Why a $469 car repair now costs $9,051

[smartcar]

I guess this is why there's no such thing as a fender bender under $1000 any more.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/09/29/why-46-car-repair-now-costs-051/?intcmp=obinsite

[-relk-]

Kind of an eye opener.

I backed into a car a couple years ago at around 3-5 kph and their bumper exploded like it was hit with a sledgehammer. I was amazed at how much damage it caused. My bumper was fine fortunately, but was a little ticked that a bumper could not withhold a smaller collision...

All in all, they just want your moneyz :guns:

[CapnCrunch]

Aren't they designed that way now? The trade off is supposed to be much better protection for the occupants. Sacrifice the car for the well being of the drivers.

[lint]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
Aren't they designed that way now? The trade off is supposed to be much better protection for the occupants. Sacrifice the car for the well being of the drivers.

how much damage are you expecting to sustain in a 3mph collision?

[Tik-Tok]

Still remember my first (and only) accident. I had a '78 Dodge Aspen, and hit a '96 Chev Impala (when it was brand new). He had $3000 worth of bodywork required (fender, bumper/components, hood, headlight, etc.) I had a dent in the chrome around my headlight. :rofl:

We were both driving probably no more than 5km/h.

[hampstor]

Bumpers now are tightly aligned with the rest of a vehicle vs. back when bumpers were wider and stuck out further from the car. The type of damage we are seeing now vs a car from 30+ years ago is a lot different because of that and the article outlines that.

To put some perspective on where repair costs can come from with a low speed impact to a bumper on a modern car:

Parts that potentially may need to be replaced:
- Bumper Cover (if split)
- Head lamp
- Fog Lamps
- Any sensors in the bumper (ie: if there are backup sensors and the sensor is broken in the collision)
- Any wiring harnesses with the lamps/sensors that may be damaged
- Impact Absorber
- Badging on fenders
- Hood

Damage that may occur beyond the bumper itself:
- Damage to hood
- Damage to fender
- Damage headlamp
-> the reason is the bumpers now are flush with those components, and if you push any 1 piece out of alignment, it can push all the other ones out. With headlamps, it can break the tabs holding it onto the car.

Things that can make headlamp costs skyrocket:
- Headlamps that move (ie: ones that turn when you go into a corner)
- HID headlamps
- Auto aiming headlamps
- Headlamps with special unique features (ie: LED DRL)

Labour costs you may see:
- Remove/install bumper cover
- Remove/install impact absorber
- Remove/install head lamp
- Aiming headlamps
- Remove/install fender
- If R&I Fender, than all the things associated with it including but not limited to R&I, clips, splash shield, turn signals, any badging, and radio antenna
- Remove/install any accessories on the bumper (ie: fog lamps, any sensors, etc.)

Paint labour:
- Prep
- Remove clearcoat from part (bumper/hood/fender) (a very tedious process)
- Paint the part
- Clearcoat the part

In some cases, you may have to blend it to the adjacent panels. Repeat the paint labour for the adjacent panels if blending is required.

I'm sure i'm missing things and I'm NOT saying all those things need to be done, but these days it's never as simple as unbolting a bumper and replacing it.