Well, this is one of those things that happen that I have no one to blame but my own stupidity....

On X-Mas eve my g/f and I are exchanging gifts. I gave her a list of stuff I wanted (all stuff for the Max) one of which were some 9005 PIAA Xtreme White Plus bulbs for my high beams. Too excited to wait and knowing they would only take a few minutes I decided to throw them in.

I'm comparing the light next to the HIDs (a little on the yellow side, but nice white on the projection. Seem much brighter and whiter than the stock Sylvanias) when I decide that I have to go for a ride. I inform my chick that we'll be going out and I open the garage door and start backing my car out. I am still inspecting the high beams on the wall as I'm backing up and then WHAM! I didn't know what the hell was going on but as it turned out I backed right into her Lexus RX300! I got out of the car in a hurry as if I could do something to minimize the damage but alas it was done.

Because her car (well, SUV I guess) was higher than mine, my bumper went under hers scratching the hell out of it, spidering the paint, causing 2 dents on the top, and 2 nicks on the trunk where the plate is. All this at between 1/2 - 1 MPH!

Now I've got to get this fixed (as well as hers ) and I need some advice....

1) How much can I expect to pay to have 2 minor trunk nicks, and 2 minor dents plus a repaint on the bumper?

2) Would I be better off getting a new bumper from Dave B? I'm pretty sure they are not painted so I would have to add that to the cost.

3) Should I be concerned with the bumper making more noise with my subs after it gets fixed? Or can I have them do something to the bumper that will make it sound better than stock?

*edit*
4) Should I have the dealer do it? Will they offer me a warantee on the work or just rip me off?
*edit*


All this could have been avoided if I just turned my f*#@in' head around. Needless to say this ruined my X-mas. My car is no longer a virgin

 

I know the feeling. I was visiting my parents and decided to clean my car. I was finishing up cleaning the interior of my car, and started it up to back it out of the garage to do the wheels. I was looking at my new clearance bulbs on the wall and backed into my mom's accord. It didn't do anything to her car, but my bumper has a little dent where the bolts from her license plate made an imprint. I felt like the biggest idiot.

 

Yea, I blame my g/f for having an SUV. If it was a car I just would have had the 2 bolt dents. Also, she could have given me the gifts on X-mas day! Or maybe it's Nissan's fault for putting yellow bulbs in there to begin with! I'm trying to feel better, but I'm crying inside

 

I know it sucks, but at least it didn't actually crack the bumper cover. While it may not be 'virgin' anymore, at least it can be repaired rather than having to be replaced ($$$).

 

As far as accidents go, this is minor. As far as damage to my Max, this is major.

So you don't think that replacing the bumper is the best route? I'm curious with the flexing and what not how they would go about reparing plastic

 

I remember when I got my bumper cover replaced and painted i ran me about $500.. You can probably get it for cheaper now though..

 

If you want a full replacement, then go for it. That would be the most 'pristine' surface to paint, etc.

If cost is eevn a small issue, from what I have understood, they use a flexible type of filler for bumper covers, then paint it.

As others here have suggested to me, call a shop listed with these people...

http://www.i-car.com

 

Dude that sucks! The second night after I got my limo tint installed on my car, my friend came over and didn't park in his usual spot which is in the loop in front of my front door. Instead he parked in the middle of the driveway. I started backing out, thinking how damn dark it was with the tint and as i turned the wheel to adjust to the curve in the driveway I heard the very discrete sound of metal rubbing up against each other. To my avail, my friend shouted MY CAR and realizing what I had done, I threw the car in park and jumped ship. lol Not much damage, but I felt like a moron as I had hit my friends Mercedes ML. He didn't care much as he hates his car and it already has plenty of missing paint.

I wouldn't bother going to nissan first, try a local body shop. Get a couple of estimates, and then go to nissan.

 

If you can find someone to do it cheaper let me know. I recently backed out of my garage and didn't look to see that my sister inlaws car was right behind me. Anyway gone to a couple of body shops in Freehold NJ area and was quoted around $550-650. Still shopping for a decent fair price. Bumper cover needed for the rear. Left rear corner pushed in real bad. Everyone recommends to replace rather than repair. Good luck with your repair. Keep each other posted as far as cost and some one to do this work. Thanks

 

Yea, I just got my 5% limo on last week. I didn't want to mention because I'm sure I'll get flamed, but to be honest even though it is dark it was not the problem. Me not turning my stupid head was the problem! I will admit that my g/f was very understanding and didn't seem to be bothered all that much. If the rolls were reversed, I'm sure I would have sh*it an eggroll...but then again I'm a real pri*ck! I was so upset that night that I didn't put out and just went to sleep .

When I woke up the next day (x-mas) I was hoping it was a bad nightmare but it was real. No Christmas mircle for me

 

No problem. I'm gonna take some pics on Saturday and post them up. I took jjs's advice and picked 2 shops listed on http://www.i-car.com. One of them has Saturday hours the other "might" be there on Saturday (I was told to call tomorrow).

I've got to get cracking (no pun intended) on it. I can't stand to look at it anymore. Once I pic a place I'll post some pics of the repair and how much, etc.

BTW, I'm in Long Island NY.

 

Sorry to hear that.
I was going a few months ago to lock up our church at night (on my birthday of all days) and was going down the dark road kind of a valley with no street lights and WAM I hit a small dumpster in the middle of the road. It took out my right head light, bumper cover, hood, grill. Man I was ****ed. Too top it 30 seconds later a cop come by asks what happen...I told him and he told me to hold on a minute and ran off. When he came back he said that they had been trying to catch the kids that were doing it for about an hour. (they never caught anyone) But i used it as a good excuse to replace the bumper covers and put on the ground effects. They look sweet.

 

..from body shops in LI listed with I-Car . Here's what I received:

SAL'S AUTO BODY
477 SOUTH BROADWAY
Hicksville, NY 11801-5023
Phone: (516) 681-6644

- The guy didn't seem like he much needed the business, but warmed up after a few minutes. The shop is in a bad location with no lot that I could see but the guy I spoke with really seemed to know his s*hit. Basically, he said that a new bumper cover is only $200 so it didn't make sense to repair it. He spoke about all the different conditions that paint is put on and how there is no "standard color" from the factory. He said that depending on who/where/when the paint was applied it can be slightly different. He said that they would mix up a color and spray the old bumper and take it out into the sunlight. When they got an exact match, they would spray the new bumper with it. Total cost for the job = $1059

FROG HOLLOW COLLISION
11 STEWART AVE
Bethpage, NY 11714-5308
Phone: (516) 735-2345

- This guy seemed much nicer than the first, but I don't know if he was as good. The shop was better, although the parking lot had iced over (intentional perhaps??? ) He felt that replacing the bumper was not worth it due to the minimal damage and also that he would have to blend the paint into the fenders. It was his intent to just blend the paint on the bumper and fix the minor dent on the trunk lid. Total cost for the job = $650. Better than the first, but seemed like a lot for not replacing the bumper. Also, I think that replacing the bumper would be the way to go, however paying either of these 2 amounts seems like too much compared to other people having their whole bumpers replaced and painted for $500!

If anyone has any input please feel free. Also, if you know of any good body shops in LI please let me know. I want to post pics but the car is dirty and the damage isn't noticable if it's not clean! I'll post the pics as soon as I get a chance to wash it.

 

Personally, I don't see how the whole job can cost $1050 if the bumper itself (new) is $200!!! That seems like a ripoff.

Also, what do they mean they can't get the exact color? Doesn't the Nissan factory sell the exact paint that they used to make the car initially? If not, then that's just plain retarded. If I were you, I'd aim for getting a new bumper altogether (as long as they can match the color to the rest of the car though...)

Good luck.

 

spta97,

I feel your pain. A week into my 2003 Maxima, I parked the car in the garage, didn't remember to check to see if it was far enough in. Woke up the next morning, opened the garage, and looked out the window to see a HUGE 5 inch diameter dent in my rear bumper, along with a 7-8 inch gash, which was in pretty deep. First thought was that someone had hit it, but then realized that my car was parked too far out and the garage door grazed it as it closed. Needless to say, I was ****ed, but in the end I was to blame. However, luckily as the day wore on, the dent repaired itself somehow, leaving only the gash.

Anyhow, I took it to the dealer to get an estimate, thinking it would run me between 400-500. Surprisingly, it was only $125 (sand, prime, repaint with 2 coats, clear-coat). So I had it done there. Of course, it all depends on where you go. The dealer seemed very cool about it, didn't seem like they were looking to rip me off.

Looking at your description of the damage, i think you'd be fine with getting it fixed, rather than replaced. My bumper now looks like new.

Good luck!

 

The day I bought my car(used), the guy I bought it from closed the garage door without the car all the way in. It put three or four deep scratches in the back bumper. I had it removed, repaired and repainted for a little less than $500. That has been a year ago and it still looks great.

I would avoid getting a new bumper unless absolutely necessary because it may not fit exactly the same. I know that they all SHOULD fit the same, but in my experience there are always variations. Just my opinion.

 

I think his point is that there are different factors that can effect the paint color. It seems like a reasonable argument, but what the hell do I know.

 

Ouch! Unfortunatly, my bumper is f*ucked! I do have a slight (smaller than the president's head on a dime) dent in the trunk but these estimates seem like a ton of quan.

Where are all you located? I'm begining to think that NY is just expensive.

 

Yep, often it is not actually the COLOR but the overall effect, particularly with any of the 'metallized'/'pearlized' type paints. Getting the particles to the right density and distribution is often VERY tricky and time consuming.

 

Just recieved a quote from a guy in NJ some where. I'll let you guys know tommorrow. A friend of a friend deal; we'll see. The price for a new bumper cover and foam, painted and installed is $460. I think it's in the bowels of camden bad place from what I hear, but it beats $650. I guess you get what you pay for so I'll let you guys know how it goes. Also he says he could do it in one day while I wait. Another important part in my decision making. Can't afford to take time off from work. And he'll do it on a Sat. Well worth the sacrifice. Keep you guys posted on the quality.

 

Well, for what it's worth, I came back to the airport to find some a**hole had scraped up my bumper and left no note. Nothing too deep. The Nissan dealer didn't call me back for a week, so I went with a local body shop. They took the bumper off and reconditioned it, adding some flex agent, painting, clearcoating, etc. When it was all done, it ended up at $486 (figures, my deductible is $500). They had the car for 3 days. Anyway, they did a fabulous job, you could never tell, and has seemed to held up so far (only a couple months). The Nissan dealer finally got back to me and said they'd send a guy with a van to fix it on the spot. Obviously, I didn't need them then. Maybe that'd have been ok, maybe not. Still, I'd rather spend the time and money one time to get it right than have to argue with someone about redoing it later. Ask around to find the best body shop in town is what I'd do.

 

According to your profile your in CO. I think things may be cheaper out there. Around here (LI, NY) people do have to pay very high rents for the shops. Not that it is an excuse, but I'm sure it's built into the price / labor rate.