So, my mother-in-law backed into me in the driveway at my house. My question is can the damage be repaired or is the bumper going to need replacing altogether? There's about a 3-4" gash that runs along the seam underneath the headlamp, but the rest is just scuffs.

Thoughts?

2/14/2011 10:32:52 AM

file a claim with their insurance company

[Edited on February 14, 2011 at 10:41 AM. Reason : edit]

2/14/2011 10:40:07 AM

haha, that would be simplest, but i like them too much to do that

2/14/2011 10:43:50 AM

That's not a hard job at all. A heat gun and some time are your best friends. Of course there will be more work needed to be done but that won't be hard at all.

Is the head light broken/pushed in.

2/14/2011 11:02:04 AM

headlamp is intact, but it's been knocked in and down on the lower interior corner. I'm not sure if the adjustment is just knocked off or if something is bent. More inclined to think something is bent.

2/14/2011 11:20:15 AM

If it's a nice new car, replace it.

You ain't gonna get a good look of you attempt to repair it.

You're gonna have to get another bumper cover.

But id keep or the way it is.

2/14/2011 12:21:17 PM

Yea, the car was just bought in Nov. Kinda irked by it. Bumper is about 550 from, then the paint and installation. F'n expensive.

Also, unrelated, but stupid, you have to remove the entire bumper cover replace a headlamp bulb.

2/14/2011 12:44:03 PM

I'd say replace it. It will be a bitch of a time to get out that (looks like) crease in the plastic.
Also check all the places that the headlight mounts. If it is pushed in, most likely you will need a new headlight as well.

2/14/2011 1:32:19 PM

This same kind of thing happened to my wife last week. Our damage was a little bit more, since the bumper actually cracked. The professionals told us that since it was cracked, it'd have to be replaced. Out bill came out to just over $900.

Collision coverage on auto policy is intact, but a $250 deductible will apply, so we'll get it fixed for $250. Less than like $2000 or so is considered to be 1-point on your policy. If you've not filed anything with your insurance company yet (in the policy's history), ask them about some type of collision forgiveness. My company isn't going to be charging me anymore than they were previously due to this accident, so I didn't mind filing the claim at all. What's insurance for eh?

2/14/2011 1:53:37 PM

Yeah, I'm going to take it to the body shop this week and get the estimate for it. My in-laws are paying for it OOP. ^^Can't see that far into that area, too much shit in the way.

Looking at people that have had bumpers replaced on malibus, it's run anywhere from 700-1200. Yuck. I'd have preferred to hit a deer.

Comprehensive deductible is $0.

2/14/2011 2:09:20 PM

I can make that bumper look brand new for less than a grand.

2/14/2011 2:48:22 PM

wow, you can make it look brand new for the cost of a new one. That's impressive

2/14/2011 3:02:27 PM

File a claim and get that thing fixed. Otherwise you're killing the resale on that car.

2/15/2011 1:18:30 PM

By less than a grand I don't mean $999.99

2/15/2011 11:10:25 PM

Quote :

"File a claim and get that thing fixed. Otherwise you're killing the resale on that car."

Not doing that. Could file uninsured and say someone backed into me and drove off, but insurance fraud is a bitch. And I'm not going to ding my in-laws by filing on claim on theirs.

I'm going to get it fixed, I was just looking at options.

Resale value is irrelevant as this is a Chevy Malibu w/ 100+ miles daily on it. I will drive it until it falls apart.

2/16/2011 9:42:27 AM

Estimate yesterday afternoon came in at $870

2/17/2011 8:42:46 AM

is that using an OEM bumper cover? cuz if your cover is at certifit, it'll cost ~$80 and wont fit worth a damn usually.

i would make sure they're using all parts from dealer.
and does that cover the light as well?

[Edited on February 17, 2011 at 9:19 AM. Reason : ]

2/17/2011 9:18:09 AM

I'm failing to see why your inlaws insurance shoudn't pay for this. They did, in fact, hit you so you're not being unfair by asking them to pay for it. Also an insurance claim for $870 is nothing, their insurance won't increase.

In the last 1 1/2 yrs I've had 2 claims for broken windshields on my car ($220 each) and one for some front bumper damage ($1500). My insurance has gone up $0.

2/17/2011 9:48:51 AM

^ They're call, not mine, I don't care where the money comes from. Just know that I'm not paying for it.

^^Includes bumper, painted and install (from GM) and headlight aiming. We couldn't tell if the mounts were busted or not, so it could still go up if they need to replace it.

2/17/2011 1:30:34 PM

ah, for some reason i was under the impression you were letting them slide on it. I musta misread something

2/17/2011 2:19:52 PM

Did you mean sortafit

2/17/2011 4:30:50 PM

[Edited on February 17, 2011 at 11:48 PM. Reason : nvm]

2/17/2011 11:47:30 PM