The bumper needs holes and all the rest and before I paint it I need to check that it fits propelly, so, is it a good idea to fit the bumper and than take the car to the body shop ( with the bumper on the car) or is it best to take it off again re-fit the the OEM, paint the Nismo etc...?
my advice would be to fit first to test fitting then get bodyshop to paint it, then re fit. you have 2 choices, paint it on the car or paint it off the car.
paint on the car and they should be able to blend it at the edges to match your current colour, downside is they will have your car for about a week to do it.
if you need the car to get about then get them to paint it off the car. this is what i did as i needed my wheels to get to work etc. no blending etc but the colour match is pretty damn close and i'm happy with the finished result.
What sort of rough price am I looking at to paint it?
if its a straight forward job and the bumper needs no work other than a sand down and then painting then i would say a couple of £100's most likely. depends on your location and the body shop. i got quoted £600 for a full kit to be painted. cost a bit more as it needed extra stuff doing and i also had the cutouts done and all the fitting etc. my advice find a good shop and pay what they charge. don't just go for the cheapest as it doesn't always gaurentee the best work. if you can get one thats been recommended then even better.
How long it takes?
how longs a piece of string? technically i would say about 2-3 days fro prep paint laquer and curing. actual time depends on your shop and their schedule etc.
anything that I should look out for before leaving the bodyshop? paint match and ..........
Anything else
not that i can think of. i personally think the bumper looks better with the badge recess flushed out, but thats costing a couple of extra quid to do, but nows the best time to do it.