer too).

Actually, 3M claims that their Bondo repair epoxy can work as a filler and adhesive: http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawe...6EVs6E666666--

 

Bondo is good, and it may work on bumpers, but with the massive damage you have I would think removing the bumper and using flexible repair on the back would be the first step. If you have a store that supplies to body shops within range, talk to them, they will know what you need.
RJ____________
97 XK8 86K mi