My fiancee's rear bumper cover was smashed in a hit and run. We have no ID on the driver. Probably pointless to report to insurance... would require a $500 deductible under collision insurance, and I am hoping we can fix this ourselves for under $500.

See photo below. It's a 2008 Fit Sport... the purple color (I think they call it blackberry pearl). Only the bumper cover is damaged. I searched long and hard for a replacement factory bumper cover and the best link I could find was this. It looks like it comes unpainted though. The spoilers actually come pre-painted... but we don't need a spoiler. So let's say I get that rear bumper cover for $150. I am sure I can figure out how to install it myself... but we'll need to get it painted somewhere, and that paint color isn't exactly common. Where to get it painted. Dealer?

Is it just a better idea to have the dealer do the whole thing? I'm sure they'd charge an arm and a leg... I'd rather just install it myself and have them paint it, assuming that would be cheaper.

Is it worth it exploring "repair" options? Try to punch out this dent, sand/fill/paint? How would that price compare to a total replacement, and how good would it look in the end?

Thanks so much for any help you can give. Never had to deal with this before but hoping to do it as cheaply as possible... and doing whatever work I can myself.

 

But it at the best price new [think you did that part], find a great body shop who will give you a good price to paint it then install it yourself if you feel confident in doing so. When looking for the body shop take the BBP with you so they can asses it.

 

Thanks. You think a body shop can match that paint? It's a very unique color that has "sparkles" in in for lack of a better term... it doesn't seem like a solid color when you look up close. I guess in theory they could obtain the paint from the same source Honda does.

And sorry for my ignorance, but what is BBP? Assuming you mean the older damaged part... which is still on the car for now so yeah I'd bring that.

 

By BBP I believe he is referencing blackberry pearl. I would pick up the new bumper cover, oem is the best option for fitment, remove the rear lip spoiler off your damaged bumper, in this picture it appears to be in good condition still. Find a body shop that is reputable and ask for a quote to paint the rear bumper. They will be able to mix the paint in house to match, and since the car isn't terribly old you shouldn't have much issue with matching.

 

Due to a rear end accident, I recently had to have my bumper refinished and repainted, and unfortunately, my guess is that damage would exceed your 500 dollar deductable.

The question is would it make your future rates go up.

But with the cost of parts, labor and paint...body work in general...there really seldom are cheap ways of fixing it.

 

Thanks... do you have a breakdown for how much those 3 things cost in your situation? Most specifically the paint, I guess.

In my case:
Part: $150
Labor: free (self)
Paint: ___???___

 

Oh, dur... I should have figured that acronym out. Thanks.

Sounds like pretty much what I had in mind. And yes the spoiler is still good thankfully (as are all other panels/parts surrounding the bumper), so I'll remove that and install it after the new painted bumper.

 

Talk to a body shop, lots of places offer a discount for paying cash as well, you could very well get a new bumper painted for under $200.

 

Well my accident was not my fault, the other persons insurance was covering, and my priority was getting it done well and correctly.

I did get multiple estimates, and just to remove and refinish bumper and re- paint it was $500-$600 dollars. My damage appeared to be less to the actual bumper than yours.

The Bodyshop, once they got going, "said" that the bumper mounts had become bent...repair made total cost go up to $900 dollars...but of course I'm just taking them at their word about the bumper mounts.

If you can do the labor and painting yourself that obviously significantly changes the equation.

Even if you don't, most body shops will give you free no obligation quotes.

 

look around for spare bumpers, i bought mine for 100 bucks.

 

Rip that bumper cover off and make SURE the damage is only cosmetic before you go deciding to fix it yourself. I was rear ended about a month and a half ago and the car sustained $2500 dollars in damages, most of it hidden. Sometimes a 500 dollar deductible is a bargain.

 

What were the other damages? I will definitely take your advice, but in this case I am 99% sure the impact was not hard enough to damage anything else. It was a glancing blow and it takes very little force to cause the bumper to crumple in the way that it did. I think a significant force would have crumpled it much more... but again I will take your advice to verify those assumptions.

Do you have any images of your damaged bumper?

 

One of the reasons I suggest a body shop to look at it. No sense in guessing. The bumper support is a 'shock' of sorts designed to absorb impact - it might have been effected, I certainly can't tell by looking at a photo as can no one else. Only way is to actually go and find out.

 

I would get estimates from at least 2 repair shops. The estimates should have break-down items. Then you can decide from there. Most likely $500 deductible is worth well spend. Just from IMHO.

 

111 Out of curiosity, in what direction did the hit occur?

 

Sorry for the slow reply. My fiancee was driving straight in the right lane on a highway, just before an exit. A person in the left lane just slightly behind her darted across 3 lanes to get to the exit ASAP. He left only inches of clearance, and she needed to tap her brakes to respond to a driver in front of her, so the guy behind her hit her with a glancing blow as he continued changing lanes. Does that make sense? She was committed to going straight on the highway at that point, and he continued down the exit, and never returned to the scene.

 

I was hit directly in the rear by a Chevy p/u who was swerving to the left when he hit me. He hit the hatch more than the bumper, and the hidden damage was behind the hatch latch area in the trunk floor, which buckled and had to be cut and repaired. Your damage appears to be much less, but it never hurts to be sure!

Shot at 2010-07-01