hit & run - front bumper damage

Just wanted add recent pics and a happy ending to the story. Found a small indy body shop to repair damage instead of replacing cover. They fixed damage, resprayed front bumper, removed clear bra from bumper and lower section of hood for $360. Granted, it's hard to tell quality of repair from these pictures but it came out nice. Upon close inspection you can see some tiny lines in area of repair but overall I'm pleased with quality of work and how well the paint matches.. especially considering insurance cut a check for $1,100. Went to the garage this morning and realized some A-hole backed into my 01 C4 last night & their trailor hitch receiver punched a hole in my bumper. Can this be repaired or should I be looking for a new bumper? Any ideas on cost to repair either way? Probably a needle in the haystack but I'll be looking for a certain SUV, parked on a certain street in Gaithersburg MD, with lapis blue paint on their hitch receiver.

Aw man, that sucks! I'd say new bumper time.

That does suck, and the person who did it is an A-hole. I'd agree with Marc...new bumper.

That'll buff right out....NOT. Replace the bumper cover. Nice time for an upgrade.

I'd say you are WAY lucky the truck hitch was low enough to only get your bumper cover, as opposed to your hood!

i haven't gotten to the "glass half full" point yet but that is a good point. I'm out of touch - what are best places to begin search for a stock or upgraded bumper cover?

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Not sure about finding a bumper, but they aren't cheap, especially with paint. Love the Lapis Blue paint with the beige leather interior - great combo for a Cab!

thanks - sav beige was a mustardy hell until I got the painted console, horse shoe, bat wing, ignition / hazard surrounds and black floor matts. I'm guessing cost at ~ $1,500 - 2k but haven't started searching options yet. If more I'll probably use insurance & upgrade the bumper so it doesn't hurt as much.

first off - F$&K!!! that blows man!! is it a stock or Aero bumper...if Aero, they are not cheap...really not cheap! - if stock I suggest waiting for one to pop up used in good shape, lots of them do. Check the classifies or go to the other sub-forums (like racing) and put a "wanted" thread...someone has one they would love you to take out of thier garage...trust me - that or one of the dismantlers like DC auto in the meantime get a cool sticker and cover it up, something you like and that is funny...makes you smile and you know its temporary so you can have a spot of fun with it... when you asked where to get a cover I guessed you didnt want to involve your insurance....this isnt going to be cheap, if you are insured you may re-consider it I type slow and see you are thinking of using the insurance now... good idea! - the MOST IMPORTANT THING is to make sure the shop uses the right paint and not some cheap paint...there is plenty of data here..search it out and make sure you are happy....never "settle" for a crappy job! - FWIW my little scuff ended up at the $5k mark on my 996 and Pete had an $8.5k bill for his parking lot mishap - like I say, not cheap!

Sorry to see the unfortunate incident. Try and check for used bumpers online maybe? I had a friend back up to my car by accident when I owned my boxster years back. She sandwiched the hood plus bumper. The cost was in the $2000k+ range from Body Shop.

thanks much form the ideas - the sticker thing is especially briliant. If I go the used route, what's a good price for an 01 stock bumper? Luckily I have coverage...my agent says claim it, although it will affect premium. WTF, I guess this is why we pay for insurance in the first place.

Francars would have a better idea on price...he keeps his eyes on the used parts market pretty well.....

suggested sticker

I have a stock bumper off my 2000 (so the old style lights, I forget when they changed them) in my garage. Painted Ocean Blue, in great shape but it would need to be repainted to the Lapis Blue. $150 + shipping which would probably be $50+.

Arrghh, me too. Left it parked at an underground carpark, coming back to find a parking warden standing around the car. I thought he was goping to give me a ticket because somehow my car wasn't wearing its front plate anymore (it's mandatory to have front plate in NZ). Fortunately (cup half-full), he was actually writing a note for me outlining what'd happened and the number plate of the other car. Went to the cops to report a hit-and-run then file a claim with the insurance company last night. Scratches on front left, hard to see from the photo because of low light in my garage and it was taken with an iPhone4. [IMG] [/IMG]

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Off subject but how do you ship a bumper for so cheap? I checked shipping a front bumper for my audi from SoCal and its like $140?!?!?

Looky....... http://nh.craigslist.org/pts/2583100330.html

I've gotten a couple of 996 bumpers off of ebay for around $250.00 and had them painted for another $250.00

I have the stock front bumper off my 99 996 in iris blue for $75 plus shipping. It has no damage. I upgraded to a factory aerokit.

A seagull dropped a clam on my BMW and put a big dent in the roof today. I'm looking for a particular seagull that hates German cars. If you see it let me know so I can get its insurance info.

This http://www.zazzle.com/ouch_bandaid_b...71863699409269 Wow! Nice find Pete (post 17)

Thanks Frank. BTW....back in the late '80's when I had X19 Bertone someone hit me in the rear quarter. I put some band aids on it until it was fixed. It turned to be a ice breaker for conversation wit da ladies.

I am a little disapointed in Pete's find, in the old days he found better stuff

But it never fit??

One option could be to install a 997 GT3 Upper Air Grille. You would have to make sure the area of damage fits within the cut out area needed to install the grille. $30 part from Suncoast Porsche Parts

Thanks for the research, great ideas & offers! Was out watching football all day or I'd have gotten back to this thread much sooner. A used stock bumper sounds perfect and keeps my insurance premium in place. I'll check models/years that are plug & play with 01 C4 and get back to fletch / Dharn. After looking at your facelift Mfletch I'm tempted to have my insurance company buy me an MK1 aero bumper and get the rest of the kit later. BTW - haven't been around the Renns forums for a couple years and forgot what an awesome community it is.

Kohlshak - Here is an option, 997 style for sale on Renntech.org. http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...997-gt3-style/

Kolshak, I would go with the GT3 bumper upgrade also. Good luck.

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how can you even get $140 ? that must be with ups account, because when I tried to buy a bumper and look for prices, UPS did not even want it because of the dimensions, unless I went with their freight truck and then shippign was like $400. ...

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Anyone has done this? Pics anyone? Check OnTrac. Create an account (free) to get these rates

Thanks Doug - That GT3/997 bumper is beautiful & a deal. I'm probably staying stock unless I find the "person" who did it or involve my insurance company. Knowing it can be done for under $500 makes it easier to swallow.

even if you find the person who did it, chances are very good you will not get them to pay unless they admit it. It happened to me. Someone hit my car (black 993). Saw their suv 2 spots down with pieces of my taillight in their bumper and black scuffs on their white car. The other party got a ticket for failure to report an accident. Our insurance companies went to arbitration...and I ****ing lost. I couldn't believe it.

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How do you lose in a hit and run situation??

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I think the other party was involved in an accident that wasn't reported (hit and run) but they can't prove it was your car. Well, they could, but don't want to spend the money to prove it.

[QUOTE=francars;8864335]Anyone has done this? Pics anyone? Some examples...

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yeah,id just be upset too

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That sucks, especially when it's one of your neighbors.

It comes down to whether you have more time or cash. Bumper cover comes off easily, DIY video here You Tube . If you're somewhat handy, see if you can restore the contours with a heat gun. Cut away what doesn't. Two-part bumper repair material from the auto parts stores is actually pretty good stuff (use some backing, e.g. fiberglass drywall screen). Finish as you would any body panel. Otherwise some of the used covers listed seem very reasonable. Final thought - although it varies according to your individual policy, but typically your situation would be covered under your uninsured motorist coverage, and not affect your rates for the claim (then deductible is the issue.) Good luck If you decide to do a repair, please post pics.

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[quote=FLY996;8866927] Wow, they turned the 996 into a Cayman! amazing!

UPDATE I went through insurance & got ~ 1k after 250 deductable. Unfortunately travelors sends their own estimators or I'd have done much better. Would like to upgrade bumper & a few other things but will probably stay cheap and try the repair or picking up a used bumper cover from one of the nice members here. I'd love to go full OEM aero but just found out my house needs a new roof & AC unit. Anyway, now looking for cheaper options. A service advisor @ Rockville Porsche suggested a Duraflex kit. Price are good but getting it fit correctly will probably cost more then OEM. A few questions - Aside from searching used parts are there decent after market options to upgrade front bumper, side skirts or even a small fixed rear cab wing? BTW - Do side skirts w/o matching bumper look ridiculous? Any opinions of these snap on spoiler enhancements from GT3 TEK for $270? thanks again guys

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I've seen the Duraflex stuff...not impressed (would not put on a Porsche). Precision Porsche has very good quality aftermarket body parts. Not a big fan of that TEK wing thingy.

ouah http://precisionporsche.com/gt3-04-9...04-106-pd.html $900 for a polyurethane gt3 style bumper, if quality is good, price sure is very competitive ! tempting and if Dell vouch for it

Thats a nice uprgrade bumper! Wish I had the MKII

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Love the PP GT3 bumper but I'm more then I want to spend now. Was hoping the soft economy would lower prices on after market / used OEM body kits but as always anything for porsche is still more valuable then gold. For the price I'm trying hard to like the wing thingy but not really feeling it either. Fly - Having your finger on the pulse of the mod market, are their any inexpensive ways to freshen up the look of a MY01 cab if i stay with stock bumper? Are mk1 or mk2 skirts an option without the bumper? thanks again

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thanks for idea Mark. I'm not handy changing a light bulb muchless using a heat gun on my bumper. May ask a good body shop but buying a used cover is probably cheaper/better option.

Buy a used cover, respray if necessary and do the aero kit in stages ie, rocker covers first, then maybe a cabrio rear wing.

FYI - added recent pics & resolution to first post in thread.....thanks Rennlist!

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The word OUCH with a large yellow marker next to the damage would have looked good and would ahve made me smile. That F*^%er should be hung drawn and quartered...Glad you got it all fixed up... and cheap as well.

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Thanks, i was surprised how well it turned out.