On my way home last night following another car, I ran over a nice big chunk of retread that probably came off a truck. Below are pictures of the aftermath. I went to the dealership's bodyshop, and they estimated $1,117 to repair, since they would have to replace the whole front bumper along with the air dam (which they called a "front spoiler"). At first glance, it doesn't look bad at all; but it annoys me nonetheless. The small vertical plastic bar that joins the top and bottom parts on this side under the car that got snapped off from the collision. The left side of the air dam can easily be snapped apart from the bumper and gives at most that much leeway in the picture, but it does snap back on. Think this is worth the price? I would consider getting an aftermarket front bumper, but I dont like the idea of having to move the foglights in some ghetto-fashioned way. If I were to go this route, though, which would look best with the rest of the aero package and front splash guards?

 

i fixed mine with some superglue

 

If the damage is only to the front air dam you can just replace that, no need to replace the whole bumper. A new Air Dam is about $370 so $1117 is way too much.

 

that's horrible but 1,117 seems like alot to repair that but I don't know the extent of the damage.

btw, when i saw this thread i instantly thought "loose retard on the highway vs. RX-8" so when i saw the pics I was like "WTH did that retard do!?!?"

 

i too saw the word "RETARD"


from your pics -- that is NOT worth 1100+ dollars to fix it. You have full coverage? maybe do a claim with something about an act of god? i dunno most deductibles are 500.. thast better then 1100

 

I just bought used WWP air dam in the FS area for $200, WWP parts used tend to be rare though

 

WWP airdam? can u show us?

 

lol....i saw the same thing when i was reading the topic title, but yea 1200 seem to be a lil steep, maybe try a indi shop and see what they say....u might be surprise, and still get quality work done..

good luck!

 

air dam = factory appearance package front lip

 

WWP = white water pearl. Its the color.

the airdam is bottom thingy that is cracked. The bumper is all the material above that up to the headlights and hood.

 

Now I'm kicking myself because I can't change the topic title; off by a few letters, and you all of a sudden think "who's the retard?" :P Anyway, to get this back to normal the dealership would have to replace both pieces. The vertical piece that got snapped off is part of the original bumper. The air dam *might* be salvagable, but the loose connection makes me think otherwise. The insurance route is interesting... Yes, my deductable is about $500; but if I make this claim, what will that say about how much I will be paying come next year?

 

Or more aptly; retarded truck! :D Really though, they're the worst offenders with those chunks of rubber just laying on the road like that... serious road hazards!

 

I went over one of those on retreads the highway but was more fortunate than you. It still scared the crap out of me though.

 

Down here in the south, we call them Road Gators. They do a lot of damage to peoples cars. Nothing like seeing one flying through the air in front of you as it gets slung off the tire. This is usually covered by Comprehensive and it may have a little less of a deductible depending on your policy. You need to grab it and do a bit of reading before making any decision. If the insurance company writes you a check, you can spend it any way you like. You can choose an aftermarket bumper, or live with the damage and pocket the money.

 

The last time I was in an accident it was driving my Toyota Tacoma. Got rearended on the freeway by a guy driving a Dodge Dakota. It destroyed the front of the Dakota - partially because of the nose-dive from heavy braking and partially because my Tacoma is lifted. All it did to my Tacoma was dent the rear bumper and bend the bumper mounts down. His insurance company wrote me a check for the rear bumper, mounts and labor cost to replace it. I used the money to buy the aftermarket bumper I was going to buy the following Monday anyway. Score.

If you were already thinking about going to an aftermarket front end this might be a good opportunity to do so and save yourself some money.

 

I was looking at that last night; I have $500 collision along with $500 comprehensive. I am going to check out another body shop first to get another quote, and then talk to the insurance company. Any idea on what kind of "damage" this might do to my insurance premium come renewal?

And if I do get an aftermarket bumper... what would look good with the factory aero package with the front splash guards?

 

i like both the mazdaspeed and vertex lang fronts

 

OMG I literally fell on the floor laughing at that one! I immediately had a mental image of someone trying to lick their ear running onto the highway in front of an approaching RX-8. I still can't stop laughing!!

 

Argh, I just realized the foglight above is not working. I hope it's just the bulb that needs to be replaced.

 

sell the air dam on the forum... $100
buy new one... half price, problem fixed
total = $200 :D

 

im glad that someone here appreciates me..... lol

 

UPDATE: I get the feeling fate doesn't like the front passenger side of my car; on my way to school today, a chunk of ice drops off the truck in the right lane and plows itself into my bumper, shattering a nice big hole down and to the left of the passenger side fog light. Since I already called the insurance company, this may be a 2nd claim. Hopefully they'll cancel the original claim, and just go off this new estimate because the only difference is that the fog light housing now needs to be replaced as opposed to originally the front bumper and air dam. Here's to hoping Esurance likes their customers!