Rems31

So this morning on my way to work, I got rear ended. There was a truck with a trailer trying to reverse into a parking lot from the main road. That stopped all traffic but not the guy behind me. I checked it out and looks like there's only damage on the plastic part of the bumper - no cracks just scuffs and scratches. I think it helped that his car was an integra and that the front is low. But you can see where the license plate hit my bumper.

Now my question is, is it possible to just replace that plastic part? If so, how much would that be? Thanks!

Oh and the guy who hit me ended up front ending the guy behind him cuz he decided to back his car up after he hit me.

dozer

iTrader: (3)

that sucks, got pics? are you talking about the exhaust shroud? if so i think the go for something like 40 bucks usd...not too sure tho

Rems31

no i was already late for work...
but this is the part..

prospectjtaz

iTrader: (1)

NOPE, the middle piece of the black portion is moulded to the bumper and comes as one piece.

Same thing hapened to me, cost of removal and repair of existing bumper equaled the same price as the Mazdaspeed diffuser, so I just went with that route.

Rems31

The damage isn't major. Nothing cracked (I don't think)...just scratched up. I mean I don't want the guy to have to pay for an entirely new bumper...

Atilla

iTrader: (1)

that sucks -

question - why not have the guy pay for a new rear bumper? I'd try and get as much as possible for pulling that crap.

Kafka

I guess your train of thought is like this: If you are not going to mod your car to the max down the road, just patch it. If you want to mod it, this is a good start ... by taking advantage of the "insurance claim". A lot of guys screwed/got screwed this way, its just a fact of life man...

HOWEVER, if the other driver he hit go through insurance, its game over for him, so it doesn't really matter.

I am thinking the OTHER guy is probably going THROUGH insurance, so maybe you should too and get the mazdaspeed diffuser (And remember to call Al from Scarboro Mazda to order =P)

Rems31

I guess if the situation was reversed and the guy I hit only had these scratches, I wouldn't want him to make me pay for a new bumper...

dozer

iTrader: (3)

^exactly, id try to get a new one

prospectjtaz

iTrader: (1)

but what it comes down to is this:

the cost of removal of the bumper, refinishing, and repainting is gonan equal the cost of the speed bumper.

Also you could only do the above if you wanna have that rear portion painted in silver like how i used to have it.

Black plastic is not something to can fix. Plastic has its own pattern and whatnot. So most likely your gonna need a new bumper.

Also a new bumper means paint, and paint means blending your quater panels. I don't know what condition the paint is like on your car right now. It might be a better option for you to go speed bumper since not only will it cover the damage, it will also have OEM paint on the sides to match the paint perfectly on your car.

Rems31

Well the guy who hit me, his bumper wasn't bad either...his acura symbol fell off but that looked like the brunt of it.
The other guy, he just reversed into him like a 3 feet at most so I don't know how much damage that guy has. But the other guy who got hit is actually my friend's brother. So I guess I'll see what he decided to do. I just dont think this warrants an insurance claim.
I guess I can live with the scratches if it is just cosmetic.

Edit: Yea I have no plans to mod it. I just bought a house and I don't see myself doing anything to my 8 anywhere in the near future.

J03K1LLARX8

iTrader: (1)

damn right in the rear end yes take full advantage of this and get your 8 looking its best with a new MS diffuser.

prospectjtaz

iTrader: (1)

But if you wanna keep it stock you are gonna need a new bumper, or get a shop to sand down the black portion, prime and repaint the bumper silver. You will also need to paint the shrouds.

Rems31

k well im planning to bring my car in to the dealer for a coolant flush...so I'll get an estimate then.

prospectjtaz

iTrader: (1)

It's obvious you have a sense of morality, I'm a big believer of Karma myself, thats why when I had an estimate done on getting my 8's rear bumper fixed it was quoted around 5 to 6 after paint and labor.

I weighed my options and decided to just use that money towards the speed bumper, and I decided to fork the extra to repaint the existing bumper.

J03K1LLARX8

iTrader: (1)

well get ready to shat yourself cuz its not going to be as cheep as you think. Mazda love to blow up little fender benders like this. when you leave Mazda your gonna be paying the same price as a MS full body kit

Kafka

I'm a big believer of Karma myself Are you sure you didnt miss the
"NOT" in there hahaha :P

Joking aside,

Rems31 you are a good man. That said, listen to Jay's advice on the cost thing. You should talk to your favorite bodyshop instead of dealership since they will always recommend you to change the whole thing (since most customers may complain down the road...from experience) to be safe.

dozer

iTrader: (3)

just get a new bumper

Rems31

Just talked to the other guy who got hit. He said the only damage he got was on his license plate holder...it got cracked.

prospectjtaz

iTrader: (1)

since your looking to keep your car stock, i would suggest just stripping priming and painting the black portion silver, it looks clean and won't stand out too much, plus will keep costs down for both parties.

Rems31

cool I'll take that into consideration.
I'll wait til I get the car checked out before deciding on which route to take.

thanks everyone!

Rems31

So I brought my car in this morning for a transmission and coolant flush. Also got them to check out the bumper. Nothing major so I can live with minor scratches on that plastic piece.