caleb2483

Hey guys,

I've gotten few estimates and recommendations form local shops but wanted to ask you guys as well. My rear bumper was hit from behind while i was just about to turn right as the traffic cleared but the guy behind me thought i already took off, so he accelerated and hit me.

the damage is not too bad.. few scraps, license bolt indents (from the other car hitting), side and lower portion of the bumper slight miss aligned, little distorted, but reinforcement beam and other mounting point are ok.... and so here are my questions:

1. Some shops said I should just replace my bumper (using oem) while some say i should just fix it so i can keep the original vin# sticker on my stock bumper now

2. Some shop said i should paint the side quarter panels to match/blend the color when the new bumper is put on... another shop said don't do it cause you're messing with oem paint and all bumpers are slight different from the entire body.

3. Should I replace the reinforcement beam? The tow hook, which is attached to the beam, was hit as well but no damage seems to appear (except my tow hook cover has indentation of the tow hook from impact... but tow hook itself seems to be ok)

4. If I were to replace my reinforcement beam, some shops say I should paint it slightly to match the car? While from oem it comes primed and pretty much unpainted?

What do you guys think?

I plan on keeping my car forever and as stock/oem as possible.

Anyone with experience or knowledge in this field~

Thanks~

JS2k.com

1. I would try to go for a new OEM bumper, no reason not to get something new, and you can transfer the VIN sticker. That's what we opted for when my GF got rear ended.

2. Grand Prix White shouldn't be too hard to match, so I wouldn't blend it.

skipdodoubleg

www.troof.org
If you want to stay OEM, then get a new OEM bumper. There's no sense in fixing up a damaged bumper when you can get a brand new OEM that will be in better shape for the years to come.
No reason to blend, your car is new enough that paints should match.
If your reinforcement beam was undamaged, leave it alone. As long as it doesn't affect your bumper mounting or warp anything, you'll be good to go with just a bumper and some paint.

caleb2483

so even if my tow hook was hit pretty hard i shouldnt replace that?
i dont see any "damage" per say but i would feel like the impact could have done something. and since the tow hook is mounted to the reinforcement beam i thought i should replace it.

how do you transfer vin # sticker without messing up the sticker? once its taken off isnt it hard to put back on the new bumper?

thX~

RedY2KS2k

Don't ask for opinions on the Internet.

Find the 2 or 3 local body shops that cater to the high-end cars. There's someone in your area who gets all the business from the BMW, Ferrari, etc. owners and has a bulletin board full of pictures of restorations they've done on on XK-E's, 356's, etc. The one I visited here even had photos of a Lotus Elise in various stages of restoration.

Just do what they recommend. They know more than a bunch of people on the Internet.

caleb2483

i've gone to 3 high end shops around my area... shops the local guys here at s2ki have recommended. and the 3 body shops all say a little different things, so i wanted to see what you guys thought... the guys who own s2k thats all.

thx

anyone else have any suggestions?
"asking body shop expertise"

JDR159

As others have said:
--Find a shop you like and others trust, and follow their advice.
--Without actually looking at your car, and touching it, it's very hard to tell you what to do w/the bumper beam, even though it sounds like you want us to tell you to get a new bumper beam.

Finally, you might be pissing into the wind on all this. Unless the person who hit you is paying you out of his pocket, his insurance company will have more input to what gets replaced than you do..

Find a shop, get it fixed, drive hard, and enjoy!