I'm such an idiot...

[Navypat46]

Hungry...needed something for dinner. Get into the M, back out of the garage, wasn't thinking and hit a decorative rock on the passenger front bumper and scraped the wheel too. I almost threw up. The bad part was that I had a lady in the car (oh yeah, she digs the car BIG TIME) and she thought I was joking when she saw my jaw drop. Then she got out on just started hugging me lol because she knew how I was feeling. Pretty much shot down the mood at dinner, but thank God for Captain Morgan . Started a claim with the insurance company and getting her inspected Monday at lunch time at a local garage. Any of you who have had to have body repair, did you do it locally or take it to a BMW dealer? The closest one is about 2 hours away and I really want to avoid taking that route. Can they repair the bumper or just give me a new one? I'd prefer that obviously because I don't want Donny the Waterhead trying to color match SSII and giving me something completely different. I can remember feeling sick when other members post pics of their babies all scratched up....now it's my turn I guess. Let me know what you all think of the damage.. Thanks everyone. ;o.

[Timothy J]

I feel your pain. I've scraped against a little bench on my way out of the garage. GL

[Navypat46]

just makes me both sad and sick at the same time...FML. How did your repairs go? Where did you get yours done--local or a bmw garage?

[sensi09]

I doubt I'd go through insurance for that. Likely to be cheaper and easier to just get it repainted. And the rim can be repaired to good as new at many wheel repair places.

Oh and might as well get the reflectors filled while you're at it.

[Gkap]

research and find a good body shop locally.

I wouldnt go through insurance for something so minor.
Just have your bumper repainted and your wheel refinished.

[M3maniac20]

ahhh I know just how you feel! I'm so sorry! Back when I had my TBSS I was parking it in the garage and there was a wooden garden table that I hit and did a number on my bumper. You just sit there stunned "Did that just happen?? Oh please no, oh please no, oh please no" haha
Sorry bro

[Navypat46]

Well, the only problem is is that I'm currently in a very small town with limited resources. I have a hard time trusting anyone around this car, and want the best care possible. I've got an appt. set up monday for them to take a look, and I'll get their opinion. What a shitty start to a weekend!

[Timothy J]

Originally Posted by Navypat46

just makes me both sad and sick at the same time...FML. How did your repairs go? Where did you get yours done--local or a bmw garage?

I did it to my Acura so I wasn't too upset. I sort of lucked out in this situation. I had a few chips and blemishes I didn't like, so I went ahead and got a new bumper and spray. Luckily, I have an excellent auto body right by me so it was a no brainer bringing it there.

[Chowster]

OUCH. Looks like a bumper repaint and wheel repair. It'll look brand new again. I may not trust the "local dude" to take care of the SSII repaint though...

And are those tire punctures I see???

[bunnn]

Sometimes, I take these as a blessing in disguise - an excuse to mod

[bunny]

^ I like your positive attitude

[ersin]

Right on, Bunny. How about replacing that rotten-egg-yellow-reflector, US spec bumper for a clean Euro bumper? I'm sure any of you readers can think of other cool options too.


Cheers.

[ShockDoc]

Sorry about that. Is the decorative rock now decorating the bottom of a canyon somewhere?

[ChrisK]

I have bubble wrap on the walls around my car.

[kaykay]

Sucks man, be more careful next time

You're looking at a bumper repaint + wheel repair probably run you $900-$1300 to get it done proper.

[OC Dealman]

If it is only one side, then it will be $500 at most for the repaint with factory paint. The Rim will be $200. Not too bad. I had some dope run across the front of my M5 while it was parked and I had to have the whole front bumper painted. there were some pretty bad scrapes, but they treated it and painted for $500.

[ooowowizstev]

Ouch... sorry to hear this.

[Echo M3]

I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but this kind of thing happens. Don't let it get you down - it sucks, but it's just a car. If you could afford the car, you can afford the repairs.

I had a situation a while ago when my Mom borrowed my last car (when it was just a year old) and ripped off part of the rear quarter-panel while trying back into a narrow spot. It ended up costing quite a bit, but I didn't freak out about it. Shit happens, it's a part of life. Laugh and move on

Good luck

[fastrack]

Damn that really sux

[sor]

If there's not actual bumper damage, it should cost you roughly $500-600 to get it taken care of at a reputable place. I wouldn't involve insurance at all, you'll pay more in the long run. Someone scraped the front bumper on my 335 two years ago, it was worse than that, it pinched the plastic a bit, and I took it to a reputable place that only does high-end cars. It was $460 (billed to her insurance) and looked like new the rest of the time I had it. Wheel repair can be anywhere from $50-200, depending on the damage and shop.

[JCtx]

I can speak from experience. First of all, new bumpers are NOT painted, so forget about that option in your case. With no tears, just fix it and repaint it; it'll look like new. And yes, I'd eliminate the reflectors to be looking forward to something . The biggest challenge is the paint match, of course. And what I'd do in your case, is remove the bumper and take it to a reputable shop in somebody's truck. I'd NEVER leave my car for days on any shop that far away from home when it's super easy to remove, but that's just me.

Just one piece of advice: since you wouldn't be replacing the bumper, if you decide to eliminate the reflectors, make sure they fill those holes with a BMW bumper, because dissimilar plastics would crack over time. Good luck man.

[EuroCarsOnline]

Bumpers are a pretty easy fix. The 220M wheel can't be fixed that easily. The satin chrome looks chipped in your case. Non-chrome wheels can be filled in and repainted but the 220 just like the previous gen 19" on the e46 has a special finish. Sorry to see that. At least you didn't hit a decorative part of your house or another car.