[ho1ming]

Got my 328i coupe for less than a month and here it comes....guess it's just life

Anyway, here is my situation and i would appreciate i could get your advise/suggestion

My 328 was rear ended by my friend's almost brand new 350z (he was following me on a trip) and the damage was very very minor. There is almost not damage to the bumper except the very minor scratches (i have to confirm this after a car wash tomorrow and will post pic as well), but I do see a larger than normal (2-3mm) gap between the bumper and rest of the body. So here are my questions:

1. For this kind of damage, what kind of repairing job and how much of repairing job am I looking to?

2. Since the damage was very very minor and my friend does admit that it was he fault, so we didn't call the police non the insurance company. I guess my friend would pay the repairing bill himself if it's <$500, or otherwise he is going to claim his insurance. So should I call our insurance company or wait till the estimate comes out?

3. If we are going to claim his insurance, do we need a official police report (we are in PP btw)?

4. Are there going to be any hidden damage to the rest of the car, i know it's kind of stupid question but it's really my baby and it's my first time to be hit by others in my 5 years driving experience.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I appreciate any advice.

[khaye1]

how fast were you going???

sounds like cosmetic damage so if you have any sort of DIY skills, you can probably do the fix yourself...i did it with my wife's 4runner. She ran into a pole and misaligned the front bumper, so i took it off made sure there's no frame damage and straightened out a couple of bumper support post and good as new.

If you want to take it to a shop and the repair is less than your deductible and your friend is wiling to pay for it then go ahead and go that route. But if you go through your insurance, the incident might be recorded on the carfax report and might cost you later on when you decide to sell it.

[jopa489]

You'll probably need to get the entire bumper replaced and repainted to restore the car back to its previous condition. Judging by the gap between it and the body, I assume a bracket could be either bent or broken. Not an expert with body panels, but assuming that needs to be replaced and repainted, it will cost someone ballpark $1000 to fix Your friend needs to decide if it's worth putting through insurance (and facing increased rates) or paying out of pocket.

Perhaps the scratches can be wetsanded out and the gap repaired, which would save some money. But you need to get it figured out quickly - insurance companies really need to be made aware of the situation ASAP. Most insurance companies require a report be filed, I believe.

It's doubtful there's any other damage to the car, especially if it was a very minor accident as you're describing. Bumpers are designed to take small hits. Good luck getting it fixed. Just get it taken care of sooner rather than later, to avoid any problems with insurance (should your friend choose to go that route).

[ho1ming]

Originally Posted by khaye1

how fast were you going???

I stopped at a traffic and I guess my friend was going at around or less than 20mph since he came out from a ramp which is about 10 feet from the traffic light and he did applied some brakes.


Thanks for you guys' repllies and it really gives a peace to my mind . I will post some pictures tomorrow once I got my car washed.

[n5160u]

The bumper cover is held in alignment with the body by plastic clips. During an impact the cover flexes as the bumper takes the hit and frequently pops free of the clips even if the bumper rebar and mounting are not damaged. If this is what happened to you all that needs to be done is to remove the cover and remount it back on the clips.

[ho1ming]

Originally Posted by n5160u

The bumper cover is held in alignment with the body by plastic clips. During an impact the cover flexes as the bumper takes the hit and frequently pops free of the clips even if the bumper rebar and mounting are not damaged. If this is what happened to you all that needs to be done is to remove the cover and remount it back on the clips.

Thanks for the info! I just brought it to a respectful body shop in my area and this is the same thing they told me. I am gonna have the bumper cover take off tomorrow, realign it to the body, heat it up and reshape the damaged area (i can't even tell from normal viewing distance). Will also have them inspect any inside damage as well. Thx for everybody's help/advise and that really add up to my BMW experience (I used to own a rx8 and they have a pretty decent forum as well).