Front bumper damage - comments?

[Cooper]

Hi Everyone,

Sometime in Brandy's checkered past she suffered some front end damage. She had some plastic surgery [Z3M front bumper attached] however all is not well and it's starting to bother me. I have uploaded a vid of the misaligned bumper and would appreciate some comments prior to me taking her to the panel beaters for their opinion.

I did turn the camera on the side so I hope that you don't find it too annoying. All comments appreciated as I don't know anything about what can be adjusted by me and what has to be professionally altered.

View: http://youtu.be/ztFzEgE5yGE


Cooper

 

[GazHyde]

After watching to halfway I had thought that the front bumper wasn't aligned correctly, but following through to the end it does look to be more bonnet related.

The M bumper is a popular modification, so it's possible that it hasn't been crashed. That said as it's not the original bumper, it's difficult to know if it's just badly fitted/aligned or if it has had some front end damage on it. No idea what the bulge is!

The gaps around the headlights suggest something isn't straight, and I'm assuming you have good beam alignment on those?

 

[spurs fan in a coupe]

If there's been any significant damage to the front you should be able to tell looking at where the chassis joins the slam panel (part that the bonnet latches onto) then there are 2 large 'bumper shock absorbers' these are then bolted ( from underneath) to the bumper.

Around this area would show damage, excessive/unusal/not in keeping with the rest of car rust, or possibly a lack of colour match if previously repaired.

Photos of these areas may help

 

[Cooper]

Thanks @GazHyde and @spurs fan in a coupe The beams are aligned and working well. I have assumed it was crashed due to the change of bumper and the misaligned panels but I may be wrong. I shall look at the items Spurs mentioned and take photos if required. Kind of hard to comment if you are not here I know.... thanks.

The guy that polished the paint mentioned that the bonnet appears to have been repainted and I think he mentioned that an imperfection on the bonnet was 'draw back' or something like that. It is a unusual ripple effect from paint shrinking which sort of confirmed a prior incident. The bonnet does look very straight and undamaged though - who knows there might be bog in it!

I shall update anything that I find [or not find].

 

[oldcarman]

Hey Cooper, after 8 days of my car arriving some idiot backed into the front breaking the grills and putting a dent in the nose under the rondel. I was in my bank waiting for four people to finish at the ATM and was away from the car possibly ten minutes. Didn't notice anything until two days later while California dusting it off!! So the to do list just got longer. New top to be ordered next week as well as tires all around. Other than that it's a pretty good little car. Heading to it's first show and shine tomorrow to gauge reaction to the RHD.. Hope you get your's sorted out soon. Later JIM

 

[Cooper]

Hey Cooper, after 8 days of my car arriving some idiot backed i

I am really sorry to hear that happened to you. Every time I go out that is on my mind. I believe that some of the cameras they have these days can activate if they are 'bumped' and i am seriously looking to get one, front and rear.

I am so happy you finally got your girl there and can enjoy it!

 

[badman gee]

Sorry to hear that jim

 

[lightning]

With regard to the video of the misaligned bumper, if it were my car l would remove the bumper to see what if anything was wrong behind.
Then l would have a go at adjusting the bonnet for a better fit, around the screen.
After that l would refit the bumper and adjust it to get a better fit. Maybe using some packing washers etc if the adjustments would not bring it into line. Unless l found damage to the mountings etc in which case l would get that fixed.

 

[DavidM]

Cooper,

It might be worth getting the opinions (and subsequent cost estimates) from a couple of BMW approved body shop repair specialists - the more information the better, before attempting any major adjustments to body panels? Hopefully nothing too major!

Best wishes.

David.

 

[hard top]

Bloody hell Jim, you are having some luck with that car, not.

 

[DavidM]

Hey Cooper, after 8 days of my car arriving some idiot backed into the front breaking the grills and putting a dent in the nose under the rondel. I was in my bank waiting for four people to finish at the ATM and was away from the car possibly ten minutes. Didn't notice anything until two days later while California dusting it off!! So the to do list just got longer. New top to be ordered next week as well as tires all around. Other than that it's a pretty good little car. Heading to it's first show and shine tomorrow to gauge reaction to the RHD.. Hope you get your's sorted out soon. Later JIM

Jim,

Sorry to hear about this particularly so soon after purchase!

Good luck with the modifications and repairs.

David.

 

[t-tony]

Sorry to here about that Jim. Be careful where you park it. Possibly because these are so low the driver didn't even see you car? Not that that is any excuse.

 

[Cooper]

Following up with some photos.

It is obvious that there was a minor crash which damaged the original bumper and the bonnet as well. I think that the headlights suffered minor scratching but are otherwise ok. Please note in the attached photos:
01 the power steering fluid line is not attached to anything and in fact both pipes just tough the Z3M grill plastic. They are not movable so seems OK.
02 i dont know if the black metal support plate on the top of the radiator/lights is original as it looks new and if not the same color as the other parts.
03 the piston bumper support and everything else seems to be original and good condition
04 there is some panel beaters bog and other minor damage

on the edges of the bonnet [front] and a tear still exists.

At this stage I think the damage is repairable but will be fiddly.

Oh, and i discovered that I have a minor power steering leak so that gets added to the list of things to be done!

Cooper

 

[oldcarman]

Bloody hell Jim, you are having some luck with that car, not.

Yeah, but it is still a hoot to drive. Minor set backs but the little car continues to impress! Now I can say " I know what all the fuss is about". Sorry Cooper, didn't mean to hijack your thread. JIM