Bumper Repair and Vancouver Alloy

[JMann]

Hi all,

When leaving work yesterday I noticed that some moron had hit my back bumper, and left a nice scratch on it which has gone down past the primer. They of course didn't leave details, which is pretty much standard now. I've not had to deal with anything like this before, but I am looking for recommendations as to what company to deal with the repair.

I could ask Volkswagen for a quote to repair it, but would they do a better job than say a bumper repair company like Chips Away for example? I am positive that a Volkswagen Dealership would be more expensive, but would it be a better quality than another firm? Has anyone had something similar, and any recommendations? I will take a picture and upload it soon so you can get a better idea of the minor damage. It's a Golf MK6 GT TDI 140 in Reflex Silver.

Secondly - Over winter I buckled one of my alloys by driving over one of those dreaded pot holes, and after getting my car serviced my local VW Dealership recommended I got a replacement wheel sorted as it was slightly buckled. After getting quotes for local garages for one replacement 18" Vancouver the best price I got was from where I purchased the car at £473 inc VAT. Does this price sound reasonable or I am been taken for a ride?

Cheers guys.

[R32UK]

i would look for a genuine wheel on ebay... certainly wouldnt pay that price.

as for bumper repair, find yourself and independent with good reviews. they will do a better job than any VW garage.

[dubber36]

Vancouvers rarely come up in sets of 4 for sale on ebay, never mind individual ones, so it could take a while to find one. I'll call TPS for a price and see how much a new one would be without the dealers margin.

As for paintworks. Chips away are not the best if you want an A1 job. As said, you are better off using a recomended local bodyshop, even if is does mean having to wait a bit longer to get booked in.

[Buck]

Agree re paint job - find a local independent. Chips Away type franchises are not the best quality/durability and are inconsistent depending on which operator you get.

I've noticed a few Vancouvers on the bay. Might be worth looking on there over the next few weeks. 

[JMann]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I've been looking on eBay for Vancouvers for a while now, have seen a couple come up for sale but usually sets of 4 and they usually sell well over the £500 mark. Of course I could get all four, hoping that they aren't buckled either but I have 3 perfect Vancouvers on the car and don't really have the storage room to keep the spare x3 - seems like overkill.

@Dubber, if you could give TPS (Trade Parts Specialists?) a call that would be an excellent help, but please don't go out of your way to do so.

As for the bumper repair, I will aim to avoid Chips Away and try and find a local company that can do it, just got to find a decent firm in the Somerset area. Time to start Googling!

Promised a picture earlier, doesn't look as bad when you see it like this:



 

[dubber36]

@Dubber, if you could give TPS (Trade Parts Specialists?) a call that would be an excellent help, but please don't go out of your way to do so.

Our local TPS sponser another forum that I use, so I have posted them a message. It's no problem.

Looking at your picture of the damage on the bumper. Mud flaps would cover that. Just a thought.

[dubber36]

Bloody Hell. TPS have just quoted me £441.20 inc VAT 

[JMann]

Hi Dubber,

Thanks for checking with TPS, £473 doesn't seem like a bad price then! Amazing to think one wheel can cost that much, all due to a stupid pothole and councils not looking after the roads properly! I will keep an eye on eBay for a couple more months and if nothing comes up, just bite the bullet and get it from VW Cirencester.

I had thought about getting mudflaps, especially through the winter months but I would still know that the scratch is under them so I would rather just get it sorted completely and forget about it!

Thanks for the help.

[p3asa]

fter getting quotes for local garages for one replacement 18" Vancouver the best price I got was from where I purchased the car at £473 inc VAT. Does this price sound reasonable or I am been taken for a ride?

I had to swerve and avoid a dog in my first few days of owning the car. Upshot was I badly damaged my Vancouver on a kerb.
Phoned the garage I had just bought the car from and they gave me 25% off bringing the price down to £318.  I still thought that was a bit high and phoned 2 other main dealers and they both said they could match £318 so I reckon they could give you a discount.

When I went to pick up my new wheel, my VW dealer had Monza replicas and R replicas and all sorts of others for £89 and £99 or a set of 4 with decent tyres for £549.  If I had known that I would probably have just sold the other 3 Vancouvers and got a set of reps considering the money I was paying for one!!

[Snoopy]

Theres a big markup on the alloys. I use to know what too :embarassed: but just cannot remember at the moment. :embarassed: