"Bumper Bender"

[dbraveman]

Hey guys, been away for a while but i'm back and glad to be back reading up on your tips and stories...i have a little story myself

2 days ago, while my pt parked in a parking lot, a suv jumped over the curb and smashed a civic parked next to my pt,luckily my car was just brushed with the truck's side into my bumper...my bumper had a big dent on the driver's side....
so now my mind is racing thinking of which front facsia do i replace it with...the viper? the smoothie?
anyways,after 4 hrs waiting for the cops to show up and give us our accident reports,i end up going home ,still pondering...
next day,i go out to work,the dent is still there...i get to work,make an appointment with other driver's claims adjuster....
this is where it gets spooky...
at about 1 pm i go out to see my dent again, and guess what? IT'S GONE.....all that's left is scuff marks and not much more evidence of it being smashed in...i don't get it..is it possible for a big dent into the front bumper to bring itself back into shape??is it made of rubber? bare in mind that it was sunny and a bit warm...
has anyone seen anything like this?
what is the adjuster going to say? is he goona laugh at my face and tell me "you're claiming $1000 for some scratches?????"
should i go out and smash the same spot again to see what happens?

sorry for writing so much,i needed to tell you guys about this and ask for advice...
thanks

[technobear]

I cant help but chuckle when i read this. the bumper is made of a form of polyeurithayne ( spelling and possibly not the right plasic) its something between PVC/Fiberglass/and rubber. anyway, its made to minimize dents. what you might want to have looked at is the safety bar that sits under the front bumper (behind it) to make sure that wasnt broken by the collision.
IMHO

quote:Originally posted by dbraveman

Hey guys, been away for a while but i'm back and glad to be back reading up on your tips and stories...i have a little story myself

2 days ago, while my pt parked in a parking lot, a suv jumped over the curb and smashed a civic parked next to my pt,luckily my car was just brushed with the truck's side into my bumper...my bumper had a big dent on the driver's side....
so now my mind is racing thinking of which front facsia do i replace it with...the viper? the smoothie?
anyways,after 4 hrs waiting for the cops to show up and give us our accident reports,i end up going home ,still pondering...
next day,i go out to work,the dent is still there...i get to work,make an appointment with other driver's claims adjuster....
this is where it gets spooky...
at about 1 pm i go out to see my dent again, and guess what? IT'S GONE.....all that's left is scuff marks and not much more evidence of it being smashed in...i don't get it..is it possible for a big dent into the front bumper to bring itself back into shape??is it made of rubber? bare in mind that it was sunny and a bit warm...
has anyone seen anything like this?
what is the adjuster going to say? is he goona laugh at my face and tell me "you're claiming $1000 for some scratches?????"
should i go out and smash the same spot again to see what happens?

sorry for writing so much,i needed to tell you guys about this and ask for advice...
thanks

[dbraveman]

i know the outside of the bumper is flexible enough to return to its previous form..my question was about the inside..i mean this dent was almost into the headlight(which got a very small crack btw)

[purple04]

There is an inner support that will be damaged. Any adjuster with experience will know this. It may take removing the bumper cover to inspect the inner structure, but this should be done. If they don't do a real inspection, push it. It's a sure thing that if this isn't fixed, and anything else happens later, the new guy will try to say that the damage was pre-existing, and will not pay. They will even be right! Good Luck.

[tpscruiser]

What Purple04 said and make sure you point out the crack in the headlight. That crack could "grow" with temp changes.

Good luck
Just a suggestion, we carry a cheap disposable camera in each vehicle just in case something like this happens, hopefully not to us but may save someone else a lot of grief.

[2step]

The bumper material Has a "memory" and heat is used to return it to its original shape if it hasn't been stressed too far (no kinks). An auto body shop will probably refinish the out side painted cover and replace the inside core.

[Jimbo]

Didn't the cops take a picture at scene?

[Pyropathic]

in my experience i've never seen a cop take pictures of a accident and i've been in 3....

[PT-ERA]

Cops only take pictures if criminal charges are pending. If it's just an accident, no pics.