It is worth it to repair it or leave it like that!

[Mgarage]

Hello Folks,

Here you go, unfortunately someone in a parking lot backed into my car which is brand f... new, I did the break in service 10 days ago.

long story short, I was shopping in a store and came out five minutes later and a girl backed up into my car, can you believe it!!!? the parking it was freaking empty, definitely she's a bad driver. There's no big damage ( some scratches and the reflector broken, but when you start looking at it there's some "bumps"/"protrusions"? that are really hard to see in a picture.


You can barely see it but it bothers me, I just Got the car , I went to the police and file a report and all that stuff and obviously I'm not in fault right ?so it won't affect my insurance, however I went to the dealer to inspect my car and there's no solution to fix this, the only way is to replace the bumper and repainted, and also said because of the color (long beach blue)they will need to paint part of the fenders to " blend the paint".


what should I do?

the thing that bugs me is that, I don't know if the body shop will do a good job to match the paint?
I haven't been lucky in the past with body shops.
Right now you can barely see it, and obviously is the original paint and looks great, plus they said they will keep the car at least 3 weeks.
so I will get a rental for 3 weeks.


I'm not. sure if I can live with it and keep it original or do the claim and get it repaired.

what is your advice guys!!??
Please,

cheers,
I will post pics soon.....

[Mgarage]

Here some pics guys

[daytonaviolet]

I would have the best body shop in your area paint match your bumper.

But for the time being, just pop the reflector back in and drive 😇

[Mgarage]

Originally Posted by daytonaviolet

I would have the best body shop in your area paint match your bumper.

But for the time being, just pop the reflector back in and drive 😇

hehe! That's right! but dealer said will not repair this , as I said there's some "protrusions" that you can't see in a picture, only in person and if you try find them.

the only way to get rid of it will be replacing the bumper.

[daytonaviolet]

Originally Posted by Mgarage

hehe! That's right! but dealer said will not repair this , as I said there's some "protrusions" that you can't see in a picture, only in person and if you try find them.

the only way to get rid of it will be replacing the bumper.

Okay .. then have the shop replace/paint the bumper. If the match is not good, demand them to do it again.

I'm sure the shop can make it look better then how it is now 😇

[P1]

Not to sound harsh, but it’s not up to any of us to decide how you want to fix this. You either leave it, or if it bothers you, take it to a body shop and have them fix it, whatever that may entail.

[Mgarage]

Originally Posted by P1et

Not to sound harsh, but it’s not up to any of us to decide how you want to fix this. You either leave it, or if it bothers you, take it to a body shop and have them fix it, whatever that may entail.

That's right but I was looking for an opinion... after all that's the purpose of the forum to share experiences isn't?

[baliano]

Personally, I'm too OCD to not fix things. That being said, 90% of people will never know it's there. I wouldn't file a claim through insurance as that will hurt your exit strategy when you decide to sell. It may land on a carfax report and a future buyer might think it was more serious than it was. If you do, I'd document the repair process with pictures and receipts with every detail.
A good paint shop should be able to nail that job-paint shops have come a long way. Just be prepared to pay a premium for good work.
I've been in a similar dilemma with my M3 except the very minor scratch was inflicted by me. 🤬I took the opportunity to respray the front bumper and take out all of the rock chips at the same time. Xpel film after that and I called it a day. Only you can decide how much it will bother you. If you lost more than a nights sleep, I'd say fix it.

[Mgarage]

Originally Posted by baliano

Personally, I'm too OCD to not fix things. That being said, 90% of people will never know it's there. I wouldn't file a claim through insurance as that will hurt your exit strategy when you decide to sell. It may land on a carfax report and a future buyer might think it was more serious than it was. If you do, I'd document the repair process with pictures and receipts with every detail.
A good paint shop should be able to nail that job-paint shops have come a long way. Just be prepared to pay a premium for good work.
I've been in a similar dilemma with my M3 except the very minor scratch was inflicted by me. 🤬I took the opportunity to respray the front bumper and take out all of the rock chips at the same time. Xpel film after that and I called it a day. Only you can decide how much it will bother you. If you lost more than a nights sleep, I'd say fix it.

That's a constructive opinion, man thanks.

not so much losing my sleep about it but yeah I saw the car and im like shitt.

also is one of the points that making me think twice, because it will be trough my insurance for sure and I know will appear on the carafax history, and also needs a new bumper , if I want to get rid of the "protrusions" .. dilemma you know!

cheers man,

[Bobby_Drake]

OP,
I thought you said someone backed into your car. Why don't you go through her insurance to get it fixed? You shouldn't have to pay out of pocket. If you're concerned about re-sale value then get it fixed outside of insurance so it doesn't get reported.

As stated, 90% of the population wouldn't care; but WE are the 10% and it would bother me too much to see my brand spanking new X6M with fender bender flaws. I know you said people really can't see it unless you're looking for it; but the more important thing is, YOU can see it and you know it's there. If I were you, I would get it fixed.

[P1]

Originally Posted by Mgarage

That's right but I was looking for an opinion... after all that's the purpose of the forum to share experiences isn't?

Fair enough. I say leave it. I have bigger things to worry about than small imperfections on cars.

If you say you have OCD, just imagine the mental breakdown when they try to match and blend that blue. It’ll do you in.

[gqgambler]

What do you plan to do with the car long term? Keep long term, trade-in, private party sale, etc...? How long you plan to have it? I'm assuming its a purchase and not a lease by the way you are talking about it. Some of the answer would help or sway opinions on fixing it or let it me.

[BeeMdblU]

I'd say pop the reflector in and forget about it, we 'll get more damage than that in winter from ice and what not, touch it up and forget about it, the second ding won't hurt as much.

[HJ]

Originally Posted by P1et

Fair enough. I say leave it. I have bigger things to worry about than small imperfections on cars.

If you say you have OCD, just imagine the mental breakdown when they try to match and blend that blue. It'll do you in.

What he said. My brother had his rear bumper on his LBB F85 resprayed due to a shopping cart incident and even at a well reviewed bmw collision center it didn't match, they failed twice and on the 3rd try they just ended up blending in the trunk and rear quarter panels which eventually made matters even worse.

[P1]

Originally Posted by HJ

What he said. My brother had his rear bumper on his LBB F85 resprayed due to a shopping cart incident and even at a well reviewed bmw collision center it didn't match, they failed twice and on the 3rd try they just ended up blending in the trunk and rear quarter panels which eventually made matters even worse.

Ha! That reminds me of my brother’s old E46 M3. He had the front and rear bumpers resprayed and when the sun would set, I’d always ask him if he thought the bumpers appeared slightly darker than the rest of the car. He’d lose it every time, too funny.

[HJ]

Originally Posted by P1et

Ha! That reminds me of my brother’s old E46 M3. He had the front and rear bumpers resprayed and when the sun would set, I’d always ask him if he thought the bumpers appeared slightly darker than the rest of the car. He’d lose it every time, too funny.

[Kief]

Leave it

[desertfox73]

OP - my OCD is pretty high on the charts and a few weeks ago I was washing my car and realized someone had clearly hit my bumper (of course they left no note). For a few minutes I was seriously pissed, as my car is only a few months old and I do plan to keep it. The damage is in the center of the bumper, on the smooth part...so it's a little more visible than what yours appears to be.

In the end I just decided to leave it. Definitely not worth the hassle to get the whole bumper replaced and paint matched (Donnington Grey). Plus, now the car has a ding, so my stress level about the "first one" is gone.

This probably won't be the first time someone hits your bumper. You're pissed now, but if you get it replaced, go through all of that time/effort for something that's really not noticeable (other than by you), imagine what it'll feel like when someone dents your second pristine bumper.

[BradBinNY]

Leave it and love it...

Adds character.

Brad

[foldpages]

Originally Posted by Mgarage

Hello Folks,

Here you go, unfortunately someone in a parking lot backed into my car which is brand f... new, I did the break in service 10 days ago.

long story short, I was shopping in a store and came out five minutes later and a girl backed up into my car, can you believe it!!!? the parking it was freaking empty, definitely she's a bad driver. There's no big damage ( some scratches and the reflector broken, but when you start looking at it there's some "bumps"/"protrusions"? that are really hard to see in a picture.


You can barely see it but it bothers me, I just Got the car , I went to the police and file a report and all that stuff and obviously I'm not in fault right ?so it won't affect my insurance, however I went to the dealer to inspect my car and there's no solution to fix this, the only way is to replace the bumper and repainted, and also said because of the color (long beach blue)they will need to paint part of the fenders to " blend the paint".


what should I do?

the thing that bugs me is that, I don't know if the body shop will do a good job to match the paint?
I haven't been lucky in the past with body shops.
Right now you can barely see it, and obviously is the original paint and looks great, plus they said they will keep the car at least 3 weeks.
so I will get a rental for 3 weeks.


I'm not. sure if I can live with it and keep it original or do the claim and get it repaired.

what is your advice guys!!??
Please,

cheers,
I will post pics soon.....

It's really a personal decision. If you can work with a good body shop that can match the paint I suggest you go and repair it because it will always bother you when you walk past the car.

That being said, it probably won't be your last scratch or paint chip. There are many more to come. But I understand your dilemma. My car was delivered with a small paint chip in the front bumper and I was going back and forth about having it repainted. The repair process involved removing the bumper and an entire respray and I was concerned about paint match and also fitment. Ultimately I decided not to do it and it has bothered me for 2 years LOL

A year into ownership the dealership backed my car into a post and they had to respray the rear bumper. The paint match is perfect and so is the fitment. You can't tell that it was ever repainted.

[va335i]

I would get it fixed. Like others said if does not look right then have keep trying till they get it right. If you have her/or yours insurance paying for it they will stay on top of the shop getting it done. Insurance companies have more clout with shops they deal with due to the volume of business they together. Hopefully they would provide you loaner.

Not sure about your location, but parking lots suck in VA. A lot of times police can't issue summons because the parking lots are viewed as private property.

If you are like me, it will just drive you nuts that you know its messed up if you don't get it fixed. Good luck.

[mir604]

Based on other replies, I am pretty sure that you will get worse road damage in the fall/winter/spring months based on road debris and such. I would pop the reflector in and just keep going. Keep the claim on hand in case you ever do decide the re-spray it so you can ensure you are fairly compensated.

On the other hand the car being new means that if you were to re-spray, the paint would be the easiest to match as possible. I mean experts can blend older paint as well but the fresh paint means it is less aged i guess....