Hi,
After a long day at work, I got a little distracted by a bug that had entered my car and in the process of getting it out I rear ended the car in front of me. The speed wasn't much (it was stop and go traffic) but I was pretty shaken up because this is my first accident ever and I feel horrible. Luckily no one was injured. I have attached pictures of my car. My concerns are:
1. How bad does the damage look? (looks like the bumper bore the brunt, I think the right fender seems a little out of alignment)
2. Can I avoid this from showing up on my cars history (carfax etc.)
3. Will my car be the same again?

Here is the link
http://s1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee457/maverick192/

Thank you

 

Only way it'll show on carfax is if you put the claim through insurance. Looks like the bumper did its job and absorbed the impact. You might just be able to have someone pull out the dents in the bumper. Is the paint chipped? Hard to tell from the pics. Depending on damage, it might be best to pay out of pocket. Was the other car damaged?

 

its pretty hard if not impossible to pull dents out of a plastic bumper. Chances are its going to need to be replaced. Shouldnt be more then a few hundred.

personally id pay to fix it myself since its so minimal just to keep a clean carfax report.

 

Thanks for your replies. The paint might be slightly chipped. Because the plastic covering on the bumper got pushed into the metal bar under it. Also I think the fender is slightly out of alignment. I hope there is no internal damage. I am going to an Acura recognized body shop - will check out how much I will have to pay if I get it done out of pocket but I want to restore it to how it was. Anything I need to know before I go to them? other car was damaged too.

 

I was gonna say the same thing how would you pull a dent out of a bumper lol? Bumpers are not metal so there is no possibility of paintless dent repair on a bumper. I was expecting something more when you said will your car ever be the same haha. Uhh yes it will be the same that is very minimal damage a new bumper and your all set...if even that.

Also, if a police report was filed there is a good chance it will show up in carfax.

 

Oh I was thinking if the dents are large, the plastic can be pushed out. I backed into another car once. It pushed the corner of my bumper in, but the plastic actually popped back out on its own. Donno if it could be a similar case here.

If the plastic is deformed, then yes you cant pull it out.

 

Thanks guys. Will keep you posted. Any pointers on what I should look for at the body shop would be useful.

 

looks very minimal. you could fix it by yourself for a couple hundred, or leave it alone.

 

I'm going to add:

I hate any kind of crawling thing in my car. ESPECIALLY spiders. If I was driving on the freeway, and I saw or felt a spider. I think I would cause a wreck.

 

it doesnt look bad.

you can always check ebay for a bumper of the same color for you car. that way you wouldnt have to buy and paint a new bumper and save a few hundred.


i know how you feel about the bugs. right now in edmonton there are sooo many mosquitos right now its crazy, i have a least 4 or five in front of my windsheild flying around.

 

Well you're asian so that wouldn't be anything new




I kid I kid. But really. Well sorta.

 

this happened to me a couple weeks ago. luckily i pulled onto the shoulder to avoid the car in front of me

 

Does the half white part count for anything!?

 

^^ Nope

 

Sorry about your accident, but glad to hear everyone is ok.

 

Does anyone what a acura recognized body shop is? I have one (Libertyville Auto Body) nearby that is owned by an acura dealer. The dealer I bought the car from is located at about 15 miles and does not have their own body shops but has a couple of shops around them that they have been using for the last 25 years - both of these don't show up under the "recognized acura body shops' list"

 

You can leave it alone or if it bugs you that much a body shop should be able to reapair it and spray the bumper for like $350-$400.

 

the dealers can use whoever they want since there all privately owned. if you want to use an acura reconized body shop go here enter your zip

http://bodyshops.acura.com/default.a...ESULTS&src=inq

 

So I went to this bodyshop and they quoted around $700 for a new (reconditioned) front bumper cover. I want to go for OE Acura parts. Any idea how I can make sure OE Acura parts were used? Also I was told that sometimes Acura pays the difference between reconditioned and OE parts to make sure Acura parts are used (also to put the aftermarket manufacturers out of business) - is this true?

Also any idea if a collision at 20-30 mph with damage as in the pictures in the first post could cause any frame damage? Do I need to get the frame inspected? Apologize if some of the questions sound stupid, but since this is the first time I am getting any sort of body work done I am a bit apprehensive thus any advice is appreciated!!!

Thank you

 

700 is about an average price for the work, not sure about the reconditioned bumper part. You can order a new bumper for under 300 from vendors here and it is genuine brand new acura parts. As well im sure you can find a shop local to you that can paint your bumper for around 2-300. install is very easy, might as well do it yourself to save costs.

As far as frame damage, i SERIOUSLY doubt your frame was tweaked at all by looking at the minimal damage your car shows.

 

while stopped at a redlight about 2 weeks ago my 06 tsx was rearended by someone in a 04 dodge. Their car had to be towed. The driver was issued a ticket and was arrested for outstanding warrants. luckily they have current insurance. took it to a boby shop-so far they quoted $1,650.00. might be more after they lift it.

 

I want to restore it to the pre-accident condition. Plus the right fender also needs to be aligned and I am not a DIYer so I am not sure I will be able to do a clean job. So doing it myself is probably not an option. But if the body shop says they used new OE Acura parts how could I verify? Would the OE Acura front bumper cover have ACURA engraved in the front?

Yes, thats how found this place was Acura recognized. However any idea on the benefits of getting it fixed from an Acura recognized body shop versus one that is not? (although an Acura dealer has been using it for a long time and per their website they seem to have similar technologies) Any first hand experiences of the two? Any body from Chicagoland who have used Libertyville Autobody, Schaumburg Autobody or America's Autobody?

 

Yes all the acura oe bumpers have the acura embossed into it. The aftermarket bumpers do not.

Even still, a bumper is a bumper, reconditioned or brand new im sure its going to look the same in the end.

 

additional: the other driver's insurance is paying for acura parts not aftermarket. I should ask for additional $ for now it probably will show up on carfax. How much damage did the car u hit get.

 

nj2pa2nc - which is the other guys insurance? did you have to negotiate with them? I believe the price difference in the bumper (acura vs after market) is about $70.
1. The estimate says RECOND bumper cover base - should I negotiate with the insurance company for $70 more?
2. Is there any way to ensure OE part is used?
3. Would getting an estimate with OE parts help?
The other car had some paint chips on the rear bumper and a bent hood in the front.

 

GMAC insurance-their adjuster still has to look at my car. They are providing a rental car while my car is being fixed. I am in NJ so they will be looking at my car when I get back to NC on the 25th

 

Thank you for that link. I never knew that existed.

OP- good luck with the repairs. Glad you or the other driver were not injured.

 

I would put absolutely zero weight into going to an Acura approved body shop. The one I went to took my car for a joy ride, wrecked it, and it smelled like rotten beer when I got it back. The work was terrible, they forgot to plug in the FM antenna, the rear window defogger, the airbag, the 3rd brake light was hanging down, the welds were terrible, the gas door wouldn't open, etc, etc. It means nothing. This was an on site Honda body shop btw.

Find a place that does custom show cars if you want good work. And I'm not talking about honduhs with bodykits, I'm talking street rods and such.

 

My dilemma is if I should let it be as it is right now or get it fixed - the reason is - would the paint job done by any auto body shop be inferior to the factory paint job? I think the factory paint job is pretty good for example I don't have any rock chips on my front bumper after 3 years, my door was flung into one of those plastic windshield washer liquid things at a gas station which caused the plastic container filled with water to turn 90 degrees but I didn't have even a scratch on my door.
1. How does an after market paint job on the front bumper match up to the factory job? (one of the places I am considering is www.libertyvilleautobody.com - I-CAR gold class professionals and I-CAR platinum individual and ASE certified in addition to being an Acura recognized body shop. I checked their reviews on the internet and didn't see anything negative about their service.
2. Would the bumper face come pre-painted from the factory if they buy an Acura part?
3. Has anybody who has been in an unfortunate situation needing repainting of their front bumpers had any excessive chipping issues on their front bumpers after the after-market paint job?
4. I hate cars comment about Acura recognized body shops is scary.

Appreciate all the help I have received from this forum so far.

 

1. If your going to a reputable shop, their paintjob should be on par or better than the factory paint. In my opinion the acura paint is not really all that great. If you trust the shop and have seen their work you should not be worried about the paint matching.
2.Bumpers do not come pre painted, only accessories
3. Ive had 3 different bumpers on my car (all acura oem) and never had a problem with chipping etc.

 

Thanks SCS15. I have never used them before and have never seen their work. But their facility seems good and they have the certifications mentioned above so I was going by that along with few reviews on the internet. Maybe I should ask them to show me their work??

Sometimes I am almost tempted to let it be but it bugs me to have imperfections on an otherwise clean car.

 

Ok, I found a few co-workers who got their cars fixed from this place and they didn't say anything negative. Do I need to know what brand of paint they use? is there any such thing as oem acura paint? Also just out of curiosity the guy at the shop mentioned that there is a layer of foam between the bumper cover and the steel bar, however there is no mention of it in the estimate - does it ever need to be replaced?

 

Not sure if all TL's are like this but there is no foam between the cover and the front bar. It's actually a piece of plastic. Mine had light damage in the front and I never replaced it.

 

Thank you SCS15 for that input - from a durability standpoint it seems the autobody shop you went to did a job as good as the original factory job? how was the finish quality? was the paint job on all the non factory bumpers on par with the factory finish and gloss? Or generally would there be any difference between the factory paint job and a body shop paint job?

 

Pay the difference. I got rear-ended a couple years back and the body shop told me never get a reconditioned bumper. It is never the same. The alignment and paint chipping can be a pain.

I would get the estimate with all OE parts. It won't hurt.

And most importantly....did you get the bug?

 

That's good. Depending on the age of the car they do not need to get OE parts. I would not ask for more money. Allow your body shop to do the work. They will ask for additional money if needed.

 

The only thing you have to worry about is the bumper not matching 100% in color. Every paint job has some variances and they may make or break your paint job. If theyre gonna spray only your bumper you may notice the color slightly off. Not a huge deal, even from the factory acura bumpers never match. Id pay the difference and have them blend the paint on the bumper into the fenders. As well the shop should detail your whole vehicle as most shops do so the whole car will be sparkling when its done.

 

Thanks Ravi, I agree I would rather live with the damage than go for non OEM or used parts. What is reconditioned bumper? From the estimate I am guessing he meant an aftermarket (non acura one) but the term reconditioned makes me think he meant used? so you saying the chipping and fit will not be a problem with OE bumper? - this is one of my major concerns - I don't want to get a aftermarket look/feel on the whole bumper for damage that covers 10% of the bumper area

Oh btw, the bug got away after putting me in a hole

 

Does that mean the paint job (finish, gloss and durability) done by a reputable bodyshop is equivalent to the factory paint job? I am not sure I want to damage the factory paint while blending in...hopefully the difference will not be too noticable? They do detail the car, however I was not sure if it should be done immediately on a new paint job? to the best of my knowledge they send it to a detail shop nearby.

 

Unless I am mistaken RECOND = Reconditioned. Reconditioned bumpers are used OEM bumpers that have been repaired and then reused. Some of the issues I have heard about these is that the paint tends to chip or the fitment is not always great.