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Bloody weather - Got rear ended today :(

1K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  CHR15 
#1 ·
Does anyone here have any experience with removing the rear bumper? The front I have mastered, however, I've never touched the rear.

Unfortunately, today I stopped to let a big lorry pass through a narrow road and was stationary (having just picked up my brand-spanking new Anni alloys on my merry way to get some F1s fitted to them) and sure enough, karma decided to balance things out today for me - some guy came skidding into my rear. He was travelling way to fast, and with the slippery roads he shunted me from the rear. I totally feared the worst - Fortunately, it wasn't at a high speed and there is very, very minimal damage.

Here are the pics:

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There is a slight bulge in the inner frame where the plate sits ? you can make it out if you look carefully.

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The guy was totally honest and cool about it though ? his front bumper was smashed though. He was in combat/military gear and I noticed he had a Royal Air force badge on one (or both?) of his shoulders. He has admitted full responsibility for going too fast, and has said for me to get it fixed and he will cover the payment. I?ve taken down all his details and know which base he is located at. I chatted to him earlier today and he echoed the above and said get it fixed and send me the invoice etc?

From the pics - is there a way to repair this plastic bumper - or should I just go for another one? Does anyone knows of any tips/urls or has any experience in removing the MK4 rear bumper - I would be most grateful for any advice please!

I will come off daft, but will the job just be a bolt off/bolt on? Or will adjustments need to be made to fit it straight?

At the moment the bumper has no gaps and is sitting totally OEM. However, I'm weary that a rear crash-beam may be behind and may have taken impact?

Any advice welcome. I guess there are some people who have changed to an R-Line bumper or have had their rear bumpers smoothened - when it was fit was it 100% perfect?

Thanks!

Edit: How much does a rear bumper go for? Should I go for the R-Line duel exit bumper or would that look naff on an Anni?
 
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#3 ·
Sorry to see that.

I had a similar incident with mine a couple of years ago where I got a low speed shunt at a roundabout where the bumper just looked scuffed pretty much like yours, I was glad I exchanged details as when it went to VW the bumper was replaced as well as the bar / brackets behind once all fitted and sprayed the bill to the 3rd party was ?1100. You should get it checked out if you are not going to pay for it - better to be safe than sorry.

The only minus point was that I had to declare the accident even though it was'nt my fault and it DID affect my premium - where's the sense in that?
 
#4 ·
Really sorry to hear about this Raj, the rear bumper is really easy to take off - just as the front is. Had mine off several times when I was getting my bumpers smoothed on my previous Golf.

You will need to remove both rear clusters to expose 2 bolts and a locking pin. Remove the bolts and push the inner part of the locking pin down to release. Then pop the plastic outer part of the locking pin out.

There are some torx screws underneath the rear valance, these need to be removed.

Then finally, remove the screws in the wheel arch liner. The bumper should then pull away from the car but be careful as there will be a cable attached for the number plate light.

Yes, there is a very solid metal bar behind the bumper and this probably took all the impact. I doubt very much any damage has been caused to that.

I wouldnt even bother attempting to fix that, you would probably need to heat it up and remove the bulge and then apply/smooth some filler over it. It would be much cheaper just to get a rear bumper from a scrappy (?35 max) and get that painted.

Don't worry, the impact seems quite minor and you wont have any fitting issues with a new bumper mate.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the advice - I will be sure to get a quote in writing then make sure he agrees to it prior to starting anything.

I have got zero (0) years no claims! I cannot afford to make a claim - I really, really need at least one years.... Argh!! The impact was probably at about 10mph - I'm fearing the worst now. I have a mate who runs his own bodyshop, has done great work before, so am awaiting Monday to get it fully checked out. Surely if the bracket/beam was damaged, there would be something visible, right? The car drives spot-on, I have not noticed any gaps on the sides or where the rear lights sit, the boot opens and closes perfect. If I get under the car - would I be able to see this bracket/beam?

Appreciate any more input!
 
#7 ·
Cheers Sem - That is great info! When you had your rear bumpers smoothed, did you not find the bumpers were different under the light compared to the other panels?

Oh well at least I can now rid those scratches under the boot due to loaded/unloading!
 
#9 ·
Quote: posted by RS2002 on 18/12/2004 17:10:43

Cheers Sem - That is great info! When you had your rear bumpers smoothed, did you not find the bumpers were different under the light compared to the other panels?

Oh well at least I can now rid those scratches under the boot due to loaded/unloading!

Painted plastic parts always look a different shade to metal panels, more so on silver cars. When my bumpers were painted the colour was very slightly off but it matched the colour on the petrol flap perfectly (which was OEM and had never been painted) so I guess I couldn't expect any better. Same goes for the mirrors, they matched the flap/bumpers but were a very slightly different shade to the metal panels.

My car was Satin Silver and I believe this is a lot more difficult to match as it is a pearl effect with a blue tint. You may be ok with Reflex Silver though.
 
#10 ·
I really want to do this now but its too dark and I've got work tomorrow morning. I've phoned my mate who runs his own bodyshop and he's told me to bring it in Monday morning as he's in Birmingham until then. I'll just have to bite my tongue and hold out for the best.

I've seen this bumper on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=72206&item=7940303238&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Should I go for it? How much do these things retail for? Vagparts isn't open over the weekend - great!

Cheers mate - not too sure about his rank, but he seems very geniune @ JBlack
 
#15 ·
Quote: posted by RS2002 on 18/12/2004 17:23:05. I'll just have to bite my tongue and hold out for the best.

I've seen this bumper on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=72206&item=7940303238&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Should I go for it? How much do these things retail for? Vagparts isn't open over the weekend - great!

You'll pick that up dirt cheap mate, nearly bought it myself. I bought an R32 bootlid from them on Friday for ?75 - came complete with glass, electrics and spoiler [^] Should do nicely!
 
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