parkwood

Cannot believe i am asking this just 2months in but my car was rear ended today

was stopped because of the manifestation (demonstration) against the fuel price rises and the other driver was obviously distracted in the melee. Not a hard shunt but the bumper has a 4 or 5 cm horizontal crack in the centre.

i imagine the bumper will have to be replaced and dread the amount of pulling apart that will entail it will never be as factory again

do mercedes produce factory painted bumpers that at least would be better than a bodyshop one?

all the sensors work though i have not yet checked the electric towbar.

can anyone point me to a vid of what the replacement work entails on an estate and advise re the bumper?

i am trying to keep this in perpective it is only a car.....

Cambridgehank

I had a similar experience. I took the car to the Mercedes dealership's auto body shop. They replaced the rear bumper and painted in prior to assembly. You would not know that it was a replacement, by the way, another reason for the dealership is that they insisted on OEM parts.

teksurv

I am very sorry this happened to you. Glad all involved are ok. I would talk to your dealer on who they use, insist on OEM parts and do an independent search for reviews on said body shop. If it is just the bumper cover and foam damaged, that is an easy fix. Never the same is less of a factor here. If body panels need work, that is a different story, potentially. Best of luck to you, hoping for the best

rbrylaw

Oh, man. I'm so sorry to see this. I also recommend taking it to your dealer who hopefully, like my dealer has their own body shop. This way, you can insist on and feel confident you'll get an OEM replacement bumper. It will however, likely come unpainted, but they'll also have OEM paint and when you get your car back, you really won't be able to discern any difference from the factory build vs the repair.

I was hit by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel (he'd just done a 24 hour shift at his job) as he was turning right at a traffic light, while I was stuck at a red light. He took out my front bumper, side view mirror, then continued to scrape down the entire drivers side of my car. I was sitting there and watched it all unfold (it still plays in my mind in slow motion). My MB dealer has their own high quality body shop. When I got my car back, it was indistinguishable from factory new.

Again, so sorry this happened to you.

Egonvdv

but this is being covered by the "rear-ender's" insurance I trust..???

haibieb

Our 2015 CLS was rear ended about 3 years ago and the damage was taken care by our local MB body shop in West Palm Beach, Fl. The total cost was about $3,500 and the outcome was superb in terms of quality and finish. Good luck with your car.

parkwood

Just an update the car needs the bumper cover replacing. In the sunlight you can see how it has deformed above the cracked area.
The repair costs are 1033 euro inc the cover itself at 498 euro plus tva tax at 20%. The rear lights have to come out.....and the part will be painted locally.
i have seen their paintwork before and it was quite good. I have a longstanding relationship with the dealer so will complain if it is not as i hope.
it is just it will not be as it left the factory us obsessives have such a hard time
i did have some good news as the accident was not my fault my excess does not apply and i can effectively leave the whole thing to my insurers who will reclaim the money from the other drivers insurers.
car in on monday for repairs.

rbrylaw

I'm glad you've got it scheduled and this too shall be an unfortunate memory, but a memory none-the-less. I'm sure it will be brought back to it's brand new state. Post before and after pics if you get a chance.

Haag

I know what you mean and I sympathize with you.
The feeling will fade eventually.

That's quick. But the sooner the better! I'm sure the work will be good and you'll notice no difference.

ua549

My E300 was rear ended (hit and run) while it was parked a few weeks after delivery. Repaired cars are never the same. One just has to know how & where to look. The feeling about driving a less than concours condition car never goes away.

teksurv

Yeah...to each their own on never the same. If it were my car and body panels or the unibody was damaged, I'd sell the car at a loss as I can be a bit neurotic. A plastic bumper cover with a good paint job should look just as it did from the factory when complete, or so close it wouldn't matter.

Egonvdv

they don't just replace the part? strange...

parkwood

i was hoping the bumper cover could be ordered already painted but seems not. The devi shows removal and refitting of the rear lights. From an inspection of the boot it looks like quite a bit of trim will be pulled apart as well as the wheel arch mouldings. I always fear fixings not being refitted as original....we shall see.

stephos

hope it all goes well!

parkwood

Dropped the car off just as the insurance assessor arrived. Annoyingly he stipulated the bumper cover could be repaired. So it has got to come off with all the disruption that involves and will be a repaired item not as a factory fresh one. I had a bit of a moan pointing out the car was 2mths old and hestuck to the line it will be as good as before.....i have made the garage aware i am concerned but they say it will be ok. We shall see.....will post pics but the damage was a fissure about 4cm long bang in the middle of the bumper.

rbrylaw

It will be OK. I had a brand new BMW 335i hardtop convertible and a lady rear-ended me 4 days after I picked up the car. The damage to my rear bumper sounds very similar to your damage and they fixed the bumper as opposed to replacing it and it was simply indistinguishable from brand new when I got it back.

Reputable body shop folks are magicians. They really are!

parkwood

Thanks for your support they are only cars but it is sooo hard for us obsessives