I got rear ended today, do I need to replace the bumper?

narutorenji · 03-20-2007, 03:00 PM

Hi everyone,

I got rear ended in my 2007 Prius today. However, it was a minor/soft impact (my car and the car behind me were stopped at a red light...and the car behind me got rear ended, causing the car behind me to bump me from behind).

There is no visible damage, a small scratch maybe...but no dents. My question, do I need to replace the bumper. I read somewhere on this forum that the bumper is made up of a styrofoam that absorbs impacts, that needs to be replaced even with minor impacts.

Any feedback or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Naruto

Charles Suitt · 03-20-2007, 03:45 PM

Howdy... the "bumper" to which you refer is actually a "bumper COVER" made of a foam-like material witha plastic surface painted to match your car. You can remove the "tow eye plug" {that little round plug on the driver's side of the front bumper cover} to take a look at the construction. The actual bumper is behind that piece which is more cosmetic than structural. There would be no need to replace it unless it retained permanent scars or dents... even then it would be a "looks" element. If the scratches are slight, you could rub them out like any section of the body.

Never pleasant to be 'bumped' but it sounds as if little damage resulted.

narutorenji · 03-20-2007, 03:59 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ Mar 20 2007, 04:45 PM) [snapback]409176[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Howdy... the "bumper" to which you refer is actually a "bumper COVER" made of a foam-like material witha plastic surface painted to match your car. You can remove the "tow eye plug" {that little round plug on the driver's side of the front bumper cover} to take a look at the construction. The actual bumper is behind that piece which is more cosmetic than structural. There would be no need to replace it unless it retained permanent scars or dents... even then it would be a "looks" element. If the scratches are slight, you could rub them out like any section of the body.

Never pleasant to be 'bumped' but it sounds as if little damage resulted.
[/b]

Charles, thanks for the reply...that's good info! Yeah, I was a little rattled coming into work today.

Thanks again for your feedback. Much appreciated!

NoMoShocks · 03-20-2007, 04:28 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(narutorenji @ Mar 20 2007, 02:59 PM) [snapback]409182[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Charles, thanks for the reply...that's good info! Yeah, I was a little rattled coming into work today.

Thanks again for your feedback. Much appreciated!

[/b]

The heavy styrofoam behind the painted platic is actually an energy absorber that is a safety feature, not just cosmetic, but I doubt it has lost any sognificant part of its effectiveness if there is no visible damage on the outside. It might be advisable to have it inspected. If the absorber is cracked, it could provide less protection in a more severe crash.

narutorenji · 03-20-2007, 06:05 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NoMoShocks @ Mar 20 2007, 05:28 PM) [snapback]409203[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

The heavy styrofoam behind the painted platic is actually an energy absorber that is a safety feature, not just cosmetic, but I doubt it has lost any sognificant part of its effectiveness if there is no visible damage on the outside. It might be advisable to have it inspected. If the absorber is cracked, it could provide less protection in a more severe crash.
[/b]

Thanks NoMoShocks for your feedback. This is all good stuff to know. Anyone have an idea in regards to the cost of repairing a small scratch on the rear bumper cover?

Orf · 03-21-2007, 12:59 AM

I backed into a rough stone wall (mind in neutral istead of reverse) and dented, split and scratched the bumper.
Took it to a car repair shop that specialises in plastic repairs.
They removed the bumper and repaired the split and the dents (2) and repainted the bumper. It looks brand new.
The repairer said that there were no signs of damage to the parts behind the plastic.
Therefore, narutorenji, as you do not have any visible signs of damage I would say that you are lucky and the only thing required would be to try and polish out the scratch marks or touch up with paint.

c4 · 03-21-2007, 10:20 AM

In my case, when someone hit me from behind last year, it cost the insurance company over $3000 at the Toyota repair shop to have a new bumper cover, new absorber, new bumper mounts as well as work on the quarter-panels (panel damage was all but invisible- a bit of bulging around the wheel wells if you looked for it, and the gaps around the doors became uneven, but the whole set of panels did move, which is testament to how hard the guy hit me, even though the bumper cover only showed a scratch and a tiny crack).. Definitely call your insurance company and have it checked out- the other guy is at fault and his insurance will pay for any damage.

JayGoldstein · 03-21-2007, 11:25 AM

A month ago, I got hit by a pickup truck while I was stopped at a red light.

Luckily, the damage was confined to the corner of the bumper, as can be seen below:

Repairs involved replacing (and repainting) the bumper cover, and some very minor body work on the rear quarter panel.

moolman · 03-22-2007, 03:13 AM

I got hit on the rear corner bumper, a car behind me tried to make a right and was to close and clipped me. It was pure cosmetic damage, 3 scratches enough to see the black color underneath the bumper. The body shop told me they had to just remove, sand the part and repaint the whole rear bumper. Total cost was $810, this includes the price of the clear bumper aplique. I took the cash from the insurance company and covered the scratch with the CA HOV stickers.

Alex

s.e.tx_parrothead · 03-29-2007, 09:54 PM

On 3/3, a Ford Escape got up close and personal with Maggie and pushed her into a Chevy Pickup. The damage was confined mainly to the bumpers, however there was damage to the hatch lock assembly. They had the car in the shop for 18 days and the bill was just under $4200 not including the rental car. I have a post floating here somewhere with pics of the "owie".

03-20-2007, 03:45 PM	#2
Charles Suitt Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Dallas TX Posts: 1,624 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #6 Touring Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	Howdy... the "bumper" to which you refer is actually a "bumper COVER" made of a foam-like material witha plastic surface painted to match your car. You can remove the "tow eye plug" {that little round plug on the driver's side of the front bumper cover} to take a look at the construction. The actual bumper is behind that piece which is more cosmetic than structural. There would be no need to replace it unless it retained permanent scars or dents... even then it would be a "looks" element. If the scratches are slight, you could rub them out like any section of the body. Never pleasant to be 'bumped' but it sounds as if little damage resulted. __________________ Charles Suitt Dallas Texas 2007 Touring Edition (Former Prius: 2004)

03-21-2007, 12:59 AM	#6
Orf Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Devonport, Tasmania Posts: 413 My Car: 2009 Prius Model: N/A Package: I-Tech Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	I backed into a rough stone wall (mind in neutral istead of reverse) and dented, split and scratched the bumper. Took it to a car repair shop that specialises in plastic repairs. They removed the bumper and repaired the split and the dents (2) and repainted the bumper. It looks brand new. The repairer said that there were no signs of damage to the parts behind the plastic. Therefore, narutorenji, as you do not have any visible signs of damage I would say that you are lucky and the only thing required would be to try and polish out the scratch marks or touch up with paint. __________________ Australian 09 Gen 3 I-Tech Prius with side strips and rear bumper protector.

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03-20-2007, 03:00 PM	#1
narutorenji Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Hi everyone, I got rear ended in my 2007 Prius today. However, it was a minor/soft impact (my car and the car behind me were stopped at a red light...and the car behind me got rear ended, causing the car behind me to bump me from behind). There is no visible damage, a small scratch maybe...but no dents. My question, do I need to replace the bumper. I read somewhere on this forum that the bumper is made up of a styrofoam that absorbs impacts, that needs to be replaced even with minor impacts. Any feedback or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks. Naruto

03-21-2007, 10:20 AM	#7
c4 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 524 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	In my case, when someone hit me from behind last year, it cost the insurance company over $3000 at the Toyota repair shop to have a new bumper cover, new absorber, new bumper mounts as well as work on the quarter-panels (panel damage was all but invisible- a bit of bulging around the wheel wells if you looked for it, and the gaps around the doors became uneven, but the whole set of panels did move, which is testament to how hard the guy hit me, even though the bumper cover only showed a scratch and a tiny crack).. Definitely call your insurance company and have it checked out- the other guy is at fault and his insurance will pay for any damage.

03-21-2007, 11:25 AM	#8
JayGoldstein Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Posts: 112 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: B Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	A month ago, I got hit by a pickup truck while I was stopped at a red light. Luckily, the damage was confined to the corner of the bumper, as can be seen below: Repairs involved replacing (and repainting) the bumper cover, and some very minor body work on the rear quarter panel.

03-22-2007, 03:13 AM	#9
moolman Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 68 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	I got hit on the rear corner bumper, a car behind me tried to make a right and was to close and clipped me. It was pure cosmetic damage, 3 scratches enough to see the black color underneath the bumper. The body shop told me they had to just remove, sand the part and repaint the whole rear bumper. Total cost was $810, this includes the price of the clear bumper aplique. I took the cash from the insurance company and covered the scratch with the CA HOV stickers. Alex

03-29-2007, 09:54 PM	#10
s.e.tx_parrothead Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Huntsville, TX Posts: 130 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	On 3/3, a Ford Escape got up close and personal with Maggie and pushed her into a Chevy Pickup. The damage was confined mainly to the bumpers, however there was damage to the hatch lock assembly. They had the car in the shop for 18 days and the bill was just under $4200 not including the rental car. I have a post floating here somewhere with pics of the "owie".