I'm new here. Hi. Anyway:

To make a short story even shorter- a driveway accident ended with the left rear corner bumper of my 8 day old xA caved-in entirely. Luckily, my brother popped out a majority of my bumper. BUT, it's still got deep scratches, one small dent, and one larger, less noticible one, the bumper could use resecuring to the side panel, and the reflector piece needs to be replaced. Figuring "How much could it be?," I took it in to Holmes Boyd Shop, and prepared myself to lose my paycheck just so I'm not surprised. The guy looks at it, no big deal, enters some thing into the computer- comes back with my esitmate:

$536.34

I burst into a fit of laughter, then I realized it was serious.

I'm not intending to imply Holmes ripped me off, I just can't afford $546. They were much nicer than they had to be, they buffed out what they could and mixed me some touch up paint, all for free. But, in any case, like I said, I just can't afford that much money. If anyone has ANY ideas, or tips on how to apply the touch up paint, anything, please let me know. Here's the damage:

The bumper corner:


Most of the scratches/the dent (if you can see it):


Scratches/dent (that white bit is glare, not a huge scratch):


Where the bumper meets the side panel:


Reflector that could use replacing:


(I know you can't really see the dent, and they're fairly low quality. I have some much better ones if anyone's actually interested.)

I know it could've been much worse, especially considering what it was before my brother popped it back out, but still. It's my brand new car, and i'm horrified at what it's going to cost to fix.

 

poor xA

 

dont feel too bad. before i sold my mustang, my girlfriends brother backed into it. slight scratches along the drivers door and rear panel. no dents, but the fake airscoop on the side needed to be repaired. total was $950....got quoted from 4 different places and they all quoted me around the same.

 

when i first read the topic for this post I thought it was about... um... self-gratification, I mean, when I do it, I cry... I need 2 tissues... don't you?

 

Either live with it or get a body kit :D

 

I don't have $500 for damage, I definetly don't have $2000 for a body kit.

 

You can get a body kit installed for like 1300... :twisted:

Just touch it up, polish, wax, buff, and never look at it. If you find yourself near it, shield your eyes with your hand...

 

If the dent is so small it is barely noticeable, you might be able to push it out, perhaps maybe with the help of a heat gun? I found that plastic can be reshaped using a lot of heat. . . it will be weaker at that point, but you could probably get most of the deformity out without replacing the bumper. . . but I'm guessing as I havn't tried on cars yet. It's worth a shot.

Those scratches look like they can be touched up. . . a pro can do it and can almost make it look perfect, and should be cheaper than $500. YOu can do it yourself, but it for sure won't look perfect, but it will be passable. Dunno, just some suggestions

 

That $500 isn't even for replacing the bumper. It's just painting, and taking car of the dents and resecuring the bumper to the side panel. And he said he probably couldn't get the dent out 100% that way. He said upwards of $800 or $900 to replace the bumper.

I'm going to take it to a few other body shops, maybe they can touch it up for me. 'Cause you're right- they'll do a much better job than I ever will.

 

Sorry to hear about it, but the damage doesnt look that bad either.

 

sorry...it hurts to look at it ;(

 

Not sure if you caught the part where he said that he couldn't afford $500.
How the HELL is he gonna do $1300.

 

Well, why pay 500 bucks for the paint job? It's just a waste of money. If he's gonna be spending money like that, he might as well save up and just get a body kit. The damage isn't that bad, either..he's lucky he has a dark color. he said it'd be 800-900 to get a new bumper. I don't know about that price, but at that price...might as well get a totally new look.

 

I am with miko.......at least you will get more for your buck....

 

it doesn't look that bad. just ignore it, and save the money for a body kit. or go get some estimated somewhere else. actually 500 isn't too bad to repair & paint the bumper...if its a quality shop. sure, you can go to earl scheib and get the whole car painted for less than 500. but the quality is what counts. i got a small dent on mine that magically appeared and i just put a sticker over it, and no one can even tell unless i point it out

 

Must be my old eyes. Looks pretty good to me. I think you got a deal with Holmes - they did more than most would without money.

First, this is a blessing in disguise. It usually takes weeks and months, no, years even to reach the state of affairs you have achieved in such a short period. I am talking about the slow, tortuous agony of finding small dings, bumps, nicks, and dents from rocks thrown up on freeways, cars hitting you with careless door opening, and shopping carts careening into the side. Finally you reach a point where it's not a big deal to find someting new that has happened. Now, you should have that peace of mind that comes only after lots of anguish. You've bypassed that all. You should feel pretty good! It has been baptised, not in a car-crunching accident. It is cosmetic only.

Second, I'd take it to a detailing shop and see what they can do or suggest. These folks are experts at making vehicles look great. But, you probably won't do better than the free buffing you already had.

Third, would a car bra cover the area? I don't really like the looks, but some do.

Fourth, yeah, maybe a sticker, though I don't like those either. The more humorous ones are those that look like giant bandaids.

Fifth, maybe the auto shop of a local college or high school can offer a cheap fix. It's a learning experience for them, cheap for you.

Good luck. I know none of this makes you feel better, even the tongue-in-cheek. We all take pride in how snazzy a new car looks and try to keep it that way at least for as many of the first months as possible.

 

I would try buying hoagies and sodas for the guys that helped with the buffing and mixed you up some touch up. That seems really cool of them. Call them a few days after the luncheon and ask if you can split it up in three or four payments. What can it hurt? They might even hook u up even more. Good Luck

 

I wonder if you can buy a painted bumper from the dealer. I know you can get a lot of already painted stuff from them.

 

There is always the option of going through your insurance company if you have a low deductible.

 

I have the rear bumper they took off of my XA when I had the body kit put on, plus an extra KEI Design fiberglass rear lip. Guess I should post them for sale on the classifieds. Maybe some poor damaged XA could benefit from them. Shipping would be a bear, though, wouldn't it?

Looks sorta like this when finished: