damaged bumper

I'm sorry to hear that. There seems to be enough damage to the bumper so that it may be replaced under insurance. The insurance company for the other driver will probably send you to a shop for an estimate. Expect $600, plus or minus $200. You might not even need to notify your insurance company, or you might. If a body shop thinks they can repaint the bumper (which I doubt), the estimate will be lower.

You can accept the offer of a new bumper (ask for OEM Toyota bumper if you prefer it), or you can accept the cash equivalent, and spend it on toys for your Prius. Last time I had a bumper replaced by insurance, someone else hit it within 3 months! I wish I had taken the money instead of repairing the bumper. On the second hit, I did take the money.

Remember the days when bumpers were meant to protect the vehicle, and bumpers themselves were rarely damaged? Those were the days. Now it costs over $500 everytime someone nicks a bumper. Could that be why we pay so much for auto insurance?

 

Bumpers come in three main parts:

1. Bumper cover (thick outer flexible plastic).
2. The foam cushion underneath (meant to crush to absorb energy).
3. The metal frame underneath that. This may be welded in.

It sounds like you only damaged the bumper cover. You can get this replaced by itself. (Have the foam inspected underneath). Companies specialize in refurbishing plastic bumper covers. Generally, the damaged area is replaced with resin and then sanded or machined to match the shape. This is not a one by one repair process, it is more like manufacturing, so they do dozens at a time that they buy from body shops or insurance adjusters then sell as refurbished. The quality of these is on par with new material and is both lower cost and much more environmentally friendly. The 2004 Prius is likely too new to have a refurb bumper cover.

However, the single hardest thing to paint on a car is a bumper cover. It has five surfaces at every angle, bottom, top, back, left and right side, Typically some intricate detail, and the paint must be mixed differently for the plastic in order to match color. Also, Flex Agent MUST be added to the paint in order to avoid cracking and peeling in the future.

Inspect the paint carefully from all angles before signing off on the repair work. Check in the sun, and feel free to use a flashlight. Don't accept "Bumpers are hard to paint" from the repair shop. It's their job to get it right.

Nate

 

I would be careful regarding contacting your insurance company before you get the estimate. The same thing happened to my car last year, although it was a hit and run. I just made an "inquiry" with my insurance company and now my rates are higher. I never even made a claim because the damage was not enough for the insurance to cover.

 

I am in Colorado and had a similar event in the airport (in the exit plaza, waiting in line to pay for parking on my way out). A pickup reverse into me, and the license plate mounting base was torn off. The bumper itself now has a tiny crack in it. We were told to wait for police, and when the officer arrived, he gave me the choice of having him file the report, "and it will take longer to get out of here and you may have to go to court", or I could file the report online. I said I would do it online. Now I am confused about all the options, reasons and consequences. What function does filing a police report achieve? Does doing that (assuming the other driver doesn't attempt to contradict my report), ensure that I will not be penalized or have to pay deductible? And now I am getting the impression that I shouldn't even inquire with my insurance agent? This does not make for a happy situation.
Since there doesn't appear to be any real "structural" damage, I am wondering if maybe I should just take it to Toyota, and ask them (1) if there is any functional damage (e.g. to the sensors in the bumper, or to the bumper's ability to perform its protective function), and if that all checks out, (2) find out if they might be able to simply reattach the mounting plate and I'd be good to go, maybe for a hundred bucks or something. On the other hand, if it will be like $700 of repairs, then I'd want to be sure I'm not paying that, for the other driver's mistake.