Rear ended... questions

M

Mr Whippy

Veteran
 Harrogate
But only lightly. Young woman went into the back of it with my wife driving. Police were there too.

Young woman happy to pay out of insurance. Basically it all looks 'ok' but you can see the frame underneath has pushed into the plastic bumper deforming it just near that crease line that runs from the numberplate cut-out down each side. Also the numberplate lights are not working and the housings they sit in are torn.

I've checked everything else works, lines up properly, had the boot lining out etc etc... all looks sound.

My current plan is just get a spare rear bumper in good shape and just swap it over for about £150 ish tops. I honestly don't get the point in going via insurance as my worry is they will cover my car in over-spray, generally cause me a headache, take my car for days or weeks waiting for parts, possibly do a crap job, and just generally peeve me off hehe :D

Had it been worse I'd have used insurers but I like to try be nice to people and I see no point in all the overheads of insurers to go waaayyy over the top probably making a £150 fix into £3000 worth of costs.

I'd prefer just an appropriately aged titanium silver rear bumper that is in good overall condition (not too fussed if it has the odd mark as I can get those detail repaired if I worry over them) and swap it over myself.




So the questions. What is likely to have caused the number plate lights to break? I've never had the back bumper off before, or the lights. Loom cut by plastic, or just lights damaged, or plugs popped out of the lights? I can't really take the lights out as the plastic is a bit mashed. I won't see till I get the bumper off but just checking there might not be any major issues hiding there!

The sub-frame thing on dampers, I doubt that will have been damaged as it was a straight on rear end bump at low speed... but worst case is that hard to swap? I've seen them go for about £80 on eBay.

Assuming I can't get a good bumper, how much do we think a decent re-spray of a bumper only (dropped off/picked up) would be? I'm guessing around £250 for prep/spray.



Many thanks for any thoughts on this.

Cheers

Dave
 
The lights could be any of the things you suggest. Before you make the final decision to do it yourself, take a good look at paintwork etc to ensure there is no secondary damage anywhere, especially on the bumper mount points and anywhere designed to deform on impact. Check all the way up to the A posts looking for cracked paint etc

I hope there's nothing, but "hope for the best and prepare for the worst"
 
I would just get every thing checked. I was in my old car at uni a few years and a women forgot she was in an auto and jumped off the brake at lights and accelerated into the back of me. Enough of a jolt to move us but no visible damage anywhere, checked in the boot etc exchanged details but had nothing to persue to left it (so I thought)...

Few months later exhaust blowing ... Had bent the system near the cat and I ended up having custom made at my expense ... Totally my fault for not having it all checked over. You may be fine but just check more than around the boot ... A zed exhaust would sting you.

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if you're not going to go through insurance then you might aswell not have any.

i've seen 'minor' accidents like this cause big damage behind the bumper. the front and rear bumpers are designed to push in and out, whereas the stuff that sits behind them isn't. without taking the rear bumper off, you can't be 100% sure that theres no damage behind it.
 
OK cheers guys.

I'll check further forward in more detail and just cover over the whole car generally with my eyes.


Main thing I haven't checked yet is roof operation so I'll cycle that a few times and go for a drive etc and make sure it's all going up/down nicely as it was before. Also do the bonnet... I guess things like this might just make a problem suddenly pop out if something is wrong!

I'll also just check the car is running/sounding right from the exhaust side of things and drives straight still :D


Since it's a monocoque chassis I guess that if things were bent then panels wouldn't line up somewhere.

It was an 05 Clio that bumped my wife, and her car was completely fine, so I think it's simply been plastic vs plastic attack here hehe :D



Is the rear bumper off an easy job? I guess I could drop it off and take a check later today.

Just about to go out and look at a silver bumper locally. It's only £70 and looks fine bar some small marks, so I'd just pay £80 and have them smart repaired and hopefully it'd look as good as new with some polishing etc :D

Just those damn numberplate lights :)


Dave
 
Your insurance will go up anyway as you have had an accident, claim or not :x
 
Same thing with my sons car but it was just one number plate light.
The back of the car was hit and it rebounded back out but there was a crease left and one side of the plate cracked.
We thought that was all but on closer inspection the boot had been dented right in, you wouldn't have thought so looking at the outside. Luckily that was all and it pushed back out ok.
The number plate light being out was caused by the housing being slightly pushed out of location and the wire/s on the back needed relocating.
Hope its all ok for you but take the advice to thoroughly check it over.
 
Remember modern cars are designed to crumple to absorb impacts.

As mentioned for many reasons, get it professionally checked even if it costs u money, though most won't if they think they will get yr business
 
Had a light shunt last year whilst in the wife's car. Looking at the back, there was only a small punch mark where the number plate screw (uncovered) from the other car had punched into the rear bumper. Exchanged insurance details, then took the car in for a look. Needed new bumper mounts, new wiring loom for rear lights & number plate lights, new bumper (bottom half) as plastic had been punched and cracked, and replacement for a OEM aerial system (part of it was stored in the rear bumper). Luckily covered by insurance, but a lot more expensive that first thought - amazing what's hidden behind that bumper....
 
Well I got the lights fixed, looks like the bulbs were just blown and/or the housings distorted a bit causing a poor connection.

I just took it to a body-shop and they fixed up.

Quotes are £390 for prepping an own-supplied bumper (or my own, though they said it may be more due to the mangled nature around the plate lights) and spraying.

Or £950 for sourcing a BMW bumper and spraying (£450 + vat for rear bumper)


Might end up going through the insurance at this rate. Just the labour rates more than anything...


Roof, boot, doors, everything seemed fine on a long trip out this afternoon, so will give it another check over but I think it's pretty clear it's just the bumper. But if as I guess it'll be an insurance job at this rate then they can check it all out when they do it if it ends up going that way!


Cheers

Dave
 
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