[BMWforLife]

So I went to lunch with a coworker of mine today at St. Johns Town Center in north Fla. It is a busy place at lunch time. I am always safe and park far away... I don’t care if my friends don’t want to walk the entire length of the parking lot!!

Well...long story short I come out from lunch and see my black sapphire bumper laying 1/3 peeled off my car on the ground...

It looks like someone backed into it or tried to squeeze through the parking spot or whatever! I won’t get into the details of the parking lot but let’s say it is quite narrow where I was and my best guess is a trailer hitch hit it. The bumper was like a hang nail, and got caught on whatever went by it and just banana peeled off.

I wonder how long it will take to fix, if I should go to third party collision centers for estimates or the dealer. I will file a claim if it is around 700-800 to repair but...something tells me it will greatly exceed that cost. LOL.

Anyone had to replace their rear bumper before? (ballpark total cost?)

Thing that bugs me is...the insurance agent asked me if I had any witnesses. Which all I have is the guy who came to lunch with me.

I will post pictures of the horror tomorrow once it is daylight again. I wonder if this is the time to trade in for an M-Sport rear bumper.

[JoNaH]

That's horrible, goodluck man!! That sounds decent for a back bumper repair unless u have the rear parking sensors then it will more!!

[chrisny]

I hate parking lots. People are such scum sometimes. Sorry man.

[BMWforLife]

yeah I don’t have pdc so thats my only plus to the situation.

Karma guys...its coming for them...

[BMWforLife]

The damage...

my love...


and how I prefer to park! Suck it Infiniti!

[BMWforLife]

Before, the bumper was hanging off the car sticking out about a foot, not driveable, so I used zip ties for now.

[ZMM_OMG]

Major suckfest Sorry to hear about that, man! Hope you get it all fixed up and looking pristine quickly!

[johnofcross]

Sorry about the misfortune man. If push comes to shove, maybe you can research if they have a recording of the event? I'm sure most of St John's parking lots have video recording.

That 4th picture you got there, that's from the UNF parking lot! (Fellow Jacksonvillian here)

Again sorry for this, and good luck with the fix and the hunt.

[Drk280]

So sorry to see the damage, I also park as far away and with no one around, then return to my car and see a POS car parked next to mine with a lot of empty spaces around. Wtf is wrong with some ppl.

[gator15]

Sorry to see the damage, it is more disappointing that whoever did this didn't have the decency to stop. Have you filed anything with the police? Sometimes that can be a prereq. for insurance companies.

When you get it fixed, try to make sure that they use an OEM bumper (some insurance companies will not cover this). If the bumper cover is the only thing that is damaged, the fix may come in at under $1,000. If you are willing to travel, I highly recommend University Collision Center in Gainesville, they are amazing and the owner is a BMW fan, he will take good care of you.

[rconti]

Originally Posted by BMWforLife

I wonder how long it will take to fix, if I should go to third party collision centers for estimates or the dealer. I will file a claim if it is around 700-800 to repair but...something tells me it will greatly exceed that cost. LOL.

Anyone had to replace their rear bumper before? (ballpark total cost?)

Thing that bugs me is...the insurance agent asked me if I had any witnesses. Which all I have is the guy who came to lunch with me.

Well, hopefully your friend can at least agree that it was not your fault, even if he didn't see it happen!

I wouldn't waste my time taking my car to the dealer unless they'll provide a free loaner. Your insurance might give you a rental car if you have rental coverage.

Dealers just contract the work out to bodyshops anyway.

Bumper is probably gonna be ~$1k. Not sure what yours costs, but the bumpers are frequently around $500, and the labor/paint/etc is another $500. $900-$1400 is probably a reasonable ballpark figure.

[Alpine F31]

Sending you good vibrations so that never happens again!

[BMWforLife]

Originally Posted by johnofcross

Sorry about the misfortune man. If push comes to shove, maybe you can research if they have a recording of the event? I'm sure most of St John's parking lots have video recording.

That 4th picture you got there, that's from the UNF parking lot! (Fellow Jacksonvillian here)

Again sorry for this, and good luck with the fix and the hunt.

Haha, yep, my worst fear, PARKING AT A COLLEGE.

[BMWforLife]

Originally Posted by Alpine F31

Sending you good vibrations so that never happens again!

I think I will surround my car with cones I store in the trunk now..

[BMWforLife]

Originally Posted by rconti

Well, hopefully your friend can at least agree that it was not your fault, even if he didn't see it happen!

I wouldn't waste my time taking my car to the dealer unless they'll provide a free loaner. Your insurance might give you a rental car if you have rental coverage.

Dealers just contract the work out to bodyshops anyway.

Bumper is probably gonna be ~$1k. Not sure what yours costs, but the bumpers are frequently around $500, and the labor/paint/etc is another $500. $900-$1400 is probably a reasonable ballpark figure.

Yeah, I saw that the dealer I bought it from has a collision center down the road from the actual dealer. I am just paranoid and figure this is a brand new generation, I am going to take it somewhere that is not a dealer and be that “first F30 Repair” for the body shop and they won’t have a ton of knowledge of the car. That is about the $$ I was thinking on it, I am debating whether or not I should file a claim with insurance.

One person says yes, file a claim and pay the 500$ deductible.

The other says no, don't file the claim because they will hike your rates and cost you more in the long run.

I have to call the insurance tomorrow and find out if they would raise my rates.

I’m leaning towards filing, but I suppose we will see how that conversation goes.

[BMWforLife]

Originally Posted by gator15

Sorry to see the damage, it is more disappointing that whoever did this didn't have the decency to stop. Have you filed anything with the police? Sometimes that can be a prereq. for insurance companies.

When you get it fixed, try to make sure that they use an OEM bumper (some insurance companies will not cover this). If the bumper cover is the only thing that is damaged, the fix may come in at under $1,000. If you are willing to travel, I highly recommend University Collision Center in Gainesville, they are amazing and the owner is a BMW fan, he will take good care of you.

Yeah, I will need to find out a bit more information tomorrow, I have never had to file a claim for damage on my car that I didn’t actually see. I will keep that shop in mind, thanks!

I didn’t file anything as of yet, mostly because at the time I was due back at the office and had my buddy with me so I had to get him back as well.

[Alpine F31]

Originally Posted by BMWforLife

I think I will surround my car with cones I store in the trunk now..

That's funny but not a bad idea!

[RobUK]

Really sorry to hear you've been victim to some idiot's negligence and hope you get it back to pristine condition soon.

Have had the same happen to me twice! Worst one was years ago when I parked my Nissan 200SX in a private car park at my office and came back to find someone had put a crease down the entire nearside of the car. Whoever did it must have known to cause that much damage, but they never left a note

My solution to car park dents - have a guard armed with a taser watching over the car while you're away. Anyone who comes too close gets it!!!

[BMWforLife]

Originally Posted by RobUK

Really sorry to hear you've been victim to some idiot's negligence and hope you get it back to pristine condition soon.

Have had the same happen to me twice! Worst one was years ago when I parked my Nissan 200SX in a private car park at my office and came back to find someone had put a crease down the entire nearside of the car. Whoever did it must have known to cause that much damage, but they never left a note

My solution to car park dents - have a guard armed with a taser watching over the car while you're away. Anyone who comes too close gets it!!!

DON’T TASE ME BRO...! BRO...DON’T TASE ME! BRO DONT TA--<BUZZZZZ>

[SomeRandomer123]

A new bumper on my E90 LCI 330d cost in excess of £1200 (yes, GBP) - so that was one the insurance took care of nicely

[Valour]

Most insurance companies offer small and large claim forgiveness if you have been with them for a while, I have had progressive for 4 years and have both as a "loyalty" bonus. I know allstate is great with claims that do not raise your premium.

[Sephanite]

ive got my rear replaced. 3k AUD