Bumper damage :(

[adekil]

Don't have pictures yet as its dark but our neighbor just reversed their car into the back of mine causing several deep long scratches around the edge of the rear bumber. Its too dark to tell if there's further damage but what sort of repair would this involve, patch up or replacement? and what sort of cost as I would prefer to leave the insurance company out of this; obviously they will reimburse the costs since owning up to this.

I know it'll be difficult to advise without pictures so will try and get some up tomorrow when its light outside.

What a bummer start to the weekend 

[Steve78]

Don't do your neighbour any favours.  I'd go for a replacement, so get a quote and present it to your neighbour.  If the cost is too high then you have to go through insurance.

[andrewparker]

I've been put in a similar situation this week (see my thread titled "Gutted").

My bumper also has deep scrapes in it. I went to a body shop that has a very good reputation and they thought nothing of it, but the upshot is that it will cost £378 to repair.

The reality is that accidents happen, and although it's normal to be angry about it the best way to sort it out is amicably and without taking advantage of the situation.

[monkeyhanger]

If it's cracked or dented/pushed in anywhere then it need replacing, if it's scuffed only then respray. You'll probably get a better colour match than the factory provided. Sometimes my car looks like it's Tornado Red body with Salsa Red bumpers.

[mcmaddy]

Don't do your neighbour any favours.  I'd go for a replacement, so get a quote and present it to your neighbour.  If the cost is too high then you have to go through insurance.

I wouldn't like to live next door to you mate! I'm sure it was an accident, no one got killed and it can be fixed without taking the pi44. At the end of the day I'm sure said neighbour will already be mortified and after its fixed they will still be neighbours.

[Steve78]

I wouldn't like to live next door to you mate! I'm sure it was an accident, no one got killed and it can be fixed without taking the pi44. At the end of the day I'm sure said neighbour will already be mortified and after its fixed they will still be neighbours.

Well he asked the question and I just gave my response.  I wouldn't be happy with a cheap band aid job, I'd want a new bumper, especially if it was cracked etc.

My neighbour is an arse hole anyway, hence my response as I can only speak from how I would deal with that scenario.

[mcmaddy]

If it's cracked and needs replacing then that's fine but I wouldn't be jumping up and down for a new one if the old one can be repaired.

[monkeyhanger]

My neighbour is an arse hole anyway, hence my response as I can only speak from how I would deal with that scenario.

I have a very nice neighbour on one side and a complete arsehole on the other. I bet the arsehole would not come knocking on your door to voluntarily tell you he/she'd hit your car.

If the neighbour is nice and/or you're friends, you've got to take that into consideration when considering repair costs if the cheaper option will get the job done to your satisfaction. Going new bumper will probably prompt getting the insurance involved (most will stomach £300 out of their own pocket, but not £700+), and then the insurance company decides if a new bumper is required.

[adekil]

Thanks chaps, I assessed the damage next day and there's several scratches, some deep some not and certainly no dents and/or cracks and defo nowhere near as bad as the picture in andrewparker post (gutted)

Neighbour is nice and knocked on my door owning up otherwise I would not have noticed for a while I'd imagine so the right thing to do is to take to a body shop, repair and pay the cash. As long as it looks as good as it was before then she'll be happy and i'll be happy and I certainly won't have an insurance claim against my name or will she.

Looking at andrewparker quote for fix, I would hope mine is slightly less than that and should have no quarrels in claiming this back from the neighbour.

[Mark V GTD]

I would give them a chance to have a smart repair done as it will be much cheaper. I would retain the proviso that its the bodyshop if I was not 100% percent happy with it though.

The thing is a bodyshop will want to take off the bumper and paint the whole thing - thats how they work...