Well fly, I'm right on your heals. Woke up Saturday to my car alarm remote beaping at me. It was really windy when I woke up so I figured that the wind had just rocked the car enough to set the preshock on the alarm off, so I just got into the shower to get ready for work and ignored it. I got out of my apartment a little after 9 and when I got down to my car I did a quick walk around just to make sure. Sure enough, someone had backed into my Impala. Right on the corner of the back bumper on the drivers side. No note either. Not a huge smack I guess, but I'm going to need a new lower bumper cover and paint. It is getting a little wierd though. Since I got that car, it has gotten hit every 6 months. So I reported it to the cops that morning and they said to just keep a look out in my parking lot for a car that might have done it. I know it is a red car from the transfer paint, so we'll see if anything shows up. I'll try to get a picture up tonight.

Ouch, sorry to hear that, dude...

I braved the subzero weather and snow to snap a couple pics, here they are. Like a said, not a huge deal, but just inconvenient, cus fixing it is out of my pocket.

here is a close up, the black lines are where the bumper cover is cracked.

I might be wrong, but I don't think the bumper will have to be replaced..

oblu: don't they have something that they can put on the plastic to make it looked fixed? I don't know.

I would keep a look out for a red car with some tan paint on it in your parking lot. They can probably take a sample of the paint on each car to confirm what car it was if you figure it out.

It would be great if they didn't have to replace it I guess, because it won't be around long enough for me to see the bondo crack. But I guess I thought that it needed to be replaced if it was cracked. That was their reasoning behind it last time it was replaced. But that time a drunk rear-ended it at about 25 and it was a bit worse than this. Plus, his insurance was also paying for it all so I didn't question replacing the bumper.

The way that paint cracked, it looks like that bumper has been repaired or replaced before, usually the factory paint doesn't crack, it flexes with the bumper cover. Are you sure the plastic is actually cracked, or is it just the paint? If it was cold enough, the plastic could be cracked. Try peeling the paint away from the crack with your fingernails. Even if it is cracked though, it appears from here it could be repaired with plastic repair material, not bondo, which will fall out in clumps if it is touched again. In severe cold, I have seen otherwise flexible bumper covers shatter like ice. Good luck, Mr. Scharmer.

EDIT: Duh, reading comprehension skills. I see now your bumper is not factory original, which would explain the cracked paint.

Edited January 28, 200719 yr by ocnblu

The way that paint cracked, it looks like that bumper has been repaired or replaced before, usually the factory paint doesn't crack, it flexes with the bumper cover. Are you sure the plastic is actually cracked, or is it just the paint? If it was cold enough, the plastic could be cracked. Try peeling the paint away from the crack with your fingernails. Even if it is cracked though, it appears from here it could be repaired with plastic repair material, not bondo, which will fall out in clumps if it is touched again. In severe cold, I have seen otherwise flexible bumper covers shatter like ice. Good luck, Mr. Scharmer.

EDIT: Duh, reading comprehension skills. I see now your bumper is not factory original, which would explain the cracked paint.

The bumper cover is definately cracked. It was below zero on saturday morning so that would probably explain it. I'll have to take it in and see what the body shop thinks about it. Good to here that it could maybe just be repaired.

Wow...

Sorry to hear about the accident but, the fact that you're all sitting around deciding how to fix something so minor tells me you all either have:

1. More money than you know what to do with

2. A lot of vanity

Why bother fixing that??

Wow...

Sorry to hear about the accident but, the fact that you're all sitting around deciding how to fix something so minor tells me you all either have:

1. More money than you know what to do with

2. A lot of vanity

Why bother fixing that??

Nah, I understand where he's coming from on this. I'd want that fixed, too. Not only would it bug the hell out of me because its a car I love and care about, but its the principle that it I didn't cause it nor was it caused 'naturally' like a stone chip or some other kind of road debris.

Best of luck in getting it fixed for cheap, man. I think its possible to repair that without replacing the whole cover.

Wow...

Sorry to hear about the accident but, the fact that you're all sitting around deciding how to fix something so minor tells me you all either have:

1. More money than you know what to do with

2. A lot of vanity

Why bother fixing that??

Not fixing it would make the other few grand worth of body work that it has had pretty irrelevent. Maybe I should just quit washing it too, that would save me some money.

That sucks....

I can understand where YD is coming from, but if you're still paying on it, heck, you want it to look good...

On our newer car-I'd fix it 20 times..(may have to at this rate)

My beater, on the other hand, as long as the bumper doesn't come off...

(still in one piece, barring the curse..)

Dog Damn! Even amongst a forum with hundreds of people

this is getting ridiculous. Sorry to hear this bad news Dude.

Get a sample of that red paint to a lab... looks like Camry red to me!