accident. rear bumper damaged

[ontheroad92]

ok, so i was rear ended the other day by some moron. he was determined at fault. i have the police report.

i have an ex wagon. the bumper has some scrapes and damage. it is a bit bent up, but not super damaged. the rear door is a TEENY bit off center, but still opens and shuts fine. no leaks present. the car is still driveable.

my car has full coverage.

here's my questions:

i have taken the car to two shops so far and gotten two VERY different answers regarding repairs.

one shop (which is known for a good reputation) told me that if the insurance looks at it, they may tack on many repairs and attempt to total my car. i was told that due to rust, the bumper may be difficult to remove and, while they couldn't tell, there may be slight body damage. the lady said herself she was reluctant to touch my car, out of concern it may be harder to get a new bumper on it.

the second shop, a honda dealer, gave a quick look, gave an estimate and, well, wasn't as thorough, but told me it MAY cost more than that. i am concerned insurance won't cover the full amount and i'll be stuck with the bill. however, my insurance does work with this dealership.

more than anything, i'd hate to see the insurance company total my car out.

any advice on which shop to take it to for repairs?

[Fleetw00d]

First, provide us with some pictures. Second, what part of the country? Unless he is uninsured, it doesn't matter what insurance you have - the other driver's insurance should be paying, unless you're in a "no fault" insurance area.

Reputable shops have to prepare estimates with auditable pricing for parts and labor, so they typically won't quote the cost of using salvage yard (U Pull) parts. They will typically quote replacing any part that is damaged as well. Ask them specifically which parts are included in the quote and what the source of the prices is. You can see the Honda OEM prices on www.hondaautomotiveparts.com; unfortunately, all the wagon rear bumper parts appear to be discontinued.

After spending way too much time and money on my 1990 replacing the quarters and having it professionally painted, I was rear ended. The insurance quote included a new rear bumper bracket, beam, and cover, and some work on the trunk; total $1400, which would have totaled it as far as the other driver's insurance went. I worked with the shop to get the estimate down to $1100, just low enough to be below the threshold for totaling it. This kept me out of the salvage, rebuilt title hassle. I was able to straighten the bracket, I had another beam already, new (remanufactured OEM) cover, straightened the trunk and did all disassembly/reassembly myself. Total repair cost less than $400. You can see some of what I did near the end of this thread: http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=180806

Get underneath and try removing the lower nuts holding the bumper bracket to the car (the ones inside should be ok). If you can get it off, you might be able to repair it. You should also be able to tell from underneath if the fiberglass beam is cracked. If you're in the south, you may be able to find a wagon bumper assembly in reasonable condition. Depending on the condition of your car, you might be able to argue for a higher value to raise the "total" threshold. If the damage is minor as you describe, don't let them total it!

[ontheroad92]

the good news is the car isnt totalled!

just needs a new cover. HOWEVER, the plastic screws on the wagon are an effin BITCH!!!!

i was thinking of just cutting them off and putting some new ones in, BUT given where they are located, it won't be so easy.

here's some photos of what i'm dealing with:



any tips? should i cut them off? also, any tips on getting the screws back in with the new bumper?

[Fleetw00d]

You have to remove the bumper assembly from the car to correctly replace the cover. I haven't had to take my wagon rear bumper off, but the sedan/coupe rear bumper assembly is held on by four studs; two nuts accessed from the trunk, the other two underneath behind plastic covers, and the screws at the rear wheel opening. Slide the whole thing straight back. Then you may be able to unscrew the clips along the top of the bumper cover. www.hondaautomotiveparts.com can show you an exploded view of how the rear bumper is mounted.

[ontheroad92]

this will NOT come off! i tried pb blaster, breaker bar, vice grips. the other one broke off. should i just saw it off and drill a hole out?

[Fleetw00d]

Is that the lower left side? You might try a stud installation/removal socket; it might grip what's left of the nut. Try wire brushing the threads first, it will help if the nut actually starts to come off. If you cut it off, it looks like you would have good access to the back side to use a bolt (you'll have to drill the stud out). The bracket is no longer available from Honda (pricey if it was - list price $357).

[DGOfTheCentury]

Try heating with a blow torch, then blast them off with an impact. That is what i do to exhaust bolts.

[ontheroad92]

sadly i do not have access to a blow torch or impact wrench. going to try to dremel it. hope that works.

[ontheroad92]

guys.....it's ALL FIXED and looks GORGEOUS!!!!! thank you so much everyone for your help!!!! the dremel certainly helped matters. someone let me borrow it.

ok, so a few tips for the wagon owners....

the styrofoam bumper absorber is no longer made so handle it with care. mine fortunately wasn't damaged, just really dirty. there is a way to glue it together if need be, depending on where it's damaged. (found that advice on another forum) i haven't yet tried to find something similar that would work as a replacement, but if i do, or if anyone else does, we'll add it in this thread.

be careful removing the rubber step pads. i pliered mine out. might want to use a lube on them. i did. the pads are hard to find. mine were able to be put on the new bumper cover.

there's 6 bolts to pull the assembly off. two inside the car on each side, and one under the car on each side. there's covers for the bottom ones. yes, there's plastic screws that are hard to find so remove the covers carefully and reassemble carefully. be prepared for 20+ years of dirt to spill out onto you!

these are the part #s for a WAGON:
bumper clips on top (you'll need 10) 91502-SM4-000
bumper clips on bottom (you'll need 3) 91504-sm4-000
bumper cover 71501-SM5-960ZZ

i put those up there because quite a few times i saw repair shops when i went in using the part #s for a sedan model bumper, which is different and won't fit on the wagon and it's a lower price. by having those part #s ready to go, it's made my claim one hell of a lot easier so i could get what i needed. honestly, i really think the shops would have tried to fuck me royally on this repair and total my car. i'm really grateful for this forum. i'd be screwed without it!

[Fleetw00d]

What did you do with the lower mounting points? Just leave them cut/broken, or drill them out and use bolts?