what's behind the bumper? E46
Discussion
I haven't been able to find the answer to this question, so hope you'll forgive me for posting up here. I was rear-ended by a merc van a couple of weeks ago. Straightforward repair by the insurance company, you might think.
I have heard of this happening before and the car having to be written off due to chassis damage (on Audis particularly).
This time, thankfully, the body shop said that the chassis was not damaged, so the bumper could be replaced and the strength of the car would not be compromised. However they did say that they had repaired the car 'behind the rear bumper'. I imagine there's a cross member or beam of some description that runs behind the bumper to take the impact of any accident. But I'm struggling to visualise what repairs they will have done if the chassis was undamaged.
Can anyone describe what the structure is beneath the panels and rear bumper - or post a link to a diagram? Real OEM shows the panels but not really the substructure onto which they're bolted. Thanks a lot in advance
tiger
I have heard of this happening before and the car having to be written off due to chassis damage (on Audis particularly).
This time, thankfully, the body shop said that the chassis was not damaged, so the bumper could be replaced and the strength of the car would not be compromised. However they did say that they had repaired the car 'behind the rear bumper'. I imagine there's a cross member or beam of some description that runs behind the bumper to take the impact of any accident. But I'm struggling to visualise what repairs they will have done if the chassis was undamaged.
Can anyone describe what the structure is beneath the panels and rear bumper - or post a link to a diagram? Real OEM shows the panels but not really the substructure onto which they're bolted. Thanks a lot in advance
tiger
Thanks gents especially Paoloh - nice link. I'm beginning to visualise what's going on underneath the skin. I'll enquire whether they put a new rear bumper carrier in or just repaired the old one.
Skinny - what's a beaver panel? Is there a more technical term for this?
The bodyshop guy did say that they had a jig and they made sure that the chassis sustained no damage, so that at least is a relief. I basically just want to ensure that the car not only looks identical to before the accident, but drives as well and is as safe.
tiger
Skinny - what's a beaver panel? Is there a more technical term for this?
The bodyshop guy did say that they had a jig and they made sure that the chassis sustained no damage, so that at least is a relief. I basically just want to ensure that the car not only looks identical to before the accident, but drives as well and is as safe.
tiger
Also have a look here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.do?model=VC32&a...
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