Bumper Damage - Please Give Your Opinion

[dranpsych]

Proud new owner of a 1995 LS400 that was nearly perfect. Only 50,000 miles! Sometime in the last week somebody bumped into the rear bumper :( causing mostly cosmetic damage although one area seems that it is slightly cracked. I don't know who did it. think it was a bump and run at the mall. Was wondering if all of you would suggest getting it fixed and if so, how much do you think it will cost? Will it require a full bumper replacement? or should I just live with it? Thanks for any help.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dranpsych/LS400Bumper#

[dpellet]

Proud new owner of a 1995 LS400 that was nearly perfect. Only 50,000 miles! Sometime in the last week somebody bumped into the rear bumper :( causing mostly cosmetic damage although one area seems that it is slightly cracked. I don't know who did it. think it was a bump and run at the mall. Was wondering if all of you would suggest getting it fixed and if so, how much do you think it will cost? Will it require a full bumper replacement? or should I just live with it? Thanks for any help.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dranpsych/LS400Bumper#

Bummer, sorry for your luck!

Good news is the bumper is really not that difficult to remove. Take it to a body shop and see what they recommend while it's on the vehicle.

If they say they can fix it then perhaps your own removal and delivery and re-installation will save big bucks!!

If it requires relacement I was able to get a refurbished bumper w/o stock mounts for $300 CAD. Had it sprayed to match and re-installed with parts from old bumper, total repair cost $320 plus about 4 hours of my time and a $150 to spray. Make sure you re-use the chrome stip (looked like it was spared from damage and there expensive to replace with new.)

Once you get at it it really is not to difficult to remove, leave the bumper bar in place and slip cover over and away from it.

Hope this helps!

[RDM]

The paint cracked like that because it's been repainted before without proper flex additive. I'd strip the bumper down before repainting to insure there's no issues later.

Removal is pretty easy for a novice and will cut your labor down a good bit at a shop, figure paintwork $150-250 or so.

[amcdonal86]

The paint cracked like that because it's been repainted before without proper flex additive. I'd strip the bumper down before repainting to insure there's no issues later.

Removal is pretty easy for a novice and will cut your labor down a good bit at a shop, figure paintwork $150-250 or so.

Are you sure? My bumper is cracked exactly the same way, and it doesn't appear to be repainted.

[LS 0181158]

Really sorry about your misfortune. Don't get me started on how I feel about the general public not respecting the cherished property of others. Every time I see someone leave a shopping cart rolling around in the middle of a parking lot (especially on a windy day) because they are too lazy to return it where it belongs...

Whether or not to repair it depends on what the rest of your car looks like and how much you value its appearance. I've seen plenty of cars with this kind of damage that you barely notice because the entire car looks so ragged. I know on my car (which is the same color) I couldn't stand what you pictured. As a matter of fact, my car has a very slight indentation which appeared in 2008 on the front bumper beside the license plate. I took it to a body shop, and they detected poorly-repaired prior damage (obviously from before I got the car). I had thought someone backed into my car. Overall estimate was somewhere in the range of $500-700, depending upon whether they were able to spare and reuse the expensive (I believe $120) chrome strip during removal and reinstallation. Ultimately, I've decided to pass on the work (so far) and doubt I will ever get it done. There's no paint damage, and the only way to tell is based on the irregular reflection of light off the indentation. I'll NEVER get back the money I put in.

In your case, the damage is more obvious. How did the person manage scratch evenly across the receding contour of the lower bumper? One thing that concerns me is the fact that both the upper and lower portions will need to be addressed separately, and they naturally will require two different paint colors. I'd get estimates from several different body shops and make sure I understood how each planned to tackle the work. The more thorough and comprehensive, the more you'll pay, of course--perhaps a couple times as much. I wouldn't be surprised if a good shop wanted over $1,000 for the repair. Everyone else is right--removing the bumper yourself should save substantial labor (not that I'd personally have the wherewithal to attempt this). What's your insurance deductible?

[killerFatty]

My bumber, never previously repaired, cracked just like that as well. I was able to get a replacement bumper for about $150 off a parts car. I removed it myself, which was not difficult really just undoing a lot of little clips and screws as well as the huge frame bolts. The guy that pulled my frame reinstalled it as part of the frame job so IDK how much labor is for that. I resprayed it to match and got good results for about $100 in materials. So over all it cost me $250 to replace my crunched up bumper with all my own labor. Since it's cracked just respraying it would look silly, so I would recomend replacement. Hope that helps some.

[SW03ES]

I certainly would have that repaired if it were my car...

[groomerz]

Proud new owner of a 1995 LS400 that was nearly perfect. Only 50,000 miles! Sometime in the last week somebody bumped into the rear bumper :( causing mostly cosmetic damage although one area seems that it is slightly cracked. I don't know who did it. think it was a bump and run at the mall. Was wondering if all of you would suggest getting it fixed and if so, how much do you think it will cost? Will it require a full bumper replacement? or should I just live with it? Thanks for any help.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dranpsych/LS400Bumper#

Just had my front bumper cover replaced 830.00 It had a hole in it from snowplow while car was parked they replace chrome strip . It wasn't damaged but said removal and reuse of strip is difficult.

If you are handy you could remove your old cover and install new cover yourself to save some $$ maybe a couple of book time hours. You'll know if you can do it if removal goes well.

[RDM]

I bought brand new chrome strips when I repainted my car a few months ago. Both front and rear, at dealer net, were about $330. They're not cheap. As for a bumper cover, you can find a used one for $200 or less at most salvage yards, and that would be an even easier option if you don't want to drive around with yours removed for a few days.

As far as the other members asking if that's OE, I've never seen OE paint crack like without physical damage to the urethane. Paint will spiderweb a little but actually to crack and chip off would require a seriously hard impact, or improperly prepared paint.