sushimaster

I was driving to a client site..traffic was slow..I looked down at my Yahoo maps print out for 1 sec. Next thing I know, BAMN ! I hit the truck in front of me on his hitch and it leaves a nasty indention in my front bumper. Plus the side of it is hanging. His truck suffered no damage as far as I can tell. We exchange insurance info.


So my question is does the dealer carry bumpers that I can purchase at the Parts dept or do I have to goto a 3rd party body shop to fix it? I called Sterling McCall Acura in Houston and they told me they didnt have a body shop. He gave me a number to a third party body shop. Does the body shop usually order the bumper from Acura and then paint it to match my paint or do they just normally use their own methods like bondo to fix it ? Sorry, I never been in an accident before, so therefore I have no clue as to what the normal propcess is or what to expect. And I don't wanna get raped by going to some shady body shop. Any input greatly appreciated.

CLpower

a good body shop will replace the bumper if there is enough damage. Even some good shops will fill it in w/ bondo. The dealer should sell front bumpers. But if not try www.acuraautomotiveparts.org They are pretty cheap w/ OEM parts.


Expect to pay about $500 to get the bumper replaced/fixed and painted.

sushimaster

swell man.
i thought it was gonna exceed $1000.
mucho graciuos for the info.

EricL

If it is a good shop, they won't fill it with bondo. There are urethane repair kits, and any place that uses bondo on a flexible surface should never be used again -- period. It would be a disaster...


BTW, depending on insurance and car mileage, shops CAN send bumper covers out to specialty shops to have them "reconditioned." I found my rear bumper mashed by some hit-and-run scumbag (I was parked a mile away from anyone), and got a new bumper cover in lieu of a "reconditioned" one. The adjuster said he could have gone either way (as did the body shop), and based on the condition of the car, went with a new bumper cover.


Expect to pay $400 to $800 for the bumper job depending on shop. And, if there is any damage to the surrounding area, the price goes WAY UP.


I also had a ding in the trunk lid and it ran $1100 for rear bumper and trunk lid ding removal. The job is flawless...

CLpower

that's what I meant, urethane repair, bondo, basically the same principle

Scooter

my neighbor backed into me last year and did this...


cost was $500 to strip the whole bumper cover down and repaint so as to avoid spiderwebbing/discoloration in the future in that general area



spot on match

NiteQwill

bondo....:ghey:

A new bumper is always better than repair but there is the cost. Yes, any dealer should provide you with a bumper at +++$$$$. What I did for my VW was go to an independent shop and order a bumper through them at 1/2 the price.

Any good body shop can fix anything, just stay away from waves, I mean bondo.....