[CyGuardian]

3 months of ownership and my baby has its first scratch on rear bumper, and its real deep. Any suggestions would be good.

Story: Some idiot decided to park his car behind mine at local IKEA. I was on the phone and did not notice the car parked behind me so I let go of the brake and bang ! By the time I realised that the parking sensors were screaming I was already kissing his bumper big time, which happened to have two huge bolts extending out for his number plates !!!

Which morron mounts his number plates with steel bolts !!!

Result: See the pics, 4 big scratches and some rubbing.

I will get a quote next week from some bodyshop that will teflon-treat my exterior/interior anyway.

Any comments / ideas would be most appreciated.

[txusa03]

Ouch, it is ok, we all do stupid things at time.

[LuisBoston]

Hey be glad there wasn't a tow hitch or you'd need a whole new bumper cover!

[e90driver]

With a little elbow grease and some polish those will be gone and looking like new in no time.

J/K - It could be much worse as other posters have said. Hopefully just a couple days in the body shop she'll be good as new.

[L~R~G nor cal]

Looks like the whole bumper needs a re-paint to be corrected back to 100%. Looks as if you are down to plastic and the plastic is dented. They will strip the paint, smooth out the dents, and repaint. I would guess for a good job it going to be around 1g.

[The_Blob]

500 bux in damage, MAX.

[Rips335iCoupe]

Sorry about what happened .... it really is no big deal. A little bondo and paint and you will be back to normal. My concern is why call someone an idiot and moron, when it was all you’re doing! Do you have to validate your stupidity by blaming others? Just accept responsibility and move on.

[328i]

Originally Posted by Rips335iCoupe

Sorry about what happened .... it really is no big deal. A little bondo and paint and you will be back to normal. My concern is why call someone an idiot and moron, when it was all you’re doing! Do you have to validate your stupidity by blaming others? Just accept responsibility and move on.

I agree, I hope you left a note on the car in case anything was damaged on his car. This is why I hate people who drive with their cellphones while paying absolutely no attention on the road. Also don't get the teflon coating, it's probably some BS.

[Feds]

Originally Posted by 328i

I agree, I hope you left a note on the car in case anything was damaged on his car. This is why I hate people who drive with their cellphones while paying absolutely no attention on the road. Also don't get the teflon coating, it's probably some BS.

You would hear the PDC better if you weren't on the phone.

[JO3]

Ouch, good luck with the fix.


And not to continue rubbing it in, but I agree with the others. Maybe next time you can put down the phone for a minute.

[jzcrna]

Bluetooth

[IM2C]

So, you were on the phone while backing up, and the guy is a moron because he's got steel bolts?

You are looking at about $500. Next time be more careful when backing up. Lesson learned.

[CyGuardian]

Thanks for the feedback. I will post pictures of the repair work and bill in a weeks time.

For the record and to clarify...

1. I take the full responsibility for what happened... hence the thread title

2. I was on bluetooth, I never hold a phone while driving.

3. The guy I hit is indeed a morron(ok morron maybe too strong, but I'll say definitely dumb), NOT because I hit him with the car (thats my fault people, concentrate), but because of the way he chose to mount his number plates. Steel bolts protruding out of someones bumber for 2 inches (I found a picture on google to illustrate what i mean, see below) is to say the least illegal. It could kill any child at 20mph or less.

My estimate for the damage repair is around CYP 100($250). The Official dealer in Cyprus gave an estimate of CYP150-CYP200 (approx $500) for complete repair and repaint of the rear bumper.

Any more comments on the teflon coating would be appreciated. Everyone in Cyprus is doing it, cause of the strong sun during summer time. The deal is that you take it to the Valetting center and they treat the car with Teflon outside and inside (especially the leather upholstery). Its a one off bill of around $250. Then every 6 months the shop calls you in for a re-apply for a fraction of the price. Its basically an avg cost of $400 a year and the car looks like new all year round.

These are some details from the brochure of this valetting centre.
Teflon Exterior AT-5 Platinum Plus - Paint protection System
Teflon Interior Leather protection of Dupont US

Comments please

[orionredwing]

Sorry to hear what happened. Like others, we hate cell phone 'holders' with a vengeance. So it's cool that you were on bluetooth. I like it so much, I think they should make it mandatory on all cars moving forward.

In fact, I think it'll look pretty lame in the next few years if you're driving a nice car and still holding a cell phone (I already feel that way when I see Mercedes owners drive by). If I were into bumper stickers, I actually think it'd be a cool message to put up. Ooops, off on a tangent.

In regards to the teflon coating, I'm not sure it's worth it. For $400 a year, I'd rather take it to a professional detailer, or do it myself. If you've browsed the detailing section, you'll find that a once a year detail would get you more, including swirl removals. Sealants (as opposed to wax) are durable and seem to last 3-6 months, so I think teflon is just a marketing gimmick. There may be similar thoughts if you do a search on some detailing forums.

Outside of the marketing hype, it doesn't sound like Teflon is any better than sealants, so I recommend you go the latter route. Depending on how you treat your car, the equivalent $400 a year should cover quite well. E.g. You spend $200+ to remove swirls once per year (w/ sealant applied). Then you spend $100 once or twice a year to do a mini-detail, which is to use glaze to hide any interim swirls and to re-apply the sealant. The the following year, you do another full detail to remove swirls, followed by mini-details during the year, etc. Just don't use an auto car wash (like at a gas station), or you'll find a full detail may cost a bit more

Originally Posted by CyGuardian

Thanks for the feedback. I will post pictures of the repair work and bill in a weeks time.

For the record and to clarify...

1. I take the full responsibility for what happened... hence the thread title

2. I was on bluetooth, I never hold a phone while driving.

3. The guy I hit is indeed a morron(ok morron maybe too strong, but I'll say definitely dumb), NOT because I hit him with the car (thats my fault people, concentrate), but because of the way he chose to mount his number plates. Steel bolts protruding out of someones bumber for 2 inches (I found a picture on google to illustrate what i mean, see below) is to say the least illegal. It could kill any child at 20mph or less.

My estimate for the damage repair is around CYP 100($250). The Official dealer in Cyprus gave an estimate of CYP150-CYP200 (approx $500) for complete repair and repaint of the rear bumper.

Any more comments on the teflon coating would be appreciated. Everyone in Cyprus is doing it, cause of the strong sun during summer time. The deal is that you take it to the Valetting center and they treat the car with Teflon outside and inside (especially the leather upholstery). Its a one off bill of around $250. Then every 6 months the shop calls you in for a re-apply for a fraction of the price. Its basically an avg cost of $400 a year and the car looks like new all year round.

These are some details from the brochure of this valetting centre.
Teflon Exterior AT-5 Platinum Plus - Paint protection System
Teflon Interior Leather protection of Dupont US

Comments please