Rear-ended!

[big daddy]

Rain & stop-and-go traffic don`t mix. :nono I had to find out the hard way though.. :mad: Driving back from work, someone rear-ended me at about 10mph. It looks like its only cosmetic damage to the rear bumper.



Unfortunately I don`t have a digital camera so I`ll try and explain the damage for some advice. I have a Silver `02 Accord.



It looks like he sorta slid under me, because the bottom part of my bumper is all scratched up. Parts of the main bumper, the fat part, have 1-2 inch long rips in it. The silver paint is peeled off and whats left is this black material (duno what it is).



Anyways, my question is: What should I do in terms of repair? (I don`t plan on repairing it myself, I would take it to a shop) Any and all advice welcomed. Thanks!

[C. Charles Hahn]

if the paint peeled off, but theres no dents/cracks in the actual plastic bumper, I would say you can go to a body shop and they can just remove and paint the bumper pannel/piece as it wraps around to the rear quarters as well. If these "rips" you refer to are like cracks or scratches into the plastic that can`t just be filled, you`ll end up replacing the entire rear bumper piece and getting it painted to match.

[big daddy]

So they should go ahead and strip the entire rear bumper and repaint it? Would I have to worry about any color matching problems? (I`ve read many posts where fixing paint chips + dents are a pain because of color matching)



Also, any idea how much this would run? Thanks! :up

[Sci-Fi]

Usually the bumper is replaced because some of the crush zone has been used. A friend of mine experienced a rear end accident similar to yours and they replaced the bumper @$1100. Damage wasn`t apparent until the dealer took off the bumper cover to inspect the interior bumper parts. Don`t take chances with a damaged bumper.. :nono ..you`ll never know what will happen the next time and may need the maximum protection.

[Tiger88]

If you got rear ended it`s almost certainly the other guys fault. Hopefully you got drivers license, plate numbers and insurance information.



If the surface of the bumper is actually broken through you need to have a professional take a look at it, and the repairs will probably be expensive. Turn it over to your insurance company.

[big daddy]

yea, its the other guys fault. however I`d like to do this w/o involving the insurance companies.. I dont wanna jack this guy`s rates up the wall. (I`d hope if I were in the same situation, I`d get the same treatment)



So if there isn`t any damage to the bumper, after getting it inspected, I can go ahead and have them repaint the ENTIRE bumper?

[vroddad]

The entire bumper... at least.

[Tiger88]

You`re sitting at a stop light, minding your own business, when, out of the blue, BAM!



It is totally lame when someone just runs right into the back of another car. They can blame it on the weather, they can blame it on the car they hit. But, 99 times out of 100 they are following too close, going too fast or not paying attention.



Unless the guy who did it is a friend of yours I would have no second thoughts about making him pay for it.

[big daddy]

yea Tiger, I`d agree if I were in that situation. (sorry I didnt explain it better) it was stop-and-go traffic on the freeway, about 7pm in the rain. the guy in front of me stopped suddenly so i had to slam on my brakes. the guy behind me did as well but it wasn`t soon enough.. :(



if the cost is high enough to be worthy of an insurance claim, I`ll go ahead and file one, otherwise i`d like to do it under the table. (wouldn`t you like to keep your low premium even though you`re involved in a bumper to bumper accident?)



thanks for the advice everyone! :up i`ll have it looked at this weekend and if there is bumper damage I`ll have it replaced + painted. otherwise i`ll get the bumper repainted.

[C. Charles Hahn]

Originally posted by Tiger88

But, 99 times out of 100 they are following too close, going too fast or not paying attention.



or a combination of all 3..... ;)

[big daddy]

when they repaint the bumper, will they apply layers of clear coat on top? will they also "bake" the bumper to let the paint cure or do they just let it air dry? or would something like this depend from shop to shop or dealership to dealership?



i`m hoping color matching won`t be a problem either..

[tkr128]

A few years back, someone hit the bumper of my Corolla (front) They bumper looked okay but the paint had chipped and was dented in a little bit. The cost to repair was $1800 because of the internal bumper parts.



Silver is a difficult color to match. Most body shops can get real close to matching it, but under certain lights it will still be slightly off. My car is like this; only under certain lighting can you see the difference in color.



Good luck with the repair!

[Propaganda13]

Accidents always involve two things - cops and insurance companies. Here, the cops say you don`t have to call them if it`s less than $500 damage, and no injuries. Unless it`s a cracked lens, it`s going to be more than $500 period. Why do have an insurance company if you`re not going to use them?(yeah, I know it`s the law in most places) If it costs $600 dollars to fix that`s equivalent to a $50 increase a month for a year in his insurance. If he`s so bad that his insurance drops him, well that says something about his driving. I know a couple of people that have gotten screwed by not getting the cops and insurance companies involved. People move, get unlisted phone#, keep putting off the payments,etc. If he`s not your friend, call his insurance. This is not personal, this is business. Protect yourself first.