New here :)

Anyway, my front bumper has been damaged - not sure by whom or how, but I was parked in the supermarket car park, doing food shopping, I come back to my car and somebody's (probably) reversed into the front left corner, leaving a sizeable dent in my bumper and fled the scene. It hasn't affected driving performance but it does look awful and the fog light is now at a slightly skewed angle

I'm quite a new driver (having passed in June this year) and I want to know what you guys think will be better:

1. Making an insurance claim (my voluntary excess is £400)

2. Go to Ford affiliated garages for service quotes and cover this independently

I'm not sure how expensive a replacement bumper is on its own, and if it is cheaper than £400 + other fees then I'll go with option two. Has anyone had any experience with replacement bumpers? If the bumper is more expensive to go independently, I am worried that this will adversely affect my insurance next year, especially as I only passed quite recently. What would you guys do?

Cheers

 

Heat gun and pop it out then see how it looks is it scratched?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just now, griffithsbilly86 said:

Heat gun and pop it out then see how it looks is it scratched?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not just scratched, there's a cut through bumper about 10cm long running vertically at the centre of the dent

It may not be noticeable if it's popped into place, have to try it and see :) - would a plunger work? Or get underneath and use a hammer to knock it out? I don't have a heat gun

Go underneath and push it by hand it's only plastic so will be easy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

27 minutes ago, griffithsbilly86 said:

Go underneath and push it by hand it's only plastic so will be easy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Had to use a hammer in the end but it's sorta worked - 90% job so I'm happy with that - but the cut's still there. I can see that the cut's been made by the innermost bottom left section of the grille piercing the bodywork

Try one of those 'Chips Away' or "Dent Devil' companies. They will ask you to fill in the online questionnaire and then a local guy will call you to discuss. If it is repairable then I think it won't cost more than £150. If you can at all help it then do not inform your insurance company, you will have to pay the £400 voluntary access plus the compulsory excess which may also include a young drivers premium. Not only that but it will have an effect on your next few years, not just the next time you renew.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

On a normal policy you would not get any extra no claims discount next year if you may a claim. This means that your insurance will be one years no claims discount less every year until you reach the max level of discount (perhaps 5 years). that means quite a loss of discount in £ when you tot up all of those years. And your XS to pay. When you say your voluntary excess is £400, what about your compulsory xs.  It depends how your insurance companies word it. on some policies the voluntary xs is in addition to any compulsory xs, eg. age related excesses written into the policy booklet. So eg. if the policy says compulsory age or inexperience xs is £250 and you have voluntary of £400 then that is a £650 xs. As I say the way they word this can vary. check carefully, don't get caught out. (I have worked for many insurance companies by the way so I do know).

If you involve the insurers it will cost you a lot over time. I would say don't involve them.

Cost will depend on your car, but I had the front bumper of my Focus ST replaced in 2013 when a kamikaze mountain hare decided to run out in front of me. It cracked it. The cost was about £750. Nothing else, other than a few clips, needed replacing.

I'm sure you could do it cheaper than that if you source a second hand undamaged bumper or use a non-Ford part, but a big part of the cost will be the painting and fitting. Having not seen the fog light it's difficult to comment, but that might simply pop back into place and alignment with a new bumper

A few ytears earlier a mate of mine damaged his Mondeo bumper and was quoted "about £1000". He ended up doing it for a lot less (about £300) and simply sanded out the paintwork himself (he was a detailer). The bumper was not cracked though and simply repaired and painted.