[thebusdriver3]

hi all

this is my first post on this board after months of reading. unfortunately, it does not bring good news. Yesterday, I got in a minor accident with another vehicle that ended up damaging my rear bumper. As you can see from the pictures below, it is somewhat deep. I am posting here in hopes that some of you can assist me in fixing my baby.

From what I can tell, i do not think it is worth sanding the bumper since it is close to the tires and there is a different curvature in that area. Maybe it is just better to get a new bumper. From speaking to some of my buddies, it seems like this job will cost about a 1000 dollars (300-400 for bumper, 400ish for paint, 200 for installation) if i wanted to take it to an auto shop. Do you guys concur? I do have a 500 deductible on my insurance so I figure it might be best to just pay out of pocket. Not exactly sure if this is the best avenue to take as well.

Any suggestions on auto/paint shops to look into in the Bay Area? Am going to call some tomorrow. Thanks.

Oh yes, i am also considering the m-tech rear bumper too now. =P

[http://picasaweb.google.com/stevenwu...22279273645122

http://picasaweb.google.com/stevenwu...22371015281186

http://picasaweb.google.com/stevenwu...22440105893858

http://picasaweb.google.com/stevenwu...22399376924786

[pikkashoe]

You dont need to replace that, that is minor damage. Any good reputable body shop can repair that with no problem. They will remove the bumper, repair it and refinish ithe entire bumper and thats it.
To give you an idea the bumper is $479. Labor is 2 hours to replace and 2.7 hour to refinish, im not sure what the labor rates are in your area so you can do the math. So should be right around $1000. To repair that it should run around $350 to $400, and thats repairable all day long. Hope this helps.