my front bumper got busted when I lost control in the snow and ran into a guard rail.
it’s a 1996 honda civic with 134,000 miles on it. I had hoped to have it for another 67,000 miles before I buy a new car. should I go ahead and pay the money to get the bumper fixed? (my deductible is $1,000) or should I get over my vanity and drive around with a broken bumper.
also, does anyone know a good independent body shop in the central connecticut area?
you may need it to pass state inspection, so check that.
Oh come on Buddy! its a 96 civic. Duct tape the hell out of it! Then in 67,000 miles buy a car you don’t have to pedal at each stop. Or…you could do the Kennedy thing and drive it into a lake and play dumb for the next 50 years.
is this the plastic/rubber bumper cover? or is this the actual metal bumper?
if you got into this kind of accident, and got all the way to the metal you may have done more damage than you realize.
but as bill said, you may get a ticket if you have pieces of your car hanging off it.
'Taint nothing wrong with checking the junkyards for a replacement bumper. A '96 Civic, you say? Bumpers for them cars are a dime a dozen. Suggest your junkman offer two for the price of one. Keep one as a spare for your next encounter.
In addition to the bumper, you may have damaged the shock absorbers they are attached to as well as the frame that the bumper shocks attach to. You need to crawl under the car to see how much damage is done if you haven’t already.
Replacement is not difficult. You can do it yourself with simple tools, like a socket wrench. You should be able to see all the fasteners that need to be detached. SteveF offered a good suggestion to visit salvage yards near you to see if they have a suitable replacement.
No pride huh. Fix it. You can get a new bumper cover for a couple hundred and do it yourself and have it painted, or check the yards for a complete bumper and just unbolt the old one and bolt on the new one. You can do a nation-wide search for even the right color on “car-parts.com”.
I can’t believe you’re insulting Civics. They last forever with routine maintenance, they’re easy on gas, and everyone I know with a 90s Honda liked it. I guess we really are getting more irrational “buy domestic brand” people lately. Keep your Civic til 200,000 miles and then get another similar car. The new Civics are pretty nice!
As for the bumper, like Bill said, you may need it for inspection. Based on what I could find from the DMV, I think Connecticut requires bumpers in good condition, attached correctly and not dragging, and energy absorbers intact. You could ask an inspection station for more information. A cracked plastic cover isn’t really a big deal, but if the actual metal bumper crumpled, for your safety I’d get it replaced.
If color match is important to you, get a same-color replacement; otherwise, it’ll cost $200 to $300 to have a shop paint it for you. If you were a do-it-yourselfer, you could get very close match color spray paint from www.paintworldinc.com.
Oh! About that original equipment timing belt, the engine is an “interference fit”, meaning: the valves will “interfer” with the pistons when the timing belt slips (or, loses teeth) from wear.
Personally I would fix it. It bothers you enough to post about it. Also when you sell the car it will eat at the vehicle’s value so why not get a more enjoyable 67k out of the car. Get a few estimates and let them know your paying out of pocket AND you only want another 67k out of vehicle. They will price accordingly.
I imagine you have been “saving” due to the $1000 deductible especially on a low value car. You may as well dip into your savings.