[VirtuousWolf]

Sorry to be a cry baby, but wow this morning on my way to class I lost it. I don't know exactly what happened but, this is what I think happened. Someone backed up into my car, then opened their door quickly causing it to ding my door, and then either rested their body or something heavy on my hood while examining the hood of my car. That's what I'm guessing at least considering there is a huge dent on the front bumper of my car, a knick on car door, and a dent on my hood. I don't think the door knick or the small dent on the hood matter that much to me at this time, probably because of the massive problem on my bumper. I've looked around for other cars that might have scratches that match mine, but most people have trucks with huge chrome bumpers and stuff

Anyways, so I guess what I'm asking is what should I do,

Report it to my insurance?

Fix it at a collision shop?

Order an Oem replacement bumper?

Or Order a nice custom one?

The way I see it is if it only cost's a little more to get a brand new bumper or even a brand new custom one maybe I should go that route. I'm really not sure, I'm thinking getting a painted one is going to cost a lot more. I don't wanna blow a bunch of money but I think if I get a nice new bumper it would take the sting out of what happened a little but at the same time I am a college student fulltime, so the cheaper the better. But I also work fulltime, so if I can end up with something really nice that would be awesome.

Anyways, any advice on these options would be great. I'm trying to research oem replacement options and custom options, I'm not sure how much it would actually cost to do

Thanks everyone!

[edirtaynine]

since it seems like budget is your #1 priority in finding a solution, i would recommend getting an estimate at a body shop to first find out how much it would be to fix/replace that bumper and paint.

chances are though, if you have to replace that bumper cover and paint, the cost of a different bumper (i.e.- mtech bumper) won't be too much higher. you should find out what your comprehensive deductible is. if you're deductible is considerably less than the cost of the repair/replacement, you could file a claim with your insurance company and tell them the truth of it being damaged while the car was parked and unattended. not sure the exact details and laws of insurance in TX, but in CA if u file a claim as Not At Fault (hit and run, vandalism, etc.), your premium shouldn't go up.

for example, if you have a $500 deductible, but the cost of repair and new bumper comes out to $1100, you only pay $500... this is way better than paying that $1100 out of pocket just for the sake of not reporting it to the insurance company. you factor in how long it would take to "save" that $600 difference in your insurance premium, it's pretty negligible in my opinion. especially if the claim isn't your fault.

that being said, if i were u and i was on a super tight budget, after finding out a couple estimates, i would start searching the local classifieds on the forum and other sites for used bumpers. if you find one in the same silver, then even better since u'll save money on avoiding a repaint.

good luck and sorry to hear what happened.

[VirtuousWolf]

Thanks for the great advice, I'm going to file a police report right now.

[klaysta]

I'm surprised most people don't know this...

Almost all insurance policies have a hit and run/ uninsured motorist deductible. This deductible is usually much less than your normal deductible (mine is 200). This also doesn't "count" against you. My last car was a brand new Lancer I bought in college that actually was hit 3 or 4 times in the parking lot (one during class actually). I never had a hike in premiums or any other issues.

[eaglesfan83]

+1 on hit and run deductible. Had to do this 3 times in the past. Get a good estimate and a Msport bumper!

[qclik]

I just change my rear to mtech rear bumper under the hit n run deduction which for mine is 300 instead of normal 500. If you wanna get mtech or any better bumper, go file the insurance, cause new bumper from bmw is like 700 for e92 and i just use the whole money to get a mtech.

Or you could just find some used bumper and pay out of pocket and not get any damage record

[edirtaynine]

Originally Posted by klaysta

I'm surprised most people don't know this...

Almost all insurance policies have a hit and run/ uninsured motorist deductible. This deductible is usually much less than your normal deductible (mine is 200). This also doesn't "count" against you. My last car was a brand new Lancer I bought in college that actually was hit 3 or 4 times in the parking lot (one during class actually). I never had a hike in premiums or any other issues.

Originally Posted by eaglesfan83

+1 on hit and run deductible. Had to do this 3 times in the past. Get a good estimate and a Msport bumper!

"hit and run deductible" = comprehensive deductible
"um/uim deductible" = comprehensive deductible
"um/uim deductible" waiver = comprehensive deductible waiver
"normal deductible" = collision deductible

these are all specifically chosen by you (the insurer). you can select anywhere from $0 to $1000 deductible for either/both comp and collision deductible. if u select ur collision deductible to be lower than ur collision deductible, then yes, ur "hit and run deductible" will be lower. but this depends on the following:

- you choose to have um/uim coverage to begin with (this is optional and not mandatory for "full coverage")
- you select a lower deductible than ur collision deductible

[VirtuousWolf]

thanks my insurance knows now and everything. Which sites do you guys recommend for full front custom bumpers, not just the front lip, thanks!!!

[VirtuousWolf]

Is this my only option for a full front bumper cover replacement?

Thanks, I only have 48 hours to find the replacement bumper I want so I'm freaking out

[edirtaynine]

contact LTBMW and see how much u can get an Mtech bumper for. www.ltbmw.com

[rollinstone157]

You can either get:
OEM M-Tech bumper (I'd do this)
Rep M-Tech bumper (not quite as good)
Rep M3 bumper (honestly, IMO, M3 bumpers should stay on M3's)

[VirtuousWolf]

rolling stone where would you get the m tech? I don't wanna make a fake m3 or anything, I just want a nice bumper haha. So if I could have a place to buy the m tech at a good price, I'd be really thankful :P

[klaysta]

Originally Posted by edirtaynine

"hit and run deductible" = comprehensive deductible
"um/uim deductible" = comprehensive deductible
"um/uim deductible" waiver = comprehensive deductible waiver
"normal deductible" = collision deductible

these are all specifically chosen by you (the insurer). you can select anywhere from $0 to $1000 deductible for either/both comp and collision deductible. if u select ur collision deductible to be lower than ur collision deductible, then yes, ur "hit and run deductible" will be lower. but this depends on the following:

- you choose to have um/uim coverage to begin with (this is optional and not mandatory for "full coverage")
- you select a lower deductible than ur collision deductible

COVERAGE LIMITS DEDUCTIBLE PREMIUM
Automobile Liability Insurance Not Applicable $113.31
Bodily Injury $100,000 each person $300,000 each occurrence
Property Damage $100,000 each occurrence

Uninsured Motorists Insurance Not Applicable $34.13
Bodily Injury $100,000 each person $300,000 each accident
Property Damage $100,000 each accident $200

Auto Collision Insurance Actual Cash Value $500 $268.09

(1) Comprehensive Excluding Actual Cash Value $500 $157.67
Collision
(2) Personal Effects $100 $0


This was copied from a pdf of my policy. The bold parts are my deductibles showing that my um/uim deductible is only $200 dollars. As I stated originally almost all policies have this because insurance companies include this coverage in a 'full coverage' quote. For 34 dollars every six months I can have somebody ram my car in the parking lot and pay $200 dollars to have it fixed. Or get into an accident with somebody that has crappy insurance, have the police say its their fault and pay $200 bucks to get my car back in order. This is why almost all policies have it because of how cheap it is and that insurance companies throw it into the quote.

[VirtuousWolf]

No company wants to chime in and try to sell me something? The insurance company gave me a 500 dollar allowance and will include any needed painting. I will pay the difference in cost.

So now I just need to find a nice bumper by friday! Please help

[mike3000fl]

chances are any aftermarket bumper is not going to get to you by friday. they are shipped freight. could take a week to arrive.

why the friday deadline? i can understand if the insurance company is paying for your rental and the bumper is delaying the repair, but if the car isn't in the body shop it shouldn't matter. if you send them several estimates and the adjustor approves the repairs, some companies will just send you a check and let you deal with the repair as you see fit.

[edirtaynine]

Originally Posted by mike3000fl

chances are any aftermarket bumper is not going to get to you by friday. they are shipped freight. could take a week to arrive.

why the friday deadline? i can understand if the insurance company is paying for your rental and the bumper is delaying the repair, but if the car isn't in the body shop it shouldn't matter. if you send them several estimates and the adjustor approves the repairs, some companies will just send you a check and let you deal with the repair as you see fit.

this.

[VirtuousWolf]

Oh I need to pick out the bumper I want by tomorrow it can get here later, thanks. I don't know which one to ge I haven't even found the m tech bumper just the m3 bumper I don't want people to think I'm trying to make a fake m3 but at the same time I want a nice custom bumper to make me feel bette about having to pay for this ordeal.

[edirtaynine]

Originally Posted by VirtuousWolf

Oh I need to pick out the bumper I want by tomorrow it can get here later, thanks. I don't know which one to ge I haven't even found the m tech bumper just the m3 bumper I don't want people to think I'm trying to make a fake m3 but at the same time I want a nice custom bumper to make me feel bette about having to pay for this ordeal.

Originally Posted by edirtaynine

contact LTBMW and see how much u can get an Mtech bumper for. www.ltbmw.com

.