Rear-end damage... Crap.

[alexandre]

I need help from the family. So I lent my car to a friend for the day. N00b mistake indeed... She comes back like this :crying

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5187/img0904z.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/5481/img0903bx.jpg
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4637/img0902gq.jpg
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8559/img0901x.jpg
http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/2554/img0900uz.jpg
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4162/img0899qi.jpg
http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/6374/img0898g.jpg

The guy will pay for all repairs. I'm taking the bumper off this afternoon to inspect the frame and such. He says he got hit by a pickup but that's complete BS... Looks like a lamp post or a concrete block, especially with the yellow paint lol. What do you guys estimate the speed was for this kind of damage ? I can't believe he'd try to pull off a quick one after that. Talk about 'friends'.

Bumper already on order. Is the black plastic trim cleanable like we do for paint correction when detailing ? I have M105, M205, DA, etc. but I doubt it's the same process. If it's not correctable I'll throw new trim pieces in the order too.

Something metal, the trunk or the frame around it, is damaged because the trunk doesn't sit flush. Based on my pics, what do you guys think it is ? The lower metal piece (that has a big paint chip in it) is of course gonna be replaced, but I'm really concerned as to if the trunk might have been damaged. Also look at my left taillight, it doesn't sit flush with the rest of the car.

I'm going to the dealer get the 79.99 oil change (www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?7664) tomorrow so I'll ask them to take a look at this also. I'll keep you guys updated.

That's what we get for wanting to share our nice things. :rolleyes

[Hornung418]

Good chance that that will total the car if you went through insurance. He better be prepared to pay a pretty penny for that one. As far as the impact strips, just get a new one, that won't buff. As for the loaning to friends, just don't do it. If you are not in the car, they will always be tempted to do something stupid. "I'm in a BMW...with a manual transmission. Let's see what all the fuss is about." Chances are he/she backed into a poll after either losing it in parking lot or side road, or is just clumsy and wasn't looking where they were going.

Good luck with the repair, Alexandre.

[Hermes]

damn, something similar happened a few months back (also rear ended) but I don't remember who it happened to. Hopefully it won't be too bad

[Hornung418]

That was Alex Hoch (Hochspannung). In the winter, also a Canadian.

[webster]

oy vey...sorry to see this. thru the first couple pics i was like "oh that's not too bad" but then the pics kept going...ugh. hope she gets a speedy recovery...

[alexandre]

Good chance that that will total the car if you went through insurance. He better be prepared to pay a pretty penny for that one. As far as the impact strips, just get a new one, that won't buff. As for the loaning to friends, just don't do it. If you are not in the car, they will always be tempted to do something stupid. "I'm in a BMW...with a manual transmission. Let's see what all the fuss is about." Chances are he/she backed into a poll after either losing it in parking lot or side road, or is just clumsy and wasn't looking where they were going.

Good luck with the repair, Alexandre.

Yeah, with the mileage the car is worth nothing in their books. I got my lesson.

Finally got the true story: guy almost stalled while parallel parking but the car didn't stop - next thing you know he's moving at 7-8 mph right into the corner of a concrete block on the side of that road.

And they didn't close the fuel cap when they filled up, so I had a bunch of fuel pressure SES codes when I checked it out this afternoon :facepalm


damn, something similar happened a few months back (also rear ended) but I don't remember who it happened to. Hopefully it won't be too bad

Yeah I saw his thread (www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?6158) when I looked around for stories. He got similar damage, I sent him a PM to have an idea of the price...

How much do these welding jobs usually cost (for the metal part under the trunk) ?
Is it possible to damage the suspension when doing such an accident ? Rear left sits 1" lower than right, and I never noticed that before.

[danewilson77]

I bet the frame rail in the rear drivers side is bent. Must have been a decent impact if that's the case.....unless a shock just blew or a coil broke.

[alexandre]

I bet the frame rail in the rear drivers side is bent. Must have been a decent impact if that's the case.....unless a shock just blew or a coil broke.

I lifted the car with a jack and when I brought it back down, the wheel was in normal position. Then an hour later it was again 1" lower, so I'd guess is something suspension. Nothing in the rear suspension has been done for the last 50k mi (I don't have records prior to that). What do you think ?

Local dealer will do the quote for free tomorrow so I'll let you guys know the extent of the damage. If I end up with a total, let me know if you guys see any sub-12k IR Alcantara (or Nat Brown) 6MT 4dr zhp somewhere :)

[webster]

didn't you get this car only a couple months ago?

[alexandre]

didn't you get this car only a couple months ago?

I did. But I live on my jobsite for the summer so I haven't had the time to really drive it (except on my days off). Not many people over here have cars so we usually trust each other.

Hence why I wasn't too hesitant to lend it out for a day.

[alexandre]

Just came back from the dealer. They estimate damage at $1061 labor and I'll bring my own parts (bumper assy, black trim, impact bar). They really seemed to know their stuff, they removed the trunk trim to show me where exactly the frame was damaged. It definitely was a good impact. What do you guys think ?

While there, I saw this beauty in the parking lot:

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/3834/img0905qq.jpg

Rental, lol (why do people buy these cars ?)

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1237/img0906f.jpg

After inspection (pardon the kia at the right) :

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4531/img0907jf.jpg

Imola M's are soooooooo nice.

[alexandre]

The ZHP is finally back in service! I found an excellent body shop that did an awesome job at matching the paint and repairing the torn metal. You can't tell that it was in a rear-end accident at all.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1986/photo2012083165824pm.jpg

In case anyone ends up with similar damage, here's the cost breakdown:

- Bumper cover # 51127893298 - $385
- Bumper carrier # 51128195324 - $60 used (they're all the same for all 3er sedans 02-05)
- Bumper shock absorber left # 51128195327 - $40 used (same as above)
- Paint, bodywork, installation - $900

I decided to reuse all the black trim parts instead of buying new ones. The part numbers can be found here (http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=EV53&mospid=47725&btnr=51_4543&hg=51&fg=17) if you need them.

[echo46]

Thank God you washed it, it looked like that dude was four wheelin' in the mud.

[alexandre]

Thank God you washed it, it looked like that dude was four wheelin' in the mud.

Hehe, I had to park close to the woods for the whole summer. Thank pollen for that :)

[danewilson77]

Looks great.

Sent from Williamsburg, VA USA