Sonovabitch. Looks like vulrath's getting a new back bumper.

First off, everyone walked away.

Guy was nice enough and had no problem waiting on the cops, but had insurance that turned out to be canceled, and was driving on a suspended license (they gave him a ticket and impounded the car).

My back bumper is cracked at the bottom now, and as of this morning sagging at one end where it fits into the quarter panel because the clip is broken. Insurance guy quoted $1710 to replace, repaint, and restripe, barring any further damage. I know at minimum they're going to have to replace the styrofoam filler blocks, but who knows what else.

One thing I was very impressed with was how the end of my exhaust punched a near perfect circular hole in his front bumper cover. Muffler and exhaust tip are still firmly attached. Go Ford.

I had what I thought was a minor accident in a Honda Accord about 5 years ago. (I was not at fault) I insisted on dealer repairs. The local dealer did a great job. Everything looked fantastic.

Fast forward a few years, and the two bumper covers were obviously a different color from the rest of the body. Seems that the sun and the ultraviolet rays associated with it, do funny things to paint. What looked like a great job, soon enough turned to a total mess on the vehicle. When I went to sell it, I really got dinged because Front and back covers for a completely different shade from the rest of the car.

The lady from Nationwide tried her damnedest to convince me to use one of their "preferred" body shops when I made initial contact yesterday. After hearing the list, I decided that I wouldn't let either touch my car (previous experience, horrifically bad work) and went with the dealer suggestion, which has done both bumpers once already, and does some of the best work I've found. Until yesterday you'd have never guessed that I had the back bumper replaced 5 years ago. Hell, I've had people assume I have a garage to put it in because the paint's held up so well.

It's kinda funny on the timing...I was just about to look into making a whole bunch of aesthetic changes to my vehicle (none of which required a new bumper).

Anyway, the carnage (haven't decided if the pun is intended yet):

quote:

Originally posted by vulrath:
One thing I was very impressed with was how the end of my exhaust punched a near perfect circular hole in his front bumper cover. Muffler and exhaust tip are still firmly attached. Go Ford.

Many years ago, driving my daily driver '56 Chevy on Rockville Pike, all three lanes stopped at a light. I was about 5th back in the center lane. Light turns green, all three lanes start moving, me too. I was distracted for just a second (couldn't have been texting back then, but I forget exactly what), looked back and my lane had come to a complete stop (from 5mph). The bird ornament on the front of my '56 poked a hole right through the tailgate of the little pickup in front of me.
 

You should take the money and cash out, then buy a painted bumper online for $800.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
You should take the money and cash out, then buy a painted bumper online for $800.

Thought about doing that. Because I still have a year left on the loan, for brevity's sake the insurance company writes the checks directly to the body shop, something about having to have the lien holder as a beneficiary on the policy. At least that's my understanding of the issue, as was explained to me.

Besides, to be brutally honest, all I want is to have my shit fixed.

You may be able to give them a bumper for cheaper to save on your premium later. I did this for my truck and actually got something I liked better for cheaper than OEM. For a Mustang I imagine you'll want OEM though.

On a separate note I recommend everyone get uninsured motorist coverage. You have no idea how many people have low coverage or no insurance out there. If your ever unfortunate enough to be in a crash instantly get a plate and see what the driver looks like if you can. All the other stuff is secondary but that will help find the other guy if they take off.

Sorry for the PSA above, glad that didn't happen to you and I hope you get it all fixed with as little headache as possible.

From the start, Dad insisted that I get uninsured motorist. I can be foolhardy and thickheaded sometimes, but from the moment he first suggested it I shut up and took his advice unquestioningly.

The number of uninsured motorists in Memphis is staggering.

And yes, I strive to keep everything OEM if possible. Even the hood replacement I'm considering will be a used takeoff.