Crash damage from new!!!
Discussion
quinny100 said:
That looks more like a lightweight bumper support bracket - the crash bar is the much more substantial beam you can see further back. I suspect it would bend far easier than you might think - it may even be designed to be sacrificial.
A paint depth gauge will tell you if the bumper has ever been painted.
It does look like just a support bracket, not the crash bar, otherwise it would be much thicker and would have cost much more.A paint depth gauge will tell you if the bumper has ever been painted.
As such, this bar looks like it is made to deform very easily. So it is possible that it could just have been a car park knock and the bumper bounced back into shape with no damage.
Can the OP think of a time when the car had to be ‘kept in’ for further frantic fixing investigations at any time? 
You could get all Sherlock Holmes about it but it’s never going to lead anywhere.
Annoying but all sorts goes on in garages and even pre-delivery cars get damaged unbeknownst to the buyer.
You could get all Sherlock Holmes about it but it’s never going to lead anywhere.
Annoying but all sorts goes on in garages and even pre-delivery cars get damaged unbeknownst to the buyer.
J6542 said:
Maybe the dealership demo was the same colour and they just swapped the bumpers off them after they bumped it.
I was wondering that. If transporter damage, you would have thought they would fully repair inc that bar.Also agree that isn't the crashbar, as Nd would bend with a hard kick let alone carpark bump.
Daniel
Your bumper will be mint. No signs of previous repair. Overnight is more than enough time for them to have swapped the bumper from another car in-colour and then patch up that one before refitting it and flogging it to some poor sap as approved used.
For your part, £300 is a lucky escape and a cheap lesson about the dealer you are using.
For your part, £300 is a lucky escape and a cheap lesson about the dealer you are using.
The damage could have happened anywhere between the factory and the dealer. It's not unknown for vehicles to be damaged and repaired before the customer first gets the car. If you want to go full forensic on it you could check that bent bar to see if any dust has been removed by recent contact or, if the paint has broken that there's corrosion forming.
A low 4x4 with the spare on the tailgate could have reversed into it shoving the bumper in and bending the crash bar with the bumper shell just popping out which some do without even showing paint damage or creases.
Around a year ago I sold a 1owner C3 with 22k miles. I knew the owner personally and she had never even so much had scratched it. The new owner brought it back a few weeks later showing us the rear crash bar which was bent.
It was very rusty where the paint had flaked so had been like it for a while but the bumper was clearly in its original paint. Either damaged from new or reversed into at some point later in life.
Around a year ago I sold a 1owner C3 with 22k miles. I knew the owner personally and she had never even so much had scratched it. The new owner brought it back a few weeks later showing us the rear crash bar which was bent.
It was very rusty where the paint had flaked so had been like it for a while but the bumper was clearly in its original paint. Either damaged from new or reversed into at some point later in life.
Trevor555 said:
Plastic Sith said:
This time the oil warning light stayed off but uh-oh, was almost immediately replaced with a new warning light which related to the pop up bonnet safety system!
That's certainly going to be related?How long did the garage have the car in on that visit?
I'm not sure you'll ever prove it though.
It you wish to follow it up, I'd start by politely asking the dealer to explain this coincidence.
Damage does happen to new cars before they are delivered to the dealer, this may well be what happened here or as some have said someone could have reversed into it in a car park, maybe had a tow bar, damaging the bar behind and the bumper just popped back out, its not uncommon.
Years ago I sold a new car to a guy who 3 years later went to have a tow bar fitted, he contacted me as he was concerned that the beam behind the bumper was bent, asking if I knew of any damage that it may have had before delivery to him as, it hadn't had any repair whilst in his ownership.
It hadn't been damaged and repaired with us, so either it was done prior to registration at some point before getting to us (the dealer), however if it would have been noticeable bumper damage then the bar would have been replaced too, or it was done whilst in his ownership with no visible external damage.
One other thing many, many years ago, someone went up the back of me when I was in a Clio, not a scratch or mark on the bumper however the floor in the boot was bent.
Years ago I sold a new car to a guy who 3 years later went to have a tow bar fitted, he contacted me as he was concerned that the beam behind the bumper was bent, asking if I knew of any damage that it may have had before delivery to him as, it hadn't had any repair whilst in his ownership.
It hadn't been damaged and repaired with us, so either it was done prior to registration at some point before getting to us (the dealer), however if it would have been noticeable bumper damage then the bar would have been replaced too, or it was done whilst in his ownership with no visible external damage.
One other thing many, many years ago, someone went up the back of me when I was in a Clio, not a scratch or mark on the bumper however the floor in the boot was bent.
eltax91 said:
Your bumper will be mint. No signs of previous repair. Overnight is more than enough time for them to have swapped the bumper from another car in-colour and then patch up that one before refitting it and flogging it to some poor sap as approved used.
For your part, £300 is a lucky escape and a cheap lesson about the dealer you are using.
We needed a new rear bumper for a Honda Jazz - they come ready painted from the factory.For your part, £300 is a lucky escape and a cheap lesson about the dealer you are using.
Plastic Sith said:
This afternoon I took a call from the service department querying if I’d ever had a crash as they’d found crash damage on the front crash bar when trying to fit the sensor.
This time the oil warning light stayed off but uh-oh, was almost immediately replaced with a new warning light which related to the pop up bonnet safety system!
This time the oil warning light stayed off but uh-oh, was almost immediately replaced with a new warning light which related to the pop up bonnet safety system!
Plastic Sith said:
It was the sensor mounted to the deformed bracket that was kicking out the error and thus needed replacing.
On that visit the dealership had it overnight......coincidence??
A sensor mounted on that (bent) support bar needed replacing after they had it? Where does the sensor sit in relation to the damage? On that visit the dealership had it overnight......coincidence??
A1VDY said:
A low 4x4 with the spare on the tailgate could have reversed into it shoving the bumper in and bending the crash bar with the bumper shell just popping out which some do without even showing paint damage or creases.
Around a year ago I sold a 1owner C3 with 22k miles. I knew the owner personally and she had never even so much had scratched it. The new owner brought it back a few weeks later showing us the rear crash bar which was bent.
It was very rusty where the paint had flaked so had been like it for a while but the bumper was clearly in its original paint. Either damaged from new or reversed into at some point later in life.
I think it aligns with a tow ball maybe a bit too low, however, looking at the Civic front bumper and the fancy diffuser thing, there would be bumper damage if not cracked etc. Might be a possibility of it popping out the top fixtures and the bumper bending enough and someone pushed it back in place. More likely a bumper replacement as said before, it looks like a very rigid design on the bumper moulding.Around a year ago I sold a 1owner C3 with 22k miles. I knew the owner personally and she had never even so much had scratched it. The new owner brought it back a few weeks later showing us the rear crash bar which was bent.
It was very rusty where the paint had flaked so had been like it for a while but the bumper was clearly in its original paint. Either damaged from new or reversed into at some point later in life.
Edited by Skyrocket21 on Saturday 24th October 14:01
Looking at the picture again, why didn't the mechanic just straighten the bar/bracket?
A hammer and a bar would surely have moved them back into place, what 10mins work?
Hidden behind the bumper cover it wouldn't bother me.
Mechanics these days just want to swap out and replace what their diagnostics tell them to these days, are there any real mechanics left out there?
Rant over.
A hammer and a bar would surely have moved them back into place, what 10mins work?
Hidden behind the bumper cover it wouldn't bother me.
Mechanics these days just want to swap out and replace what their diagnostics tell them to these days, are there any real mechanics left out there?
Rant over.
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